Chapter 104: Snuggle

Snuggle

The coral reefs on the seabed varied in form and were rich in color, like flowers, grasses, and trees growing on land; some resembled blooming flowers, some resembled trees extending branches, providing a habitat for countless creatures.

Fu Guang and the others moved at a slow pace, maintaining speed while conserving energy to guard against danger.

Lan'an, swimming forward, stopped with a flick of his tail, and Xiguang behind him also halted; faint voices could be heard from ahead.

A woman complained angrily, 'These dark sentinels sure run fast.'

Another bold female voice rose, sighing, 'You're being inconsiderate; we agreed to retreat, does the Cicada Robe Guide not welcome us like this?'

Distinct from the previous two female voices, a somewhat ethereal voice, tinged with laughter, continued, 'How did I get blamed for this? The cannonball doesn't obey my orders.'

She snorted with a laugh, 'If I pointed and struck where I wished, I wouldn't let that lot leave so easily.'

The first voice again said, 'You're not doing your mission?'

'What's the point of doing this? Taking people's money to avert disaster is fine, but we only get half the pay, so we only do half the work—no problem, right?'

From the voices, it sounded like at least two groups; the team led by the S-rank Guide seemed to be in good shape, though I didn't know who they'd run into.

Lan'an shifted his thoughts and, from afar, used his mental power to greet the approaching team.

Connecting with him was the mental power of the Cicada Robe Guide; the two mental forces touched and then separated, discerning the current person's information.

Lan'an gazed ahead, his fish tail tense; if anything were amiss, he would take the two of them and leave.

But the information discerned by the mental power told him that although the S-rank Guide was somewhat weaker than at its peak, its strength remained; perhaps it had encountered a problem, but now it had been dealt with, and it was no big issue.

He reached Fu Guang via the mental link, saying, 'King, we've run into a large force.'

Fu Guang, who had been resting with eyes closed, snapped them open; she had withdrawn her mental power and could not observe from afar, and she replied, 'Xiguang's current condition—if he meets these people, will he go berserk?'

Aberrant sentinels are unreasonable, possessing a strong urge to attack; without a guide's soothing, Xiguang would not treat Lan'an so courteously.

Meeting without distinguishing life from death is not the nature of an S-rank sentinel.

'King, please look after him for a moment.' Lan'an couldn't be sure of this situation; normally he'd go berserk, but for now we'll have to see.

Among those speaking, the voice that had just spoken paused, as if noticing Lan'an, and said, 'Up ahead, are you our people?'

Someone replied with a simple, 'Yes.'

Lengying's mental probe detected that the mental power extended by the forward S-rank sentinel, upon contact, began to clash—each refusing to yield—engaging in a covert battle.

The clash of mental power is the simplest and most direct way for a sentinel to judge an opponent's strength; in the sentinel's world, the strong reign supreme, ranks are clear, and the level of power determines the attitude of both sides.

It determines whether the opponent is a worthy foe or not worth mentioning.

This unfamiliar mental power had no intention of entangling; they merely exchanged a brief strike, proving their strengths were comparable, and they were individuals worthy of being watched.

Yet this made Lengying a little startled; she was the famed interstellar mercenary leader, capable of subduing countless blood‑licking mercenaries, showing her ability was hardly lacking, and she herself was S-rank.

Yet in this brief mental power skirmish, she faintly showed signs of decline.

As they swam forward, the first thing that caught the eye was a dark‑blue fish tail, giving the impression of the sea itself—mysterious and perilous.

An S‑rank adult male shark person lowered his gaze, gently swaying his dark‑blue fish tail as he stood before them; in the dim deep sea, three red patterns flowed with light on his left shoulder.

The fish tail, about two meters long, swayed gently with the water; the dark‑blue scales on it flashed with a cold light, showing that this beautiful tail was no mere decoration.

It's a shark person—no wonder.

Lengying thought to herself, if it's a shark person, it's no surprise her mental clash would be overpowered.

Shark people are the overlords of the sea; in the ocean, their strength is fully exerted, and this is their home turf—unless one is three or more minor ranks above them, no sentinel can defeat them in the sea.

But wasn't it said that shark people were wiped out a century ago? How is there still one here?

Lengying gathered her thoughts; if that shark person had been present during the earlier fight, plus the two S‑rank Guide leaders, this battle wouldn't be easy, and she couldn't just muddle through as before.

Wanting to withdraw completely is nearly impossible.

Her eyelid twitched as she furtively glanced at her wounded companions behind her, leaning on each other, a picture of no combat effectiveness; she silently hoped nothing else would go wrong.

The loss rate was about to exceed the fifty percent red line; the next Yummengze mission would have to raise its price.

Lengying noticed a half‑transformed angel sentinel, its hand bearing mechanical lines slightly raised, as if about to shoulder the 'ammunition crate' on its back, and the whole person went on alert.

But she also saw the angel sentinel's folded wings, not the kind spread for attack, seeming to be protecting something.

Lengying also glanced at the equally wounded guide squad, observing their movements, realizing that aberrant sentinels distinguish neither friend nor foe.

That, however, could be considered neither good nor bad news.

The people behind her were in a similar state—some reaching for their weapons, others' mental power fluctuating as they prepared to summon a spiritual entity.

'Relax, you're not the enemy, I'm here.' The girl leaned on Xiguang's outstretched golden wings, hand on his chest, and repeatedly told him via the mental link.

Xiguang alternately glanced at the approaching 'enemies' and at the girl in his arms, the light in his pupils constantly shifting.

The 'enemies' were drawing near, but Ayu said they were not enemies.

Xiguang's state clearly showed his fighting urge rising; the wing she rested on grew hard, its edge sharp as a blade, and the muscles beneath tensed, like touching a stone.

Whether what lay ahead was an 'enemy' was, to Xiguang, not something he wanted to discern; whatever appeared in his field of vision were enemies, and also enemies that would seize guides.

Fu Guang, based on his own condition and the sentinels' protective instinct toward guides, thought perhaps a different approach could dissuade them.

Fu Guang rested her head on Xiguang's chest, lifted her gaze to his light‑gold eyes, and spoke softly.

'Xiguang, just look at me, okay?'

His pale‑gold eyes shifted, his gaze locking straight on her; as the girl lifted her head, those blue eyes that saw only him, existing only in his silhouette.

He lowered his head, bent slightly, just as the girl had done before, and lightly pressed his forehead to hers, as his reply.