HS Chapter 88

Wei Zhuo suddenly stood up. He was wearing a pitch-black uniform, looking tall and upright, his figure sharp and cold, completely out of place in the consultation room decorated in light wood and beige tones.

He walked toward Xin Hexue.

Xin Hexue held his cup and asked in confusion, “Do you want some water too?”

The main area of the consultation room was the central lounge space right after entering the door. On the left side, near the wall, there was a beverage bar. The counter held various tea bags and instant coffee for Sentinels to help themselves, as well as alcoholic beverages.

The equipment for mixing drinks and brewing coffee was all in place.

After all, Sentinels didn’t share a uniform constitution. Some relaxed more easily with some little alcohol and would cooperate better during mental guidance, while others needed caffeine or tea polyphenols to stay awake and avoid the risk of going berserk mid-session and pouncing the Guide.

Here, “pouncing” was literal, a real, physical action.

As for what would happen after pouncing on the Guide in a berserk state driven by attack instincts, that was unknown. The behavior of a Sentinel who had lost rationality was difficult to predict.

Of course, the frenzied, chaotic mental state needs to be vented, and the most likely direct result is a sexual/desire outburst.

This was a conclusion Xin Hexue had come to himself. He only had a sample size of one, He Botian, so this conclusion was not comprehensive.

Xin Hexue thought for a moment, then turned to rummage through the shelves above the bar for tea bags. “I asked them to procure plain green and black tea, but most of what the supply department sent over is…”

“Green grape jasmine oolong?” He pinched a tea bag between his fingers and softly read the label aloud, then placed it back. “Most of it is fruity and floral teas. Is it okay if I switch it to black coffee for you?”

In his impression, Wei Zhuo didn’t like teas flavored with flowers or fruit.

It had always been that way back in the Sentinel-Guide Joint Military Academy.

In the dorm’s common lounge area, there was a shared hot water dispenser and a drawer of free tea bags. Instant coffee and basic teas were always the first to run out.

As for fruity and floral teas, Xin Hexue was the only one who’d try them on a whim, so he knew exactly how slow they were to be used up.

Just as Xin Hexue reached for the instant coffee, he suddenly coughed into his hand.

His white uniform was loose-fitting, making his figure look even slimmer.

Wei Zhuo’s expression was already cold and distant, and now it tightened even more. He raised his hand and grabbed Xin Hexue’s arm, forcing him to face him directly.

Wei Zhuo’s voice was flat and firm. “You need rest. Go home now.”

Xin Hexue paused slightly. “But it’s your turn for mental guidance.”

Guides in the consultation room didn’t need to sit on duty all day, because cleansing mental pollution was an extremely grueling and difficult task. The accumulated pollution from hundreds or even thousands of battles had to be purified in just one short session. To avoid overusing their mental power due to work overload, the medical department only assigned three to four mandatory cases per Guide each day.

Once they finished, they were free to go, which was essentially going off work.

Wei Zhuo: “I don’t need mental guidance.”

Wei Zhuo continued, “I only came to check your work.”

He added, “…on behalf of the head of the Logistics Department.”

When he said the last part, he slightly turned his gaze aside, offering Xin Hexue a side profile.

The Sentinel’s jawline was cold and sharp, just like his personality…like ice that couldn’t melt.

“You’ve already exceeded the patient quota by ten cases today.”

Wei Zhuo’s thin lips slightly pressed downward, and said coldly, “This kind of work style that overdraws your body while neglecting the fundamentals is terrible.”

“…”

Xin Hexue lowered his eyes.

After a moment, he asked calmly, “Are you… scolding me?”

Wei Zhuo averted his gaze. “That’s not what I meant.”

Wei Zhuo: “… It’s just a suggestion.”

Xin Hexue propped his elbow on the counter, his index finger pressing into the side of his cheek, dimpling it slightly. He asked thoughtfully, “Is this advice from a former colleague… or as a…”

He called out softly, “Senior?”

Wei Zhuo’s expression went blank for a moment.

It was as if that title had pulled him right back to two or three years ago, when they were still in the academy.

Due to the vastly different physical and mental constitutions of the two groups, their duration of study in the Empire’s Sentinel-Guide Joint Military Academy was also different.

Guides only needed two years of training to begin active service, while Sentinels had to train for four.

So when Xin Hexue entered the academy, although he was assigned to the same dorm as Wei Zhuo and took many general courses with them, Wei Zhuo and He Botian had already spent two years in school.

In terms of age and enrollment time, “Senior” was indeed accurate.

But even though they’d been roommates, and technically had a direct senior-junior relationship, and had even served together in the same unit and same squad after graduation for two years, Xin Hexue and Wei Zhuo had never been particularly close.

Wei Zhuo was quite withdrawn, even arrogant. He rarely spoke, and outside of giving necessary commands in battle, barely communicated with them.

Especially when compared to He Botian, who was also a Sentinel but was particularly clingy. Without notifications from the system, Xin Hexue might have mistaken Wei Zhuo’s behavior as dislike.

Of course, no one thought Wei Zhuo’s arrogance was unjustified.

The Wei family was a prominent noble clan in the Imperial Capital, close to the royal family, and Wei Zhuo himself was a 3S-level combat prodigy from birth.

“Senior Wei Zhuo,” Xin Hexue said with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, “my mental power is still more than sufficient. If you think that handling only ten A-level or below Sentinels in one day would overdraw me, then you’re seriously underestimating me.”

He tilted his head. “We were comrades for two years, weren’t we? Hmm?”

[Wei Zhuo love value +1]

[Wei Zhuo’s current love value is 85]

K’s system prompt rang out in his mind.

The high-level Sentinel across from him still wore a cold expression, lips pressed tightly together in silence.

Xin Hexue: “Please go sit down. The coffee will be ready soon.”

As he turned around, Xin Hexue gave a quiet cough.

The Imperial Capital was located in the core area of the safe zone, and right now the seasons were shifting from autumn to winter.

His years as a military Guide had left Xin Hexue with moderate damage to his body. Every time the seasons changed and temperatures fluctuated, he would start coughing again.

Especially after the last mission in the rainforest Folded Zone of the western frontier…

Xin Hexue poured hot water into the glass cup. As the instant coffee powder dissolved, white mist rose and swirled.

The air filled with the scent of coffee, conveniently covering the smell of blood.

He lowered his eyes and wiped the corner of his lips with a tissue.

A blot of deep red bloomed at the center of the soft white tissue. It was casually tossed into the trash bin.

Xin Hexue curled his lips into a faint smile. By the time he turned around, there wasn’t a trace of abnormality left on his face.

The brewed coffee was poured into a glass cup and placed on the tea table in front of Wei Zhuo.

The Sentinel picked it up, his Adam’s apple rolled, and the dark brown liquid level quickly dropped until only a little undissolved powder at the bottom of the cup remained exposed.

For a Sentinel of Wei Zhuo’s mental power level, coffee was more of a psychological comfort before a mental guidance session.

If one really wanted to calm them down, these kinds of comforting substances were far less effective than sedatives.

“How strange,” Xin Hexue said after thinking for a moment. “This is the first time I’ve done mental guidance for you.”

In the Honeysuckle Squad, the core members had been He Botian and Wei Zhuo, plus several other S-ranked Sentinels. Xin Hexue and He Botian had been a fixed, bonded pair, but sometimes he’d perform simple mental guidance for other teammates in the camp.

Every time he offered, Wei Zhuo would always walk away, distancing himself from the group and taking mental stabilizers alone.

Xin Hexue stated, “You’ve never accepted mental guidance before.”

He was somewhat curious about the reason.

‘Is it mental mysophobia?’

“…” Wei Zhuo avoided Xin Hexue’s gaze. As if to stop Xin Huexue’s from asking further, Wei Zhuo explained his upcoming assignment. “The day after tomorrow, I’ll be heading to the Northern Frontier Watchtower to escort a special supply train.”

“If there’s anything you want to send to the Northern Desert Welfare Institute, you can give it to me in advance. I’ll pass it on along the way.”

The Northern Desert Welfare Institute was where He Botian had come from. After his death in battle, part of his pension was distributed to the institute by the military, and Xin Hexue had chosen to donate his own share to them as well, including most of He Botian’s assets accumulated over the years.

The only thing left behind was He Botian’s villa.

Because Wei Zhuo had mentioned something related to his deceased fiancé, the young Guide fell silent.

“Time is tight.” Wei Zhuo leaned back against the sofa, closed his eyes, and said, “You can begin.”

Xin Huexue’s eyes flickered.

He suddenly remembered something.

In the plot, the “substitute” also came from the Northern Desert Welfare Institute. Judging by the timeline, he was probably still struggling in the Northern Frontier.

If Wei Zhuo was heading to the Northern Frontier Watchtower, and if the timing was just right, he might run into him.

Xin Hexue raised his hand and placed it on Wei Zhuo’s forehead through the black glove.

………

The most typical types of mental barriers were high walls, endless thorn bushes, or rusted but solid barbed wire…these were visual cues full of vigilance, representing a Sentinel’s instinctive defense of their mental landscape.

For example, Bamu’s desert barrier was already a rare case.

Wei Zhuo’s barrier was even more unusual.

His mental barrier was formless.

Xin Hexue stood on a polar ice field, the outer edge of the mental landscape. With his mental power, he could sense that its center was in a distant, ice-blue deep sea.

To reach it, Xin Hexue needed to cross the polar storm.

That was the barrier.

Under the polar daylight, the frost-white world was clearly visible, but in the distance, the eye of the storm was extremely dark. The swirling winds howled like something tearing through the sky and rushed toward Xin Hexue.

He subconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes.

The wind whipped at the hem of his white uniform, making a crackling sound.

But there was no real offensive power behind it. When it brushed against Xin Hexue’s skin, the wind suddenly dropped its guard against this unfamiliar visitor to the mental landscape and turned gentle the moment it touched him.

A love value of 85 points…it seemed about right.

Xin Hexue continued walking toward the edge of the polar zone.

The storm showed a welcoming attitude toward him. He didn’t even need to use his mental power to resist, as it had already opened up a calm path through the middle.

Mental landscapes weren’t consciously controlled by the Sentinel, they were instinctive responses.

In other words, Wei Zhuo’s subconscious had no defenses against him. One could even say it was anticipating Xin Hexue’s mental guidance, which was why the barrier had lost its defensive function.

Xin Hexue’s boots left continuous tracks on the ice field, stretching all the way to the shore.

He heard a deep, low-frequency hum, coming from the vast, deep-blue ocean.

The sea breeze carried a faint salty smell. The ocean stretched endlessly, evoking a sense of cold, loneliness, and awe.

The strands of hair near Xin Hexue’s ear were lifted by the wind.

A huge blue whale surfaced, exhaling water as it breathed. Under the Tyndall effect, the spray scattered into golden light.

…He expected it. Wei Zhuo’s mental body was too big.

Fortunately, Xin Hexue didn’t have megalophobia or thalassophobia.