Chapter 17 It Can Only Be You

Chapter 17: It Can Only Be You

The speaker's tone was calm, even somewhat languid, yet it possessed a strange, compelling authority.

Zhou Chengkang glanced back and quickly rose.

He nodded to Fang Ran. "I won't intrude. I haven't undergone purification since the mission." With that, he hurried toward the crowd ahead.

The corner beneath the tree fell silent once more.

Fang Ran remained seated, unmoving. Even without looking, he could feel it—that familiar, dangerous pressure.

In his mind, Fang Ran silently uttered the name:

Fu Zhangzhou.

The Sentinel slowly emerged from the shadows, his tall frame once again enveloping Fang Ran in darkness.

"Were you... waiting for me here?"

The weather that day was exceptionally fine.

Under the bright sunlight, the Sentinel seemed to shed some of his usual aggression.

Fang Ran closed his eyes, thinking how truly arrogant this man was.

"No."

The person behind him let out a soft chuckle. Placing both hands on the back of the chair, he leaned in and whispered something into Fang Ran's ear.

"Fang Ran, I'm very happy."

A sudden warmth erupted beside his ear, and Fang Ran, sensitive, immediately turned his face away.

"What's wrong with you?"

He raised a hand to shield his ear, trying to hide his slightly flushed cheek and avoid the Sentinel's touch.

But Fu Zhangzhou was quicker. With a swift movement, he vaulted over the chair back, his potent, hormone-laden presence abruptly closing in.

"I know you confirmed that contract," the Sentinel said, his words laced with an excited chuckle.

Fang Ran refused to look at him or respond.

Gazing at the clouds drifting across the sky, he deliberately remarked, "We haven't even done the compatibility test..."

"Maybe our compatibility is too low, and the contract won't even take effect."

"Is that so?" Fu Zhangzhou chuckled again, his voice deep and unhurried.

Fang Ran suddenly recalled that he had spoken in the same manner that day in the hovercar.

After a Sentinel's Spiritual Sea accumulated Corruption Value, their five senses would become duller than usual.

The first time he purified Fu Zhangzhou, this man had been as cunning as a fox—nothing like this.

This meant...

Fang Ran instinctively turned his head. The Sentinel was staring intently at him, his gaze burning.

His eyes reflected only Fang Ran's figure, glowing with a faint red light.

What was going on?

Fang Ran's eyes widened. "You haven't undergone purification these past few days?"

Why was he still on the verge of a rampage?

"I only agreed to go back with them," the Sentinel laughed unrestrainedly, his eyes holding not only a red glow but also an indescribable slyness.

"I already said it could only be you."

Damn it!

Fang Ran truly wanted to grab the Sentinel by the collar and shake some sense into him.

That contract had become effective yesterday. Now, he was fully responsible for Fu Zhangzhou's purification. If anything happened to the Sentinel, he would undoubtedly be punished, and any bonuses or subsidies would be out of the question.

Fang Ran sprang to his feet. "Where is the purification room?"

Fu Zhangzhou sat on the bench, watching him. Suddenly, as if an idea had struck him, the smile on his face broadened instantly.

He grabbed Fang Ran's hand.

The Sentinel's hand was hot and strong, like fire-heated tongs, searing Fang Ran's skin. Fang Ran pulled with all his might to withdraw his hand but couldn't break free after several attempts.

The Sentinel curved his lips, looking at him with a half-smile. "Come with me."

...

Fang Ran looked at the tall figure in front of him, feeling a surge of exasperation.

The disparity in strength between Sentinels and Guides was too great. Not only could he not shake this man off, but he was also being pulled along.

The guy deliberately chose crowded areas, and as they passed through the throng in the courtyard, it caused a stir.

Zhong Wan even winked at him, his expression clearly saying, "I knew it."

Fang Ran had no time to explain and could only cover his face and hurry along.

The headquarters' structure wasn't complex, but the place was enormous. Fang Ran hadn't been there many times, and after a few turns, he lost all sense of direction.

They entered a building only two stories high, with curved exterior walls and full-length windows.

The more Fang Ran thought about it, the more something felt wrong. This place didn't look like a purification room at all. Where was this man taking him?

"Where exactly is the purification room?"

Fu Zhangzhou didn't answer, merely pulling him along as he continued forward.

A wave of frustration welled up in Fang Ran's chest. After entering a long corridor, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and shouted at the Sentinel:

"Stop!"

Fu Zhangzhou looked back at him and actually came to a halt.

"Alright."

Fang Ran nervously scanned their surroundings.

The corridor was thick with dust. Besides a locked door beside them, there were no other room entrances. It resembled a back passage for a large conference room, but it was deserted and quiet.

"This should work," he thought resignedly. Purification didn't necessarily have to be done in a purification room—staying here was still better than being taken to some strange place.

The most important thing now was to alleviate the Sentinel's negative state; everything else could wait.

Having made up his mind, Fang Ran stopped wasting words with the Sentinel. Instead, he grasped his hand and began the purification.

Just like before, in an instant, their Spiritual Seas connected, and a torrent of corrupted energy surged in.

However, after several attempts, Fang Ran had gained experience in handling it.

He guided the corrupted energy into his own Spiritual Sea, enveloping it with his spiritual energy to slowly purify it. During this process, he once again sensed the Sentinel's emotions.

But strangely, Fu Zhangzhou's inner state was inexplicably elated, mixed with a sense of eager excitement.

Fang Ran's heart couldn't help but pound faster. He looked up warily at the person in front of him.

Perhaps due to the dim lighting in the corridor, the Sentinel's gaze grew obscure again, with a faint, elusive red glow, deep and haunting like an abyssal bloom of malice.

The words slipped out of Fang Ran instinctively: "Are you..."

Planning something?

But before he could finish, his attention was interrupted by a burst of noise from behind the door—disjointed clamor, along with the scraping of chairs being pulled out.

Was there someone behind the door?

And quite a few, it seemed?

Fang Ran had no familiarity with the headquarters, and now he couldn't help but feel a spike of suspicion.

Where exactly had Fu Zhangzhou brought him?

"Since when is this place occupied? This place..."

Fu Zhangzhou lowered his eyes to meet Fang Ran's and made a shushing gesture.

"Focus."