Chapter 25: One by One, They’re All Targeting Her? Part 1
The man spoke to her with complete sincerity, devoid of any falsehood.
Mǐ Qiū held the pearl in her palm. It was pure white and flawless, without a single blemish, and surprisingly soft to the touch.
“With this texture, it must be a rare pearl from the sea,” the short-haired Sentinel said, walking towards them. “Judging by its luster, it should be from a sea mother-of-pearl. The pearl must have accidentally fallen from its shell. Rùn Qǐ shells are incredibly rare. Sigh, how could you just give away the pearl inside so easily, kid?”
“What use do I have for it?”
To Ān Yì Mò, Guide Mǐ Qiū seemed just like the pearl—white, soft, and looking very squeeze-able!
He clenched his hands in the air as if grabbing something.
“This pearl is round and white, very fitting for Guide Mǐ.”
Hearing him call her cute earlier had made Mǐ Qiū a little shy.
“Then I’ll accept it. Thank you.”
The short-haired Sentinel was clearly unhappy now. “You have a greeting gift, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to show up empty-handed, right?”
Mǐ Qiū quickly waved her hands at him. “No need for any greeting gift.”
“But Guide Mǐ, if you want any rare items, I can get them for you. As long as the heart is sincere, anything is possible.”
Mǐ Qiū said, “I don’t want anything. Knowing you all makes me happy enough.”
Ān Yì Mò patted the short-haired Sentinel on the shoulder. “Save your breath. Don’t do such superficial things. Some things can’t be replaced, don’t waste your effort.”
Hearing the whistle blow, they quickly got up and rushed straight to the drill ground.
Mǐ Qiū was a bit annoyed when she heard the whistle, almost mistaking it for Hè Yùnán’s, as the sound was exactly the same. The Sentinels, knowing what the whistle meant, immediately fell into neat formation.
The group of seven Sentinels focused on maritime observation, while the other group of eight, who often needed to go underwater and possessed multiple skills, were now about to undergo a physical fitness test.
As the whistle sounded “1-2-1,” they continued their physical training: at ease, attention, stride, drop, and 500 push-ups.
Even while doing push-ups, Ān Yì Mò glanced back at Mǐ Qiū from time to time.
The captain in black noticed and said in a deep, magnetic voice, “You’re pretty tough, huh? Let’s add some weight.”
Saying this, the man in black focused his gaze on Mǐ Qiū. Mǐ Qiū pointed at herself. He lowered his head and gestured for her to come over, signaling Mǐ Qiū to sit on Ān Yì Mò’s back.
Continue push-ups.
Mǐ Qiū thought: Am I really supposed to sit on him?
As she hesitated, Ān Yì Mò spoke up: “Captain Luò, it’s not appropriate for Guide Mǐ, she’s wearing a skirt.”
Luò Shǎng Qín: “Oh? You know how to be considerate, kid.”
“Fine. See the long sandbags next to you? Those are for flood prevention in unpredictable future situations. Now, each of you put a sandbag on your back. It’s to train your willpower. Don’t take my words lightly! This is just a small punishment.”
In their current position, it was difficult for the Sentinels to place the sandbags themselves.
So Mǐ Qiū helped them.
She just had to place a sandbag on each of their backs.
But when she lifted one with both hands, she could feel it was extremely heavy, at least 20 jin (approx. 10kg).
Luò Shǎng Qín saw her stumble after moving two bags, looking a bit dizzy.
So he walked over to help her. “Guide Xiǎo Mǐ, aren’t you going back yet?”
“Mǐ Qiū.”
“Guide Mǐ Qiū, huh. I might as well call you Guide Xiǎo Mǐ (‘Little Rice’), it’s easier to remember.”
As the man moved things, his breathing grew heavier. He stood with one hand on his hip, putting the black transmitter back on his ear, occasionally adjusting the earpiece with his hand.
His fingers were long, with pale, bony knuckles. Seeing him make this gesture, Mǐ Qiū surprisingly felt a hint of… suggestiveness.
I must be really tired, my head is fuzzy, that’s why I’m imagining things.
During formal physical training, Sentinels would take off their jackets in advance to prevent excessive sweating later. Mǐ Qiū could see the firm muscles beneath their tight black undershirts.
It turned out even B-class Sentinels trained hard. They had the kind of bodies that looked slim in clothes but muscular when undressed.
Luò Shǎng Qín said to her, “Guide Xiǎo Mǐ, help me watch them. See who’s slacking off.”
So Mǐ Qiū stood behind the eight men. Each one over 1.86 meters tall made her feel like a tiny bean among them, incredibly petite.
No wonder Captain Luò called her Guide Xiǎo Mǐ.
Right now, she really felt like a grain of millet.
Luò Shǎng Qín: “Guide Xiǎo Mǐ, are you busy later?”
Mǐ Qiū shook her head. “I’m free before noon. Nothing much going on. If you guys want to eat lunch, you can come to the wooden villa with me. We have enough hands there, and AI Xiao Měi can help cook.”
She wasn’t finished yet, fearing they wouldn’t know, she added, “There’s also an unmanned supermarket and convenience store on the island. There’s a map on a nearby pillar, it shows the locations clearly.”
A black shadow cast by the brim of his hat made his eyes look exceptionally deep and profound.
Luò Shǎng Qín looked at her with amusement. “How could we come to the island without enough food and equipment? We have plenty of simple, convenient instant food. And I can read maps and signs myself. Looks like you want to ‘take us in’?”
Mǐ Qiū knew this “take in” was definitely in quotation marks. She really didn’t need to be overly concerned.
She laughed awkwardly twice.
“Alright then, there’s a small test. I’d like you to stay for a bit, not too long, about five minutes.”
After that, all the Sentinels stood facing Mǐ Qiū.
“What’s the next stage?” Luò Shǎng Qín asked the team.
The Sentinel standing first in line replied that it was focus.
“Guide Xiǎo Mǐ, please walk two laps in front of them.”
Just walk two laps? Isn’t that simple?
“Walk in a straight line?”
“Straight line!”
So Mǐ Qiū listened to Luò Shǎng Qín and walked a lap in front of the eight Sentinels.
Then she turned back and walked again, making it two laps in total.
As she walked, the breeze blew the stray hairs at her temples. Her almond eyes fluttered, and with her outfit, she looked like a utterly lazy Ragdoll cat.
Every move tugged at the heartstrings, but Mǐ Qiū didn’t understand Captain Luò’s intention at first.
In his observation, he noticed that when Mǐ Qiū walked straight, almost everyone in the team turned their heads towards her, meaning their gaze was fixed on Mǐ Qiū.
“Eyes front! It seems your previous concentration training wasn’t enough.”
So this is a focus test. Mǐ Qiū didn’t know if they noticed her flushing cheeks. Although they were B-class Sentinels, their spiritual animal scent—that natural, wild smell—stimulated her nose, making her want to sneeze.
“Guide Xiǎo Mǐ, you can leave now,” Luò Shǎng Qín reminded her.
Before she left, Luò Shǎng Qín didn’t forget to say, “Say hello to your Officer Hè for me.”
Getting news about Mǐ Qiū’s leader from Sù Zé Chū wasn’t difficult.
Mǐ Qiū: “Okay.”
.
Back in the wooden cabin, before lunch was ready, the first thing Mǐ Qiū did was check her light-brain.
A message had finally arrived. Mǐ Qiū had been waiting anxiously.
Mr. Hè: I’ve mentioned your matter to the higher-ups. Of course, the C-class Guide promotion won’t be approved that quickly; you need to keep working hard. As for the punishment, your living allowance for this month will be halved. Besides that, there’s one more thing: you need to finish cleaning and renovating the other two small villas. The task isn’t too heavy, is it?
Mǐ Qiū replied to this message first, then responded about Captain Luò.
Mǐ Qiū: Captain Luò, who came to the island, asked me to say hello to you.
Mr. Hè: That guy and I are like fire and water. Asking you to say hello is just him being sarcastic, right? Mǐ Qiū, did you cause some trouble?
- Telling the truth won’t get you in trouble. Knowing his character, I reckon it’s nothing good.
- No.
- No trouble? You’re getting better at lying now.
Mǐ Qiū remained silent on this, but of course, she couldn’t hide it from him. Surprisingly, Hè Yùnán didn’t scold her harshly. Instead, he complained about Luò Shǎng Qín’s weird temper, making a big deal out of small things, and so on—all complaints.
Mǐ Qiū didn’t dare reply, but at least she didn’t get scolded, which relaxed her significantly.
The two empty houses on the island… Mǐ Qiū just thought of them, and now she has to renovate them.
This task is fine, but if her living allowance is halved, she’ll be penniless and unable to buy anything.
Renovating two seaside villas was a huge project; she couldn’t do it alone.
So, with no other choice, Mǐ Qiū asked the three Sentinels in the wooden cabin for help.
Hè Chí and the others were naturally willing to help her, but lunch was more important right now.
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