Chapter 83 Can You Do It?

Chapter 83: Can You Bring Yourself to Do It?

"Fu Zhangzhou."

Fang Ran's face appeared as the elevator doors opened.

His hair was slightly disheveled, his face pale and tired, but upon seeing the sentinel inside the elevator, his eyes instantly lit up.

"Fu Zhangzhou, what took you so long to come back?"

His expression held a hint of anger, his voice tinged with complaint, yet it was soft, almost like a playful whine directed at the person before him.

Lu Wenchuan paused momentarily.

He turned to glance at Fu Zhangzhou, who was staring intently at his guide, seemingly lost in thought.

A strange feeling arose within him, prompting him to ask:

"Guide Fang Ran, why are you here...?"

"Ah." Fang Ran's gaze shifted to him. "Sentinel Lu Wenchuan, Zhong Wan is still in the treatment room on the 32nd floor."

"He was probably startled and wanted another treatment session."

"I left something in my room and just came back to retrieve it when I ran into you both."

"Is that so?" Fu Zhangzhou responded in a deep voice.

His gaze flickered several times but never left the guide.

Though Lu Wenchuan was typically reserved, having spent more time with Zhong Wan, he sensed an undeniable chemistry between the two.

Indeed.

They must have been caught in the attack on the top floor earlier today.

From what the guard sentinels had mentioned, the guide department was holding a party there, and some guides had even been abducted.

Having been frightened, it was only natural to instinctively seek comfort from one's sentinel.

As Lu Wenchuan considered this, his brow furrowed, and his anxiety grew. He yearned to see Zhong Wan quickly and hold him close.

"Fu Zhangzhou, in that case, I'll head down to the 32nd floor first," he said.

Fu Zhangzhou finally turned to look at him and called out.

"Lu Wenchuan."

"Hurry down and keep a close eye on... our guide."

Lu Wenchuan found his expression unusually serious, almost as if he were entrusting something significant, but... wasn't his guide right here?

Though he found it peculiar, he didn't press for an explanation.

"Alright."

Fu Zhangzhou gave him another meaningful look before slowly stepping out of the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed behind the sentinel.

The corridor became utterly silent, save for the faint hum of the ventilation system. Besides him and Fang Ran, there was no one else, and the hallway lights seemed dimmer than on other floors.

Fang Ran glanced at him, then turned and walked forward.

"Fu Zhangzhou, where exactly have you been today?"

The sentinel let out a soft chuckle. "Naturally... on a mission."

"On a mission?"

Fang Ran turned back to see the sentinel still standing in place, his expression a faint, knowing smile, his eyes subtly flickering.

"Why are you still standing there?"

"If you've been on a mission all day, don't you want to be Purified?"

"And..." Fang Ran paused, his eyes half-lowered as he spoke.

"Right now... there's no one in the room."

The guide’s ears turned slightly red, his voice still soft, as if he were both shy and inviting.

The sentinel watched him intently. "Is that so?"

Seeing him still standing motionless, Fang Ran’s eyes flashed with a hint of irritation.

He took a few steps back, reaching out to take the sentinel’s hand.

Fu Zhangzhou subtly sidestepped, evading his grasp.

"I touched something dirty today and don’t want to get it on you. Let me wash up first before we do the Purify," he explained.

Fang Ran paused briefly, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Alright."

Under the dim light, the guide’s eyes shimmered, quite captivating.

The distance between them was much closer than before.

Close enough for the sentinel to smell his fragrance.

A sweet fragrance.

Like honey, like flowers, but more like poison.

The scent drifted slowly, alluring and corrosive, constantly assailing the sentinel’s nerves.

Fu Zhangzhou moved subtly, shifting half a step away almost imperceptibly.

"Since you were frightened today, let’s skip purification for now," he said slowly. "You should get some rest first..."

"No." Fang Ran interrupted him. "Fu Zhangzhou, haven’t you noticed? Things feel... strange here."

"I’m worried it might affect your Spiritual Sea."

The guide’s eyes held more concern and urgency. "Let’s do a Purify first. Actually, I’m doing alright, better off than Zhong Wan."

"You probably don’t know yet, do you? Today... Wen Qi was taken, and Chen Yang got hurt."

"Fu Zhangzhou, without performing a Purification, I always feel a sense of unease."

The sentinel's gaze returned to him, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"But I don’t want you to get tired."

"I already said I’m not tired." Fang Ran glared at him as usual, then turned and walked ahead.

"Hurry up and follow me."

This time, Fu Zhangzhou finally started moving and followed behind him.

"Why did you say... you feel something strange here?"

The guide stopped walking but did not turn around, hiding his expression.

"Don’t you feel the same way?"

"Being summoned here for no reason, guides being captured, comrades getting hurt."

"It’s as if someone set a trap to ensnare us."

He suddenly stopped walking.

"Fu Zhangzhou, aren’t you afraid?"

"Oh?" The sentinel watched his back and retorted, "Should I be afraid?"

As he spoke, a flaming red sword materialized in his hand.

"Ah."

The person ahead sighed. "So you saw through me from the start."

"And you’ve been playing along with me for so long."

The sentinel chuckled. "I just wanted to see what this monster... was planning."

"My Spiritual Sea interested you that much?"

"Fu Zhangzhou."

The figure also gave a low laugh, slowly turning around with a completely innocent look.

"But with a face like this, can you actually strike me?"

The sentinel said nothing.

With a forceful swing of his fiery sword, he traced a circle around him.

Fire immediately burst forth, casting light on the monster’s face.

As the flames flickered, the monster’s face began to warp, distort, and melt, gradually revealing a ring-like pattern resembling tree rings beneath.

The floral scent in the air grew stronger.

"You two make quite the pair," the monster laughed again, its voice gradually turning shrill.

"Such a shame..."

"Who knows when we’ll meet again."

"If I were to use your face and approach Fang Ran, I wonder if he'd even notice..."

By now, the monster’s voice had become utterly bizarre, letting out a menacing, hissing laughter.

The sentinel’s eyes darkened. "Don't go near him!"

The flames instantly surged, billowing white smoke. The energy anomaly sensor in the hallway immediately blared a sharp alarm.

A moment later, the flames gradually subsided.

Where the monster had stood...

only a half-charred piece of tree bark remained.