Chapter 21 77.6%

Chapter 21: 77.6%

The 4th Security Zone was gearing up for a major field operation.

Fang Ran pushed open the heavy, soundproof conference room door, and a blast of cold air, acrid with the bitter, scorched scent of coffee, hit him, making him shiver.

Suddenly, a strong hand reached out from behind, settling firmly on his shoulder, and pulled him gently closer.

"Cold?"

A wave of searing body heat instantly enveloped him.

Fang Ran swayed, nearly stumbling into the person behind him, but managed to steady himself by taking a small step back with his right foot.

He turned and glared.

This Sentinel was becoming utterly shameless.

Ever since Fang Ran had promised not to avoid him that day, the Sentinel had been pushing his luck, inching closer.

He followed Fang Ran everywhere.

If Sentinels weren't forbidden from entering the Guide dormitory, Fang Ran wouldn't put it past him to wake up and find the man right there.

Fu Zhangzhou met Fang Ran's glare with a smile, took a coffee from the staff member at the door, and offered it to Fang Ran.

"Let's go in."

"Your friend is waiting for you."

Dozens of people were already seated in the conference room.

Zhong Wan was in the first row and waved enthusiastically when he saw Fang Ran enter.

Both of them had received the mission briefing last night; it seemed the 4th Zone was preparing a large-scale field operation.

"DT332 Area Pioneering Operation"

Fang Ran turned his head to the stage, where bold characters scrolled prominently across the screen.

*This part of the plot was never mentioned in the book...*

*Stop overthinking it.*

He shook his head slightly and walked over to his friend.

Lu Wenchuan sat on Zhong Wan's other side, merely nodding when he saw them approach.

After that day, Fang Ran had grilled Zhong Wan for answers and learned that the two had known each other for a long time—in fact, Lu Wenchuan had applied to transfer to the 4th Zone specifically for Zhong Wan.

Fang Ran found this increasingly perplexing.

Lu Wenchuan was still very much consistent with his character in the book: a cold, powerful S-class Ice Sentinel, stern and unsmiling towards everyone.

In the original story, this character reserved all his patience and tenderness for the male protagonist.

But Fang Ran caught a glimpse of their hands clasped under the table.

It seemed Zhong Wan might be the one who brought out his gentle side.

The course of this world... might truly be different from the book.

As he pondered, all attendees were seated.

"Everyone, the meeting will now begin."

Fang Liyu stood at the semicircular podium, cleared her throat, and began outlining the operation:

"For this DT332 Area Pioneering Operation, we need to allocate one-third of the headquarters staff."

"Two S-class Sentinels, 56 A-class Sentinels, 43 B-class Sentinels."

"26 A-class Guides, 13 B-class Guides, one C-class Guide."

"For logistics, medical personnel..."

A preliminary map of the area appeared on the screen behind her.

According to the data displayed, the DT332 area was actually three times larger than the 4th Security Zone.

Fang Ran gradually sensed something was amiss—the scale of this operation was far grander than he had anticipated.

When he received the mission information last night, he had felt a small thrill of excitement.

After all, in over a year in this world, he had never laid eyes on a monster—this was his first field mission.

But with a scale like this, would he be able to return to the subcenter on time in two months?

"What are you thinking about?"

The Sentinel beside him was idly toying with Fang Ran's fingers.

Fang Ran immediately pulled his hand back and shot him a sharp look, warning him to cut it out.

Fu Zhangzhou!

The Sentinel smirked, seemingly not too disappointed.

Fang Ran felt a surge of frustration.

This guy was truly... unpredictable.

When they first met, he was as menacing as a wild beast, terrifying.

Now, having become utterly brazen, Fang Ran didn't know how to handle him.

The Sentinel then edged a little closer and whispered in his ear, "Do you know what our match percentage is?"

Fang Ran turned his head and shot him a sidelong glare, then looked away to show his disinterest.

"I specifically went to ask yesterday."

The persistent Sentinel shifted even closer.

"It's 77.6%."

The Sentinel's excited voice lingered in his ear.

Oh?

This was actually lower than Fang Ran had imagined, given how easily they connected.

The minimum compatibility for purification was 25%, and anything above 50% generally yielded good results, while the minimum requirement for marking was 80%.

77.6%...

Just a little short, as if fate itself was helping him.

But he couldn’t understand why this guy was so excited.

Fu Zhangzhou continued smiling. "I’ve heard that more intimate interactions can increase compatibility."

The Sentinel’s gaze suddenly took on a meaningful look.

He leaned closer to Fang Ran’s ear. "I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night..."

"Don’t even think about it."

Fang Ran reacted instantly, clapping a hand over the Sentinel’s mouth.

This guy was about to say something suggestive!

Fang Ran’s face burned with involuntary heat.

Fu Zhangzhou’s eyes curved slightly as he grabbed Fang Ran’s hand, leaned over the table, and laughed like a smug cat.

Jin Ming, at the head of the table, finally couldn’t take it anymore.

Frowning, he asked, "Guide Fang Ran, Sentinel Fu Zhangzhou. Do you have any questions regarding this pioneering task?"

Suddenly called out, Fang Ran was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure.

"I... do have a question."

"Go ahead."

"The personnel allocation and the area overview for DT332 both indicate this is a major operation, but we Guides from the subcenter only signed three-month contracts."

"If we enter this area, can you guarantee we’ll leave on time?"

"So Guide Fang Ran is concerned about this aspect." Jin Ming glanced at Fu Zhangzhou beside him. "Everyone can rest assured—this is a joint mission."

"Since part of DT332’s pre-infection area belonged to a military zone, we’ll be working alongside the Guardians."

"Guardian Team A will be entering with us."

"With their assistance, we believe we can significantly shorten the mission time."

"If the timeline is exceeded, headquarters will also provide satisfactory compensation and benefits."

Jin Ming’s words earned nods from many in the room, with quite a few agreeing.

But Fang Ran was not satisfied. He felt Jin Ming had sidestepped the key point of the question.

Could they really return on time or not?

The gland at the nape of his neck was like a ticking time bomb.

If the medicine Wanqing helped him find proved useless, he’d have to lock himself in his apartment and endure his heat.

Three months.

It was right around the time of his first heat.

But this was "Fang Ran’s" body—he couldn’t pin down the exact timing.

Especially with the Sentinel beside him... if he discovered his secret...

Panic surged through him.

The Sentinel’s possessiveness was a given; he could easily guess what would happen.

"Fang Ran, what are you so afraid of?"

Fu Zhangzhou cocked his head at him. "I’ll always protect you."

"There’s no danger to you—"

Danger?

You are the biggest danger.

Fang Ran squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance, not wanting to look at the person beside him anymore. "Fu Zhangzhou, stop talking to me."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me look very unprofessional."