Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Sheikh, I Have a Billion in Savings. Let Me Go, and I’ll Give It All to…

 

This was the third consecutive day of rain at the Southern Base.

 

Before this, Ruan Congyun never imagined he would use the phrase “continuous gloomy rain” to describe the weather inside a base.

 

The air was thick with a lingering scent of blood. If this continued, the water treatment system of the Southern First Base might collapse at any moment.

 

Ruan Congyun stood on the roof of a dark alley, smoking. Billowing clouds of smoke swirled around him; in the faint glow of the spark at his fingertips, his face shifted between light and shadow against the pitch-black night.

 

Tobacco was one of the most expensive luxuries in the apocalypse. In this short time, he had already smoked away six months’ worth of a B-class Sentinel’s salary.

 

Yin Chengfeng disliked the smell of smoke and sat on a railing some distance away, a damp, whistling wind blowing against his back.

 

Ruan Congyun flicked ash onto the railing, which was beaded with water, and smiled. “What do you think of the Southern First Base? I recall this should be your first time here.”

 

Yin Chengfeng had awakened at the Northern Fifth Base. If it weren’t for the recent reshuffling of the General Sentry Tower, he might never have set foot here. Now, the only place he could have called “home” had been reduced to ruins.

 

Yin Chengfeng did not answer.

 

The spot where the ash had fallen flickered with a faint blue fluorescent light. Ruan Congyun clicked his tongue. From the moment they entered the base, they were under constant surveillance.

 

Ordinary people might not notice, but unfortunately, he was a rare S-class Sentinel, highly sensitive to this type of mental operation. This ghostly, persistent monitoring irritated him.

 

He had originally intended to find some fun in “Paradise,” but ended up signing a “humiliating” treaty that suppressed his abilities within the domain—it was even more stifling than being in the base.

 

As Ruan Congyun finished another cigarette, a deep blue cipher gate lit up deep within the alley.

 

“How many Paradise entrances is this that we’ve found tonight?”

 

Either the Southern Base was in secret collusion with Paradise, or the Southern Base had been so thoroughly infiltrated that it was riddled with holes.

 

Ruan Congyun felt the former was more likely.

 

Emerging from Paradise this time was a person wrapped up tightly—hat, mask, sunglasses, not a single detail missed. The figure walked hesitantly, stopping frequently to look around.

 

Ruan Congyun sneered; the person looked suspicious as hell.

 

But a second later, Ruan Congyun’s smile vanished. He exchanged a shocked look with Yin Chengfeng, and they simultaneously mouthed the same words: “A Fallen One?”

 

Fallen Ones were distorted monsters that guarded the core within a domain. The upper limit of a Fallen One’s power generally determined the grade of the domain.

 

How could a Fallen One appear inside the Southern First Base?

 

Thinking of the nine Northern Bases that had recently perished, Ruan Congyun’s heart sank. Humanity could not afford the consecutive loss of its final lines of defense in such a short time. This was the worst possible news.

 

…

 

Xia Mingyu was simply trying to find his way to the office building.

 

He had walked the route once with Tang Yaopeng during the day, but the road was rugged and winding. No matter how good his memory was, he wasn’t sure he actually remembered it.

 

It was midnight, raining heavily, and he was cold and hungry. Carrying the exhaustion of six hours of continuous operation, Xia Mingyu felt that simply collapsing by the roadside for a nap would be a decent choice.

 

But as Xia Mingyu turned a corner, someone suddenly seized him firmly from behind. A blade pressed against his waist, pinning him in place.

 

The stranger’s movements were freakishly fast; Xia Mingyu hadn’t noticed him at all.

 

…What a mess.

 

Xia Mingyu snapped wide awake. He kept his breathing low but waited in vain for the captor behind him to speak.

 

He thought frantically.

 

Robbery? He could feel that the person behind him was of a very high rank; they wouldn’t care about his meager tips.

 

Lust? Unlikely, given how heavily he was disguised.

 

That left only… assassination.

 

Xia Mingyu was not arrogant enough to think he could win against a high-level Sentinel with his bare hands, and he currently knew next to nothing about his Guide abilities.

 

He took a deep breath and spoke calmly: “I have a billion in savings in my Star-Net account. If you let me go, I’ll give it all to you.”

 

A billion? Of course he didn’t have it.

 

But perhaps the Sentinel behind him didn’t know that.

 

From the moment Ruan Congyun leaped down, he felt the aura of the “Fallen One” grow fainter and fainter. By the time the person spoke, the aura had vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

 

It was incredibly eerie.

 

While Ruan Congyun frowned in thought, he couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh. He used a tiny sliver of mental power to pry open the Star-Net of the suspicious character before him, reading out the pitiful balance word by word.

 

Ruan Congyun felt the person in front of him go stiff with embarrassment. He thought to himself: I’ve never seen anyone this poor. Not only was the balance pathetic, but there was also a staggering amount of debt.

 

A gambler from Paradise? Just how big were the stakes?

 

In that split second of Ruan Congyun’s distraction, Xia Mingyu immediately spun around to escape, reaching out with precision to snatch the long blade from Ruan Congyun’s hand.

 

Such a petty trick wouldn’t normally stop Ruan Congyun, but a sudden, powerful surge of Mental Control hit him, causing a momentary lag. In that instant, Xia Mingyu gripped the hilt.

 

—Mental Control. A Guide’s ability.

 

Ruan Congyun narrowed his eyes. He released a burst of manifested mental power, slamming Xia Mingyu back violently. He hated it when others touched his blade.

 

Xia Mingyu’s back hit the steel wall of the alley, and he slid limply to the ground. The damp, freezing metal floor made him shiver.

 

After his hat and sunglasses fell off, the blood-scented rain dripped down his long hair. Ruan Congyun approached with steady footsteps, each one echoing.

 

Ruan Congyun’s blade touched the ground, the sharp edge carving a straight line into the hard base floor, flickering with blue sparks behind him.

 

“You have courage, daring to take my blade.”

 

Xia Mingyu was in so much pain his limbs felt like they were falling apart. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth; he wiped it away as he removed his mask.

 

He used the wall to slowly pull himself up, forcing a faint smile. “Am I… the first?”

 

He could actually still stand? Ruan Congyun tilted his head with interest. “Guide, what is your rank?”

 

If his mental control could affect an S-class Sentinel, this Guide had to be at least A-class.

 

Xia Mingyu smiled. “Since you already know how much debt I have, didn’t you see the certification on my Star-Net?”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Mingyu lunged forward, ducking low behind Ruan Congyun before the blade could swing.

 

Again? Ruan Congyun saw a firm killing intent in Xia Mingyu’s eyes and raised an eyebrow.

 

Interesting. Since this Guide wanted to play, he would play along. He would go easy on him—a bit of “gallantry toward the fair.”

 

Ruan Congyun sheathed his blade and beckoned with his hand. “Come.”

 

After exchanging several physical blows, Ruan Congyun found a new “surprise” in this Guide.

 

His close-combat style was very similar to Yin Chengfeng’s—no, it was practically carved from the same mold. However, the body lacked sufficient strength to bring out the full power of the moves.

 

“Where did you learn your footwork?”

 

Ruan Congyun was at ease; judging by his voice alone, one wouldn’t even guess he was in the middle of a fight.

 

“I invented it myself,” Xia Mingyu lied, only to hear Ruan Congyun let out a meaningful chuckle.

 

Xia Mingyu realized this man didn’t want a long battle and didn’t intend to kill him. He planned to dive back into Paradise during the next exchange—just as he had done when facing the Sanctuary Avatar.

 

But in the next second, Ruan Congyun’s fist swung right in front of Xia Mingyu’s nose, stopping just short. He leaned into Xia Mingyu’s ear and asked with a teasing smile, “Guide, are you S-class?”

 

A person’s subconscious reaction is uncontrollable; Ruan Congyun keenly felt the fluctuation in Xia Mingyu’s mental state.

 

Xia Mingyu sighed inwardly. It seemed he had hit a brick wall today.

 

…Really, what bad luck.

 

Sanctuary, why did you break your word? Didn’t you say the whole base would help me pass as a B-class?

 

Ruan Congyun released Xia Mingyu, stepped back politely, and even gave a courteous bow. “My apologies, Mr. Guide. I wish you a safe journey.”

 

Xia Mingyu was stunned. “I can go?”

 

“Please.”

 

Xia Mingyu didn’t hesitate; he turned and ran toward the alley exit. Had he known the “S-class” title was this useful, he wouldn’t have bothered with a disguise.

 

…

 

The aura of a Fallen One, the specific footwork of Yin Chengfeng, a hidden S-class identity…

 

This was getting more and more interesting. After only a brief encounter, the mysteries surrounding this Guide were large enough to swallow everyone present.

 

Ruan Congyun asked softly, “Big brother Chengfeng, do you know him?”

 

Amidst the whistling rain, Ruan Congyun received no answer. He tilted his head slightly and nodded toward Yin Chengfeng, who had been hiding above.

 

Yin Chengfeng had been sitting on the railing the whole time. He had watched for a long while, seeing every move of their exchange clearly.

 

Upon receiving Ruan Congyun’s signal, he raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

 

Yin Chengfeng’s ability was Spatial Manipulation. Following the snap, a bottomless black hole appeared beneath Xia Mingyu’s feet. Before he could react, he fell in.

 

Ruan Congyun waved toward where Xia Mingyu had vanished and said with a grin, “Have a safe journey.”

 

The Shadow Guild had always been interested in people carrying secrets. So, let’s take you to meet the Leader.

 

Ruan Congyun crossed his arms behind his head and walked toward the shimmering black hole.

 

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping. Ruan Congyun’s boots stepped into ripples that faintly glowed with deep blue light.

 

Ruan Congyun laughed and spoke to the empty air: “See that? Your disguise doesn’t work on me. Stop the monitoring; if I really wanted to do something, you couldn’t stop me.”

 

He looked up at the roof again; Yin Chengfeng was gone.

 

“Tsk, no fair. Why didn’t you wait for me?”

 

…

 

Inside a vast, pure white space, perfectly cut 3D geometric shapes floated through the air. There were no doors, no windows, and not even a ripple of force.

 

A completely closed, absolute space.

 

Floating right in the center was a person with eyes closed.

 

He seemed to be in a deep sleep, but he was plagued by nightmares, his brow furrowed tight.

 

This was the highest-security White Noise Room of the General Sentry Tower.

 

To soothe the overly sensitive five senses of an enhanced Sentinel, white noise was an essential supplement to Guide treatment. Each of these floating geometric shapes represented an S-class soothing device. The person currently inside was using the entire reserve of the General Sentry Tower.

 

Among the high-ranking officials of the Tower, there was a widely circulated saying: Of the six S-classes in this world, one is ranked S-class only because S-class is the highest rank possible.

 

—Sheikh.

 

This name carried the supreme glory and hope of humanity in the apocalypse, like a flawless idol living in legend.

 

Countless brilliant victories had convinced everyone that if the key to the truth of the apocalypse were to fall into anyone’s hands, it would be Sheikh’s.

 

The Sheikh in people’s hearts was mature, decisive, firm, and fearless—so powerful that everyone gradually forgot he was still just a twenty-year-old youth.

 

As he rested quietly with his eyes closed, Sheikh’s features still held the clear, handsome spirit of a young man.

 

His pure aura had been polished by blood and tears, making his core appear deep and heavy. Two contradictory traits were perfectly embodied in him, creating a uniquely attractive charm.

 

Unfortunately, few dared to describe Sheikh’s appearance. After all, discussing the looks of the young Chief was a matter that required significant courage.