Chapter 111

Water Shortage

Li Shao returned to the villa as usual; the villa was as quiet as usual, with no sign of living people. Ting Zhu was very busy, he might not return for several days in a week.

The two A-rank Sentinels were also busy with the task assigned by Xiao Bai; usually they are nowhere to be seen. As for that female little guide, no one knows what she is doing.

During the few days Fu Guang went on missions, the number of people who could see her could be counted on one hand.

Li Shao closed the door, stretched his tired body after the mission, and his bones crackled with a series of snaps.

He took two steps, his military boots striking the floor with a clear sound, his long eyebrows gradually furrowing; as soon as he pushed the door open he smelled a moist, tempting fish aroma, which grew stronger with his movement.

He licked his itchy fangs and shouted, "Who brought the fish back?" His voice was loud enough for anyone inside the house to hear.

Could it be that a thief got in? Li Shao's red pupils flickered; he reached to his waist, drew a dagger, and flipped it in his hand.

The Fire Lion materialized beside him, splayed its limbs, its paw pads touching the ground, and silently flew upstairs.

Li Shao was a bit listless, his steps slow as he climbed the stairs; he wanted to see which bold little thief it was.

Fu Guang lay in the already dried-up pool, her brows furrowed, her sleep uneasy; she pressed her lips, her lips dry and whitening, and her scales lost their former luster from lack of water.

The door was pushed open silently by a soft, pink paw pad; a large lion shook its soft red fur, its greenish eyes fixed on the fish lying on the bed.

Its hind legs slightly crouched, gathering strength at the waist, just as it was about to leap onto the girl, a large hand grabbed it by the back of the neck.

Awoo

It turned its head to look at Li Shao; Li Shao stared straight at the mermaid girl and put away the spinning, shiny dagger in his hand.

Xi Guang's room was empty; how did she come back alone, or in this state?

Li Shao came to the uneasy, dozing Fu Guang's side, squatted down, his combat uniform tightening across his body, the defined lines of his forearm muscles standing out.

His long fingers turned the valve beside the girl's shoulder, controlling the water flow; clear water streamed from the valve and was completely absorbed by the girl in less than a breath.

His hand never left, moving to the strands of hair on the girl's face, he used his fingernail to lift and shift them to her temples.

Idly wondering, how could it be so pathetic? It seems the guarding Sentinels are no better than this—truly incompetent.

His fingertips drooped down, lightly stroking the golden fine scales at the corner of the girl's eye; he lowered his head slightly and inhaled a breath of fragrant air—how fragrant.

Compared to her human form's scent, it was clearer, fresh with a salty tang, like medicinal herbs soaked in bitter seawater, instantly refreshing.

The indescribable attraction was like an invisible hand, mobilizing all his senses.

Is this what a guide is? No action needed—just being there draws the Sentinels' hearts and minds; how unfair.

A hand larger than the girl's face covered her slender, fragile neck; only a light press would cause the girl who could sway his heart and mind to perish lightly.

He remained motionless, like an eternal sculpture; beneath his weapon‑calloused palm was a sensation he had never felt—soft touch with the resilience of skin.

The lion forged of fire paced restlessly at the foot of the bed, its flames flickering up and down, its gaze occasionally falling on the golden fish tail, its long lion tail sweeping back and forth.

In the projected ripples, the red mark at the corner of the man's eye seemed to flow; his deep gaze fell on the girl with tightly furrowed brows, as if sensing danger, he noticed the scales beneath his fingertips appeared slightly whitened, as if scorched.

Truly fragile.

Li Shao sighed, and in an instant he suddenly wondered, what was he doing? When had he ever been so base as to swing his sword at a defenseless weakling?

The man withdrew his hand, silently staring at the girl's face; the Fire Lion circled twice, unnoticed, and extended a claw tentatively into the water bed.

With a hiss, white mist rose instantly from the water surface; the just‑wet fur dried in an instant, and, unwilling to concede, it plunged its claw back into the water, sending up another burst of white mist.

Li Shao heard the sound and glanced at his own mental projection; his eyes were deep, and it seemed to be having fun.

He was about to get up and leave when he heard a weak voice say, "Are you trying to murder?"

He lowered his head, his golden lashes trembling slightly, revealing a pair of beastly eyes; in that instant, Li Shao thought the one lying there was a Sentinel.

The water all over her body grew hotter, as if it were about to boil her; Fu Guang helplessly said, "Do you want to drink fish soup?"

Li Shao paused, struggling despite his spiritual form, withdrawing his mental image, but he had never apologized, stating the fact: "You're too weak."

"Indeed." Fu Guang nodded, light and shadow flickering before her eyes, she could see nothing clearly, speaking without expression.

Li Shao looked at the girl's weak state; her condition was like a robot just activated, devoid of expression or emotion, like a cup of bland plain water.

"Help me with something, support me to the bathroom." Fu Guang said as Li Shao turned to leave.

After leaving Yummengze, everyone returned to the place where they had logged into "Dark Forest"; the logout point in "Dark Forest" is fixed, and besides the initial entry position, one can also choose the nearest adjacent point to log out.

Thus, when logging out, Fu Guang emerged bubbling with water; as soon as she appeared, the villa's alarm sounded—Jin Zhu, whom she had once met briefly and who now serves as the executive director, appeared before her.

Rumor has it that Jin Zhu was destined to be the next executive director after Xiguang's graduation.

This time, because Xiguang made a mistake, she took over a bit early, but without much effort she quickly suppressed the other members who wanted to challenge her, firmly securing the position of executive director.

The familiar masked woman's words were still few, but facing the former executive's miserable colleagues, or perhaps because of the guide, she still explained: "All sentinels that begin to mutate must be placed under unified management by the enforcement squad."

"What's more, given your current situation." Fu Guang sat on the floor, her long golden fish tail spread out on the villa's white ceramic tiles.

"Can we still come back?" the girl asked, showing no panic at being seen in an embarrassing state, calmly.

"Just look at Xiguang's condition; you only need to bring him back." Jin Zhu said.

"Oh." The girl nodded.

"Could you trouble yourself to carry me upstairs?" she suddenly said, causing Jin Zhu, who was pushing the water bubble, to pause.

"A fish out of water, its tail becomes a burden." Fu Guang flicked her radiant golden fish tail, causing Jin Zhu to momentarily lose focus, her spiritual form lunging suddenly at the girl.

The black little cat was about to bite the fish tail; in that instant, Jin Zhu, quick-eyed and quick-handed, shoved it back into the mental image.

"It seems it likes me." The girl's clear, ringing voice said, prompting Jin Zhu to hasten her steps to put the girl back onto the water bed, then close the door and flee without looking back.

(End of chapter)