Chapter 2329: S-Level Guide Forced Love 14

Central District high tower lower level.

When Youzan appeared, gazes were cast from all directions.

Viscous, inquisitive, fearful, schadenfreude.

Under Weike Duo's indulgence, the low-ranking sentinel who had thrown trash huddled in the shadows, eyes darting.

The lower-level personnel who had once thrown stones down the well dared not even breathe, fearing that this mad dog taken away by the nouveau riche had come back for revenge.

Youzan carried an icy killing aura that kept strangers away, striding straight through the chaotic passage toward the most secluded corner of the lower-level medical area.

The door to Lao Bu Lang's office was ajar, inside came the creak of an old fan, and the smell of poor-quality disinfectant and aged medicine assailed the nostrils.

His head full of disheveled white hair, the old doctor in an oily white coat hunched his back, tinkering with rusted parts in the dim light.

Youzan pushed the door open, walked to the old fan in the corner, and switched it off.

The world instantly became much quieter.

Lao Bu Lang was startled, his cloudy eyes lifting through thick spectacles to see who came; his wrinkled face showed no surprise, only a grunt from his throat.

"Tsk, you stinky sentinel, not dead yet?"

The tone was familiar sarcasm.

Youzan was already used to it; he walked to the cluttered broken table of Lao Bu Lang without a word, "Old man, my things."

Lao Bu Lang scanned over his outfit, asked no more, then tremblingly bent down to rummage through the rust-streaked iron cabinet under the table for a while.

The items were surprisingly well preserved, only a thin layer of dust on the surface.

"Use it sparingly, and keep the trouble down."

Lao Bu Lang shoved the things across the table, speaking unhappily, "The new master looks hard to provoke; don't drag me, these old bones, into trouble."

Youzan gave no reply, grabbing the oilcloth bundle.

A familiar weight settled in his hand, the cold metal outline transmitted through the cloth, as if he were gripping his own lost spine.

He pulled back the oilcloth in a few motions, revealing a well-maintained, gleaming gun and a short dagger with a restrained cold light.

Youzan stared at it a moment, then skillfully assembled the gun components quickly and slipped the short dagger into its custom-made rear-waist sheath.

He casually sat on the broken stool.

"Old man, I have a few questions for you, concerning… the ruins."

Meanwhile, the upper levels of the high tower.

Inside the highly secret, highest-clearance encrypted conference room.

The air purification system ran silently, the light a cold-toned white, free of dust.

When Jin Chen entered, only two people were inside the room.

Council Chairman Bai Ye saw Jin Chen come in and gave a slight nod of greeting.

Beside Bai Ye stood a tall young man with an ordinary face but an exceptionally capable and steady demeanor.

Upon seeing Jin Chen, he immediately straightened his spine, silently placed his right hand over his left chest, and performed a simple ancient salute.

Jin Chen walked straight to the central seat of the conference room, pulled out the chair and sat down, the cold light falling on his sharply defined face.

"What news did you bring from the ruins? Make it short—I'm in a hurry."

The young sentinel Xi Ke Si opened the holographic projection.

"……Preliminary survey confirmed a newly discovered resource vein deep in the ruins, with unusually active energy response."

"The nearby aberrations, under its influence, have shown obvious collective agitation and partial mutation signs, with significantly increased aggression."

Xi Ke Si's voice was steady, projecting the holographic images of those distorted, writhing aberrations.

Bai Ye responded, "The High Tower Resource Department will issue the exploration and seizure orders within three days at the latest."

"Furthermore, intelligence shows the Alliance Organization's elite scavenging team is also converging on that area, with a clear goal of seizing the resource vein, making conflict inevitable."

The Alliance Organization.

A massive entity operating outside the Central District high tower system, infamous for plundering and seizing resources, acts ruthlessly.

Jin Chen lowered his eyes in thought; to alter the plot's direction from here, it would be best to cut off Lu Wen's chance to reach the resource vein.

He looked at Bai Ye: "Do you have the authority to decide the dispatch list for this special squad?"

Bai Ye shook his head helplessly: "The Council holds supreme decision-making power, but the specific allocation of personnel falls under the jurisdiction of the Resource Military District."

He lowered his voice: "How unfortunate—the current commander of the Military District is a steadfast ally of Kai En, and they have never let up on targeting you."

Jin Chen's fingers paused on the armrest.

The original owner met a miserable death in the late-stage political power struggle, also inseparable from Kai En.

Letting Kai En's people lead this crucial operation would be tantamount to handing over the resource mine on a silver platter—or worse.

Ling Gun Gun chattered away in his mind about the plot, while Jin Chen listened, his gaze lingering on the holographic map where the red light marking the high-risk ruin area glared.

After a while, Ling Gun Gun finally wore himself out talking, 【……In short, that's how it is—Lu Wen becomes the heroic sentinel who seizes the resource mine.】

【Host, if you want the Main God to go as well, you'd better first test your compatibility with them~】

"Bai Ye," Jin Chen said, "arrange for me and Youzan to undergo a mental compatibility test."

Bai Ye's eyes behind the lenses lit up instantly: "Understood. I will immediately arrange the highest-spec quiet room and equipment."

Only then did Xi Ke Si recall why he had come; there was still something to do.

"Over at the Old Tower Master's side, they need all of Youzan the sentinel's data, you see…"

Jin Chen: "Not giving."

Xi Ke Si: "……Okay."

Really, as always, uncooperative, young master.

Youzan walked out of Lao Bu Lang's office, filled with the smell of old medicine.

He instinctively raised his wrist, glancing at the forcibly worn wristwatch used to precisely schedule his recovery and rest.

It's another habit imposed by Jin Chen.

It's still early.

That thought had just flashed through his mind when You Zan's brows furrowed.

He violently yanked off the watch strap and shoved it haphazardly into the pocket of his new clothes.

Screw it being early.

Yet his fingertips still unconsciously brushed the smooth, icy metal collar around his neck, a new one with a stronger effect.

You Zan shook his messy short hair, trying to shake off that irritating figure, and took a step to leave.

"You Zan."

A deliberately softened voice sounded from behind him.

You Zan's steps halted, and the killing aura around him suddenly burst outward.

Ye Jun wore a spotless white lab coat, standing in the dim light of the lower passage, looking out of place.

His brows slightly furrowed, he endured the discomfort of the surroundings and carefully observed You Zan.

S-rank…… the sentinel most likely to become an S-rank.

But he had already misjudged once; he couldn't afford a second mistake, so he had to observe more carefully.

The Ye family suppressed the fervor in his chest, stepped forward, and said, "Long time no see."

You Zan didn't even lift his eyes, "Get lost."