Invasion [To the Outpost] Section 5

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The black bodysuit clung to a lithe, powerful frame, highlighting a supple waist and long legs.
A black military boot stepped into the snow, sending a flurry of ice crystals dancing into the air.
Back then, that young Sentinel had been like a blade—unrestrained, sharp, and glittering with dangerous intent.
Now, if not for that distinct, rhythmic sound of ocean tides, Lin Yuan would never have connected the two.
For some unknown reason, the sound of the sea always stirred a sense of familiarity within her. Every time she heard it, her tentacles would grow restless, coiling and standing tall, their tiny suckers flexing and gripping in eager, impulsive anticipation of exploration.
When Lin Yuan appeared at the execution ground, the Sentinels gathered around the screen were stunned.
They parted ways for her, watching with curiosity, whispering excitedly, and calling over their friends until the crowd grew even larger.
None of them had expected the authorities to send a Guide to serve as an interrogator.
After all, in a military camp like this, interrogations were common, but the appearance of a Guide was a rare sight indeed.
Ni Ji, bound to the rack, heard the buzzing of the crowd grow louder. He opened his eyes just in time to see a young woman weaving through the throng toward him.
She was a Guide, dressed in an ivory-colored dress. Her figure was slender, her features delicate and soft, and her gait was graceful and dainty—she seemed to possess no aggression whatsoever.
Yet, the moment he saw her, Ni Ji’s heart sank completely.
Why did it have to be her?
In truth, Ni Ji did not fear the Guides sent by those people.
During his youth, he had lived in the Imperial capital and seen plenty of Guides from the White Tower. They were raised in luxury from childhood, dressed in fine clothes, living pampered, comfortable lives—soft and decadent as hothouse flowers.
Even though Guides were born with powerful mental strength capable of influencing Sentinels, he had never believed that someone raised in such an environment could easily breach his mental defenses or invade his inner world.
Not even now, when he had been tortured for days and was at his absolute weakest.
The problem was that the people in the Quartermaster’s office played dirty.
He had seen a Sentinel broken to the point of a mental collapse—a man who had once been as strong as steel.
They started by torturing the body to grind down the will. Only when a person was at their most vulnerable would they use humiliating tactics to shatter the mind.
And now, they had brought *her*.

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If there was any Guide in the White Tower he truly feared, it would be the young girl he had encountered several years ago.
Back then, she had been just a child, yet she possessed a powerful mental capacity that had terrified even him.
Of all people, it had to be her. And of all people, he was the one who had offended her deeply years ago while carrying out orders.
Ni Ji offered a bitter smile, tasting the metallic tang of blood from his cracked lips.
He suddenly felt an excruciating thirst.
The men had hung him there for four or five days without a single drop of water.
His throat felt as if it were burning, parched and raw.
Was he going to fail? He couldn't even manage the first step of his plan.
Ni Ji felt the sun above was too blinding, making his consciousness drift and blur.
So many had died, so much blood had been shed, and yet the god of fate refused to bestow even a glimmer of luck.
He should have known that fate only smiled upon those living at the pinnacle of the White Tower.
If only he could have a drink of water.
He knew he shouldn't be dwelling on such unrealistic thoughts.
But his body was screaming for it—the thirst was a cycle, and the more he tried not to think about it, the more he found himself fixated on the craving.
*Just one drop of water,* he thought.
*If I could just have a drink now, maybe I could hold on.*
The interrogating officer was delighted to see Lin Yuan arrive. Her presence meant that this task, which he had been unable to crack, might finally be completed.
He served her tea and water with fawning enthusiasm, brought her a comfortable chair, and picked the thickest whip from the table of instruments, gripping it with excitement.
"Please, take a seat and rest. Let me give him one more thorough round of 'persuasion.' It will be easier for you to handle him afterward."
The Guide took the tea, sipped it leisurely, and then raised her fair, delicate hand to block his view, waving him off coldly.
"No need. You may leave." Her tone was blunt and dismissive.

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The interrogator, being of lower rank and needing her cooperation, didn't dare to speak up despite his inner resentment. He swallowed his annoyance and retreated.
*Little girl,* he thought to himself, *so arrogant. This is a tough nut to crack; I’d like to see if you can actually get anything out of him.*
In the office on the second floor, several administrators and Roy pulled up chairs, sitting side-by-side by the window to watch the spectacle.
"Xiao Yuan is quite young, yet her academy scores were exceptionally high. She seems very promising," the administrator named Wu said, looking through Lin Yuan's file with a pleased expression.
Roy thought to himself, *You have no idea. She only had one subject where her scores were absurdly high; she practically failed everything else. This girl is a freak, but then again, how many people who apply to the Special Research Department aren't monsters?*
Of course, he wasn't about to tell the administrator that.
Roy craned his neck to look out the window. He wondered if Lin Yuan could actually pull this off.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what methods the new Guide would use to torture the stubborn prisoner.
They wanted to see if the man who hadn't yielded under brutal torture would finally suffer a mental collapse and confess under the Guide’s soft, boneless touch.
They watched as the Guide raised her hand.
Her clean, delicate fingers gripped the Sentinel’s chin, forcing him to lift his head.
Then, her other hand picked up the water glass from the table and fed it to the Sentinel.
Under the gaze of the crowd, she did it as if it were a normal, perfectly routine procedure.
"She—what is she doing?" Administrator Wu was so startled she nearly jumped, pointing at the scene below as she asked Roy.
Roy, sitting beside her, crossed his legs slowly and cast a look of impatient disdain at her, as if looking at an idiot.
It was as if this was how things were supposed to be done, and only the ignorant fools in their administrative office would make such a fuss.
Administrator Wu hated losing face in front of a peer like Roy. She suppressed the words she wanted to say, shifted her shoulders, and forced herself to sit still.
*It’s nothing major,* she told herself. *Worst case, I’ll just keep watching.*