Chapter 107. Emergency Safe Harbor
An Se snapped his fingers, the craftiness in his eyes nearly overflowing.
“‘Super S-Class Sentinel Faces Heavy Punishment After Desperate Self-Rescue’—what do you think of that headline?”
Su Tang pursed her lips.
“Making a big scene might indeed stall the White Tower’s punishment of Mo Xiao. However, I’m worried that if this gains too much traction, other Sentinels might start to imitate it. They might think that under extreme conditions, they can freely drain a Guide’s spiritual power. Guides have no way to protect themselves to begin with; if all Sentinels start doing this, their situation will only become more miserable.”
The smile on An Se’s face faded slightly, and his fingers stopped tapping against his knee.
“You’re right. I didn’t think that through. That is indeed a hidden danger.”
He had been so focused on how to get Mo Xiao out that he had forgotten that particular detail.
An Se stood up and paced around the room twice, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance.
“The distribution relationship between Guides and Sentinels is already fragile and can’t withstand much testing. If we light this fire, it will only end in mutual destruction. If others follow suit, the entire order of the White Tower could collapse.”
“We’ll have to find another way.”
An Se walked to the window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the frame.
“Since head-on confrontation won’t work and fanning the flames is out, we can only start with the rules themselves.”
He turned around to look at Su Tang.
“There’s a clause in the White Tower’s Sentinel Code of Conduct—‘When executing an A-Class mission or above, if a Sentinel encounters lethal pollution, they may take Emergency Safe Harbor measures; an evaluation is required afterward.’ Mo Xiao’s situation fits this clause perfectly. We can break through from here.”
Su Tang’s eyes lit up. “You mean, use this rule as a basis to prove that Mo Xiao’s actions were ‘Emergency Safe Harbor’ rather than intentional harm? That way, his punishment can be reduced?”
“Exactly.”
An Se nodded, his tone becoming composed again.
“I’ll have the Medical Department issue a detailed report proving that Mo Xiao’s pollution levels had reached a lethal threshold and that ordinary suppressants were useless. Then, I’ll have his comrades from Team 1 provide mission logs to confirm he was indeed rescuing himself in a desperate situation. Once we ensure all that, the White Tower won’t find a reason to punish him heavily.”
“Though he’ll definitely still be punished. It just won’t be too severe.”
The last trace of hesitation in Su Tang’s heart completely vanished.
“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”
“It’s no trouble. It’s what I should do.”
Su Tang returned to her bedroom, picked up Xiao Yu, and followed An Se back to the Medical Department. Along the way, she fully committed to her weak and frail act. When they encountered several Sentinels who kept glancing over, Su Tang kept her head down. Any questions about her health were brushed off by An Se, but anyone paying attention could see she was unwell.
Returning once again to the room she had lived in for several days, Su Tang placed Xiao Yu on the small bed. She had just poured herself a glass of water when a knock sounded on the door.
“Yasuo, why are you here?”
“I came to see how you’re doing. Those people from the Monitoring Department didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”
“So you already know about this too.”
Su Tang invited Yasuo in and then closed the door tightly.
“Shen Ji called me to Team 2 yesterday. I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to stop him.”
“So you knew about this yesterday. Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
Su Tang frowned slightly; she didn’t particularly like sudden situations like today’s.
“I’m sorry. Yesterday, I saw that your complexion wasn’t good, and I wanted you to rest a bit more, so I went to An Se first. I didn’t expect the people from the White Tower to move so quickly. How are you? Did the people from the Monitoring Department give you any trouble?”
Su Tang shook her head.
“Director An Se helped me fool them.” Su Tang paused, then looked at Yasuo seriously. “Captain Yasuo, I hope that if something like this happens again, you’ll tell me immediately. After all, it concerns me, and I want to be the first to know.”
“Alright, I’ve got it. I apologize. I really thought you looked quite poorly yesterday and wanted you to get some rest. I didn’t realize the White Tower’s actions would be so swift.”
Seeing the seriousness in Su Tang’s eyes, Yasuo’s face showed a bit of guilt, and he scratched his head.
“It was my lack of consideration. Next time, I’ll definitely inform you immediately.”
He paused, and his tone grew heavy.
“I just came from the confinement area. Mo Xiao’s situation isn’t great, but it’s not too bad either.”
“How is he? Was he punished?”
Su Tang followed up immediately, her fingers tightening around her water glass.
“No official punishment yet, but his range of movement has been restricted. The guards are keeping a very close watch.”
Su Tang gave Yasuo a brief summary of her conversation with An Se.
Yasuo sat down on the sofa, his brow furrowed.
“Doing that can indeed stall for some time. But I’ll be honest with you—given the current circumstances, it’s completely impossible for Mo Xiao to avoid punishment entirely. Even if it’s eventually ruled as ‘Emergency Safe Harbor,’ the punishment won’t be light.”
The Guide Protection Association wouldn’t encourage such a trend. Once they applied pressure, the White Tower would definitely handle it with extra severity.
“I know, but having this excuse is better than doing nothing.”
That was the truth; they truly didn’t have a better method right now.
Su Tang sat in a nearby chair, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold glass. Now that everything was settled, she finally had the headspace to think about other things. Recalling how Mo Xiao had covered for her and been forced to take all the blame, her heart felt congested and restless.
“Will the Guide Protection Association… really apply pressure?” Su Tang asked softly.
“Most likely.” Yasuo nodded, his tone grave. “They value the interests of Guides above all else. Since Mo Xiao admitted to performing a Reverse Purification on you, even if it’s ruled as an emergency, it will still be used as a ‘model case’ to serve as a warning. But don’t worry too much. Mo Xiao knows what he’s doing. Since he dared to take the blame, he must have been prepared to deal with it.”
Su Tang knew Yasuo was just trying to comfort her.
The so-called “knowing what he’s doing” was just a way of saying he intended to endure it to the end.
In her memory, it seemed he had always been standing in front of her since she entered the White Tower. Now, once again, he had taken all the responsibility for her. Su Tang felt an ache in her heart.
Seeing that Su Tang was in low spirits, Yasuo wanted to say something to cheer her up. But in this White Tower, he had scolded and mocked many people; as for someone he had actually comforted… there wasn’t a single one.
Comforting people was practically harder than fighting pollution beasts bare-handed. But seeing Su Tang looking so wilted, he really couldn’t sit still.
“Um…” Yasuo cleared his throat, his fingers tracing random patterns on the sofa armrest.
“There are some new flavors of Guide-specific snacks at the supply station. Do you want to try them? I’ll go buy some for you right now…”
Recommended Reads
