Chapter 44: Her Choice…
She saw that Yǐn Xī Qián appeared completely calm, not at all like someone who was losing control.
Mǐ Qiū picked up the syringe and slowly pushed the plunger, injecting the contents. She administered four shots in a row. Watching his reaction, however, before the medicine could truly enter Yǐn Xī Qián’s system, he became even more manic. Mǐ Qiū was pressed beneath his body, and she said to him, “Eight more shots of the soothing agent and you will return to normal.”
But it was difficult to resist his immense strength. Mǐ Qiū gasped, “Marshal, if you keep struggling and delay the injection of the soothing agent, the consequences will be even more severe.”
Yǐn Xī Qián obviously wouldn’t listen to what she was saying. Of course, this wasn’t just because he didn’t trust her enough.
At this moment, the man began to feel a soreness in his limbs. Taking advantage of this, Mǐ Qiū switched to another method of soothing—she kissed him deeply. Yǐn Xī Qián was incredibly shocked by her move, and his grip loosened slightly. Mǐ Qiū seized the opportunity to inject his arm again. The veins on his arm bulged, the faint red color of the blood vessels clearly visible. Subsequently, his symptoms of rage gradually alleviated, but his left hand still gripped her neck, refusing to let go.
“This is my final warning to you.”
…
Mǐ Qiū could only wait for the soothing agent to take its final effect.
Of course, it didn’t happen particularly fast. Mǐ Qiū felt as if she were about to suffocate; her vision turned black. Only then did she finally return to reality. But why, now that she was back in reality, did her neck still feel like someone was choking it?
It might be because she had been too immersed in the deep-level dreamscape, leading to this lingering sensation.
However, the numerical results this time were indeed a notch lower than before. Mǐ Qiū was very satisfied with this. The data looked great, and she would surely receive praise from Officer Hè. Not only that, but it was also possible she could be promoted to an A-class Guide. In short, Mǐ Qiū was bubbling with joy inside, smiling from ear to ear. But she shouldn’t celebrate too early. Seeing that he was sound asleep, she left the room.
Unexpectedly, just as she stepped out, she spotted two figures walking hurriedly. Mǐ Qiū realized later that it was Zhù Shāngchén and Shěn Qīnghuái. It was actually them? Had they returned?
Mǐ Qiū walked up to greet them, asking when exactly they had come back and why they hadn’t told her in advance.
Zhù Shāngchén replied, “Guide Mǐ, actually, we were notified to return on short notice this time. Why, Guide Mǐ, are you not happy?”
“That’s not it. It’s really good that you guys are back; it’ll be livelier with everyone here.”
Mǐ Qiū returned to her room. Seeing Ruǎn Bái Bái sleeping soundly in its nest, its sleeping expression looking incredibly enjoyable, Mǐ Qiū didn’t dare disturb it. She burrowed into her blankets. It was already spring, so the room wasn’t that cold.
The next morning, Mǐ Qiū looked at Shěn Qīnghuái’s expression. He was the same as before, nothing strange about him. Before he left the island, he had said he had a secret in his heart that he would tell her eventually. Mǐ Qiū couldn’t help but feel a little curious.
Why did he feel so odd? The days passed one by one. Furthermore, Mǐ Qiū had measured General Qí’s hypnosis values over these past few days. With this, her complete set of observation samples made Officer Hè very delighted; she could be promoted to an A-class Guide.
Among them, the most docile spiritual body belonged to General Qí. It was a very gentle sea lion. Compared to the spiritual bodies of the others, it was indeed much easier to soothe.
Shěn Qīnghuái finally told her the matter buried in his heart. Mǐ Qiū was extraordinarily shocked to learn that he remembered everything about her infiltrating his dream.
But she had definitely released the isolation agent. Why was the final result so unexpected?
Moreover, Shěn Qīnghuái said he remembered every single thing she did during hypnosis: In the dream, you seemed to love me very much, right? But you said you loved me, yet the very next day you would say the same words to another man? Since it is hypnosis, and you can enter my deep dreams, you must also be entering the dreams of the other Sentinels…
There was no way to hide it. While Mǐ Qiū suspected the efficacy of the drug, it was naturally impossible to explain herself, knowing it was merely a soothing method.
Shěn Qīnghuái said, “But everything Guide Mǐ did to me in the dream, I cannot forget. I remember it vividly. Even after returning to the base, I couldn’t forget what happened here.”
If this isolation agent really didn’t work, when did it lose its effect?
Mǐ Qiū already knew the worst possible outcome. Could the agent be ineffective for the others as well? What should she do then?
The more Mǐ Qiū thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Her anxiety grew, and uneasy emotions continued to linger in her mind, refusing to dissipate for a long time. Mǐ Qiū continued to recall the conversation with Shěn Qīnghuái at that time.
“So I just want to ask Guide Mǐ Qiū—no, I should call you Mǐ Qiū, it’s more intimate—when the time comes for the autonomous matching between Guides and Sentinels, will you choose me?”
Mǐ Qiū didn’t answer his question directly. She offered him some comfort first. He understood Mǐ Qiū’s meaning; she definitely needed time to consider, and he would give her that time.
Mǐ Qiū later realized something was amiss. The Sentinels on the island seemed to have gradually figured it out. They knew clearly what Mǐ Qiū was doing in their dreams—acting as their sole lover, their companion. Mǐ Qiū didn’t know what to do for a moment.
Mǐ Qiū had gradually become familiar with the other Sentinels. The only ones she wasn’t familiar with were the two who had just arrived, General Qí and Marshal Yǐn.
However, General Qí was quite familiar from the start. His personality was a bit like Hè Chí’s, like an older brother to her. But Marshal Yǐn… he was different. The emotional feedback he gave her was mostly indifference.
Mǐ Qiū reported everything here to Officer Hè and asked for his reply. After an investigation, Officer Hè discovered that the isolation agent was indeed effective, but because it was an experimental drug developed not long ago, the pills did have a time limit. Also, as the number of hypnosis sessions increased, the drug’s effects would fade faster. Mǐ Qiū then asked if this problem wouldn’t exist for people she had only hypnotized once.
But the answer she got was negative. Officer Hè meant that although they were hypnotized only once, because the isolation agent was used too frequently, the frequent usage caused the agent’s efficacy to disappear completely over time. Mǐ Qiū understood. Officer Hè said to her, “Mǐ Qiū, actually, you are already a fully qualified A-class Guide. Your hypnosis technique is your excellent soothing power. I am very happy for you. Since this is the case, your mission is now complete. In another two weeks, you can completely move off the island and return to where you belong. This should be good news for you, right?”
Mǐ Qiū didn’t respond to him immediately. Officer Hè asked, “What’s wrong? You’ve been stationed on the island for so long, are you reluctant to leave?”
Partly for that reason, and partly because, as the mission gradually came to an end, Mǐ Qiū felt a slight sense of loss in her heart.
“Alright, Mǐ Qiū, you don’t need to think about anything else right now. Stay relaxed, okay? You still have follow-up work to complete.”
Regarding the isolation agent, Mǐ Qiū thought she had been too obtuse. She should have been able to perceive it from the Sentinels’ reactions sometimes.
On the third day, Mǐ Qiū unconsciously walked to the third house. General Qí wasn’t there; he had gone out for something.
In the house, only Mǐ Qiū and Marshal Yǐn remained.
Mǐ Qiū wanted to observe the current situation of the two guests who came later.
Was Marshal Yǐn still as indifferent as before? To a certain extent, did that indicate the isolation agent hadn’t completely failed?
Mǐ Qiū was a bit thirsty. She poured herself a glass of water and sat on the sofa to drink. Yǐn Xī Qián walked out of his room.
Seeing Mǐ Qiū, he pondered for a moment before saying to her, “Guide Mǐ.”
Mǐ Qiū: “Are you calling me?”
“Is there anyone else here?”
“Hè Yù Nán should be very satisfied with your test values this time. Oh, that’s your Officer Hè.”
He continued speaking to her, “Actually, if you immersed yourself in the dreamscape and went a step further with the Sentinel, the values would look even better.”
No. Mǐ Qiū replied that she hadn’t done that just to make the data look good. Yǐn Xī Qián smiled, laughing at her for taking his words seriously.
“Guide Mǐ, I will be leaving here in two days.”
Mǐ Qiū: “I will see Marshal Yǐn off.”
“No need. Just be yourself. Guide Mǐ, actually, you don’t need to restrain yourself every day. You should look carefully inside your own heart.”
Mǐ Qiū ate her last meal on the island together with everyone.
The Sentinels would be leaving the island one after another.
Mǐ Qiū would be the last to leave.
This meal was a seafood feast. For the first time, it was held outdoors. Mǐ Qiū sat with the ten Sentinels. Each person had personally cooked a dish with the utmost care.
It was completely like a buffet.
The fish soup was fresh, white, and smooth, like a kind of white, tender tofu.
Grilled shrimp and grilled scallops were Mǐ Qiū’s favorites. Zhù Shāngchén’s grilling skills were indeed excellent. As for making soup, Shěn Qīnghuái was a cut above.
Aside from that, the pig trotters stewed by Hè Chí were soft and tender, falling right off the bone. Mǐ Qiū felt that with just a pursing of her lips, the meat on the trotters melted directly in her mouth…
Everyone ate to their heart’s content, and Mǐ Qiū hid the small sadness in her heart. As for dessert, naturally, it was made by Róng Liáng. Mr. Róng’s dessert making was superb.
The dishes made by Fù Róngqīng, Qiū Chú Huán, and Luò Shǎng Qín were steamed egg custard, stir-fried choy sum with garlic, and pineapple rice, respectively.
Sù Zé Chū made his specialty, clam stir-fry with pork. Mǐ Qiū gave this the highest rating.
General Qí and Marshal Yǐn naturally showed off their skills a little too. General Qí made a portion of seafood tossed noodles for everyone. The seafood sauce was drizzled over the noodles. After stirring evenly, the flavor gradually seeped out—
It was fine when first eaten, but the aftertaste was strong. The flavor lingered in her mouth, dominated by a savory freshness. Mǐ Qiū took another bite. The savory taste went straight to her nasal cavity…
Yǐn Xī Qián’s seafood risotto was even richer in ingredients, containing small shrimp, sea urchin, grass carp, bean curd skin, golden rice, sausage, etc.
Although the combination seemed a bit weird, Mǐ Qiū tried it, and her eyes widened significantly.
The Sentinels really all had good skills. Although their culinary focus varied, if one tasted carefully, there were slight differences.
But it was definitely delicious.
They helped serve food to Mǐ Qiū, and her bowl was piled high with food, just like a small mountain.
That night, except for Yǐn Xī Qián, the nine Sentinels all confessed to her. Even though she already knew the isolation agent was useless, Mǐ Qiū was still very surprised. She received all the clear expressions of affection they conveyed to her.
She only responded with one sentence to them: when the two-year term arrived and the autonomous matching between Guides and Sentinels took place, they would know the final result.
The reason she said this was that Mǐ Qiū actually needed to think as well. Soothing was not love; that was her job, and it shouldn’t be confused.
They fully respected her opinion. In fact, apart from her, they all said they wouldn’t choose any other Guide.
The Sentinels left in batches, and finally, Mǐ Qiū remained there alone.
She was waiting for the fiber-optic boat at 6 PM. Hè Yù Nán told her she didn’t need to worry about the island anymore; someone would come to the island to handle and resolve related matters.
Her work was all wrapped up. At this moment, Mǐ Qiū was saying her final goodbyes to Little Beautiful. Both the AI Little Beautiful and the upgraded Little Beautiful would be recalled.
She said to it, “Ruǎn Bái Bái and I are leaving. Actually, after spending some time with you, you should return to where you belong. But thanks to Officer Hè, otherwise Ruǎn Bái Bái couldn’t have truly stayed by my side. Ruǎn Bái Bái would likely have been released back into the mountains. But because I was worried about it… everyone has left. talking to you, Little Beautiful, is nice too. But, when it comes time to match with a Sentinel, what should I do? Little Beautiful, do you have any ideas?”
Asking Little Beautiful herself—how could it answer her?
Sentinels and Guides could choose each other. If there was no desired match, then they would be directly randomly matched. But Mǐ Qiū obviously didn’t want to be randomly matched with a Sentinel. More importantly, she didn’t want to settle just like that. During this period, the Sentinels she had been in contact with continued to show goodwill to her as always. sometimes when Mǐ Qiū was at the Guide Institute, she found that the Guides around her cast envious glances at her, occasionally whispering about the matter.
Mǐ Qiū wanted to follow her own heart. Their words were all so sincere. Mǐ Qiū pondered for a long time and remembered one occasion when she went to find Yǐn Xī Qián, Marshal Yǐn.
Mǐ Qiū considered herself not that familiar with him yet; they had known each other for a short time, and the depth of understanding wasn’t enough. However, Mǐ Qiū went more because she wanted to confirm something herself.
She was very curious why Yǐn Xī Qián was the only one who hadn’t mentioned a word about matching to her. Meeting again, Yǐn Xī Qián stood with his back to her, standing before the transparent window in the command room.
He asked her, “Remember this place?”
Mǐ Qiū: “Mn, it’s exactly the same as the scene in my dream, consistent even down to the details. So what appeared in my dream was the real world. That’s amazing!”
Yǐn Xī Qián: “Mǐ Qiū, we are not strangers at all. Do you know why? You are the person I selected to go to the island, the person I favored. Letting you improve your abilities and helping you rise to an A-class Guide—naturally, it was me. Your Officer Hè listens to my orders. Regarding this, it was an experiment, a trial for you. Do you understand?”
“Regarding the matching, I hope you can think about it carefully again. Perhaps the person who can bring you a very comfortable experience isn’t necessarily suitable to be your partner. On the contrary, you might be more suitable as friends. Mǐ Qiū, this is to help you, to give you a process to think.”
Mǐ Qiū: “Then, if it were you, Marshal, what would you think right now?”
