Chapter 343: Gloom

Chapter 343: Annoyance

Lu Liu stared at the unidentifiable creation in the bowl, frozen in place, while Caesar nudged his hand. Its golden eyes were full of anticipation, as if saying, "Eat it!"

Lu Liu: "..."

He was somewhat skeptical about whether this could even be eaten. But under Caesar's sparkling gaze, he ultimately couldn't bear to disappoint it.

Fine, no matter how bad the cooking was, it would just taste awful—it couldn’t possibly poison him.

So, the guide cautiously picked up a fork, took a small bite, and resolved to eat it cheerfully no matter how terrible it tasted. Then he’d pat Caesar and say something encouraging.

On the other side of the surveillance feed, Qi Yi stood up to organize some documents, but his gaze lingered on the guide who had just picked up the small cake. Unconsciously, his body tensed slightly.

Lu Liu ate the cake.

The cocoa powder was a bit overdone, making it slightly bitter, but the cake itself was soft, fluffy, and perfectly moist. The cream layer balanced the richness of milk with the smoothness of chocolate. After just one bite, his cowlick bounced up with delight.

Lu Liu: "Wow—"

He enthusiastically scrubbed Caesar’s head. "Hey, Caesar, where did you get this? It’s so good!"

Qi Yi continued watching the surveillance feed out of the corner of his eye, the faintest hint of a smile appearing on his lips.

While the cake looked unimpressive, the cake base and cream were followed strictly according to the recipe. As a Sentinel with acute senses, he had timed the baking down to the second. Plus, Qi Yi had used high-quality chocolate—there was no way it could taste bad.

Across from Lu Liu, the cheetah proudly lifted its chin. "Chuff."

—It was made by Qi Yi.

It was more than happy for the guide to know the cake’s origin. After all, the cheetah knew the difference between one meal versus regular meals—being Qi Yi’s Spirit, it knew that staying close to Qi Yi depended on his good relationship with Lu Liu.

Unfortunately, Lu Liu didn’t understand at all. He asked, "Is this the Sentinels’ dessert?"

Caesar shook its head vigorously.

Sentinels' heightened senses meant they ate plain diets and definitely didn’t indulge in desserts.

Lu Liu pondered. "Then... did Ji Xiuyun make it?"

Ji Xiuyun was the person he was closest to on the ship, but how would Ji Xiuyun know he wanted chocolate cake?

In the surveillance room, Qi Yi’s hand paused slightly.

"Meow!" Caesar angrily bumped his hand.

No! Not him!

Anyone else could be mistaken, but not Ji Xiuyun! Caesar still remembered the day the guide had showed up late, his hands carrying the scent of fox fur!

"Alright, then who could’ve made it?" Lu Liu thought for a while but came up empty. Still, he was never one to overthink things, so he gave the cheetah an enthusiastic head rub and started happily eating the cake.

Qi Yi kept watching him.

There was a strange vitality about the guide—as if no matter what happened or where he was, he’d be fine. Watching him eat the cake, Qi Yi inexplicably felt his mood improve.

Some chocolate scraps remained on his workstation. On impulse, Qi Yi scraped a bit with a spatula and tasted it.

To a Sentinel’s acute senses, the sweetness bordered on bitter.

He set aside the scraps and continued working.

Late at night, the guide who had eaten the chocolate cake murmured in his sleep, "Still want some..."

After nothing but greens for so long, a mere chocolate cake couldn't possibly satisfy the guide's cravings.

As thoughts by day become dreams by night, in the dead of night, Caesar watched as a wisp of mist condensed in the air, taking the form of a plump guinea pig.

The guinea pig waddled on its stubby legs, struggling to climb down from the bed before landing with a soft *plop*. It rolled once, then locked eyes with Caesar.

"Squeak squeak!"

—You're here! Great!

It clung to Caesar's ear, deftly climbing onto the cheetah's head, then sniffed the air and pointed a tiny paw in a certain direction.

—Let's go! That way smells like chocolate cake!

Caesar had effectively become the guinea pig's personal ride, obediently dashing off in the direction it pointed, hind legs launching into a sprint.

They raced all the way to Qi Yi's door.

Now sure his owner meant no harm to the guide, Caesar was eager to foster a better relationship between Lu Liu and Qi Yi. So, with the guinea pig perched on his head, he lifted a paw and nudged the door open, walking right in.

The guinea pig tilted its head. "Eep?"

It glanced around at the vaguely familiar surroundings, a weird chill running down the back of its neck.

Then, someone cupped it from underneath and picked it up.

The guinea pig tilted its head, staring wide-eyed at Qi Yi.

It shrank back. "Eeep..."

S-so scary!

Caesar scratched at his owner's leg, then lifted both paws in a pantomimed eating motion before pointing at the nearby cabinet.

—It wants more cake.

Qi Yi scoffed.

The sentinel kept quiet—he didn’t want the guide waking up tomorrow and finding out from his Spirit that he’d secretly made more cake. So he dumped the guinea pig by the cabinet and grumbled, "Help yourself."

Inside were leftover cake scraps.

Qi Yi hadn’t bothered buying a turntable for cake decorating, so his scraps were all dumped in a metal bowl. The guinea pig clung to the rim, then toppled headfirst inside.

It came up coated in chocolate.

It licked up every last bit from the edges before tapping the cabinet door with a paw, asking Qi Yi to let it out.

Meanwhile, Lu Liu drifted in and out of sleep, a nagging guilt creeping in.

—Even if it was just a dream, and he didn’t know why Qi Yi was in it, or why there was cake in Qi Yi’s cabinet… sneaking over in the middle of the night and eating it all still felt pretty shady.

The next second, the cabinet door swung open. Qi Yi tsked and dragged the guinea pig to the sink.

He turned on warm water and scrubbed the chocolate-smeared mess clean, thinking to himself, *"This is the Spirit of that so-called ‘ice-cold’ guide? Hah."*

After washing the guinea pig, Qi Yi placed it on the table and signaled Caesar to carry it away with a glance.

Caesar began scratching Qi Yi’s pant leg again.

–This is Lu Liu’s Spirit! You made him a cake, at least acknowledge it!

Qi Yi tugged his pant leg back, ignoring the leopard, and instead flipped open a document to read.

Soaked, the guinea pig shook itself, sending water flying.

The droplets landed first on Qi Yi’s face, then on his documents, soaking the paper.

Lu Liu tensed.

Feeling like it had offended the cold-faced stoic authority, Lu Liu controlled the guinea pig to hide slightly to the side, cautiously observing Qi Yi’s expression.

Qi Yi said nothing and continued reading.

The guinea pig then stealthily inched to the edge of the table and peeked down.

Lu Liu tensed.

So… so high (QAQ)—no way down!

While the leopard kept pawing at its owner’s leg, the guinea pig hovered along the table’s edge.

Its fur was still damp, so it let out a soggy sneeze.

Qi Yi, watching from the corner of his eye, grabbed a dry towel, picked up the guinea pig, and gently rubbed it dry.

His expression was grumpy, but his hands were surprisingly gentle.

Guinea pig: “Squeak!”

It let out a displeased sound but was no longer afraid.

Animals are quicker than their owners to sense kindness. Half-asleep, Lu Liu mused, “The Qi Yi in my dream is quite nice.”

*Milk chocolate* flipped through documents under the lamp, the warm yellow light casting a glossy, satin-like sheen on his skin, so smooth it looked edible.

So, when Qi Yi grumpily placed the guinea pig back on the leopard’s head, Lu Liu returned the favor. Mimicking how Caesar nuzzled him, he made the guinea pig bump its nose against Qi Yi’s fingertip.

—Thank you, dream Qi Yi. You’re alright.

Qi Yi’s finger twitched and jerked back like he’d been burned.

He picked up the documents defensively and shooed Caesar away to take the guinea pig.

*

The following days were peaceful—almost boring—for Lu Liu.

He still scrubbed the deck by day and treated Sentinels by night, occasionally receiving snacks from Caesar. It was as if the leopard had become weirdly perceptive, always bringing exactly what Lu Liu craved.

If he wanted mango cake, mango cake would appear within days. If he fancied lemon guava juice, he’d get it in a couple of days. At night, he sometimes dreamed of turning into a guinea pig, sneaking into Qi Yi’s room, and mooching snacks from his cabinet.

Then, by day, he’d soak up the sun and shoot the breeze with his fellow hosts in the group chat—life felt like he was on vacation.

The only problem—Qi Yi never came to pick on him.

In the original story, the Guide on the ship lived in constant fear, slaving through dawn shifts and grunt work. But Lu Liu waited and waited—even as the original body’s expiration loomed—and Qi Yi never came to give him grief.

With a sullen expression, he clung to Caesar, squeezing the big cat's cheeks together and manhandling it playfully. Caesar tilted its head slightly with a confused sound: "Hmm?"

What are you doing?

Lu Liu grumbled, "Why hasn't your master shown up at all?"

He often saw Qi Yi in his dreams, but in reality, not even once—as if Qi Yi was afraid of him and avoiding him.

After molding the cheetah's head like putty, Lu Liu sighed dejectedly, "Really not coming?"

The cheetah then lifted its paw and patted him.

—Do you want to see him? I’ll figure out a way to bring him here for you.

Unfortunately, what little courage Qi Yi had was all spent teasing the guide's spirit. As for himself, it was as if he had vanished, never appearing before Lu Liu.

And so, Lu Liu waited and waited, but instead of the expected harassment from the plot, what arrived was the negotiation team from the White Tower.

That day, as usual, he was scrubbing the deck when the rabbit guide burst with excitement, dropping the railing to grab Lu Liu and jump around: "Lu Liu, you'll never guess who I just saw on deck?"

Lu Liu: "Who?"

"Bai Wen! Oh my god, oh my god! She must be here to negotiate. Our salvation is here—no more deck scrubbing!"

The person he mentioned was also a high-ranking guide from the White Tower. Unlike Lu Liu, who rose through the ranks solely through raw power, Bai Wen was one of the real power brokers of the White Tower. When the White Tower fell, she received advance warning and left to take refuge in another base. This time, she was here to negotiate with Qi Yi.

With so many high-level guides held by Qi Yi, the remaining forces of the White Tower couldn’t just ignore it. This time, they sent a team of three for negotiations.

"..."

Lu Liu glanced at the time gloomily, thinking, "It’s already this late."

Honestly, he was supposed to be dead by now, yet Qi Yi’s harassment plot still hasn’t shown up.

Beside him, the rabbit guide kept babbling excitedly: "With Bai Wen here, we’ll be going back soon, right? Oh my god, I don’t want to scrub this deck anymore."

Lu Liu looked at him, too kind to tell him the truth.

The White Tower negotiations were also a crucial turning point in the plot. Qi Yi’s first negotiation with the White Tower ended badly.

Because Bai Wen wasn’t actually here to negotiate. During the talks, she would take the opportunity to control a sentinel and scatter stimulant powder near Qi Yi.

Everyone knew that sentinels with Spirit Sea issues were ticking time bombs—the slightest provocation could trigger a meltdown. This time, Qi Yi detected it early and avoided most of it, but he still came dangerously close to losing control. He locked himself in his room, suffering through it for God knows how long before barely pulling through.

Naturally, the negotiations fell apart.

Lu Liu wasn’t interested in the talks. He just moped: "Why am I still alive?"

By the time this part of the plot started, he should’ve already been dead.