Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Sha Ni Lu advanced step by step.

The lights in the hotel lobby flickered erratically, as if affected by some unseen force, casting eerie, shifting shadows reminiscent of a midnight horror film. Arcs of lightning snaked around Sha Ni Lu's arm.

With a raise of his hand, accompanied by gasps from the crowd in the lobby, metal-fitted chairs, tables, sofas, first-aid kits, and various other objects were pulled into the air as though drawn by magnetism, clumping together into a massive, rolling sphere. The more objects were drawn in, the larger the sphere grew.

Even without the lightning, the sheer weight of that sphere would have flattened them like pancakes.

The unfamiliar sentinels stared at the looming shadow above them, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Sha Ni Lu tsked impatiently. "Our little Snowball was just playing with his friends. Isn't it basic manners not to disturb children at play? Do I really have to teach you that?"

The unfamiliar sentinels instinctively backed away. Luo Ci perked his ears, catching the muttered words of the sentinel whose arm had been blown off as he clutched another's sleeve: "Everyone's watching now."

"Let's just... drop it for now. Don't cause any more trouble..."

Sha Ni Lu reached out and lifted Snowball up, intending to check on the little one before setting him back down. But the little one clung tightly to him, his snow-white paws gripping firmly, his little face burying anxiously into Sha Ni Lu's chest. When Sha Ni Lu tried to put him down, those big, liquid blue eyes stared up at him pleadingly, and the little one whined, clinging stubbornly to his wrist—clearly still shaken.

Sha Ni Lu sighed but gently patted the little one's head in reassurance. His patience, however, did not extend to the sentinels.

Baring his teeth in a wolfish grin that held no warmth, his eyes glinted dangerously. "Since you don’t know how to use your eyes, maybe I should just blow them off for you."

The unfamiliar sentinels fled in panic. The one with the severed arm clutched his seared stump, his face twisted in pain, before stumbling out of the hotel after the others.

Luo Ci let out a relieved sigh, only to feel a gentle nudge against his hind leg. Looking down, he saw the meerkat nuzzling close worriedly, joined by the viper and the Snowy Owl. The grizzly bear lowered its head worriedly, though its poor eyesight made it hard to tell if the little one was hurt.

For Sentinel Spirits, protecting a Guide was instinctual. But their masters, fearing they might cause trouble in the hotel, had forbidden them from using their abilities. Bound by their masters' commands, they could only watch helplessly as the unfamiliar sentinels threatened the little one, torn between urgency and frustration.

"Eeek~"

I'm fine, really!

Luo Ci patted the agitated Spirits with his fluffy little paws, soothing them. Spirits' thought processes were simple—driven more by instinct than reason. The meerkat rubbed against him, checking his condition through his heartbeat and warmth. Even the viper coiled nearer, its forked tongue flicking out. Understanding their concern, Luo Ci reached out and patted the viper’s head, its slit pupils relaxing in response.

"Peep!"

Thanks to Luo Ci's efforts, the Spirits gradually calmed down. But they had each memorized the unfamiliar sentinels' presence—next time they met, they would recognize them without fail.

After bidding farewell to the Spirits, Sha Ni Lu carried Snowball across the lobby. The hotel manager stared dumbfounded at the wreckage strewn across the floor. Sha Ni Lu shrugged, completely unrepentant. "Guess you'll have to clean this up."

The manager's face fell in dismay.

...

Evening.

Zhong Shijin returned to the hotel, virtual terminal in hand, and addressed Sha Ni Lu, who was lounging on the sofa. "What did you do in the hotel today? Used your abilities again?"

Sha Ni Lu channel-surfed absentmindedly. "So what?"

His indifferent tone made Zhong Shijin's eyebrow twitch. Just as he was about to retort, Luo Ci peeked his little head over the armrest.

At first, Zhong Shijin thought the little one just wanted to play. But soon, he noticed something was off—Snowball had been rolling happily on the cushions before suddenly freezing, his fur standing on end as he curled into a frightened ball.

"Did little Snowball run into trouble today?" Zhong Shijin's heart clenched.

Sha Ni Lu crossed his legs. "The hotel's full of guild members. Everyone knows Snowball's with Tansapa. I didn’t think anything would happen, but Chen Wang insisted I stick around just in case. And sure enough, some idiots showed up."

Zhong Shijin's voice turned icy. "Which guild were they from?"

"Don't know. No insignia on their uniforms, no identifiable features either." Sha Ni Lu shrugged.

Zhong Shijin frowned. "Could’ve been wearing disguises."

Luo Ci bobbed his head eagerly. As expected of Zhong Shijin—he’d guessed it almost perfectly. The little one tumbled on the soft cushions, flipping onto his back before poking at the pendant around his neck with a tiny paw. "Murr-gurr..."

The sight of the round-cheeked little one gesturing so earnestly was unbearably cute. Zhong Shijin cleared his throat and speculated, "They were after this?"

Snowball peeped affirmatively.

Zhong Shijin gently stroked the little one's drooping ears. "Understood. I’ll look into it."

Whoever they were, whatever guild they belonged to—

Anyone who dared target little Snowball would pay the price.

After concluding their business in the coastal city, Tansapa checked out of the hotel and returned to Snowbird City.

The moment their plane landed, they were greeted by a crowd of reporters and devoted Tansapa supporters.

Long accustomed to such fanfare, the group boarded a blacked-out van.

On the way back to the guild, they held a brief strategy session.

Luo Ci, passed back and forth between Roland and A Jin, slept soundly the entire trip, only waking when they were already in the van.

The interior was dimly lit, a screen projecting documents at the center—the same files Chen Wang often reviewed.

Zhong Shijin pointed at the sequences on display. "As you can see, these are the A-class gate sequences we previously decoded based on the Guild Master’s analysis. From these, we deduced the existence of S-class gates—and the core gate."

A Jin nodded seriously. "The core gate is the heart of all gates. If destroyed, it might make all gates disappear."

"Exactly," Zhong Shijin agreed. "Based on the Guild Master’s decoding of the S-class gate, we can infer that the core gate is at least S-class or higher—and it will appear within a year."

Luo Ci blinked up at the bewildering string of codes on the screen. He didn’t understand what the sequences meant, but he was curious about the term "decoding." Pulling at Roland’s sleeve, he tilted his head in question.

Roland, attuned to the little one’s thoughts, explained softly, "The Guild Master is a dual-powered individual. His second ability is deconstruction—breaking down anything he touches into its most fundamental state. By deconstructing the gates, he extracted their sequences."

Deconstruction?

Luo Ci only grasped part of it, but even that was enough to understand one thing: if the core gate vanished, taking all other gates with it, that would be a very good thing indeed.

Back in familiar surroundings, Snowball cheered and immediately dove into his snug little nest—a gently swaying cradle filled with plush toys of all kinds.

The little one greeted each of his dearly-missed toys before attempting to crawl into his nest as usual. But this time, something caught his foot, sending him tumbling forward.

Looking down, he saw a pair of plump little legs in his line of sight.

Luo Ci was thrilled—he’d turned back into a human! But perhaps too much time had passed since he last walked on two legs. Teetering precariously, he managed to stand for only a moment before tumbling back into the pile of toys, a plushie now balanced on his head as he peered out from the heap.

A Jin had gone to deal with matters at the patrol team, and Sha Ni Lu was also called away. Only Chen Wang and Zhong Shijin, who were discussing business, remained in the living room, along with Roland.

"Achoo." Luo Ci felt a chill and couldn't help but sneeze.

Roland was the first to react, fetching the clothes prepared in advance for the little one from the bedroom and dressing the little one.

Roland and Zhong Shijin took turns holding the little one.

Dressed in a honey bear hoodie, the little one looked even more adorable. Their round, chubby face resembled a freshly steamed milk bun, while their large, watery blue eyes shone with childlike innocence.

Zhong Shijin was delighted. "The snowball's become human. This should mean they feel safe here now."

The doctor had said that when the little snowball sensed a sense of belonging and security, they would transform into human form.

Chen Wang half-closed his eyes distractedly, paying no attention to Zhong Shijin's words. His gaze was fixed solely on the little figure toddling toward him.

Perhaps due to the Arctic Hare genes, the little one's hair was pale blond, and their skin was porcelain-pale—so delicate they looked almost fragile to the touch.

Chen Wang was accustomed to receiving awe and fear. Many timid individuals even worried about being killed just by sharing the same space with him.

Yet this delicate little thing wobbled forward on unsteady legs, determinedly making their way toward him.

The little one tilted their head up and stretched out two chubby hands.

Chen Wang balled his hands inside his pockets. He wanted to pick up the little one—he was trying hard to hold back. It wasn't because the little one wasn't adorable or that he didn't want to hold them. On the contrary, it was precisely because they were so endearing that he had to be even more cautious.

"Let Zhong Shijin hold you."

Luo Ci pouted insistently, their tiny hands still raised, refusing to lower them.

Zhong Shijin watched, held his tongue. He wanted to urge Chen Wang to pick up the little one, but worry held him back.

Chen Wang recalled the parenting articles online he had recently read, which emphasized the importance of building a child's confidence. As an experimental rabbit turning human for the first time, the little snowball might be scared and confused. Rejecting their request now could leave a negative impact on their childhood.

Fine, he admitted—he was making excuses.

But who could remain indifferent when faced with a wobbly little one toddling toward them?

Those stubbornly raised chubby hands resembled plump little arms, pale and soft, with a faint blush spreading across them.

Chen Wang sighed and, carefully, reached out to lift the little one from the ground.

...So light.

Light as a feather.

Chen Wang sighed again inwardly.

This little one had no idea they were now cuddled up to someone dangerous.

Chen Wang's gaze darkened, his arm muscles tensing. Yet the little one remained utterly fearless, oblivious to any peril. Their soft, tiny hands clutched his clothes as they clumsily climbed up, pressing their tender, innocent face against his neck and nuzzling affectionately. When he looked down, the little one tilted their face up, their big eyes full of trusting innocence.

His leather-gloved fingers gently pinched the little one's doughy cheeks. "What am I going to do with you?"