Chapter 336: Not Coming

Chapter 336 No-Show

In the dead of night, Lu Liu heard the alarm.

The piercing alert shattered the long night, and chaotic footsteps echoed as searchlights illuminated the surroundings, flooding the White Tower grounds with daylight-bright illumination.

Lu Liu drew the curtains and turned off the lights to sleep.

The next morning, he learned the news from his colleagues.

—An evil Sentinel had deceived a naive Guide, taking advantage of their deep slumber to abduct the dangerous Sentinel leader through the ventilation ducts before making a swift escape.

"Are you alright?" a colleague asked with concern. "I heard the companion you liked was a high-ranking member of the Dark Sentinels."

As everyone knew, Guides were emotionally sensitive and prone to melancholy.

"Hmm?" Lu Liu blinked. "Oh, me? Of course, I'm fine."

He glanced at his task list, stabbed a piece of blueberry cake with his fork, and took a big bite, musing, "Great, everything is about to end."

From now on, it would be nothing but leisurely downtime. All he had to do was wait for the Sentinels to storm the White Tower, let this identity "die," and smoothly complete the punitive mission.

The White Tower's higher-ups arranged for professional psychological counseling for Lu Liu while also implementing surveillance measures to check whether he had any contact with the Sentinels. With the help of the Facial Paralysis System, he sailed through these checks unscathed.

Days grew peaceful.

Lu Liu lived like a lazy bum, sleeping soundly every day until the sun was high in the sky before getting up, leaving the White Tower to grab meals, then returning to play games, watch movies, or shoot the breeze in chat groups.

The group was full of talented individuals, packed with juicy gossip and corny jokes—Lu Liu absolutely loved it.

In short, life was quite enjoyable.

But in the eyes of others, especially the original host's admirers, the situation seemed strange.

SS-level Guide Lu Liu had begun living like a monk.

He rejected all invitations from Sentinels, attended no parties or balls, only ate pastries during afternoon tea, engaged in no flirtations, accepted no gifts, and even shed his elaborate, beautiful formal wear in favor of the White Tower's signature pure-white uniform, buttoned up to the neck.

Yet, the lower-ranking Sentinels all said he was a good Guide.

"Hey, if you're about to lose it, you can try your luck on a sunny day in the White Tower's garden—look for an icy, standoffish Guide dressed in white with white hair," the Sentinels would say.

"He won’t accept your gifts, nor does he expect anything from you. Just tell him you're hurting and release your Spirit, and you might receive his treatment."

"Of course, if your Spirit is fluffy, your odds go up a bit. That lord seems to like fluffy things."

This was true. In recent days, Lu Liu had already helped over a dozen Sentinels.

For him, smoothing out a Spirit Sea was a simple task.

As for the backlash from the treatment—well, he’d be leaving once the mission was over anyway. Earning a few Sentinels' sincere gratitude wasn't a bad trade-off to him.

During this time, whether intentionally or not, he had also heard quite a bit about Qi Yi.

They said he had wiped out space pirates, grabbed a small star system, expanded toward the fringes, and clashed with the White Tower... In short, he was gradually aligning with the Qi Yi from the plot, becoming a major player.

To Lu Liu's surprise, he received two communications from Ji Xiuyun during this period.

The fox, Ji Xiuyun, hemmed and hawed, "Lord Lu Liu, could you help with two Spirit stabilizations? I have two friends who are really hurting."

Lu Liu was taken aback—this wasn't in the original script. After thinking it over, he asked, "May I know their names?"

Ji Xiuyun replied, "Of course."

He gave two names, both unknown to Lu Liu and unimportant to the plot. Lu Liu nodded in agreement.

The plot only revolved around the main and supporting characters, while countless others faded into obscurity, just background extras in the grand scheme. Their fates weren't mentioned in the script, but Lu Liu hoped everyone outside the plot would have a decent ending.

Lu Liu continued, "However, I'll plant a Spirit suggestion. You must not let Qi Yi know."

Ji Xiuyun readily agreed.

They arranged to meet at the city's outskirts.

The rogue Sentinels, undocumented, had sneaked past multiple checkpoints and hidden in an abandoned suburban house. They lurked in the shadows of the second floor, nervously watching the garden gate obscured by foliage, their hearts uneasy.

Was the Guide really coming?

Would he bring guards or investigators?

Meeting a White Tower Guide here was suspicious.

But this was their last hope.

Ji Xiuyun fidgeted anxiously, his White Fox pacing back and forth in the garden, occasionally climbing the grapevines to peer toward the distant road. Behind him, the half-conscious Sentinels mocked, "Fox, you actually trust a White Tower Guide?"

For as long as anyone could remember, White Tower Guides stood for indulgence and selfishness—why else would so many Sentinels choose to defect?

Yet, at the appointed time, the Guide showed up.

He pushed open the garden gate and entered the moonlit courtyard. The Fox quickly leaped down from the vines, only to be scooped up by the Guide and handed back to the Sentinel. "Who needs my help?" Lu Liu asked.

Ji Xiuyun quickly motioned to the group behind him.

There was a lynx, a wolf, even a rhino—all looking faded and exhausted.

Everyone knew that Guides disliked treating such Spirits.

Lu Liu examined each one in turn.

Before long, he stood up. "Done."

As he left, he implanted Spirit suggestions in each of them, then departed as quietly as he had come—still asking for nothing in return.

Ji Xiuyun insisted on escorting him back to the White Tower. Pressing his left hand to his chest, he solemnly tapped three times—some kind of Sentinel custom.

The Sentinel said solemnly, "Thank you. Of course, thanks aren't enough. I know what you desire, and I swear upon my life that I will strive to secure it for you."

Lu Liu: "?"

—What did he want? He just wanted to complete the mission and return to the Bureau. What could Ji Xiuyun possibly help him secure?

Confused but maintaining his poker face, Lu Liu nodded mysteriously and turned toward the White Tower.

Ji Xiuyun's voice carried from afar, "For the next three months, please stay within the White Tower as much as possible—avoid unnecessary outings!"

Lu Liu checked the storyline and realized: in three months, the White Tower would fall.

But none of this concerned Lu Liu, who kept right on eating and drinking as usual, watching as tension in the tower kept mounting. Some coworkers talked about fleeing south or changing their identities to go into hiding.

Finally, one day, the White Tower's defenses fell completely. Qi Yi's icy voice crackled over the PA system, filling every corner of the tower.

He said, "All guides, remain in your rooms. Do not move. Await detainment."

As war prizes, their days of lounging in sunny rooms were over. Qi Yi's starship had plenty of cells, perfect for holding them.

Lu Liu waited quietly.

He heard muffled thumps from the neighboring room, followed by a soft knock on his own door.

Ji Xiuyun breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "You're here. Good. Please come with me."

Thus, compared to the other bedraggled guides, Lu Liu received slightly better treatment. Ji Xiuyun followed behind him like he was escorting VIP.

A group of guides gathered at the end of the hallway, clustered together like scared quail before getting herded aboard the starship. They fell into line, waiting to learn their fate.

Ji Xiuyun whispered, "Don’t worry. I’ll get you a nice room."

Lu Liu: "?"

He whispered back to the second-in-command of the Dark Sentinels, "I want a cell."

Ji Xiuyun: "?"

Lu Liu emphasized, "I want a comfortable cell."

The story called for a cell.

Though confused, Ji Xiuyun agreed, "Fine, a cell."

The two of them brought up the rear, with fewer than fifty still ahead waiting to be assigned cells.

From time to time, Lu Liu glanced back at the shadowy, cramped hallway.

Turning to Ji Xiuyun, he asked, "Where’s Qi Yi?"

Ji Xiuyun blinked. "What?"

Lu Liu pressed earnestly, "I’ve been captured. Isn’t he coming?"

In the script, Qi Yi was supposed to show up.

Lu Liu still had several lines left unspoken.

The man who had once tormented and humiliated him was now a prisoner—payback time. Of course Qi Yi would come.

In the original text, not only did he arrive, but he also wore tall boots, their steel heels clacking on the deck, growing nearer with each step.

The passage described it as, "To Lu Liu, the sound was like the footsteps of death."

Lu Liu wasn’t sure how one should react to "hearing death’s footsteps," so he decided to keep his usual poker face.

Then, Qi Yi would step before the guide, looking down at him from above, pressing a thumb against the hollow of his throat, savoring his trembling fear.

Qi Yi would ask, "Remember? Right here—this is where you drove the needle in."

By this point, Qi Yi’s Spirit Sea was on the verge of collapse, balanced on the razor's edge of sanity, his actions growing increasingly erratic.

And Lu Liu had to put on a brave face—furious, cursing, bargaining—but Qi Yi wouldn’t say a word. He would only smile, pulling the gun from his waist holster and pressing the gun’s dark barrel against the guide’s throat.

Then, Qi Yi would say with a laugh, “Keep talking, I’m all ears.”

The original description read: *"The Sentinel pressed a hand to his forehead, where his Spirit Sea was collapsing, swollen and throbbing, ready to burst. Yet Qi Yi showed none of it. He simply smiled at the panicked guide before him—this same coward who’d wrecked him. He laughed, but his smile was so strained it bordered on a grimace."*

Next, faced with absolute violence, Lu Liu was supposed to instantly break down—begging, weeping, pleading for mercy, for Qi Yi to spare his life, and so on.

—In short, anyone familiar with novels knew: when the villain gets owned, the drama’s gotta be maxed out, emotions dialed to eleven.

All of this was clearly written in the script. Lu Liu had meticulously annotated it, scribbling pages of notes, terrified of flubbing his lines at the last moment.

So now—where was Qi Yi?

He’d memorized all his lines! Where the hell was Qi Yi?!

If Qi Yi didn’t show up, wouldn’t all that effort—three damn pages of lines—go to waste?!

Lu Liu was absolutely livid.

What kind of messed-up script was this? NPCs going off-script was bad enough, but now even the protagonist was skipping his scenes?!

Ji Xiuyun stood beside Lu Liu, blocking his view of the corridor behind them. Irritated, Lu Liu shoved him aside. “Move.”

Ji Xiuyun: “…”

He turned, seeing only the dark, empty hallway.

Instantly, the guide’s eyes lost their spark.

Ji Xiuyun paused, softening his voice. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Liu lowered his gaze, listless, his usual cowlick sagging pathetically.

The guide asked, “Qi Yi… isn’t coming?”

His voice came out small, broken and pitiful.

Ji Xiuyun took a deep breath.

The next second, he strode decisively into the corridor, rolling up his sleeves like a man on a mission.

Ji Xiuyun said, “Wait here. I’ll go haul his ass here.”