Chapter 95 Trying to Kill Me?

Chapter 95: Are You Trying to Get Me Killed?

"Fang Ran, can we talk?"

Zhao Hengming's voice was weak and hollow. His eyes, half-lidded and vacant, held a faint, almost imperceptible redness.

Fang Ran felt a shiver run down his spine under that unsettling gaze, a heavy sense of dread instantly washing over him.

Something was wrong.

He slowly turned, subtly shifting sideways before gradually standing to put some distance between himself and Zhao Hengming.

Then, his face hardened, his tone icy:

"Sentinel Zhao Hengming, I have nothing to discuss with you."

Fang Ran forced himself to remain calm, meeting the sentinel’s gaze directly.

This man’s state was peculiar.

He exuded an aura of death, yet it wasn't the frailty of someone nearing their end. Instead, it was an emptiness, as if he had been completely hollowed out, all vitality drained.

The red tinge in his eyes was clearly a sign of an impending sentinel rampage, yet it seemed weak and powerless, as though his Spiritual Sea had been utterly depleted. His entire demeanor was that of a walking corpse.

Or perhaps, more accurately, a "living dead"?

Seeing Fang Ran’s wary expression, Zhao Hengming stiffly pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Fang Ran, I know you’re lying."

The sentinel offered an utterly chilling smile.

"I was so good to you back then... I chased after you for so many years, and you were just starting to reciprocate. We could have been so happy together, started a new life..."

His eyes, dull and lifeless, seemed to recall past times.

"I didn’t want to leave back then either... but that person not only had a higher compatibility with me, he also said... he said he could help me rank up. You know... I’ve always wanted to improve my abilities, not just be a B-rank sentinel..."

"Zhao Hengming, you said it yourself—that was in the past." Fang Ran deliberately raised his voice, cutting him off. "What happened back then is over. I have nothing to say to you now. Please leave immediately."

Fang Ran watched the man before him, his wariness deepening.

Zhao Hengming’s intentions were not hard to guess.

Given his seemingly deranged demeanor, he likely wanted a Purification. After all, according to what Zhong Wan had mentioned, every Guide in District 5 was now refusing to go near him.

This man was truly desperate, probably seeing Fang Ran as his last resort.

It wasn’t that Purification couldn’t be done.

But he wasn’t the original owner of this body. Just thinking about this man’s actions disgusted him; naturally, he didn’t want to touch him.

He subtly scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision.

There weren’t many people in the cafeteria at the moment, and Chen Yang was injured... If he could attract more people, perhaps this guy would back off, or at least he could stall until Chen Yang and Lu Wenbai returned to restrain him.

With this thought, Fang Ran subtly turned his face and shot Zhong Wan a look.

Zhong Wan caught his eye signal and immediately gave a slight nod. He first sent a message on his terminal, then stood up and called out loudly:

"Zhao Hengming, what do you think you’re doing? How dare you come here and harass Fang Ran?"

Zhao Hengming turned his head to glance at him, his voice grim. "This is between me and Fang Ran. Don’t meddle."

The sentinel’s eyes were dull and lifeless, so hollow they seemed to emit a chilling cold that made one shiver.

Zhong Wan shivered involuntarily.

He and Fang Ran had joined the sub-center as Guides in the same batch and had seen Zhao Hengming around Fang Ran several times. Back then, the sentinel had been enthusiastic, generous, bright, and handsome, always pursuing Fang Ran.

It had taken several years for the two to sign an exclusive pairing contract, but shortly after it was signed, Zhao Hengming suddenly demanded to break it off. Not long after, news spread that Fang Ran had fallen into the sea.

The incident had caused quite a stir at the time. Zhong Wan had even sought out Zhao Hengming, only to find that he had already transferred to another district and left.

Back then, Zhong Wan hadn’t found it strange.

Scumbags, after all, always secure an escape route before betraying someone.

But now he realized that Lu Tang’s district transfer had taken so long to process—how had this man managed to disappear so quickly back then?

Steeling himself, he took another look at the sentinel.

The person before him... seemed like a completely different man, as if possessed. There was no trace left of his former self.

Zhong Wan still didn’t understand why Zhao Hengming had insisted on leaving back then, but belated affection is worse than worthless. Since he had been so ruthless back then, driving Fang Ran to jump into the sea, what was he trying to pull now?

"You... you need to stop pestering him. Fang Ran already has another sentinel by his side," Zhong Wan said tightly.

"Oh?" Zhao Hengming glanced at him again, then quickly turned his gaze back to Fang Ran, as if seeking confirmation.

Fang Ran immediately nodded in agreement with his friend. "Zhong Wan is right. I already have a sentinel I’m pairing with."

"A sentinel you’re pairing with?" Zhao Hengming frowned. "Fang Ran, are you serious?"

Fang Ran paused for a moment, Fu Zhangzhou’s face flashing in his mind.

"Of course I’m... serious."

"You’re still lying," the sentinel said, baring his teeth again. "I checked the system earlier. You’re still registered as unpaired—you haven’t signed an exclusive contract with anyone."

"Fang Ran, when I came to District 5 with that Guide, it was only to rank up. I thought about coming back to find you later. You might not know, but all the Guides in District 5 are refusing to purify me."

The sentinel’s expression grew increasingly agitated, his speech becoming slurred. "Back then, to rank up... I drank those things... Now those purification meds don’t work on me anymore..."

"Fang Ran, I’m in so much pain..."

He took a step forward, as if trying to grab Fang Ran’s hand, but Fang Ran, already on guard, quickly sidestepped out of grasp.

Seeing Fang Ran avoid him, Zhao Hengming’s face twisted further. He lifted his eyes, fixed them on Fang Ran, and took another step forward.

"Fang Ran, I’ll apply to transfer back to District 4 tomorrow. If you’re willing, we can pick up where we left off..."

"What’s going on here?"

A shout came from the other side.

Lu Wenbai rushed over, carrying a steaming pot of duck blood vermicelli hot pot.

He had only been gone for a short while, but upon returning, he saw a strange sentinel harassing his two protection targets, and his heart nearly stopped in fear.

When his older cousin asked him to stay, he felt a flicker of relief inside, relieved that he wouldn’t have to face those vicious raiders.

But then, just before leaving, his second cousin and that legendary 3S Sentinel each clamped down on his shoulders, their faces filled with such grim displeasure that they seemed even more terrifying than the raiders.

"Lu Wenbai... keep an eye on Zhong Wan for me."

"You little... whatever your name is, watch over my Fang Ran. Or else..."

The 3S Sentinel didn’t finish his sentence, but the smile on his face was bone-chilling. Just thinking about it made Lu Wenbai shiver all over, even though he himself was an Ice Sentinel.

With a tense expression, Lu Wenbai rushed in front of Zhao Hengming, positioning himself between him and Fang Ran.

At this moment, Lu Wenbai had no time for shyness. He raised his voice and demanded loudly:

"Who the hell are you?"

What, trying to get me killed?

"Stay away from my cousin’s Guide, and this... distinguished Guide!"

This Guide’s Sentinel is next-level intense—haven’t you been keeping up with the news?