Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Gasps of surprise instantly filled the transport, and everyone was thrown off balance by the sudden turn of events.

Yun Sheng reacted in a flash. The moment the lurching began, she braced her hand firmly against the back of the seat in front of her to steady herself, but her heart still clenched from the sudden impact.

The transport vehicle twisted violently on the road a few times, like a drunkard. The engine let out an abnormal, high-pitched roar before its speed dropped significantly. Finally, with a muffled thud and a sound like deflating air, it came to a complete stop in the middle of the road.

"Everyone, stay calm! Remain in your seats!"

The guide for Group Three, a stern-faced middle-aged man sitting in the first row, shouted the order while quickly picking up the communicator to speak with the driver.

The chaos in the transport subsided slightly, but an uneasy atmosphere instantly spread.

’We haven’t even entered the actual buffer zone yet. How could something have gone wrong?’

"Report," the driver’s voice came through the internal comms. "The rear right driveshaft appears to have been struck or entangled by an unknown object, causing a mechanical failure. We can’t proceed. We need emergency maintenance!"

’An unknown object? An impact?’

Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed.

This route was a standard safe passage used by the Tower, cleared and maintained regularly. How could an "unknown object" capable of causing severe mechanical failure suddenly appear?

’Was it an accident?’

’Or...’

She subconsciously looked out the window.

The vehicle was stopped on a relatively narrow gravel road. On one side was a sparse forest of dead trees; on the other, a desolate hillside that was beginning to show signs of contamination. The gray fog on the distant horizon seemed a little closer.

This place could no longer be considered the absolutely safe rear.

"Attention, everyone!"

The guide announced through the vehicle’s loudspeakers, his expression grave.

"The vehicle has experienced an unknown mechanical failure and requires emergency maintenance. For your safety, everyone grab your personal gear and disembark in an orderly fashion. Assemble in the open area to the left of the vehicle. Maintain a defensive formation and do not stray far!"

The moment the order was given, the commotion inside the transport grew even louder.

"How could this happen? Weren’t we told this route was safe?"

"Did something from the contaminated zones spread over here? I heard some contaminants deliberately destroy vehicles..."

"Don’t talk nonsense! We’re not even in the buffer zone yet!" someone next to him retorted, but his voice was just as shaky.

"Then what hit us? It couldn’t have been a rock, right? The driveshaft of a military transport isn’t that fragile!"

A cacophony of questions and speculation rose and fell within the transport, making the already uneasy atmosphere even more agitated.

A male trainee with short hair leaned out to look through the window, then quickly pulled his head back, his face pale.

"Why is it... why is it so quiet outside? Could there be..."

"Can you just shut up!" someone immediately cut him off.

"Alright, that’s enough! Quiet down!" the guide barked. "Follow orders and disembark first! Assistant guides, stay on alert!"

The two assistant guides sitting in the back row quickly stood up. One raised a detection device while the other held a weapon, their expressions grim.

Their silence made the trainees’ hearts tighten more than any words could have.

Yun Sheng blended into the crowd, her movements seemingly no different from the other trainees. But the moment she stepped off the vehicle, her gaze swept quickly and discreetly over the surroundings.

Gravel road, sparse dead forest, desolate hillside, encroaching gray fog... The landscape was clearly different from the topographical features of the standard Tower safe passage she had reviewed earlier.

She impassively opened the terminal on her wrist, pulling up the official route map issued before departure and quickly activating the positioning function.

A few seconds later, as she looked at the coordinates displayed on the screen and the simple topographical map of the surrounding area she had cross-referenced, Yun Sheng’s heart sank.

Their current coordinates were far off the designated safe passage!

What sent a chill down her spine was that these coordinates almost perfectly matched a potential high-risk area marked with a conspicuous red triangle in the document she had just received: *"Detailed Analysis of Topography and Potential Risk Points on the Southeast Side of Buffer Zone 10."*

’This isn’t just a deviation from the safe passage. We’ve... driven straight into a potential high-risk area?’

Cold sweat instantly drenched her palms.

Yun Sheng forced herself to remain calm, her eyes quickly scanning the group members who were gathering around.

Most of the trainees had looks of panic and confusion, nervously eyeing the unfamiliar surroundings. They gathered in small groups, murmuring to each other, while some tried to ask the guide or the assistant guides for information.

’It seems no one has realized just how dangerous their current location is!’

Just then, the terminal on her wrist suddenly vibrated.

Yun Sheng glanced down. The screen lit up with a message from the default white avatar, a reply to a question she had sent long ago.

S-1: The accompanying combat Sentinel for Group Three, codename White Tiger. I’ll be wearing a White Tiger Badge on my chest for easy identification.

’Codename "White Tiger"?’

Yun Sheng quickly checked her memory. ’There’s no accompanying Sentinel codenamed White Tiger on the group’s public channel member list, is there?’

She pressed her lips together, her fingertips tapping rapidly.

F-3: It seems you added me privately? I was watching just now, and none of the other trainees seem to have received a similar private message. I can’t be special enough to warrant this extra attention, can I?

Sent.

This time, the reply came a little slower than before, as if the other person was choosing their words.

S-1: I’m not sure about the others. My orders are to protect Group Three member F-3, which is you. Perhaps there’s something special about you being able to participate in this training as an F-level.

Yun Sheng’s brow twitched slightly.

That explanation was as good as no explanation at all, but she didn’t press further. There were more urgent matters at hand.

She took a deep breath and continued typing.

F-3: Can I trust you?

S-1: What’s the situation?

Immediately after, another message popped up.

S-1: You can try to trust me. Tell me what’s happening on your end.

’Try to trust.’ He made no promises, offered no solemn vows, and didn’t even explain why.

But it was precisely this unadorned honesty that caused the tension in Yun Sheng’s nerves to loosen just a bit.

She no longer hesitated and quickly typed out the current situation.

F-3: The transport we were on had a sudden mechanical failure and has stopped. But our stopping point’s coordinates perfectly match a potential high-risk area marked in your files. From what I can see, the other trainees and the guide haven’t realized we’re off course. Are your files real? Are we in great danger right now?

The reply came quickly.

S-1: The files are authentic. Your current location is indeed a potential high-risk area. The maintenance team is expected to arrive in 20 minutes. Stay put as much as possible, remain vigilant, and don’t trust any abnormal sounds or lights. Keep your terminal on basic functions only.

Seeing this direct answer, Yun Sheng thought of something else.

F-3: The files you provided are far more detailed than the general version issued by the guide. They even include undisclosed coordinates and analysis of high-risk areas. This falls into the category of the Tower’s core security data. By doing this, aren’t you leaking core data?

This time, the reply was slightly delayed, but it was just as direct.

S-1: Yes.

S-1: But you don’t need to worry about that. You just need to remember what’s in them. And then, survive.

’Survive?’

Yun Sheng stared at the word, but her heart felt as if ice water had been poured into it, chilling her to the bone. The coldness spread rapidly through her limbs.

He had unreservedly admitted to breaking the rules, yet he fobbed her off with such a nonchalant reason.

This was too abnormal.

Why would a proper combat Sentinel from the Tower take such a huge risk for an F-level Preparatory Guide he had never met?

’What is his real motive?!’