Chapter 2: Out of the Wolf’s Den, Into the Tiger’s Lair
Yun Sheng gritted her teeth and struggled with all her might, but her meager strength was completely useless against the enhanced Sentinel.
"Let me go!"
’Why is my power gone?’
’Could it be... that life-saving barrier... was it really connected to that erotic dream?’
’Was it the man from the dream... who briefly lent me his power?!’
The Sentinel holding her clicked his tongue in annoyance and flung her away.
"Ah!"
Yun Sheng felt an immense force send her flying. She was completely out of control as she slammed heavily into the stair railing. Then, the world spun, and she tumbled down the cold, concrete steps.
"Ugh..."
Excruciating pain instantly flooded her entire body.
Her forehead struck the edge of a step, and warm blood immediately trickled down from the corner of her brow. A piercing pain shot through her knee, and fresh blood quickly stained her thin pajama pants.
The two Sentinels, who had been about to charge down the stairs to grab Yun Sheng, abruptly froze.
They stood as if paralyzed by a spell, their nostrils flaring as they greedily inhaled the strange fragrance that filled the air.
Their eyes, once filled with hostility, now held a clouded, almost obsessive gleam as they stared fixedly at Yun Sheng, who was huddled on the staircase landing.
"So... so fragrant..."
The Sentinel muttered to himself, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His gaze grew eerie and intense, as if he were looking upon the most precious treasure in the world.
As if pulled by invisible threads, they advanced on Yun Sheng step by step, their expressions a chilling mix of obsession and desire.
This sudden change and their eerie gazes terrified Yun Sheng, making her skin crawl.
Forcing herself to ignore the excruciating pain in her forehead and knee, she scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward the apartment building’s main entrance.
’I have to get out of here.’
’Right now! Immediately!’
Yun Sheng used the last of her strength to burst through the heavy iron door. The blinding sunlight made her momentarily dizzy, and she lost control, pitching forward.
However, the expected impact with the cold ground never came.
She crashed into a hard, cold embrace that carried an icy chill.
Stumbling, Yun Sheng looked up, only to be met by a pair of deep, arresting eyes.
The man before her was handsome but had an unhealthy pallor. Strands of messy, gray hair fell across his forehead.
What was most striking were his eyes. They seemed veiled in a hazy mist, beneath which a faint, amber-gold light swirled, making them difficult to see clearly.
Just as she was captivated by the strange color of his eyes, a silver-gray shadow leaped out from behind him with a soft SWOOSH. Like a fluffy cloud, it landed by her feet and began to rub against her leg.
It was a ridiculously beautiful creature, with a body somewhere between a fox and a raccoon. Its blue-gray fur was as fluffy as a sun-warmed blanket, looking wonderfully warm and soft to the touch.
The little creature showed no fear of strangers, affectionately rubbing its fluffy head against Yun Sheng’s calf and letting out a contented purr.
Its exceptionally fluffy tail curled nimbly, wrapping around her cold ankle like a warm, plush scarf and bringing a tangible wave of warmth.
It tilted its small head back, its damp, black nose twitching slightly.
Its sparkling eyes gazed up at her expectantly, and she had to fight an overwhelming urge to reach out and stroke its impossibly soft fur.
"You damn brat, where do you think you’re going!"
The curse from behind shattered the momentary peace.
Scarface and the two Sentinels charged out menacingly, but they froze for a second when they saw the man beside Yun Sheng.
Realizing the man didn’t have the powerful, oppressive aura of a Sentinel, he roared, "Hey, kid! Scram if you know what’s good for you! Don’t be a fucking busybody, or we’ll deal with you, too!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the man slowly raised his head.
Within his once-misty eyes, countless chaotic and dangerous glints of amber-gold light flickered like broken code.
The next second, as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer, Scarface and his men let out bloodcurdling screams and collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads in agony.
Yun Sheng stared at her three pursuers, now completely incapacitated. When she met the man’s unfathomable eyes again, which seemed to hide a brewing storm, her heart began to pound like a drum in her chest.
’I just escaped the wolf’s den... have I stumbled into the tiger’s lair?’
To her relief, the man didn’t move closer. He merely glanced down at the Mili snuggled tightly against Yun Sheng’s feet, then turned without hesitation and walked away, deeper into the alley.
’He’s... just leaving? Like that?’
Yun Sheng was completely baffled. She looked down at the Mili still clinging to her calf.
The little ball of blue-gray fluff was wrapped tightly around her ankle. It even nuzzled her leg again, clearly unwilling to leave.
"Come back."
The man, already several steps away, didn’t stop or turn around as he issued the cold, curt command.
The Mili released Yun Sheng with great reluctance, trotting toward the man and looking back every few steps.
Just as the man’s figure was about to disappear around the corner, the Mili finally dissolved into a streak of light and merged back into his body.
Yun Sheng watched the spot where the man and his spiritual body had vanished. She couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling, but she knew the man was very strange.
But she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. The three Sentinels on the ground were incapacitated for now, but who knew when they would recover?
She clenched her jaw, turned, and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Drawing on the original owner’s familiarity with the slum’s layout, she desperately weaved through the labyrinth of complex alleys.
After running for what felt like an eternity, she finally burst out of the maze-like alleys and into an abandoned plaza connected to the spaceport platform.
Just as she paused to catch her breath...
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion ripped through the edge of the plaza!
A smuggling ship, having attempted a forced takeoff, spun out of control in mid-air. Spewing black smoke, it plummeted like a meteorite right toward Yun Sheng!
A searing heatwave and shrapnel flew toward her. Her pupils constricted in terror, but her body, completely exhausted, wouldn’t move.
’It’s over...’
"ROAR!"
A majestic tiger’s roar tore through the sky!
A barrier of pure white light instantly materialized above Yun Sheng’s head. The out-of-control ship slammed into it and exploded spectacularly right before her eyes.
When the light faded, a man in the uniform of a Star Alliance officer stood silhouetted against the glare.
At his side crouched a magnificent White Tiger. Its fur was as pure and flawless as new snow, and a soft but majestic light radiated from its body, making it look like a sacred beast of myth.
The next moment, to the man’s utter astonishment, the proud White Tiger walked directly to Yun Sheng, slowly lowered its head, and nuzzled her uninjured arm with its fluffy head.
Yun Sheng froze, the warm sensation on her arm feeling incredibly real.
She instinctively looked up, her gaze meeting the man’s deep eyes.
He was looking at her with an incredibly complex expression, his brow slightly furrowed as if he were trying to confirm something.
"You... have we met before?"