Chapter 65. Searching for An Se
That Mo Xiao would recommend Ke Lai did not surprise Su Tang at all, but his recommendation of Zhan Ye was somewhat unexpected.
“Ke Lai has been with the First Squad since its inception. He has very rich mission experience, is meticulous in his work, and his spiritual power is among the best in the First Squad. I would be at ease having him as your exclusive Sentinel for this mission.”
Su Tang nodded.
“And Zhan Ye? I’m curious about your reason for recommending him.”
Mo Xiao gave Su Tang a faint glance.
“He and I are both Super S-Class Sentinels; I am clear about his capabilities. The Third Squad’s Vice Captain also has good control over the team. If you want Zhan Ye to be your exclusive Sentinel, it won’t affect the overall mission. Moreover, if someone with his abilities still can’t protect you, then no one else accompanying this mission has that capability either.”
Mo Xiao had reservations about Zhan Ye’s previous behavior, but the situation was clear: Su Tang’s safety was the top priority. He could tolerate Zhan Ye being an eyesore in front of him, as Zhan Ye wouldn’t be careless when it came to Su Tang’s safety.
After listening to Mo Xiao’s analysis, Su Tang couldn’t help but want to tease the man sitting upright opposite her.
“Mmm, then what about Captain Mo himself? Do you want to be my exclusive Sentinel?”
Mo Xiao looked up at Su Tang. A ripple appeared in his calm eyes, as if some sort of expectation was hidden within, wanting to be voiced, yet it was quickly suppressed by his rising rationality.
“I do.”
He didn’t hide it; his voice was deep and honest.
“As your marked Sentinel, I naturally want to be your exclusive Sentinel for this mission.”
Su Tang hadn’t expected him to answer so directly. Her fingers, holding the Silver Wolf, tightened slightly.
Mo Xiao’s eyes held too many emotions. If he could, he naturally wouldn’t want to push his Guide to another Sentinel for protection. He gave a soft sigh.
“I really want to, but I can’t.”
“The Third Squad’s Sentinels are more flexible but lack explosive power. Therefore, for this mission to destroy the cocoon, the First Squad will mainly be responsible for containing the high-level contaminants on the periphery, while the Third Squad will be responsible for the demolition. The First Squad will lead the charge, and I need to be there to oversee it.”
Mo Xiao informed Su Tang of the deployment plan. He knew the danger of this mission. If there were any other way, he wouldn’t hand Su Tang over to someone else. But precisely because he knew the danger, he also needed to be responsible for the Sentinels of the First Squad. This mission could not afford any mistakes.
“Furthermore,”
Mo Xiao’s gaze fell on her face, with a hint of a self-mocking smile.
“Zhan Ye’s Golden Eagle will be more flexible. Choosing him as your exclusive Sentinel will allow him to take you away more quickly if you encounter any dangerous situations.”
“There’s no guarantee of victory in this mission; we must be prepared for various possibilities. If we are truly surrounded, Zhan Ye’s presence can ensure your protection.”
This was also why he recommended Zhan Ye to Su Tang. Able to attack and able to retreat quickly—no one was more suitable for the task of protecting Su Tang than Zhan Ye.
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Su Tang felt a slight warmth in her heart.
Mo Xiao’s planning was exceptionally meticulous. Su Tang could tell he was entirely looking out for her, so she nodded and settled on Zhan Ye as her exclusive Sentinel.
“The departure is set for the day after tomorrow. Aside from the Sentinels who went on the last mission, everyone else in the First Squad, plus Ke Lai, will go together. I’ve already instructed Li Mo to prepare supplies for you. He should deliver them later this evening. You can check them then and let me know if you need anything else.”
Su Tang nodded.
“Regarding supplies, I believe Li Mo will prepare them properly. It’s just that I have one more thing to do at the Medical Department.”
“Are you going to find An Se to help you do another spiritual power test?”
Su Tang had to admit that Mo Xiao was indeed delicate; he could always accurately guess her thoughts.
“That’s right.”
It was a good thing that her spiritual power had become abundant, but one must have self-awareness. She didn’t know where the boundaries of her spiritual power were, nor was she certain if this spiritual power was truly inexhaustible.
If she were to consume her spiritual power recklessly on the battlefield only to find she couldn’t muster even a bit at a critical moment, wouldn’t that be very dangerous?
She needed An Se to help her perform another comprehensive monitoring session. At the very least, she needed to know the maximum amount of spiritual power she could currently use.
“Do you need me to go with you?”
An Se was a bit of an eccentric. Although his current attitude toward Su Tang was decent, Mo Xiao couldn’t guarantee one hundred percent that the guy wouldn’t let Su Tang come to harm.
“No need. I can handle a simple test.”
Sensing Mo Xiao’s concern for her and knowing that the burden on him was not light as the mission approached, Su Tang declined Mo Xiao’s kindness. Instead, she made an appointment with An Se on her wristband and appeared at the Medical Department promptly in the afternoon.
The Medical Department was exceptionally quiet in the afternoon; not a single person was seen along the way. Su Tang thought An Se had probably cleared the area in advance, as her current spiritual abnormality was still a secret that couldn’t be made public within the Bai Ta.
Returning once again to the room where she had purified Ya Suo last night, An Se was configuring potions at the control console. Seeing her arrive, he gestured toward a chair.
“Wait a moment; I’ll be done soon.”
Su Tang sat quietly for a while, waiting for An Se to finish preparing the potions. The man slowly took off his gloves and placed the prepared potions on a nearby shelf.
“You want me to help you produce a specific numerical value for the limit of your spiritual power, right?”
Su Tang nodded.
“I’m going on a mission with the team the day after tomorrow. Before I leave, I want to know where my limit is. Please test it for me, Director An Se.”
An Se didn’t rush to reply. His gaze swept over Su Tang casually before he curled his finger and tapped on the tabletop. Then, that small, fluffy fox crawled out from under the table and pounced directly into Su Tang’s arms with cheerful little steps.
Su Tang caught the pouncing little fox by surprise. Before she could think more about An Se’s intention, her fingers had already moved ahead of her brain to stroke the smooth fur.
“After you finished the counseling for Ya Suo yesterday, I checked him. His riot value has decreased by a third. To avoid raising suspicion within the Bai Ta, I claimed his spiritual power was in chaos and kept him in the Medical Department.”
It was simply a miracle.
Without even touching the Spiritual Sea, she had suppressed the Sentinel’s riot value by so much. Everyone in the Bai Ta knew about Ya Suo’s high riot value; to prevent others from becoming suspicious, An Se had kept him behind.
“Thank you, Director An Se.”
But why was he telling her this now? Did he want her to feel indebted to him?
“No need to thank me. It’s I who should thank you for saving his life. However, I have a question for you. According to Ya Suo’s memory, you seemed to have flowed your spiritual power through every part of his body. After you finished counseling him, did you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Translator’s Note: An Se’s little fox is so cute! It’s clearly as taken with Su Tang as its master is. Also, “Director An Se” is a formal title, showing his high status in the medical field. It’s interesting to see how he’s protecting Su Tang’s secret by hiding Ya Suo’s true recovery status.
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