Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Yun Sheng’s heart tightened slightly, but her face remained impassive.

Qi Yao stopped in front of her. His gaze swept slowly across her face before he turned a pleasant smile on Li Wen and Cheng Nian, who stood beside Yun Sheng.

"Ladies, may I speak with Miss Yun alone?"

Li Wen and Cheng Nian exchanged a look, a flicker of anxiety on their faces.

’They didn’t know why Qi Yao wanted to speak with Yun Sheng alone right now. Had someone reported that she knew the Dark Sentinel?’

The two of them hesitated, saying nothing for a long moment.

In the end, it was Yun Sheng who gently patted the back of Cheng Nian’s hand. She gave them a reassuring glance. "It’s fine. Just wait for me here."

"But..."

Cheng Nian still wanted to say something.

Li Wen tugged on her arm and shot her a look. "All right, we’ll head over there."

Yun Sheng turned to Qi Yao and pointed to a lone, withered tree in the distance. "Major General Qi, let’s talk over there."

Qi Yao nodded and followed her.

Soon, Yun Sheng stopped under the tree and turned to face Qi Yao. She got straight to the point. "Major General Qi, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Seeing how direct she was, Qi Yao didn’t beat around the bush. "Regarding White Tiger, are you able to contact him?"

’White Tiger again?’

Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, but she calmly shook her head.

"After he sent me a warning about the contaminant outbreak last night, I haven’t heard from him again." She looked at Qi Yao. "Major General Qi, has something happened to him?"

"It’s not that he’s in trouble." Qi Yao’s brow furrowed. "Before he left the camp, he informed Captain Liu he was going to investigate the abandoned mine. Now the mine has completely collapsed. No one knows what happened, nor do we know the condition of the collapse zone. I was hoping that if you could contact him, you might be able to ask about the situation."

Yun Sheng nodded. "I’ll try."

She looked down, tapped open her terminal, and pulled up her chat with White Tiger. She quickly typed out a message.

F-3: Mr. White Tiger, are you there? Please reply if you see this. Major General Qi has found me and wants to ask you about the situation at the abandoned mine.

The message was sent.

She looked up. "I’ve sent it. No telling when he’ll see it."

Qi Yao didn’t press her, just nodding. "Thank you for your trouble."

Just then, the Sentinel Captain hurried over and saluted Qi Yao.

"Major General Qi, we have the basic situation. Guo Kai reports that in addition to the B-level and C-level contaminants, an A-level appeared, as well as a suspected S-Class power fluctuation. The A-level was likely killed by the Dark Sentinel, but the S-Class entity’s whereabouts are unknown.

"If it only left temporarily and decides to return, we’ll be in danger here. And then there’s the Dark Sentinel... who is just as dangerous. Should we pull back for now?"

Qi Yao was silent for a few moments, his eyes lifting toward the riverbed.

The area was deathly still, with only the occasional gust of wind kicking up dust.

"Inform everyone," he said. "Board the vehicles in five minutes. We’re pulling back to the camp."

The Sentinel Captain acknowledged the order and departed.

Soon, everyone began boarding the transport vehicles.

Yun Sheng had planned to sit with Cheng Nian and Li Wen, but then she saw Qi Yao stroll over and sit down directly beside her.

Her heart instantly seized.

She could feel a faint but palpable pressure emanating from him—not intentional, but the innate aura of a High-level Sentinel.

Qi Yao sat there quietly, gazing forward, as if he had simply chosen a seat at random. But Yun Sheng felt completely ill at ease.

’She was, and always had been, wary of him.’

’This man seemed gentle on the surface, but his eyes always seemed to be sizing you up, making him impossible to read.’

’And that wasn’t even mentioning his role in the original story. Qi Yao was fiercely loyal to Lin Yueyao. Without him, the original Yun Sheng wouldn’t have died so quickly!’

Yun Sheng lowered her gaze, feigning indifference to Qi Yao’s presence. Her eyes drifted to the wilderness rushing past the window.

’Yet her thoughts drifted uncontrollably to someone else.’

Si Jin.

’In the dream, many of the cracks in his spiritual landscape had been repaired, and the roiling Dark Power had finally settled.’

’But he had been so grievously injured, and he’d even self-detonated his spiritual power...’

’I wonder when he’ll recover.’

’When will I see him again.’

Just as Yun Sheng’s mind was filled with thoughts of Si Jin, the terminal on her wrist suddenly vibrated.

She quickly looked down to check it.

It was White Tiger.

S-1: I’m near the abandoned mine. Something came up. Tell Qi Yao I’ll give him the details myself when I get back.

Yun Sheng stared at the message, her fingertips tightening on her terminal.

’White Tiger is near the mine?’

’Si Jin was there earlier, too. Could it be he also went to investigate because a powerful Dark Sentinel’s presence was detected at the mine?!’

She hesitated for a moment before typing a reply.

F-3: Understood, I’ll pass it on. Are you... all right?

Message sent.

「Meanwhile, at the edge of the abandoned mine.」

Amid the devastated ruins, rubble was piled like small mountains. The air was thick with the mixed scent of burnt matter and decay.

The collapsed mine entrance was sealed by massive boulders. Countless contaminant carcasses were scattered about—some dried and blackened, others still slowly oozing a viscous fluid.

A figure was leaning against a massive rock, his gray combat suit stained with dust and blood.

Bai Ye stared down at the terminal on his wrist, the screen’s faint glow illuminating his somewhat pale face.

When he saw Yun Sheng’s message—saw her concern—those few words of concern made the corner of his lip quirk into a faint smile.

’Am I okay?’

’If she hadn’t helped him repair the cracks in his spiritual landscape in the dream, he’d probably be just like Si Jin right now—his spiritual power running rampant, on the verge of turning into a Dark Sentinel.’

’But he couldn’t let Yun Sheng know any of that.’

S-1: I’m fine. I’ll come find you tonight.

After putting away his terminal, Bai Ye leaned back against the rock and closed his eyes.

’Once his body has recovered a bit more, once he has this rampaging spiritual power completely suppressed, he would go find Yun Sheng. He would find her and confirm everything!’

...

On the other side of the mine collapse, a dark figure leaned against a slanted megalith. His chest rose and fell violently, each breath a ragged gasp.

It was Si Jin.

The Dark Spiritual Power that had once raged uncontrollably was now mostly suppressed. Only a few scattered wisps still churned restlessly around him.

Compared to his previous, completely out-of-control state, this was a world of difference.

He looked down at his hands. His long-fingered knuckles were stained with dried blood—whether it was from a contaminant or his own, he didn’t know.

His palms trembled slightly—an aftereffect of self-detonating his spiritual power—but at least his hands were his to command once more.

"Yun Sheng."

Si Jin murmured her name, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper scraping his throat, yet it carried an ultimate tenderness.

"Without you, I would’ve been a goner this time."

He gave a self-deprecating laugh, his lips curling into a weak smile.

The smile tugged at his wounds, making him suck in a sharp breath of pain, but the light in his eyes only grew brighter.

’He remembered the blurry face from the dream.’

’He remembered her hands wrapped around his neck, her whisper of "I’ll wait for you" in his ear, the dazed, trusting look in her eyes in the heat of passion.’

’He remembered the impulse he’d had to force back at the very last moment.’

A searing light ignited in his azure eyes.

"Yun Sheng."

He called her name again, his voice lower this time, but all the more resolute.

"Wait for me."

Si Jin leaned against the rock and slowly closed his eyes, a smile still gracing his lips.

"When I’ve recovered, I’ll come find you. I’ll find you and we’ll define our relationship. And then..."

He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing sharply.

"And then we’ll finish what we started in the dream."