Chapter 42: Scratching an Itch Through the Boot

When she woke up again, the scenery had shifted once more.

Winter was long gone. Wen Li was held carefully in Step's arms as they traversed a tropical jungle. Sensing the small figure in his arms stirring, Step slowed his pace.

"Guide Wen, please have some nutrient solution." The medical sentinel opened a strawberry-flavored packet and placed it in her hand.

Waking up, Wen Li felt her mental energy fully replenished; the contamination effects from the SS-rank deviant had vanished. However, looking at the members of Alpha Squad, each was covered in severe injuries, their mutation indices on the verge of exceeding 100.

Bright blue threads emerged from Wen Li's consciousness, splitting into seven strands to purify the sentinels. The warm, healing power soothed these agitated men. Step’s reddened pupils gradually faded, returning to their original gray.

"You just woke up; don't use any more mental energy," Step said, shielding Wen Li’s head to prevent it from brushing against tree branches.

Though her body was weak, her spirit was vigorous, and Wen Li declined the captain's advice. "You are all severely injured. As the guide of this team, this is my duty," she stated. Her voice, neither loud nor soft, was just enough for the sentinels walking ahead and behind to hear.

The sentinels, having just endured a brutal fight, felt a surge of strength, and the pain in their mental seas seemed to lessen significantly.

Step reported the current situation: since Wen Li had fallen unconscious, Alpha Squad had successfully eliminated the S-rank deviant. However, without a guide’s purification, their mutation indices had skyrocketed. Ultimately, Step had decided to have the most severely injured member, Qi Min, withdraw from the competition. Then, the seventh wave of attacks had begun.

In this rainforest map, the troublesome aspects were the intricate terrain and the omnipresent contaminated entities. They were experts at concealment. The scout sentinel leading the way found a wide stream, which served as a temporary camp.

As the squad rested briefly, Wen Li noticed someone was missing. "Where is Qi Min?" she asked.

Step wiped his weapon; the laser sword had run out of power, and they were left with only cold weapons. "I had him withdraw earlier."

Wen Li lowered her head in self-reproach. Qi Min must have been too badly wounded, his mutation index reaching 100%, leading to his elimination. If she hadn't lost consciousness during the sixth wave, perhaps Qi Min might have had a chance to recover.

As captain, Step had never tried to comfort his team members. To him, investing too much emotion into something only led to personal torment. He wanted to tell Wen Li that the life and death of the sentinels had nothing to do with her and that she needn't blame herself. The sentinel, lacking experience in comfort, raised his hand but then let it fall.

Forget it, he thought, let me be selfish—he needs Wen Li.

The pace of the attacks was accelerating, signaling that the competition was nearing its end. The seventh wave had begun, and Wen Li and her team were about to face an SSS-rank contaminated entity. An ape-like creature, wielding a scepter, summoned its kin to attack them.

The crystal on the scepter looked vaguely familiar. Wen Li recalled the vine deviant from a previous mission. "That is a contamination core. Break the ape's arm!"

The sniper readied his weapon; he had only one bullet left. The pollutants in his mental sea had been torturing him, and owl feathers were already sprouting from his neck.

Wen Li patted Step’s arm, signaling him to put her down. Her legs were still weak; she stumbled after a few steps and fell against the sniper's back. The sentinels hurried over to support her.

"I'm fine, go set up the defensive line," Wen Li gestured. The young woman leaned against the sniper’s tense back, wrapping her hands around his mutated neck.

"Cook, don't be nervous." The girl's warm breath lingered on his sensitive neck, while her pure, powerful mental energy continuously healed the ugly mutation wounds. It was an unbearable, ticklish sensation.

Blue threads wrapped around the cold gun barrel, infusing the bullet within with mental energy.

Precision, patience, and composure! The three golden rules of a sniper.

While the ape entity was still directing the battlefield, the arm it had just raised to hold the scepter was struck by a bullet that moved like light. The final bullet hit its mark perfectly.

The severed arm fell to the ground, and a speed-type sentinel moved in to plunge the scepter into a pit saturated with mental energy. The ape king clutched its bleeding arm, opening its mouth to howl.

Anger is the best catalyst. The giant Czech wolfhound carried its master as it charged into the dense forest. The smaller monkeys were no longer a threat. The ferocious, god-of-war-like appearance of Alpha Squad sent the lesser enemies scurrying back into the woods in terror.

In Wen Li's mental sea, Little Flash was bumping against the channel, seemingly eager to emerge. She raised her hand, and a butterfly shimmering with brilliant blue light landed on her finger.

As Wen Li’s spirit entity manifested, the surrounding sentinels felt a healing power even warmer and purer than before. The organizers watching the feed stood up instantly.

"Angus, didn't you say she was a disabled guide? How do you explain this?" A furious voice erupted from the blue-haired man on the far left, his face filled with annoyance and the rage of being deceived.

The sentinel with long, ink-green hair sitting on the far right slowly lifted his eyes, the deep gaze beneath his military cap darkening. "She is a disabled guide, that is true, but who decreed that a disabled guide cannot summon a spirit entity?"

Everyone watched the blue butterfly on Wen Li’s fingertip, its stunted wings vibrating with effort. Its right wing looked as if it had been maliciously torn, leaving only half behind.

The blue-haired man wanted to say more, but was stopped by An Wei, who sat in the center. "Calm down, colleagues. Miss Wen is the most hardworking guide I have ever seen; a spirit entity disability doesn't necessarily mean anything. Look, isn't that butterfly beautiful?"

An Wei began to smooth things over again. The representatives from various factions were willing to show him some respect and continued to watch the match.

The appearance of Little Flash filled Wen Li with joy. The blue butterfly flapped its wings with great effort, flying a short distance with a tremor. It was a significant improvement over last time. Furthermore, Wen Li noticed the black patterns on Little Flash seemed deeper.

Little Flash hugged her index finger and rubbed against it, begging for praise as if claiming credit. Wen Li smiled tenderly. "Our Little Flash is the best little butterfly." The tiny creature's tentacles shook with delight.

A sneaky, furry head poked out from Cook’s chest. The masked sentinel hurriedly pushed the owl back down. Wen Li, with her sharp eyes, spotted it.

"Come out and play together, Cook. Little Flash doesn't get many chances to come out, and it's a good time for everyone to get to know each other."

The owl in his chest hopped out. It tilted its little head, and Little Flash, also curious about this new companion, flapped its wings and landed on the owl's head.

"Its name is Mido, it's... it's an... owl," Cook’s voice grew quieter, fearing the guide wouldn't like his spirit entity.

Wen Li, having regained some strength, no longer relied on the sentinels. She stretched her numb legs and said, "Domi, take Little Flash out to play."

The owl, Domi, ignored its master's restraint and took Little Flash for a flight around the air.