Part 2
Lóu Chēng pulled up a chair and sat down. “It was indeed Officer Hè’s instruction. We are in different zones, but we are still one team, so that’s correct.”
“This is the rear support area, mainly for logistics. The Field Zone you mentioned is the frontline. You can’t go there for now. You are responsible for staying here. Entering the real Field Zone isn’t that easy.”
But even in the rear support area, Mǐ Qiū had encountered such a dangerous event.
According to Lóu Chēng, enemies weren’t common in this area. Encountering one occasionally, especially a powerful one, was like winning the lottery.
“Guide Mǐ Qiū, yesterday you hit the jackpot.”
“…”
If this was luck, she didn’t want any of it. Wait, what did he just say? Do the monsters have levels too?
Lóu Chēng poured a cup of plain water and handed it to her.
Mǐ Qiū had to take the paper cup with her left hand. She drank a few mouthfuls. It was ice-cold, likely filtered mountain spring water, and the aftertaste was surprisingly sweet.
“With a level like yesterday’s, if I wasn’t careful, even I would have been injured.”
Lóu Chēng: “You could say that. What you encountered yesterday was Subject No. 3. There are generally 6 levels, with No. 1 being the strongest.”
Mǐ Qiū gasped. This really is a hellish start… If she hadn’t been saved, the consequences were unimaginable.
It seemed the mysterious monster leader treated the hormone-injected Sentinels as mere experimental subjects, clearly not valuing them at all.
Later, Mǐ Qiū learned that their rear support area had about 40 people in total. Among them, 15 were A-class Sentinels, and the rest were C-class Sentinels.
Support involved medical tasks and catering—like cooking and ensuring frontline supplies so everyone could eat. A continuous supply of necessities was a crucial link.
Speaking of cooking, Mǐ Qiū wouldn’t call herself an expert, but she had taken the first step, laying a foundation for future cooking. Mǐ Qiū thought that with a bit more practice, cooking wouldn’t be a problem.
But Mǐ Qiū had to stay in the shelter for at least three days. The incident had left a psychological shadow; right now, Mǐ Qiū was terrified of long, strip-like things—anything resembling that monster’s swinging long tongue made her nauseous.
In the afternoon, Mǐ Qiū used her light-brain to tell Officer Hè that she had arrived safely.
Mǐ Qiū felt exhausted and didn’t know when she would fully recover her vitality.
For three days, she was the only person in the shelter.
When Lóu Chēng returned, she asked him more questions.
Lóu Chēng only said, “Guide Mǐ Qiū, don’t rush to work. Wait until your body is fully healed. Besides, Guide Mǐ Qiū, the injury is on your hand. Even if you report early, you’ll still need time to recover.”
“By the way, you can’t stay here forever. Your temporary residence is just a wall away from the C-class Sentinel dorms. Is that okay?”
For Mǐ Qiū, having a place to stay was good enough; she certainly wouldn’t be demanding. She nodded. “Space for just me is enough.”
In the shelter, Mǐ Qiū was constantly guarded by two A-class Sentinels outside.
The shelter was usually for the wounded. It seemed she really was the only wounded person right now!
Mǐ Qiū thought to herself how unlucky she was. One trip to the rainforest and she became the only casualty. But as her injury gradually improved, she could relax a little.
“Thank you. I just hope I’m not causing you trouble.”
“No trouble. How does your body feel today?”
“Much better than before. Last time, I thought I was dead for sure. If you guys hadn’t been quick, I probably wouldn’t be here right now, but inside his stomach.” Just thinking about it made Mǐ Qiū tremble with lingering fear.
Sometimes, scars need time to heal slowly. It wouldn’t be fast, so she would just let herself forget everything gradually.
On the fourth day, Mǐ Qiū finally walked out of the shelter.
The weather was clear today, cloudless. It hadn’t rained for the past two days, and the ground was dry.
She needed to report to a specific place. The concrete buildings had markings on the outside, so Mǐ Qiū quickly found where she needed to go.
One building had no writing, and one was marked with a ‘C’. It must be the latter.
This house was composed of two connected buildings, one tall and one short. Naturally, she chose the tall one. Mǐ Qiū knocked first but got no response. Since there was no one outside to ask, she thought she’d push the door open and look. If there was someone inside, she could ask them.
So, Mǐ Qiū pushed the door open, ready to ask if anyone was there, only to discover that this was full of C-class Sentinels.
She had learned earlier that Sentinel uniforms from A-class to C-class were all mainly dark blue, differentiated only by their badges. The C-class Sentinel badge was dark brown with a hint of red. Who could understand the feeling of pushing open a door and walking straight into a boys’ dorm?! Ahhh!!!
Mǐ Qiū was shocked beyond words, her mouth hanging open. Some were putting on pants, some fastening belts, and some putting on shirts while shirtless. And she saw it all…
Countless pairs of eyes swiveled to look at her in unison. Mǐ Qiū slammed the door shut. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
The scent of male hormones surged into her nose. Regardless of the level, the scent of a Sentinel was always filled with a sense of danger.
Mǐ Qiū didn’t dare go in until someone inside pushed the door open and asked directly, “Who are you?”
She answered, “I’m here to report.”
“Report here? This isn’t the reporting office, it’s the dorm. You went to the wrong place, didn’t you?”
The man didn’t look up at first, just glancing at Mǐ Qiū sideways. Then he stared at her carefully. “A female? Why is a female in this place?”
Mǐ Qiū explained the situation. The C-class Sentinel then said, “Wait a moment, I’ll go ask him.”
The person he went to ask was Lóu Chēng.
Ten minutes later, he walked back to Mǐ Qiū, let out an “Oh,” and said, “I’m the Squad Leader of the Logistics Support Department. Tell me if you need anything. By the way, the person who pushed the door open just now was you, right?”
“Yes. But I didn’t mean to.” Mǐ Qiū’s head hung lower and lower, almost touching her chest.
“What did you see?”
Saying she saw nothing would definitely sound fake.
Mǐ Qiū: “I saw a little.”
“I was on the top bunk on the far left, back facing out… Since you saw everything, what exactly did you see?”
Mǐ Qiū had a vague impression—he was changing his pants at the time, and his back was completely bare.
She had to say, “I just glanced casually, I didn’t pay much attention.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“But where is the reporting office?”
“That unmarked building is it. It’s not really a reporting office, just a place to formally register you.”
Upon entering, Mǐ Qiū found it was just a warehouse piled with combat supplies, with a clearing where a table and chairs were set up.
“Fill in your name, age, and personal information. If you want to enter the Logistics Support Department, I need to know your basic info. You can’t know nothing, right?”
Mǐ Qiū nodded. “Okay, no problem.”
“Current residence?”
Mǐ Qiū thought for a moment. “Let’s just say the island.”
“Oh, the island. So you must be that Guide who knows a bit of hypnosis?”
“You’re the only one sent to the island, right? Oh, so it’s you.”
It seemed they all knew.
Mǐ Qiū thought about it; it made sense. She was indeed the only one sent to the island. Other Guides were at the main base and generally wouldn’t be dispatched all over the place.
Mǐ Qiū smiled awkwardly at him.
He said, “Looks like you shouldn’t be a big problem. Can you cook? I mean ‘big pot rice’—mass catering where the whole pot has to taste good. Can you do it? Do you know the quantities?”
“You need to understand these things. If you don’t, it’ll be difficult. I can only say that here, efficiency is paramount. Also, can you bandage? Like dressing wounds and such, do you know how?”
Bandaging… actually, she probably could. In her previous dreams, Mǐ Qiū had done things like stitching and bandaging, even giving injections.
Mǐ Qiū felt more and more like she was being tempered into steel. She had to know a little bit of everything to survive here.
“Do you faint at the sight of blood?”
“Oh, not really, but if there’s too much bleeding, I can’t handle it.”
“How much is too much? I have to ask clearly because, as you know, getting in here is very strict for someone like you. Not just anyone can enter. The requirements for us Sentinels are strict enough, let alone for a Guide like you who doesn’t know anything. You have to know, Guides are originally only meant to stay in the rear and provide comfort for Sentinels.”
“In the future, you will train with us and eat with us.”
Learning that their ingredients were only potatoes and carrots, she asked, “Do you have any other vegetables?”
“Those leafy greens aren’t even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth; they’re gone in a few bites. Being full gives you strength; being full is the top priority.” Alright, Mǐ Qiū agreed with that point.
“We transport about five boxes of nutrient solution every day. We have to carry these to the front line. Do you have arm strength?”
“If I don’t have strength, I can do push-ups,” Mǐ Qiū said.
He clearly had a rough idea of Mǐ Qiū’s strength level. “You can do push-ups, but the volume will definitely be different from ours.”
He asked Mǐ Qiū to naturally spread her palm. Looking at it, he said, “Just one look and I know these tender hands aren’t meant for heavy labor.”
“Tell you what, I’ll try to arrange something else for you when the time comes.”
Mǐ Qiū went through a few procedures and formally entered the Logistics Support Department.
Before officially becoming one of them, Mǐ Qiū needed to greet the other C-class Sentinels. “Hello everyone, I’m the new Guide.”
All the C-class Sentinels stood in neat formation due to the Squad Leader’s order.
Watching Mǐ Qiū greet them, they couldn’t contain their curiosity.
“A Guide! I haven’t seen a Guide in 800 years! Hey! What’s your name?”
“Mǐ Qiū.”
“Mǐ Qiū, what a nice name, easy to remember too.”
They began to step forward one by one to introduce themselves.
At first, it was just two or three people, but later, almost all the Sentinels crowded around her, shaking her hand and introducing themselves.
Mǐ Qiū couldn’t withstand everyone’s enthusiasm and shook hands with them one by one.
“Your hand is so soft, so white, and your palm is so smooth.”
“Sure enough, Guides always smell so fragrant.”
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