Chapter 77: Eroded?
Xiao Yu gently flicked its tail, the playful tip brushing against the woman’s shoulder from time to time. It tilted its head and let out a few particularly endearing meows, as if confirming Su Tang’s suspicion.
Klei pursed his lips tightly. Captain Ya Suo’s spiritual entity had a sensitivity that was among the top in the White Tower. Since it was reacting this way, there truly was something abnormal.
“Have the recon team check again. Focus on the distribution areas of those high-level pollutants,” Mo Xiao paused and looked toward Su Tang.
“Take Xiao Yu with you. Perhaps it can discover something different.”
Su Tang looked down and didn’t answer immediately. After all, it wasn’t her own spiritual entity. Since Ya Suo had lent it to her, she had to be responsible for its safety during this time.
“Do you want to go?”
Su Tang softened her voice, looking down to ask the little black cat in her arms.
“Meow meow~”
It was willing.
The sooner it helped the little human resolve the troublesome matters here, the sooner it could take the little human to see its master.
To show its attitude, the little black cat jumped down from Su Tang’s lap. With arrogant little steps, it stood next to the Third Squad’s Vice-Captain, raised its head, and let out two low growls at him.
Su Tang sighed. She said nothing about Xiao Yu’s choice, but looked solely at Mo Xiao.
The latter nodded slightly and spoke:
“Maintain real-time communication. Report your status every five minutes. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately. Do not engage in a direct confrontation. Safety first, detection second.”
“Received.”
The Vice-Captain bent down, his fingers trembling slightly as he picked up the little ancestor squatting on the ground.
Never in his life did he imagine that he would one day go on a mission with this little ancestor.
Su Tang walked to the Vice-Captain and gently stroked Xiao Yu’s head.
“If you find anything wrong, retreat immediately. Don’t push yourself.”
The first sentence was for the Vice-Captain; the last four words were for Xiao Yu. Since its master wasn’t by its side, she didn’t know if taking it to the Abyss to contact those pollutants would affect it. After thinking about it, Su Tang pulled a protective mask out of her backpack.
The mask could automatically adjust its size according to the user. Watching it shrink to wrap around Xiao Yu’s body, Su Tang tapped lightly on the mask’s casing.
“If you feel uncomfortable, tell the Vice-Captain immediately and have him bring you back. Do you understand?”
Xiao Yu moved its body, and the casing of the shield rubbed against her palm. Su Tang couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t worry, Guide Su. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
For the rest of the day, the camp was shrouded in an eerie calm.
Reports from the recon team kept coming through the communicator.
“No abnormality detected in the east.”
“The distribution of high-level pollutants in the west is consistent with the test results. No abnormality found.”
“Reporting to Guide Su, Xiao Yu is currently in good condition with no adverse reactions.”
“…”
The sunset sank into the Abyss, and the visibility dropped extremely fast. Seeing that it was already pitch black outside the blue light membrane, and the recon team had not yet returned, Su Tang couldn’t help but press her lips together.
“You don’t need to worry so much.”
Zhan Ye had walked to her side at some point.
“That little fellow has spent more time in the Abyss than in the White Tower. Rest assured, it’s more than familiar with this place.”
Seeing Su Tang’s worried look, a trace of jealousy sprouted in Zhan Ye’s heart.
That fellow Ya Suo was truly strange. Despite having no previous connection, he was willing to contribute his spiritual entity. Could it be that he really intended to clean up the Abyss before his death?
Zhan Ye knew about Ya Suo’s spirit power chaos. Among them, whose pollution level was actually low?
Could it be that the fellow intended to do Su Tang a favor so she would purify him?
Heh, truly a scheming cat.
While Zhan Ye was busy speculating about Ya Suo’s motives, the recon team returned safely, bringing the same conclusion as they had in the morning.
“Captain Mo, we took Xiao Yu to re-examine the activity areas of those pollutants. The data is exactly the same as the morning check, and Xiao Yu didn’t issue any warnings.”
The Sentinels’ tensed nerves gradually relaxed. Some even began humming a tune.
“It seems we were just overthinking it.”
The furrow between Mo Xiao’s brows, however, did not ease. Was that really the case?
He still felt something was eerie, but even Xiao Yu hadn’t found any abnormalities…
Zhan Ye leaned against a wall nearby, wiping his dagger. He glanced at Xiao Yu, who had been dozing since being pulled into Su Tang’s arms.
“This little guy is surprisingly well-behaved tonight.”
The atmosphere among the surrounding Sentinels grew more relaxed, yet Su Tang felt her heart sinking.
Since returning, Xiao Yu had been listless, unlike its usual lively self. Aside from acting a bit spoiled and rubbing against her when it first got into her arms, it hadn’t moved at all.
The collar around its neck occasionally pulsed with a faint white light, as if it were resisting something.
Su Tang reached out to touch the collar and asked in a low voice:
“Are you tired? Or is there something else uncomfortable?”
Xiao Yu didn’t answer; it just huddled deeper into her arms, letting out a faint purr.
Su Tang frowned, deciding to feed it some of her spirit power once they returned to their tent.
Mo Xiao looked at the motionless data on his wristband once more and finally made a decision.
“Everyone, rest tonight. We act as planned tomorrow morning at six. The First Squad will split into three groups to attack the high-level pollutants from different directions. Be careful not to get bogged down; the main goal is to stall their actions. The Third Squad will take the opportunity to infiltrate the Cocoon’s coordinates and retreat immediately after dropping the high-energy atomic bomb.”
“Zhan Ye, you stay here with Su Tang and Xiao Yu,” Mo Xiao gave Zhan Ye a deep look. “If there is no response within one hour after we depart, take Su Tang and leave this place immediately.”
Zhan Ye’s eyes were deep. He understood Mo Xiao’s meaning.
“Got it.”
The blue light membrane could only block pollutants but could not protect against the cold. The chill of the Abyss seeped in, clinging to the skin and making one feel inexplicably uneasy.
Most Sentinels crawled into their temporary tents to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s mission. Only a few team members on duty held their weapons, vigilantly watching outside the light membrane.
Su Tang returned to her tent and carefully checked Xiao Yu’s condition under the dim light of the emergency lamp.
The little fellow was curled on her lap, its eyes half-closed, its breathing a bit rapid. The collar around its neck was still intermittently flashing white light.
Su Tang gently pressed the collar, and a strand of gentle spirit power slowly probed inside.
The moment she touched Xiao Yu, she clearly felt a force resisting her contact.
“Does it hurt?”
Su Tang softened her voice, her fingertips lightly stroking behind its ears.
Xiao Yu rubbed comfortably against her palm, letting out a weak purr, a flash of exhaustion in its emerald eyes.
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