SS-Class Guide - Chapter 14

The mission in District 5 concluded successfully.

Jing Lan captured a total of twelve transparent-colored Zerg. These creatures were dissected to rescue the people they had swallowed. They fed on mental power; while ordinary humans had low mental power and were absorbed as nutrients, the more stable mental power of Sentinels and Guides was kept in internal cocoons to be slowly siphoned.

Some Sentinels, unable to endure the torture, had self-detonated within the cocoons. Many more were already in a state of berserk rage. In contrast to the unstable mental landscapes of the Sentinels, the Guides remained in a much more stable condition.

However, the person who surprised everyone most was An Yuan. Even An Yuan himself did not know his stabilization abilities were this formidable.

At that time, the mental power radiating from him could no longer be described as threads; it was a mental tide, thick, dense, and surging in wave after wave. Each pulse brought immediate relief to the mental landscapes of every Sentinel within range. In less than twenty minutes of area-wide stabilization, the Sentinels’ states shifted from the brink of madness to a point where they could maintain their reason. This allowed other Guides to follow up with urgent one-on-one or one-to-two stabilizations.

Though it had been a close call, it was thanks to An Yuan that the mission was completed successfully. With the special Zerg eliminated, the collection team gathered samples while others began the grim task of counting the dead and missing from both the previous incidents and this operation.

An Yuan, suffering from extreme mental exhaustion, sat in a chair with a deathly pale face. His eyes were out of focus, as if he were in a trance. Sentinels occasionally cast looks of awe toward him, but feeling unworthy to gaze upon their newfound god, they would quickly look away.

“Lord An Yuan’s stabilization power is so strong,” someone whispered. “This is not just S-rank; it has to be beyond Double S-rank, right?”

“No wonder the two old Masters of the Divine Healing Hall treat Lord An Yuan like a treasure.”

“Thank goodness for him, or many of us would have been lost here.”

Some wept quietly, mourning fallen comrades.

Wen Xiuyan took out a tissue and wiped the sweat from An Yuan’s forehead. An Yuan’s eyes finally focused as he looked up slightly at Wen Xiuyan. He said, “I can do it myself.”

“You look very tired,” Wen Xiuyan replied.

When a Sentinel is exhausted, a Guide can alleviate it. But when a Guide is exhausted, they can only rely on self-regulation.

“This is the first time I have truly understood what war is like,” An Yuan said. “There is killing intent everywhere.”

Jing Lan’s command for Wen Xiuyan to take him away still echoed in his mind. An Yuan could not help but wonder what would have happened if his stabilization power had not been that strong. What if he had done nothing and let Wen Xiuyan take him away? What would have happened to Jing Lan? What about those still alive in the cocoons?

An Yuan hated the Zerg. He had hated them before, but now that disgust had reached its peak.

The tissue in Wen Xiuyan’s hand dropped as he gently cupped An Yuan’s face with both hands. Their eyes met. “A-Yuan, you were incredible,” Wen Xiuyan said.

An Yuan remained silent.

Wen Xiuyan added, “I know what you like.”

An Yuan paused and asked, “What do I like?” He was not even sure himself.

Many nearby eavesdroppers pricked up their ears. They liked An Yuan and wanted to know his preferences so they could perhaps send gifts to win his favor.

Wen Xiuyan smiled and said, “Character is innate. My A-Yuan, you like peace, fairness, justice, and equality. You want prosperity for the Five Districts. You like everything that is positive.”

An Yuan blinked. The eavesdropping crowd was stunned, some even forgetting their tasks as they looked at An Yuan in shock.

An Yuan placed his hands over Wen Xiuyan’s. After thinking seriously for a moment, he said, “I do not know. But I think what I like is for everyone around me, everyone I see, to be able to live well.”

The crowd thought, how is that exactly what Wen Xiuyan just said? They had liked An Yuan before, but now they liked him even more.

Once everything was processed, the group took the Temple of Theon’s transport back. Those rescued from the cocoons needed recovery; their mental landscapes were hovering at the edge of the safety threshold and desperately required stabilization. Since each session is a drain on a Guide, their daily capacity was limited.

An Yuan and the team stayed temporarily at the local branch, where all Guides worked from dawn to dusk. Due to compatibility issues, they aimed only for a seven-tenths recovery state to be safe.

Jing Lan and Wen Xiuyan each began writing reports to send back to the Main Temple. An Yuan sat beside Wen Xiuyan as he worked. “So, you actually have to write these?” An Yuan asked, referring to the Sentinels of the Divine Martial Hall.

Wen Xiuyan’s hand stopped. He looked up at An Yuan. “Of course. We have to document everything that happened, including all Zerg information, their abilities, and the damage they caused.”

An Yuan nodded. While the corpses would be tested, written reports might capture details that testing could overlook.

Wen Xiuyan’s smile, already gentle, turned even warmer. An Yuan could not help but smile back; he had always liked Wen Xiuyan’s smile.

Then, Wen Xiuyan spoke again. “For example, I have to report how Sentinel Jing Lan ordered me to take you away, but you disobeyed commands and insisted on leaving the vehicle.”

An Yuan’s expression froze.

“It is our job,” Wen Xiuyan said with a smile.

An Yuan thought of the two old Masters of the Divine Healing Hall and felt his scalp go numb. He stood up, pulled a chair over to Wen Xiuyan, and tried to think of how to convince him. Being too honest was a mistake; surely a report only needed to mention that the ending was good.

He recalled the question the Masters asked him every few days. If Wen Xiuyan recorded this honestly, he could already foresee the fatigue bombing of lectures he would receive. It was suffocating just thinking about it.

Before An Yuan could speak, Wen Xiuyan chuckled. “A-Yuan, I know what you want to say.”

“Then.”

“No.” Wen Xiuyan’s expression did not change. His warm blonde hair and sea-blue eyes looked as gentle as ever, but it did not stop him from being ruthlessly firm.

An Yuan did not want to give up.

Wen Xiuyan added, “A-Yuan, it is not just me. Sentinel Jing Lan and all the other Sentinels will be reporting as well.”

An Yuan’s heart sank. This meant every single Sentinel would likely include a line like, “Guide An Yuan disobeyed Sentinel Jing Lan’s orders, acted impulsively, and even attempted to jump out of the vehicle and rush into the battlefield.”

An Yuan realized he might be able to convince one person, but he could not convince everyone. He had a headache. Now he had to stop thinking about how to suppress the reports and start thinking about how to convince the Masters that he only did it because he was certain of success.

The truth was, he had not been certain at all. He had never known his group stabilization was that powerful. Regardless, it was a good thing. He might very well be the only Double S-rank Guide in the Five Districts.

Wen Xiuyan looked at him. “But A-Yuan, do you not have to write a report?”

An Yuan paused. He had assumed that as a Guide, he was exempt.

“As far as I know, Guides must submit reports as well,” Wen Xiuyan said.

An Yuan blinked and walked out of the office in a daze. He decided to find the other S-rank Guide on the team, Bai Jinghui, to ask.

On the way, An Yuan ran into Jing Lan. This was the first time they had met since the mission ended. An Yuan smiled beautifully. “Long time no see, Lord Jing Lan.”

Jing Lan nodded. “Lord An Yuan, I would like to speak with you.”

An Yuan had a subtle, bad feeling. He followed Jing Lan into a temporary office. There was a long desk and a sofa chair for guests. Jing Lan had him sit and poured him a cup of tea.

An Yuan thanked him and took a small sip. Since their senses were so sharp, Sentinels and Guides preferred light flavors, and this tea was carefully selected.

“Regarding the previous mission,” Jing Lan began.

“I am sorry,” An Yuan interjected quickly, apologizing first.

Jing Lan frowned.

An Yuan continued, “I know what you mean. Even though the result was good, given the situation, the highest probability was that everyone, including myself and Guide Bai Jinghui, could have become casualties.”

“Lord An Yuan,” Jing Lan said, “I wanted to tell you that under those circumstances, if Wen Xiuyan had taken you away, we would have been able to wipe out those Zerg without holding back.” He paused. “Of course, if we had solved it that way, the lives of the Sentinels and Guides inside the cocoons could not have been guaranteed. They probably all would have died.”

An Yuan was silent.

“But you would not have died, nor would the Guide with you,” Jing Lan stated.

An Yuan apologized again with genuine sincerity. “I am very sorry.”

Jing Lan looked grave. “Lord An Yuan, you were an anomaly. If it were not for your stabilization power possibly reaching Double S-rank, then under normal circumstances, staying behind would have only increased the casualties.”

An Yuan, properly lectured, replied, “Yes.”

“Regardless, I hope you will follow orders in the future,” Jing Lan said.

“Yes.” An Yuan was always very proactive when it came to giving the correct verbal answer.

Their eyes met. Suddenly, Jing Lan asked, “Lord An Yuan, do you know why the Masters of the Divine Healing Hall always ask you the same question?”

An Yuan looked lost for a moment. It was no secret that the Masters loved to repeat that question to him. But why?

“Once, by chance,” Jing Lan said, “I heard Master Lin say that our Lord An Yuan gives the most obedient verbal answers and has a great attitude toward admitting mistakes, but what he is actually thinking in his heart is anyone’s guess.”

An Yuan felt a wave of embarrassment.

“I hope you have some self-awareness,” Jing Lan added. “In this regard, you have a truly rebellious bone in your body.”

An Yuan blinked and said with total sincerity, “Lord Jing Lan, please believe me. I will definitely pay attention in the future.”

Jing Lan recalled Master Lin’s description of An Yuan, who appears more obedient than anyone, and fell silent for a moment. “Fine.”

Not wanting to be lectured further, An Yuan stood up. “If there is nothing else, I will not disturb you.”

“Fine,” Jing Lan replied.

An Yuan left the office. He thought about Jing Lan’s words. Did he really have a rebellious bone? Whatever. He would just keep going as he was.

He went to find Bai Jinghui. Bai was busy writing something and waved An Yuan over to sit.

“Are you?” An Yuan asked tentatively.

“Writing a report,” Bai Jinghui grumbled.

“Uh, do we have to write reports too?”

Bai Jinghui put down his pen and looked at An Yuan seriously. “Come to think of it, is this Lord An Yuan’s first mission?”

An Yuan nodded.

Bai Jinghui sighed. “Of course we have to report.” He scratched his head. “I understand why Sentinels do it, but I truly cannot understand why we Guides have to.”

An Yuan agreed deeply and said hopefully, “The Masters never told me I needed to write one.”

“If you do not write it now, you will have to eventually,” Bai Jinghui warned. “Check the Temple rules. Every mission requires a report, and depending on the situation, the word count must be no less than three thousand words.”

Three thousand words? An Yuan’s pupils shook in disbelief.

“The count is so high that if you wait until we get back, it will take forever,” Bai Jinghui added with another sigh. “If you do not submit it on time, the digital penalty doubles.”

An Yuan understood now why everyone was so busy writing. The rule was simply unreasonable.

Bai Jinghui added, “Fortunately, we had an accident like you this time. It should be relatively easy to meet the word count by writing about that.”

An Yuan’s brain slowly produced a question mark.

After a moment, An Yuan pulled a chair over and, with his most sincere expression, begged to see how the report should be written. Bai Jinghui was a bit reluctant, but under An Yuan’s persistent pleas, he finally let him see it.

As he read, An Yuan’s head began to throb. He had a premonition. Wen Xiuyan’s report was likely focused on him, as were those of the other Sentinels. Now that he saw Bai Jinghui was doing the same, he realized almost every other Guide would do the same to hit the word count.

The problem was, how was he supposed to write his own three-thousand-word report?

An Yuan walked back to his room with unsteady steps. He opened his computer and checked the Temple rules. He read them over and over. Indeed, from S-rank Guides to the Masters themselves, everyone had to write a report. No one had a special privilege.

An Yuan picked up his pen and felt a bit like breaking down.

After a while, he followed the example of the others and began by describing the events of the mission. He managed to squeeze out 1,200 words but still had 1,800 to go.

An Yuan blinked and thought for a long time. Finally, he knew what to do.

Gripping his pen, An Yuan spent the next 1,800 words performing a serious kneeling slide apology. He wrote with extreme sincerity about how one must never, under any circumstances, disobey orders.

It took him half a day to hit the 3,000-word mark. Afterward, he continued stabilizing the Sentinels.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Main Temple sent a message demanding their immediate return.

An Yuan felt a bit anxious. It was not that he did not want to go back, but since he had arrived in District 5, he had not even stepped outside to see the sights. He wanted at least one day to explore. However, he knew District 5 was unstable.

After some hesitation, he went to Wen Xiuyan.

Wen Xiuyan frowned. “A-Yuan, the Chief for this mission is Sentinel Jing Lan. I am the Deputy. If you want to go out, you must get permission from Sentinel Jing Lan.”

An Yuan thought about what Bai Jinghui had told him about how many Guides hid outside the Temple because there was no freedom within it. Like him now; he wanted to take a walk, a private matter, yet he had no autonomy. He needed permission. Not that he thought it was entirely bad, but it was a reality.

Wen Xiuyan sighed softly. “A-Yuan, I will go to Sentinel Jing Lan to apply for your leave.”

An Yuan instinctively grabbed Wen Xiuyan’s hand. Wen Xiuyan’s lashes lowered as he looked at the hand holding his. Realizing his overstep, An Yuan let go. “No, I am the one who wants to go. I will go and ask Lord Jing Lan myself.”

“I will go with you,” Wen Xiuyan said.

“Okay.”

An Yuan was not sure how it ended up this way, but the final result was that the two Double S-rank Sentinels accompanied him on both sides as they went out.

District 5. The No-Name Zone. For An Yuan, it was a brand new, unknown place.

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