Chapter 34 Someone Is Missing

Chapter 34 Someone Is Missing

"I don’t mean any harm..."

An ineffable emotion flickered in the Sentinel's eyes.

The madness contained within was a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

Fang Ran stood a short distance away, utterly at a loss for how to respond.

Had he gone mad?

It seemed the protagonist was...

Sensing Fang Ran's discomfort, Zheng Mingyu's expression shifted, and he smiled again, as light as a wisp of cloud.

"I just wanted to tell you that Fu Zhangzhou is not a good person."

The subtext was clear: you’d best keep your distance from him.

His manner was refined, yet his tone brooked no refusal.

He lifted his gaze to Fang Ran.

His eyes held concern, worry, and a barely perceptible hint of jealousy.

Fang Ran silently averted his gaze.

He had long known that Fu Zhangzhou was a villain.

In the book, this character's actions were even more violent and erratic than they were now.

However, Zheng Mingyu was right about one thing: he had indeed gotten too close to Fu Zhangzhou. That sense of peaceful life seemed to be slipping further away from him with each passing day.

Fang Ran felt his heart slowly sink.

He had been too complacent lately, almost forgetting that not only Zheng Mingyu but also Fu Zhangzhou was someone he had intended to keep his distance from.

The figure before him suddenly took another step forward. Instinctively, Fang Ran wanted to retreat, but a document was suddenly thrust into his hand.

What is this...

A Guide contract?

Fang Ran's eyes widened in surprise. What was this person up to?

"You don’t need to answer me now."

Zheng Mingyu seemed to have anticipated Fang Ran's reaction. "Take your time to think it over. Give me your answer after the mission is over."

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the delicate atmosphere.

"Captain Zheng!"

Fang Ran looked up and saw Fang Liyu hurrying over. On instinct, he hid the contract behind his back.

"Captain Zheng Mingyu, why are you here?"

Fang Liyu approached the two, scanning them both with a puzzled look.

Zheng Mingyu had already returned to his usual gentle and refined demeanor, smiling as he replied, "Just passing by. I had a few words with Guide Fang Ran."

"The collaboration meeting is about to begin," Fang Liyu reminded him. "This place is clear on the other side of the central camp from the Guardians' area."

"Captain Zheng’s route is quite... unique."

Zheng Mingyu acted as if he hadn’t heard the sarcasm in her words and took two more steps closer to Fang Ran.

"Fang Ran, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

"Don’t avoid me anymore."

Without waiting for Fang Ran’s response, he turned and nodded to Fang Liyu before taking his leave.

Fang Liyu glanced at Fang Ran, as if she wanted to say something but held back. In the end, she hurried after Zheng Mingyu.

Only when the two had walked some distance away did Fang Ran finally let his guard down.

With no one around, he took out the contract he’d hidden behind his back.

It was actually a physical contract.

It seemed prepared in advance.

He casually flipped through it. The salary and benefits for a Guardian Guide were clearly detailed.

One might even say...

It was quite appealing.

Perhaps he had overthought it—he had almost believed Zheng Mingyu was interested in him. It seemed he was only interested in his potential as a Guide.

Right.

In the storyline, Zheng Mingyu had caught a lucky break and become a savior.

Someone like him wasn’t exactly simple.

Fang Ran shook his head, trying to push those jumbled thoughts out of his mind, and stepped back into the tent.

......

Three more days went by like this, until Zhong Wan came to his tent.

"Fang Ran, why have you been so listless these past few days?"

"Have I?"

Indeed, these past few days, Fang Ran had been feeling somewhat down. An unshakable restlessness lingered in his heart, as if it weren’t his own emotion, yet it weighed heavily on him.

He had even visited a therapist but still hadn’t found a solution.

"Let’s go for a walk."

Zhong Wan tugged him out of the tent.

The central camp was quite large, and the two walked along the perimeter fence.

It was already afternoon, and the sunlight was harsher than the morning’s. The faint scent of sun-warmed grass hanging in the air was pleasant.

But Fang Ran’s mood was still rather foul.

There was a fire burning inside him, and he didn't know how to extinguish it.

It was driving him crazy.

Seeing that Fang Ran was still feeling down, Zhong Wan took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Is it because there's been no word from Fu Zhangzhou for a few days?"

"Huh?"

Fang Ran had been somewhat absent-minded, but at those words, the corner of his eye suddenly twitched.

After the first purification, it seemed like he had blocked Fu Zhangzhou.

In reality, he had never received any messages from the sentinel.

For the past few days, the sensors synced to his terminal had been silent with no alerts, so Fang Ran had assumed Fu Zhangzhou's mission was going smoothly.

Could it be...

Zhong Wan didn’t notice his unease and continued on his own:

"Lu Wenchuan told me last night that Fu Zhangzhou’s Team A lost communication a few days ago after entering a forest."

"Ah?"

His nerves felt tangled into a knot, and Fang Ran was still in a daze.

Fu Zhangzhou, as the antagonist, still had a lot of storyline left.

He should... be fine, right?

Noticing the change in his expression, Zhong Wan patted Fang Ran’s shoulder reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, your sentinel’s okay."

"Lu Wenchuan got in touch with one of the sentinels from Team A yesterday."

"That forest is really weird. They got separated at first but eventually regrouped."

"However," Zhong Wan frowned, "I heard someone is missing."

"Seems like it was a medic."

Fang Ran blurted out, "Shen Ke?"

"You know him too? That medic isn’t very experienced, but he’s quite enthusiastic. I hope he’s okay."

Fang Ran lowered his head, silently watching their footsteps as they walked.

If Shen Ke was truly the protagonist, then he had protagonist’s plot armor.

Fang Liyu was thorough and responsible, so she probably wouldn’t give up the search. Most likely, Shen Ke would be fine.

As for Fu Zhangzhou...

As the leader of Team A, he would probably need some time to find the missing person.

The thought of not having to face the sentinel for a while should have been a relief, but Fang Ran still felt a lingering unease weighing on him.

"By the way," Zhong Wan continued, "the Guardians headed out a few days ago too. Their destination seems to be that same forest."

"I saw Nie Fei and her sentinel in Zheng Mingyu’s team that day."

Zheng Mingyu?

Fang Ran was reminded of Zheng Mingyu’s baffling behavior that day.

But if he were to run into Shen Ke...

What might happen?

The two continued walking, crossing the central area of the camp and arriving at a small slope at the rear.

"Didn’t expect there to be a river back here."

A small river meandered past the outskirts of the camp. The current wasn’t strong, and the water’s surface glittered under the sunlight.

Fang Ran and Zhong Wan stood on the hillside.

The breeze from the hills carried a hint of moisture, a bit cooler than elsewhere, and it seemed to ease some of Fang Ran’s worries.

Zhong Wan kept chatting about interesting stories in the camp, and Fang Ran finally began to relax a little.

But as he spoke, Zhong Wan suddenly stopped short, glancing behind Fang Ran.

"Fang Ran, see you tomorrow." He playfully winked at Fang Ran and ran off with a smile.

Before Fang Ran could even turn around, a familiar feeling washed over him.

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a wave of blazing heat.

Fang Ran lowered his eyes and didn’t move.

The sentinel approached from behind, burying his head in the nape of Fang Ran’s neck, desperately inhaling his scent, not bothering to hide the fixation, madness, and greed in his eyes.

"You’ve seen him."

"More than once."

The two sudden, abrupt statements made no sense to anyone else, but Fang Ran knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Just talked a couple times occasionally..." Fang Ran paused, unsure why he felt the need to explain. "I didn’t seek him out on purpose."

"Fang Ran." Fu Zhangzhou still had his head resting on Fang Ran’s shoulder, his voice muffled.

"Do you know that high-level sentinels like me can use psychic energy to leave their scent on guides?"

Fang Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

It was just like an Alpha leaving pheromones on an Omega—a possessive move, a way to claim ownership.

But when had Zheng Mingyu...

How did he not notice at all?

"Do you really want to see me jealous and lose it?" Fu Zhangzhou actually laughed, his voice creepy and unhinged.

"No..."

Fang Ran was about to retort when a sudden sense of weightlessness hit him.

He was being lifted into the air.

Before he could react, they'd already landed in the river.

"Splash!"

Fang Ran was soaked through.

"Fu Changzhou!"