Chapter 12: Bird in a Gilded Cage

Wen Li is currently pressed for time and burdened with a heavy task. She must find a way to control the distortion of Moon Li within a week, and she also needs to meet with that mad dog, Lin Zheng. Since he woke up, he has been demanding to see Wen Li; otherwise, he begins to cause destruction. His powerful mental strength can easily crush metal walls, and he only stays quiet when sedatives are administered. Because of this, they have already gone through three monitoring rooms. If this continues, the foundation of the White Tower will surely be hollowed out by him.

There is another sentinel scheduled for this afternoon, and Wen Li organizes her data while lost in thought. The White Tower is not a place for experimentation, nor is it a research institute, and the guides who come here are all seasoned veterans with extensive work experience. They have their own purification procedures and have no need for experiments. The side effects of the purification following the experiment on Ban last time were too severe; Wen Li has temporarily given up on him, intending to return to him only when she has more precise control over her abilities. But Wen Li cannot simply use these sentinels scheduled for purification as test subjects—if something were to go wrong, she would be in serious trouble!

As soon as Ban enters, he sees Wen Li with her brows furrowed, assuming she is distressed over the experiment. He turns off the light screen and dims the room. Ban says, "Miss, if you exhaust your body because of these experiments, that would be a very foolish thing to do."

Wen Li knows her life assistant is about to force her to sleep again. With a soft voice, she cups her face and looks at him: "Ban, you know I have no ideas right now. The method from last time was too dangerous."

The tall sentinel picks up Wen Li from her seat, places her in the lounge, and covers her with a soft blanket. Wen Li clutches the blanket with both hands, seemingly wanting to get up to continue her research. Ban gently pushes her back down: "Miss, you need to rest."

Wen Li whines softly, acting spoiled: "Ban~"

His deep brown eyes gaze at her, suppressing her desire to sneak back to work. "Miss, I don't think those sentinels would refuse your request. Being a test subject is their honor."

Wen Li feels a bit embarrassed and shrinks her small face into the blanket: "That doesn't seem right. These sentinels rarely get a chance for purification, and here I am, irresponsibly using them as test subjects, don't you think?"

Ban replies, "There is nothing wrong with it. I will explain the situation to that sentinel this afternoon. Also, I will stay by your side to protect you throughout the entire purification process."

Wen Li seems a bit sleepy and nods in agreement. As expected, after Wen Li takes a nap at noon, she has a new idea in the afternoon. When she returns to the purification room, she finds that something has changed. She hears the sound of Ban talking to someone outside the door, and when Wen Li opens it, she sees the hallway filled with instruments of all sizes.

Wen Li: "Ban, what is all this?"

The sentinel signals to the workers that they may leave and replies, "These were sent by Colonel Angus. They are the latest mental riot detection instruments."

Wen Li points to the sofas: "And these?"

Ban: "The items damaged by that sentinel's mental riot last time were never repaired, so I decided to just replace the whole set."

Wen Li: "This is too much trouble. Oh, right, I recall that you are an SS+ sentinel, right, Ban?"

Ban pauses for a moment, then nods and replies: "Yes, Miss."

Wen Li smiles happily: "That’s fantastic."

Ban: "Miss, you aren't planning to start another new experiment, are you?"

Wen Li grins, her eyes as cunning as a fox. "You'll see once that sentinel arrives!"

The two look at the brand-new purification room. Upon entering, there is a registration desk, followed by new sofas, tables, and chairs. Items designed to help sentinels relax are neatly arranged in glass display cases. Behind that is the bar counter Wen Li likes, where she can cut fruit and mix drinks when she is bored. Wen Li expands the desk by the window to accommodate more data in the future. The security system has been upgraded; if a sentinel suffers a mental riot, an alarm will immediately trigger, releasing muscle relaxants specifically designed for sentinels.

With her hands on her hips, she looks at her second little nest with satisfaction. Ban takes out a handkerchief and thoughtfully wipes the sweat from Wen Li’s forehead. "Miss, is there anything else you need to add?"

As if thinking of something, Wen Li nods: "Ban, I need a weapon!"

The sentinel is very confused; in his understanding, guides do not need weapons. They are never short of sentinels by their side. Does the miss feel that she cannot protect herself? Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Ban replies to his guide with his usual expressionless face: "Miss, Federation regulations prohibit guides from carrying thermal weapons. Do you need some restricted bladed weapons instead?"

Wen Li is astonished. Does this technologically advanced future world not even allow a guide to have a weapon for self-protection? "No, Ban, I want to train myself!"

Ban walks up to Wen Li, his deep brown eyes carefully observing the girl's face. "Miss, have you been bullied? You can tell me if you have any grievances."

Afraid that he has misunderstood something, Wen Li hurriedly explains: "No, I just want to become stronger. I don't want the sentinel to always be the one to step forward whenever something happens. If I were strong enough, I wouldn't have to be so terrified and not know what to do when facing those pollutants. I wouldn't have to watch helplessly as my friends are eroded by contamination cores."

Wen Li has always felt lonely and helpless; coming to this world feels like being a duckweed, everything is so unfamiliar. Every night, Wen Li thinks of those dark red eyes, those ugly, distorted creatures opening their mouths to drag her into the abyss. She is just a so-called disabled guide—how many years can she stay in the White Tower? One year? Two years? Or will she continue to be passed around like a gift as she is now? Where will Wen Li end up? It would be better to use the existing resources to learn and become strong enough so that she is no longer at the mercy of others.

Wen Li hands a document to Ban. "If I were not a guide, but an ordinary person, would you sacrifice your life to save me, Ban?"

Ban does not answer, but the outcome is predetermined. He would not, and not just him—no sentinel would. The Federation does not allow the reality of a sentinel being sacrificed for an ordinary person to exist.

Wen Li looks at the green branches outside the window, where the sunlight filters through the gaps in the tender leaves, casting tiny spots of light. "But even if a guide is only D-rank, the sentinel would choose to give their life in exchange, wouldn't they? Not only do sentinels detest guides, but don't ordinary people hate them to the bone as well?"

Ban looks at the poll in his hand regarding whether the privileges of guides should be revoked; the bright red text stands out: 70% of the results are "Should." The glamorous guides are, in truth, just birds in a cage.

"Ban, may I see your spirit beast?" She misses that Border Collie dearly; she wants to see its wagging tail and touch its soft fur.

Ban suppresses his inner desire and replies: "Next time, Miss. Your scheduled sentinel is arriving soon."

Only then does Wen Li check her optical computer and realize there are only 3 minutes left until the meeting. She must hurry and get everything ready.