The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 35

The sky was just beginning to lighten when the office door was silently pushed open.

Gu Qingfeng held a report in his hand, his steps deliberately light. He had only intended to set it down and leave, but when his gaze swept over the sofa, his entire body froze in place. Even the gentle smile that always lingered at the corners of his lips stiffened for a moment.

The dawn light poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding the two figures on the sofa with a soft golden halo.

Xiao Lin lay on his side, one arm like an iron chain, possessively locking the person in his embrace. Ning Ning’s face was half-buried in the marshal’s solid chest, his silver hair spilling out in a soft fan, rising and falling slightly with each steady breath. He slept deeply, a healthy flush on his cheeks, looking peaceful and utterly defenseless.

It was a picture warm enough to resemble a painting—yet so blindingly sharp it made Gu Qingfeng’s breath falter.

Something turbulent flickered in the depths of his dark eyes, but it was quickly suppressed beneath the ironclad polish of his manners. The gentle smile returned to his lips, though it never reached his eyes. Instead, it carried a chill that refused to dissipate.

“Seems I came at the wrong time.”

His voice was light, but like a needle it pierced the silence of the room.

Almost instantly, Xiao Lin’s eyes snapped open. His sharp golden gaze contained no trace of sleepiness—only the wariness and possessiveness of a beast whose territory had been trespassed.

His first instinct was not to look toward the intruder at the door, but to lower his head and check the boy in his arms.

The youth’s breathing was steady, lost in deep slumber. Xiao Lin extended his long fingers, the calloused pads brushing lightly across Ning Ning’s warm cheek, confirming that his fever had subsided. Only then did he allow himself to exhale.

When all this was done, he finally lifted his gaze, cold eyes locking onto the uninvited guest.

Gu Qingfeng acted as though he hadn’t noticed the hostility. He shook the report slightly and strolled forward, his smile soft enough to drip water. “I imagine the marshal’s embrace is quite comfortable. Though I wonder—won’t this military sofa be too hard for our Ning Ning? If he doesn’t mind, next time, my rest chamber has a soft bed.”

The word our rolled off his tongue, slow and light, steeped in fragrant tea.

At that moment, Ning Ning stirred awake, disturbed by the tense atmosphere. Groggily, he first caught sight of Xiao Lin’s sharp jawline, then noticed the smiling “gentle” face of Gu Qingfeng not far away.

【Help! The moment I open my eyes it’s top-tier male rivalry in a Shura field! System, be human for once! This isn’t what a cannon-fodder villain is supposed to encounter! And Gu Qingfeng, what’s with that tea-scented line?!】

His corporate-drone instincts screamed alarms. He shifted unconsciously—only to realize he was clinging to Xiao Lin like a koala, cheek pressed against the man’s broad, warm chest, his nose filled with the strangely soothing scent of soap laced with gunpowder.

“Professor Gu…” His voice, soft and husky with sleep, spilled out like melted sugar.

“You’re awake?” Gu Qingfeng’s smile deepened, his eyes lingering playfully on Ning Ning’s flushed cheeks. “The interrogation results are in. I thought you’d want to know immediately.”

“Speak.” Xiao Lin’s expression darkened. Feeling the boy squirm, his arm only tightened, movements firm and unyielding.

【Big brother, let me go! I can’t breathe!】 Ning Ning screamed inside, though outwardly all he managed was a weak little wiggle that only looked, to onlookers, like spoiled affection.

Gu Qingfeng’s gaze lingered for a second on the marshal’s iron grip before his demeanor grew solemn. “The situation is troublesome. Every attacker had taken military-grade psychic shielding drugs—no way to probe their deeper memories.”

He paused, lowering his voice to a grave murmur. “At the critical moment of interrogation, they all bit down on poison capsules hidden in their teeth. Suicide. Professional death-soldiers.”

The temperature in the room plummeted instantly.

【Death-soldiers? Poison capsules in teeth?】 Ning Ning blinked in shock. 【What a retro yet efficient way to silence witnesses! Why are the villains in this world so hardcore?! I just wanted to mess around and go home early—I didn’t sign up for this!】

Xiao Lin’s expression darkened to pitch black, his aura surging to a terrifying degree. Within his spiritual sea, the great golden wolf roared silently, its savagery so intense it nearly took form.

He looked down at the boy trembling in his arms. And in that instant, the storm of killing intent collapsed into raw fear and suppressed fury.

Someone had nearly harmed the treasure he would stake his life to protect—right under his nose.

Unforgivable.

He cradled Ning Ning tighter with one arm while opening his terminal with the other, his voice cold and devoid of emotion as he issued orders to the Empire’s entire planetary defense system:

“Capital Star, effective immediately—maximum martial law.”

“Seal every spaceport and jump point. Every person and cargo entering or leaving undergoes S-level psychic screening and identity verification.”

He paused, each word laced with lethal force: “Any suspicious individual—your troops are authorized to detain on sight. Tell them: not even a fly leaves this planet.”

【Brother, calm down! A fly? What about the ecosystem of Capital Star?! Why this level of overkill—for me?!】 Ning Ning’s eyes went wide, stunned by the domineering decree.

“This isn’t just about death-soldiers.” Gu Qingfeng adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, their lenses flashing with reflected data. He projected a set of charts into the air, a complex wave-spectrum unfolding before them.

He pointed to a jagged spike. “I analyzed the residual psychic traces left on-site. This waveform—its pattern matches with a report from the Seventh Star Region two weeks ago, during a Zerg disturbance. The similarity is over ninety-seven percent.”

The attackers were connected to the Zerg.

The words landed like a hammer blow on Ning Ning’s heart.

【Wait, what?! Zerg?!】 he panicked. 【Aren’t they this world’s final boss?! What do they want with me, a B-grade nobody cannon-fodder who just wants early retirement?! System, show yourself! This script is WRONG. Did you give this mission to the wrong guy?!】

Xiao Lin clearly understood the gravity too. He exchanged a weighted look with Gu Qingfeng, both faces hardening.

“Leaving him at the Academy is throwing him into a wolf’s den,” Gu Qingfeng said firmly. “He must be relocated immediately.”

Xiao Lin’s eyes narrowed. “And where do you propose? Your prince’s manor?”

“The palace is certainly an option. Or my private planet—its security system is top-tier in the Empire.” Gu Qingfeng’s smile sharpened, his words like a blade wrapped in silk. “Better than leaving him here in this chaotic place. As strong as the marshal may be… there are times you cannot be in two places at once, aren’t there?”

“Only by my side is he absolutely safe.” Xiao Lin cut him off, every word ringing with finality. “I’ll petition His Majesty at once—to take him to the Seventh Star Region. That’s my territory. Anything that dares stretch its claws there—I’ll crush.”

【Hey hey hey! You two lunatics—can’t you ask my opinion first?!】 Ning Ning huddled under the crushing pressure, his inner screen scrolling frantically. 【One wants a gilded cage, the other a military fortress! Save me, this so-called blessing is too much! I just want my little apartment and a good night’s sleep!】

…

Meanwhile, at the Empire’s power center—

The Emperor’s hologram materialized in a high-level emergency meeting. His commanding gaze swept across the gathered leaders before resting on Xiao Lin’s stern face. His voice, weary yet unyielding, filled the chamber:

“The marshal’s proposal—I approve. The ‘Moon God,’ until fully harnessed for the Empire, must not suffer the slightest mishap. Xiao Lin, go. Guard this most precious weapon with your life.”

…

In the deepest chamber of the Imperial Research Institute—

Dr. Huo Ze shot to his feet so abruptly that a rack of test tubes clattered to the ground, shattering in a cascade of glass. He paid them no mind.

His eyes locked onto the screen, where the elegant, holy curve of psychic frequencies—recorded from Ning Ning last night—perfectly overlapped with a faded, ancient chart labeled Eldoria Civilization, after trillions of comparisons.

His breath hitched, voice trembling with ecstatic awe: “The resonance… it matches… It’s real. The Song of God… it truly exists…”

…

In a shadowed chamber elsewhere—

Los received the report of his squad’s annihilation without the slightest flicker of anger.

His long fingers carefully watered a strange carnivorous plant, lips curving into a chilling smile.

“Stronger than expected…” He set the can aside, stroking the plant’s sticky maw with his fingertip, chuckling softly. “What a delightful surprise.”

“My little Moon God—the brighter you shine, the more fascinating this game becomes.”

“Go then. Go to Xiao Lin’s Seventh Star Region… For there, I have prepared for you the grandest, most dazzling stage of all.”

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