Chapter 29: The First SSS-Rank Healing Guide

Gazing at the lush, verdant scenery around her, where exquisite fountains flowed incessantly, Wen Li felt her soul being purified. As droplets of water landed on her arm, the young girl leaned in, as if she had discovered something. She reached out her hand, carefully sensing the faint, lingering chill.

She realized there was psychic energy in the fountain water! What sentinels outside fought tooth and nail for was merely a decorative trifle within the clubhouse. Maintaining a calm composure, she continued her observations.

Wen Li looked up and asked, "Cyril, according to the mission protocol, I am supposed to be here for seven days, correct?"

The white-haired sentinel arched an eyebrow, retorting with a playful, offhand tone, "What, little girl? Do you like it here so much that you want to stay a few extra days?"

Wen Li rolled her eyes at him, knowing he was asking a question with an obvious answer. The middle-aged man who had hurried over heard this and immediately replied with a beaming smile.

"Does Guide Wen wish to stay here for a few more days? That would be absolutely wonderful."

It seemed the sentinel, moved by the sight of the scenery, had regained his composure. An Wei elegantly tucked away his handkerchief and said apologetically, "I apologize for the unseemly display."

Wen Li smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "I can understand Mr. An's feelings."

Cyril cut through the pleasantries, asking Wen Li directly where she wanted to go. Wen Li pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "I want to go to... the museum!"

Cyril immediately seized the opportunity. "Old Wei, that’s not a place for you. I’ll take the little guide to go see it; you go on with your business."

Before An Wei could even respond, Cyril led a large group of people away. Having successfully escaped An Wei's field of vision, Wen Li let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she was rid of him.

Looking at the leisurely sentinel beside her, she said with a hint of schadenfreude, "You just left your superior behind like that. Aren't you afraid he’ll trip you up later?"

Cyril was busy looking through the History of Sentinel Evolution, his eyes scanning the final pages for something. Hearing her, he replied dismissively, "An Wei is just a puppet. Although he is the sentinel director of the clubhouse, all real power actually lies in the hands of the guide director."

Wen Li already knew a little about this. The clubhouse had been established in the year 100 of the Federal New Era, along with all its laws and regulations. Over the past 110 years, the clubhouse had continued to grow, attracting guides from every region and family in the Federation. However, the drastic decline in the number of guides eventually disrupted the balance. To keep the clubhouse in check, the Federation sent sentinels every year to report information.

Cyril added, "That’s why the clubhouse found a controllable puppet like An Wei to serve as the sentinel director."

"He isn't that simple," Wen Li remarked.

Cyril chuckled, pressing his index finger against Wen Li's lips as his fox-like eyes narrowed. "Little girl, try to be a bit less clever. If you want to say something, you can come to my room..."

The sentinel’s deliberately lowered voice drifted into Wen Li’s ears like intoxicating red wine. The girl’s face flushed slightly, and she turned her head away with a charming, coy expression.

"Behave yourself!"

Cyril looked at the sentinels standing behind her. The man in the lead, his face covered, had wolf-like eyes that seemed as though they wanted to see right through him. Cyril shook his head. A pack of pups trying to compete with him.

Wen Li slipped past him to view the history of guide purification. Several photographs were hung neatly on the pristine, sacred wall. The moment the first guide was born, the image of a crying infant, was frozen in time. Every moment of her life had been recorded—as a child, a young girl, an adult woman. In school, on the battlefield, and finally, resting in eternal sleep within a crystal coffin that symbolized glory. Her name was Lin Ke, the first guide in human history.

Then, the gears of history turned. The first A-grade guide... the first healing type... the first attack type... until Wen Li saw the woman sculpted in the center of the clubhouse: Mia.

The first... SSS-grade healing guide.

Her long pink hair flowing, she looked back with a brilliant smile. Unlike the formal and dignified photos hanging on the walls, she seemed as unconstrained as the wind—so vivid and free.

"Mia," Wen Li whispered involuntarily. She was only twenty-two when she...

Her gaze swept over the other photos, resting squarely on a frontal portrait of a middle-aged woman in the corner. Isabella.

"Federal senior guide, key research personnel, participant in..."

A few short lines summarized the life of Wen Li’s mother, but the final entry read: "Missing, whereabouts unknown."

With a cynical smile, Wen Li turned and walked away. She would find the original owner's mother. Before she herself became a laboratory specimen for the Federation, she had to find her.

Cyril pulled Wen Li toward the section featuring the sentinels and pointed to the upper right corner of the second row. "Look, that’s one I took last year. Don't I look handsome?"

In the photo, the sentinel was wearing a very formal military uniform, revealing narrow, mesmerizing blue eyes—the exact same eyes as the snow fox in her mental sea. So, when Cyril didn't have his mutation traits, his eyes were this beautiful.

Wen Li examined the sentinel beside her repeatedly, comparing the differences between a year ago and now. She nodded approvingly and smiled.

Cyril felt a bit uncomfortable. He opened his narrowed eyes, revealing blood-red irises. "What are you smiling at?" Cyril asked.

Wen Li pursed her lips, keeping the smile on her face but refusing to tell him.

She continued browsing. Cyril, age 23, awarded the rank of General in the Federal New Era year 209. Life events: ...

Halfway through reading, a tall shadow blocked the photo. In front of her was Cyril’s face, once again wearing a smiling expression. "If you don't tell me, I won't cover for you anymore."

Wen Li ignored him and turned to look at the photos in another area. Just then, she noticed the Alpha Squad standing on standby not far away. Wen Li thought that for them, this trip was probably like a vacation, and perhaps they didn't need to stay in such a state of high tension all the time. After all, the clubhouse was very safe.

"Captain Stabb," Wen Li called out softly.

Several of the masked sentinels immediately turned and surrounded Wen Li.

Wen Li: ...Actually, there was no need to be that tense.

"Um, what I meant was, you don't have to be so tense; you can look around, too."

The sentinels looked at each other, then finally looked toward their captain. Stabb’s wolf-like eyes remained fixed on Wen Li before he finally nodded. The team members received the captain's signal, immediately lowered their weapons, and continued to hover around Wen Li. The only difference from before was that the atmosphere around them seemed a bit more relaxed, simply because they were closer to her.

Wen Li looked at the tall sentinels surrounding her and immediately felt the pressure. "Actually, you don't have to crowd around me like that."

The sentinel at the back of the group whispered, "Those things aren't as good-looking as you anyway."

Although the voice was very quiet, Wen Li heard it. Shy and pretending not to have heard, she grabbed Yue Li, who was standing nearby, and started walking away. The white-haired youth glanced at the sentinel who had just spoken and deliberately showed the others how Wen Li was holding his sleeve.

The other sentinels: Shameless!

After finishing the tour of the museum, Wen Li had learned a great deal, gaining a deeper understanding of this world. Just as she was about to exit the museum, her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.

A man of about twenty was admiring a battlefield relic inside a glass case. His long, fair fingers were gently caressing the nameplate. He looked frail, unlike the strong and powerful sentinels. His temperament was gentle and serene, yet his back profile was filled with loneliness.

Wen Li watched, mesmerized, and felt her eyes grow slightly moist without realizing it. A single tear fell without warning. As if time had stood still, he slowly turned around.