Chapter 115: Yun Sheng Is About to Be Exposed
The command tent was in the center of the camp, a size larger than the regular tents. Two Sentinels stood guard at the entrance. Seeing Yun Sheng approach, they checked her identification, then lifted the flap for her to enter.
The tent was more spacious than imagined.
In the middle was a simple long table, a topographical map spread across it. Several communication devices blinked with indicator lights.
Some supply crates were stacked in a corner, and a whiteboard hung on the wall, on which dangerous landmarks of the area were drawn with a marker.
Qi Yao stood before the long table, his head bowed as he looked at something.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, a gentle, characteristic smile on his face.
"Miss Yun, you’re here." He put down what was in his hands, his tone as casual as if making small talk. "I heard about what happened last night. Team Three was attacked by contaminants. How are you? You weren’t injured, were you?"
Yun Sheng came to a stop opposite him, her expression calm. "Thank you for your concern, Major General Qi. I’m fine."
"That’s good." Qi Yao nodded, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. "Have a seat. Don’t just stand there."
He gestured to a folding chair by the long table.
Yun Sheng paused for a moment but sat down anyway.
"I heard you performed very well during the contaminant attack yesterday. Not only did you discover their weakness, but you also led the other trainees in a counterattack? You’ve never been in the field before, so how did you know more about the contaminants’ weaknesses than even the guide?"
Qi Yao watched her, his tone still gentle, yet carrying a clear probing edge.
Yun Sheng looked up, meeting his gaze.
His eyes were smiling, as gentle as if they were just chatting, but she couldn’t help but feel that something was hidden beneath that smile.
"The guide mentioned it. I’ve just encountered more complicated situations in my life, so I’m a little calmer than others."
Qi Yao chuckled and didn’t press further, changing the subject instead. "Right, the guide also mentioned that an accompanying Sentinel performed exceptionally well. He showed up just in time and stabilized the situation all by himself."
"Yes, he is indeed very powerful."
Qi Yao’s gaze deepened as he looked at her.
"You knew him before?"
"No."
Qi Yao leaned back in his chair, his tone still casually conversational. "White Tiger... I don’t think I’ve heard of him before. Logically, a Sentinel this powerful should have a record at the Tower."
He paused, his gaze landing on Yun Sheng’s face.
"Do you know where he is now?"
After Team Three returned, the accompanying guide and Sentinel Captain had reported the situation. Qi Yao had immediately wanted to see this White Tiger, but after having people search the entire camp, they couldn’t find him.
Yun Sheng froze, a hint of surprise on her face.
"Major General Qi, I don’t quite understand what you mean. He’s the accompanying Sentinel for Team Three; their captain should know more about his whereabouts. Although he saved me, I didn’t know him before this. After we got to camp, I haven’t seen him either, so I don’t know where he went."
Qi Yao watched her for a few seconds. His gaze wasn’t heavy, but it made Yun Sheng feel as if she had been lightly brushed by something.
"Don’t be nervous,"
He stood up and walked around the table to stand before Yun Sheng, his tone even gentler than before.
"I was just asking casually. After all, you’re Yue Yao’s sister. You ran into trouble before you even got to camp, so I feel I should look out for you a little more."
He looked down at her.
"Get some rest. There’s still a month of combat training ahead. If you have any problems, feel free to find me anytime."
Yun Sheng stood up and gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Major General Qi."
She turned and walked toward the entrance.
The moment she lifted the tent flap, she could feel his gaze still on her back.
It wasn’t heavy.
But it was like a fine needle, pricking her.
She didn’t look back and strode out.
Only after leaving the vicinity of the command tent did Yun Sheng finally relax a little. In the early morning camp, trainees moved about in twos and threes. Some were organizing supplies, others chatted in front of their tents; everything seemed normal and calm.
But her brow slowly furrowed.
’Qi Yao’s words just now... On the surface, he was concerned about my situation, but between the lines, it was clear he was more interested in White Tiger.’
’Before White Tiger left, he had clearly said something to that Sentinel Captain. The captain’s attitude showed that he obviously knew him, and with clear respect. Yet Qi Yao, the person in charge of this whole operation, doesn’t know him?’
’It doesn’t make sense.’
’If White Tiger were really a combat Sentinel registered with the Tower, how could Qi Yao not know him?’
’Even if they’d never met, his name should have been on the roster. All personnel for this field combat training should have been vetted and registered before departure. As the one in charge, it’s impossible for Qi Yao to be completely unaware.’
’Unless...’
’Unless White Tiger isn’t part of the Tower’s official roster at all.’
’Or his identity is fake!’
When this thought popped into her head, Yun Sheng startled herself.
’He added me privately, giving me those files he shouldn’t have.’
’He arrived just in time, appearing at my most dangerous moment.’
’The way he looked at me—that silent, restrained, yet warm gaze.’
’It felt so familiar.’
’If White Tiger’s identity is fake, then what is his purpose in deliberately approaching me?’
Yun Sheng didn’t dare to think about it any further.
Just then, HISS! A sharp, piercing shriek exploded from the wilderness outside the camp without any warning!
The sound wasn’t an ordinary cry. It was more like a sharp vibration that directly pierced her spiritual landscape, like countless red-hot steel needles stabbing deep into her mind!
"Ugh!"
Yun Sheng let out a muffled groan, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
She instinctively grabbed a nearby supply crate to steady herself.
Not far away, some trainees had already crouched down, clutching their heads in pain.
Some fell directly to their knees, letting out suppressed moans.
"Alert! Alert! An unidentified High Order contaminant has appeared nearby! All personnel on alert!"
The camp instantly erupted into chaos.
The shouts of Sentinels, the frantic footsteps, and the shrill blare of alarms intertwined into a chaotic backdrop of sound.
But Yun Sheng could barely hear it anymore.
Because the second wave of shrieks had come.
"HISS!!!"
This time it was even more ferocious than before. The sharp mental assault was like a tangible sledgehammer, smashing violently into her fragile spiritual landscape.
Yun Sheng’s legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground, her hands pressed tightly against her temples.
Pain.
So much pain.
But what terrified her more was that deep within her spiritual landscape, the two forces belonging to Si Jin and Bai Ye seemed to have been forcibly awakened by the strange shriek and were beginning to churn uncontrollably!
One was cold and violent, radiating an aura of total destruction; the other was warm and profound, yet equally turbulent and powerful.
They tore at each other, collided, and surged madly within the depths of her spiritual landscape, as if they would rip her apart from the inside!
"No..."
Yun Sheng gritted her teeth, cold sweat trickling down her temples.
’I feel like a small boat in a tempest, on the verge of being completely engulfed by those two rampaging forces.’
’And the most terrifying part was, they were frantically battering the edges of my spiritual landscape, like two caged beasts trying to tear their prison apart, desperate to escape.’
’If that happened, I would be completely exposed!’