Chapter 33

Chapter 33

In the two days since being dragged underground, they had endured too much.

Milton Su's injuries weren't this severe initially, but upon reaching the underground, they encountered so many insects that they had to carve out a path through the swarm to find a safe place.

Currently taking over Milton Su's leadership role was her classmate and companion, Yu Bosi.

He relayed the situation after reaching the underground to Yan Yan, "After being dragged into the hole by the crawler armors, we were caught by a group of flying insects and thrown down. The place where we landed was a pile of insects, low-level, all third or fourth grade, transporting energy ores. We suspect these low-level insects are commanded by that particular crawler armor."

"This area was found by Milton's mental entity. We don't know why, but no insects come in here, including those that were chasing and biting us; they all left after we entered. By the way, how did you get in?"

Lin Fu was re-bandaging Milton's wounds, so Yan Yan took over the conversation, "We fell down. The cave on the surface collapsed, revealing a passage leading underground, and we didn't directly fall into the pile of insects."

With the exchange of information, they realized they hadn't come down from the same place.

This indicated that the underground cave, and the passages carved out, were at least three in number.

Yu Bosi was even more puzzled, "You didn't encounter the insect swarm? You fell directly here?"

This point touched on Lin Fu's special mental shielding ability, which he vaguely passed over, "Not exactly. There's some distance from here; you can see the insect swarm at the exit. My storage device can't be opened, can you still use yours?"

Yu Bosi shook his head, "Ah, if it could be used, we wouldn't be so frustrated. We could just release the mechs and fight the insects to the death instead of waiting here to die."

Yan Yan asked again, "Can your mental entities be projected outward?"

Yu Bosi replied, "They could when we first fell down, but not anymore."

Lin Fu tied the bandage, his hand brushing over the bloodstains on his wrist, noticing the chaotic and violent mental energy in Milton Su's unconsciousness, like a caged beast venting its fury.

But apart from harming herself, it was utterly futile.

According to Yu Bosi, it was probably because she was fighting and projecting her mental entity simultaneously to find a shelter, failing to protect her own mental sea, resulting in the insect race's assault causing the damage.

If these turbulent mental forces were not sorted out, Milton Su's self-healing ability would be greatly reduced, expending tremendous energy trying to heal the mental trauma. Her wounds would be slow to heal, and even if she miraculously survived, she would likely suffer a severe drop in rank upon awakening.

For someone as defiant as her, a drop in rank would be a fatal blow.

He turned his head, surveying the surrounding environment with earnest.

The Hui Lion Academy suffered significant losses.

Only a dozen or so remained on the scene.

Nearly thirty were students from unfamiliar military academies.

The number of people did not match those who died above ground, suggesting further losses after falling underground.

The space was an irregular ring shape, with a central stalagmite column connecting the ceiling and the floor of the cave.

Milton was leaning against the stalactite wall.

Lin Fu bent down to pick her up, carrying her to a spot against the wall opposite, leaving Yan Yan and Yu Bosi puzzled.

Yu Bosi wanted to stop him, but Yan Yan followed without hesitation, asking Lin Fu in a low voice what he intended to do.

"She has sustained severe mental trauma. I'll try to sort it out. Senior, please watch over them and keep people away," Lin Fu said as he set her down.

Yan Yan immediately agreed, blocking Yu Bosi: "He's doing a mental sorting. Haven't you noticed Milton's mental trauma?"

Yu Bosi was even more surprised than he was.

Yan Yan clenched his fist, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing. Ultimately, he said nothing, joining Yu Bosi in standing guard not far from Lin Fu, preventing others from approaching while discussing feasible plans for escape.

Lin Fu placed his hand on the nape of Milton's neck, his mental energy connecting in an instant, and was met with a fierce assault.

The other party completely treated him as an enemy, ready to tear him to shreds should he dare come any closer.

Lin Fu released a wave of benevolent inducement, but Milton's mental energy was incredibly stubborn, showing not the slightest softening, eyeing his mental energy with predatory wariness.

He exhaled, trying again, but it was still futile.

She was like a person with an extremely high alertness, unwilling to give the slightest trust to someone unfamiliar.

According to Lin Fu's incomplete knowledge as a guide and his fairly limited experience in sorting, this situation was quite tricky.

In the past, sentinels facing the distinct, guide-like mental energy, different from their own, would exhibit an almost instinctual softening and closeness, allowing the other party to perform the sorting.

Individuals like Milton are an exceptionally rare encounter.

It's not that forceful suppression isn't an option, but Lin Fu believes that given Milton's nature, she would only respond with greater violence.

Lin Fu let go, retracting his mental energy, and asked Yu Bosi, "May I make contact with your mental energy?"

Yu Bosi's expression turned peculiar, and even Yan Yan was taken aback.

Without overthinking, Lin Fu explained, "Her vigilance is too strong, rejecting my sorting. I want to try simulating someone she's familiar with to see if that will lower her guard. You don't need to let me into your mental sea, just a strand will suffice."

Suddenly, Yan Yan volunteered, "Try using mine."

Lin Fu looked up at him in surprise and agreed straightforwardly, "Okay."

Yan Yan gave him a strand of spiritual thread, and upon receiving Lin Fu's nod, withdrew it, watching as Lin Fu returned to Milton's side, placing a hand on the nape of her neck.

Lin Fu mimicked Yan Yan's mental strand, tentatively touching Milton's mental energy.

Instead of immediately attacking, the other party circled around him, hesitated for a while, and then allowed him to continue.

There was no resistance to his touch.

Lin Fu felt both exasperated and amused, curiosity itching inside him like a cat's claws, eager to see Yan Yan's expression when he successfully entered Milton's mental sea.

Her defenses were indeed tight; had he not thought himself invisible, he wouldn't have drawn that broadsword.

The mental sorting proceeded smoothly, the tangled mess of mental energy gradually unraveling, and even as she slowly realized the difference between Lin Fu's and Yan Yan's mental energies, she did not attack him again.

Milton was likely able to control her own mental energy now.

The moment he exited her mental sea, he received a message transmitted through the mental strand: "Don't tell anyone."

Lin Fu's pace of withdrawal momentarily slowed, and he replied, "Okay."

Without Lin Fu needing to say anything, both Yu Bosi and Yan Yan could see Milton's relaxed brows.

Touching his wrist, Lin Fu said, "Once her mental energy recovers, her self-healing ability will improve as well. She should wake up in a day or two."

Yu Bosi and Yan Yan spoke simultaneously, "Thank you."

Lin Fu ignored it as if he hadn't heard.

He asked, "Could you show me the passage through which you entered?"

Yu Bosi withdrew his scrutinizing gaze from Yan Yan. Despite Lin Fu's earlier rescue of Milton, his trust in Lin Fu had not significantly increased.

Mental grooming is a skill all guides possess; it's odd that he doesn't know how.

"Don't worry about it. Once Milton wakes up, we'll discuss it with her. We won't abandon you; you can be assured of that."

His tone was gentle, even seemingly trying to comfort Lin Fu.

But to Lin Fu's ears, it didn't sound quite so pleasant.

After all, it was still influenced by the inherent stereotypes about guides.

He didn’t waste time arguing; instead, he sat down cross-legged to recover his mental strength.

Earlier, in order to ensure that he and Yan Yan remained undetected by the insect race, he had maintained a mental simulation barrier for too long, leading to an overexertion of his mental energy.

The energy gained from saving Milton was sufficient to not only optimize his constitution but also restore the depleted mental strength.

*

In the dimly lit small space, only the rustling movements of a few people could be heard, occasionally punctuated by a low voice.

The wind whistled through the entrance of the tunnel.

The small space, visible at a glance, felt extremely oppressive.

They hadn't eaten for over two days.

Though such a degree of hunger wasn't enough to weaken a sentinel's constitution, the feeling of hunger was indeed real, constantly lingering in their stomachs, causing intolerable discomfort.

Hunger, such an absurd thing. Ever since entering the interstellar era, no one had felt it anymore.

A simple tube of nutrient solution, even the unprocessed, original, and hardest to swallow low-grade one, could alleviate their current plight.

Yan Yan observed their expressions and glanced at Lin Fu, who was still asleep.

He was resting uneasily, his complexion had always been poor, and in this short while, it had gotten even worse.

Due to his overpoweringly strong abilities, those who spent a long time with him often forgot about his identity as a guide.

Such conditions would amount to nothing less than torture for other guides.

Yan Yan attempted to open his storage device, but to no avail.

After a moment, he tried asking Yu Bosi, "Have you... tried eating the flesh of the insect race?"

Yu Bosi's eyes widened in disbelief at his words: "Who would eat such disgusting things from the insect race!?"

Yan Yan explained gently, "I mean now, under these special circumstances. We can't just starve to death."

Yu Bosi was equally distressed and said irritably, "What if there are complications after eating the insect race? Who will take responsibility? Who will be the first to try? Have you thought about these issues?"

Yan Yan replied calmly, "I'll be the first to try."

He took off his jacket and draped it over Lin Fu: "Didn't you say the insect race won't enter here to attack? I'll give it a try. Look after him for me."

Yu Bosi disagreed, "He's your school's guide, you watch him. If you take a risk and something happens, what do we do if he starts crying and wailing?"

Yan Yan smiled helplessly, "He won't. Besides, Milton will wake up soon, and even if something does happen to me, she will surely be able to lead you all out."

Yu Bosi had no further comments.

Before moving, Yan Yan paused for a moment and removed the bracelet from his wrist.

It was his storage device, which he placed between Milton and Lin Fu.

Yu Bosi glanced at it and then looked away, tacitly assuming it was meant for Lin Fu.

Yan Yan's departure stirred some unrest among a few: "He's an S-rank, how can he just leave us and go?"

"What is he doing? What if he brings the insect race here!?"

"Silence! Remember, you are military academy students!"

The minor commotion subsided back to quiet.

Some painfully tugged at their hair, while others hugged their knees, faces filled with despair.

Yu Bosi was in a foul temper as well. He glanced at Milton and managed to suppress the irritation in his heart.

Just wait a bit longer; once Milton wakes up, we'll definitely find a way out.

*

When Lin Fu awoke, Yan Yan had already returned.

He was sitting with his back to Lin Fu, the white lining of his back torn open, his military coat draped over himself.

It was intact, indicating that Yan Yan had gone out during the time he was unconscious.

Grasping the coat, which felt scorchingly hot for a moment, he then placed it over Milton and asked, "Senior, did you go out?"

Yan Yan bent slightly forward, his right hand resting across his abdomen, his lips pale, he replied softly, "Hmm. It’s nothing."

Smelling the faint stench in the air, Lin Fu turned his gaze to Yu Bosi, "Did you eat the flesh of the insect race?"

Yu Bosi raised his hand, "Don’t include me, I didn’t. He went alone. I advised against it, but he didn’t listen."

Lin Fu didn’t mean to question further.

It was a matter of necessity, a solution had to be found.

Yet, it was distressing that the person taking the risk was someone he knew well.

Lin Fu asked the system, "Can your detection function analyze the composition of the insect race’s flesh?"

System: [The flesh of the insect race is inedible. The impurities within it can contaminate a person’s mental power. Unless it is purified before consumption, the consequences will be the same as your senior’s.]

It added: [Your senior might suffer a mental outbreak, just like the person lying next to you.]

These details weren’t recorded anywhere.

Instinctively, humans deemed the insect race inedible, and surprisingly, no one had discovered this before.

He even found it hard to believe. According to normal protocols of any nation, shouldn’t such creatures as the insect race be thoroughly researched in laboratories? How could they be unaware of something like this?

System: [Mental power can eliminate the impurities. Wait a moment, I'll transmit the method to you.]

As Lin Fu received the transmission, he placed his hand on the back of Yan Yan’s neck, taking advantage of the fact that the situation wasn’t too severe yet, he began to restore his mental power, "Senior, don’t move."

Yu Bosi frowned, "Does the flesh of the insect race affect mental power?"

Lin Fu replied indifferently, "It contains impurities, probably due to the consumption of the insect race’s flesh. Later, you’ll accompany me to capture one for research."

Yu Bosi: "? ? ?"

Yu Bosi: "Why me?"

Lin Fu: "Aren’t you currently the strongest in Hui Lion Academy? If not you, then who? If Senior Su were awake, of course, we wouldn’t need you."

Yu Bosi laughed in spite of himself, "Alright."

Lin Fu moved quickly, assisting Yan Yan in recovery, then rolling up his sleeves and climbing out of the cave.

Yan Yan wanted to accompany him, but Lin Fu stopped him, "Senior, someone needs to keep watch inside to prevent accidents."

Yan Yan could only watch as Lin Fu and Yu Bosi left together.

Lin Fu took the same ventilation duct he and Yan Yan had used to enter, crawling through the narrow passage. He had lost weight, making his movements swift.

Yu Bosi, on the other hand, struggled and grumbled as he crawled, "Why not take the main path and instead crawl through here? Are you out of your mind?"

Lin Fu, hearing this, retorted ungraciously, "Didn’t I ask about the other paths? You didn’t tell me, so who’s the one out of their mind?"

Yu Bosi was really at his wits’ end.

He had never seen such a sharp-tongued guide; no wonder he was different, daring to enroll in a military academy.

They emerged from the ventilation duct, jumping back into the previous corridor.

Lin Fu took out an energy ore from his storage device for illumination.

Yu Bosi was puzzled, "Why is your storage device still working?"

Lin Fu: "You ask me, who should I ask?"

Yu Bosi: "..."

Damn it, he shouldn't have opened his mouth.

It must be because of the previous incident with Yan Yan; this little guide seems to have a grudge against him.

Before entering the range of the insect race's psychic perception, Lin Fu said, "Later, you just need to lure away the insect at the outermost edge, grab one, and leave."

Yu Bos: "Then what will you do?"

Lin Fu released his psychic power, enveloping Yu Bos, whose face instantly stiffened: "What are you doing?"

Lin Fu: "Psychic simulation. I'll mimic the psychic frequency of the insects so they won't detect you as a human. Let's go."

Yu Bos immediately forgot about the sentinel-guide defense, and regardless of whether Lin Fu would rebuke him, excitedly said, "You have this ability? Why didn't you use it earlier? With this, can't we just go straight out?"

As he spoke, he was already excitedly going back to call others.

Lin Fu threw cold water on his plans: "My simulation time is limited, especially when projecting psychic power outward. The more people I cover, the shorter the duration. Shielding myself and my senior, I can only maintain it for a little over twenty minutes."

Yu Bos was instantly stunned: "Then approximately how many minutes to shield everyone?"

Lin Fu sneered: "With a group of fifty, you're dreaming. There's no such good deal."

Yu Bos was extremely disappointed. The excitement had passed, leaving him dispirited as he followed Lin Fu to capture an insect for the experiment.

They moved quickly.

Luring an insect from the edge, they dragged it away. Lin Fu, holding a Tang sword, leaped up and cleanly finished it off before dragging it into the cave.

Once in the safe zone, he withdrew his psychic power and chopped off the insect's limbs, prying open the legs to reveal the tender meat within.

It looked appealing, but it was filled with impurities – a death sentence for anyone who ate it.

He sent a thread of psychic energy into the meat, removing a small piece free of impurities, and asked the system, "Can it be eaten now?"

System: [It's safe to eat now.]

He sliced off a piece and handed it to Yu Bos: "You try it."

Yu Bos: "???"

Yu Bos exclaimed in shock, "Didn't you say it's full of impurities? That it could cause a psychic outburst? Who would want to eat this monstrosity!"

Lin Fu rolled his eyes and popped it into his mouth to eat it himself.

The raw meat tasted awful, inducing nausea. He chewed a couple of bites and swallowed, then remembered the seasoning plants he had previously stored in his storage device, which might come in handy.

Ignoring Yu Bos' peculiar gaze, he chopped off several edible parts and stashed them in his storage device before crawling back through the ventilation duct.

Yu Bos had no choice but to follow.

Upon their return, Yan Yan's anxiety dissipated.

Yu Bos complained, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that he could mimic the psychic power of the insect race?"

Yan Yan frowned slightly, "That's his personal privacy."

Yu Bos was about to retort when Lin Fu took out the insect meat and, grabbing the previously obtained energy stone, quickly assembled something before inserting it into the energy stone and twisting a switch.

A burst of flame shot out with a "whoosh".

He placed the insect limbs over the flame to cook, cracking the shell just a bit to stuff in various seasoning plants.

Yu Bos was stunned.

Yan Yan frowned, "This insect meat..."

Lin Fu reassured, "Don't worry, it's been processed and is edible."

The surrounding distressed crowd caught the key words, their heads snapping up, their gazes burning into Lin Fu: "What's edible?"

Lin Fu replied calmly, "Insect meat."

After answering, he flipped the shell over.

The crowd: "..."

The aroma began to permeate, eroding everyone's sanity.

It was intoxicatingly delicious.

Whether or not the insect meat was edible had already been pushed to the back of their minds.

Without any need for persuasion from Lin Fu, as he removed a well-cooked piece of the shell to reveal the tender meat inside, the others immediately swarmed over.

Even Yu Bos almost couldn't resist, his hand reaching out to snatch a piece, but he managed to restrain himself.

Lin Fu began to process the second piece.

Having learned a thing or two during his time on the barren planet, Yan Yan insisted on taking over to let Lin Fu rest.

Lin Fu meticulously removed the impurities from all the insect meat and entrusted the task to Yan Yan with peace of mind.

He was no Albert, the food assassin; he couldn’t produce food lethal enough to kill.

A hint of amusement crossed Lin Fu's face before he remembered that those on the surface were probably faring no better.

Yu Bos had mentioned that there were at least four crawling carapaces on the surface...

Four was not a number Albert and the others could easily handle.

He hoped they would all safely get through the barren planet's trial.

System: [Congratulations, host, for saving 47 people. Energy acquired, select optimization time.]

Lin Fu, nibbling on the roasted meat, responded, “In two hours.”

There is a limit to human energy.

Once everyone had eaten and the torment of hunger was temporarily assuaged, they quickly succumbed to drowsiness.

Lin Fu leaned against the wall, his body slightly bent in pain, unnoticed by others.

*

Approximately eight hours later, Lin Fu woke up in a cold sweat.

Those who qualified for the barren planet trial were the cream of the crop from major military academies; while their energy didn't match that brought by Cheng Jiu, it was still substantial.

Clenching his fist, Lin Fu could distinctly feel a sensation of replenished power.

His psychic sea was also more active, having expanded somewhat—a sign of recovery.

“Awake?” A mocking female voice sounded close to his ear.

Lin Fu jerked around, coming face-to-face with a stunningly enchanting beauty. Instinctively recoiling, he almost tumbled to the ground.

Milton Su narrowed her eyes and chuckled, "Do you think your sister is unsightly? You clung to me in your sleep, not willing to budge. Why do you act as if you’ve seen a ghost the moment you wake up?”

Lin Fu rubbed his cheeks, “Senior sister, I was worried about pressing against your wounds.”

Milton Su had just awakened and couldn't move yet.

Leaning against the wall, she tilted her chin up slightly, “What’s the matter? My shoulder is strong enough to support a little guide like you.”

Lin Fu: “…”

If he didn’t know about her and Yan Yan’s situation, Lin Fu might have almost believed her.

The ideal partner for a male guide is a female sentinel.

Unfortunately, he was unmoved.

Milton Su was brazen in her teasing precisely because she knew he had no such inclinations.

Sometimes, teasing her back was quite entertaining.

Yan Yan silently watched from the side, not making a sound.

Lin Fu moved further away from Milton and cleared his throat, “Would you like some breakfast?”

Milton Su: “Yes, I'm starving. Haven't eaten for days.”

Lin Fu dragged Yu Bos to crawl through tunnels and catch bugs.

Yan Yan’s eyelids drooped, a gentle smile gracing his lips, “How do you feel?”

Milton Su raised her uninjured hand to casually flick her long hair, responding languidly, “Quite good.”

Yan Yan replied softly, “Mhm.”

Milton asked him, “How did you guys fall down here?”

Yan Yan repeated what he had told Yu Bos earlier.

This elicited Milton's ridicule, “You guys are so hopeless, even a crawling carapace managed to drive you to this state.”

Yan Yan remained gentle, correcting her statement: "What we saw was just one; there likely are several more. Falling underground was an accident."

Milton Su responded nonchalantly: "Is that so?"

Yan Yan affirmed, "Yes."

He wasn't someone inflexible, but in front of Milton, he was unexpectedly stubborn.

Seeing this, Milton Su no longer contradicted him.

Despite her tough talk, having such a large wound on her stomach, she wasn't feeling well at all.

After some thought, she still had the leisure to wonder whether the food she ate would leak out from the wound.

Wouldn't that be eating in vain?

Lin Fu and Yu Bosi quickly returned, and Milton Su watched Lin Fu work with keen interest, discussing her condition after she passed out with Yu Bosi.

Hearing that there were no unexpected complications, she breathed a sigh of relief.