Chapter 41: Hallucination

The crimson flames stung Pei Xinghe’s eyes, the high-temperature blaze distorting the air. Through the haze, she caught a glimpse of an angelic face.

She reached out, and as those white eyes looked toward her, they seemed to hold a pool of spring water, calming her anxious heart.

"Come with me." Wen Li took Pei Xinghe’s hand and led her away.

Wen Li’s squad carved a path with their assembled flamethrowers, appearing like saviors to rescue Pei Xinghe and her group from their desperate plight. Only when they reached a relatively safe area did Wen Li stop, breathing heavily.

The two squads paused to regroup. After checking that there were no injuries in Alpha Squad, Wen Li turned her gaze to the young girl who had been dazed since their escape. The doll-faced girl with black hair looked as blank as the guinea pig in her arms, which had also stopped chewing.

Looking at the adorable, bewildered girl, Wen Li greeted her kindly, "Are you hurt?"

The gentle voice snapped Pei Xinghe out of her reverie. *Who am I? Where am I? Is she... is she a Sentinel?*

The captain of Pei Xinghe’s squad, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to explain. "Thank you for your help. This is Pei Xinghe, an S-class Guide from the Club."

Steb stepped forward to shake hands, saying, "We are Guides from the White Tower."

The other party glanced discreetly at the somewhat pale Wen Li. Pei Xinghe was also stunned. The White Tower? Was that the infamous White Tower? So, her savior was a Guide, yet she came from the White Tower.

She looked down at the guinea pig in her arms, conflicted. The round, furry ball made its own choice, scrambling over its owner’s arms to jump into the arms of the other Guide.

Wen Li felt a sudden weight in her arms. The black, gold, and white fur-ball squeaked, its little paws cutely touching its nose. She reached out to stroke the soft down on its head. Wen Li couldn't help but sigh; it was just too cute.

Having made up her mind, Pei Xinghe stood up abruptly and bowed deeply to Wen Li. "Thank you! My name is Pei Xinghe. I live in the Cicada Crane West Continent, and I have an older brother in the Southern Theater of Operations... um." Before she could finish reciting her personal history, she was silenced by her Sentinel, who covered her mouth.

"Pardon her, pardon her. Guide Pei is just a bit excited."

Wen Li noticed that the black-haired girl’s face was as flushed as if she were drunk, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud. Pei Xinghe was struck by a critical hit of beauty, and her face turned even redder. *Mom, I think I’m in love!*

The Abelise squad had just escaped death and was busy purifying their Sentinels. The seven-man squad had already lost one member, and there was another Sentinel on the verge of berserking, which posed a tricky problem.

Withdrawing her mental energy, she lay wearily in the arms of the Sentinel behind her. "Where is that otter?"

Robin looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. He didn't care whether it lived or died. "It’s dead. It doesn't matter; we'll run into them again."

Abelise stood up immediately, looking at him with disapproval. "I told you to protect it well."

"I told you to keep it in a cage, but you had to let it out to satisfy your own twisted tastes."

Seeing that the Guide was genuinely angry, Robin suppressed his inner rage and apologized politely. "It won't happen again."

His heart was filled with malice. *A pathetic Guide, acting all high and mighty, like a fake saint. It’s... truly disgusting!*

A whistling sound cut through the air. Robin rolled away, narrowly dodging a bullet. It grazed his ear, leaving a friction mark; blood dripped to the ground, stimulating the violent impulses the Sentinel had just suppressed.

His eyes widened in excitement as he felt the blood boiling in his body. *If I can’t kill the Guide, can’t I at least kill these pieces of trash?*

A beast’s roar erupted, and the two sides clashed in a fierce battle. The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog’s muscles tensed, its body moving with agility as it tore at the Brown Bear. The Brown Bear had high defenses but lacked the Wolfdog’s speed; every attack from the dog was like a fully drawn bow, filled with endless power.

Dodging the bear’s sweeping paw, the Wolfdog flipped over and bit its hind limb. The pain of the spirit beast was transmitted to its owner. Robin stepped back, increasing the distance between him and Steb.

"A stray dog."

Steb ignored the panting Sentinel, silently wiping his short dagger with his forearm. The sharpness in his gray eyes was like cold stars flickering in the night sky, radiating an icy, intimidating light that made others tremble involuntarily.

The two lunged at each other once more.

After seeing off the warm and enthusiastic Guide Pei, Wen Li lay in ambush on Abelise’s inevitable path. Holding the soft otter, Wen Li felt heartbroken. Its once soft and smooth fur had been ruined, leaving only blood-red flesh, with wounds deep enough to see bone. She had been using her mental energy to heal the little otter, but like its owner, it remained unconscious.

The Abelise squad, having just finished a battle, was naturally no match for Wen Li’s team. Soon, the Brown Bear was pinned to the ground by the massive Czechoslovakian Wolfdog.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. The spirit beasts under their feet vanished; the fifth wave of attacks had just ended. Wen Li, her revenge unfulfilled, stomped her feet in anger. *How could it be such a coincidence!*

In the vast, snow-covered mountains, Wen Li’s team was the only one in the vicinity.

*Crunch, crunch.* The sound of footsteps on snow echoed from afar.

"All units, on guard."

Blood-red eyes stood out vividly in the darkness. It was a distortion!

The female, in human form, was wrapped in a layer of fine threads. Upon closer inspection, one could see they were actually her hair! This hair, which seemed to have a life of its own, blended into the snow, and her bloodless face looked like shattered porcelain.

The red eyes scanned the crowd, and an ethereal voice rang out. "Come here."

Wen Li’s mind became a blur. All her attention was drawn to the opening and closing of the figure's mouth. She hurriedly lowered her head to avoid looking at the distortion, but suddenly, clusters of crystal-clear snow lotuses bloomed in the white snow, growing rapidly to lift her up.

Wen Li found herself suspended in the air, slowly drifting toward those red eyes.

"Wen Li!"

The illusion shattered, and a strong sense of weightlessness washed over her. Steb caught her, his palm gently stroking the girl’s swollen head. "Activating purification can alleviate the symptoms."

Wen Li couldn't pull herself out of that lingering sense of loss and could only use her mental energy to find relief. As the blue threads wound around Steb’s spirit beast, her chaotic brain gradually cleared.

"Guide Wen, how do you feel?" the sniper asked.

Still exhausted, Wen Li had no energy to speak. The moment the distortion had cast its hallucination, it had drained what little mental energy she had left. Leaning against the sniper, the blue threads in her hands flickered.

The warmth of his body made the Guide drowsy. Just before she closed her eyes, that tall, cold figure stood in front of her.

Wen Li entered that strange realm once again. A pitch-black space, with mirrors on all sides reflecting the falling girl. Exhaustion made it impossible for her to move, and she landed as softly as a drifting feather.

"Congratulations. Your poison resistance has reached A-grade."

This was Wen Li’s voice. Or, to be precise, another version of it.

A blonde girl in a white silk dress stood on tiptoe, her bare feet touching the ground. The jet-black plane rippled like water as the other Wen Li crouched down to look at this familiar face.

*My dear, you’ve worked hard.*