Invasion [Sentinel/Guide] — Chapter 28

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A tiny girl, dressed in a prim white dress, sat alone by a sea of flowers, her head tilted to the side, lost in a daze. The sunlight softened her silhouette, making her look as beautiful as a sprite; even the fragrance of the flowers seemed to grow mysterious in her presence.

In that moment, the heart of the young boy, Jiang Yangshuo, began to beat violently.

Their compatibility test had yielded a high result—a staggering 70%, a rarity in the current environment. Jiang Yangshuo’s father was overjoyed, and he, too, was happy in his own heart.

He had heard that both her parents had passed away. It did not matter; he would take good care of her in the future. That was what the young boy had thought back then, blushing as he did so.

Yet, for reasons unknown, as the days slipped by, the two of them had arrived at this current state.

Jiang Yangshuo pushed past his laughing friends and walked toward Lin Yuan.

"I heard you applied to the Special Research Division?" He summoned a waiter, took a glass of fruit juice, and smoothly swapped it with the alcoholic drink in Lin Yuan’s hand.

Lin Yuan’s hand suddenly felt empty; the low-alcohol beverage was gone, replaced by a glass of juice. She looked up and finally noticed the man standing before her.

He was the only sentinel she had been familiar with over these years, the one who had once been called her fiancé.

By this flower-scented lakeside, Lin Yuan remembered that this man had once held her hand and whispered many sweet things to her. He had promised to stay by her side for a long time and to wait patiently for her to recover from her illness and become a normal person. He had also said he would never let her have the nightmares of her childhood again, nor would he let her be alone. He said they would walk hand in hand, supporting each other, along a very, very long path.

Lin Yuan had almost believed him.

But not long ago, this very man had appeared before her, holding the hand of another guide.

Just as everyone said, they were not meant for each other; it was bound to end. So, the pairing between them was already over, wasn't it?

Lin Yuan gave a vague "ah." Before she could speak, her tentacles—wherever they had crawled off to—sent back some peculiar information, distracting her mind.

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"Oh, right, yes, I did apply for a new job," Lin Yuan replied, while trying to decipher those messages.

Jiang Yangshuo frowned.

The sentinel was tall, and the light cast his shadow long, enveloping the small guide sitting before him. He braced one hand against the wall, looking down at Lin Yuan as she sat in the shade.

In the darkness, Lin Yuan’s eyes were vivid, like they were speckled with fine stardust. But those beautiful eyes were not focused on him at all. They shone with a faint, imperceptible excitement, thinking of other things entirely.

She was lost in her own world again; she would never be like a normal guide, looking only at her sentinel. This was the one thing Jiang Yangshuo disliked most about Lin Yuan. She was always absent-minded, uninterested in everything a guide should care about. She did not even place him, her fiancé, in the most important position.

Thinking of their broken relationship, Jiang Yangshuo suppressed the irritation in his heart.

"Even if we are over, there is no need for you to do this," Jiang Yangshuo said in a deep voice, his brow furrowed. "Lin Yuan, you don’t need to deliberately punish yourself. Those contaminated border zones are not places a guide can adapt to."

"No, it’s not because of you," Lin Yuan wanted to explain earnestly.

*A fuzzy feeling, I think I’ve touched this before.* A voice suddenly transmitted back from one of the tentacles, derailing her train of thought.

"What is fuzzy?" Lin Yuan blurted out by accident.

Jiang Yangshuo’s brows locked together completely.

"Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean you," Lin Yuan apologized. "I meant that conducting research at the border has always been something I wanted to do; it has nothing to do with any of you."

Jiang Yangshuo frowned and said, "If you can’t stand the gossip, you don’t need to go to such lengths. Although we are no longer together, if anyone dares to bully you, you can still come to me."

*No emotion, it’s not a living thing. But it feels warm to the touch.* Another tentacle's voice came through.

Not a living thing, yet very warm—how strange. What could it be? Lin Yuan’s mind was diverted once again.

*It feels a bit familiar, but it’s not fuzzy.*

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*It’s very soft, nice to touch, and elastic. I want to touch it a little longer.*

*It’s very smooth, with thin skin and protruding bones.*

Voice after voice rang out in her mind.

No emotion, warm, fuzzy, elastic, smooth...

What on earth had they discovered in a place like the ventilation ducts?

*Did any of you hear it make a sound?*

*Nonsense, how can a dead object make a sound?*

*I heard it, I heard it too! It’s a very cute sound, like it’s acting coquettishly.*

*Maybe it likes us.*

*Really? Let me touch it too.*

*Me too.*

*Me too.*

*It’s true, it’s very nice to touch. It brings a comfortable feeling.*

*I think it tastes sweet to the touch.*

*Sweet? I like sweet things.*

*Move over, I want to touch it a little longer.*

The chaotic voices grew louder. Lin Yuan’s attention was completely captivated, and she failed to hear a single word of the earnest advice her former fiancé thought he was giving her.