Chapter 112: The Cover is About to be Blown?
"What is that?!" someone in the back exclaimed.
Everyone’s gaze shot to the window, their hearts in their throats.
But the roiling mass of fog just continued to churn, as if an invisible hand were stirring it, yet it never revealed any definite shape.
After ten-odd seconds, the fog grew calm again, continuing to flow slowly against the glass as if the earlier disturbance had just been a collective illusion.
But no one dared to breathe a sigh of relief.
The driver’s anxious voice came from the cockpit: "No good! The navigation is completely shot, and the compass is just spinning... There’s something strange about this fog. We can’t keep driving!"
The guide hurried to the cockpit door, exchanged a few words in a low voice, and returned to the center of the cabin, his expression grave.
"Listen up, everyone. We have now entered Buffer Zone 10, and we’re about ten kilometers from the camp. But this dense fog is interfering with all navigation equipment. Moving forward rashly will only increase the risk."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the rows of nervous faces.
"From now on, everyone is to remain in the vehicle. Do not get out, do not open the windows, and do not make any loud noises. I’m going to find the captain to discuss our next move. Stay alert."
With that, he opened the door, and his figure was instantly swallowed by the thick fog.
The moment the door closed, an eerie silence fell over the cabin.
No one spoke.
No one dared to move.
There was only the faint sound of the fog slowly drifting past the windows and the occasional, unplaceable, and strange shriek from the distance.
The shrieking was faint, so faint it could have been an illusion, yet it grated on everyone’s nerves with every cry.
Cheng Nian gripped Yun Sheng’s sleeve so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Yun Sheng didn’t pull away. She just patted the back of Cheng Nian’s hand, signaling for her to relax.
But her own heart was far from calm.
Just then, the terminal screen on her wrist suddenly lit up.
Yun Sheng lowered her gaze, her eyes falling on the message that had popped up.
S-1: Feeling any better?
’It’s White Tiger.’
Yun Sheng subconsciously turned her head to look out the window, but the fog was too thick to see anything.
She knew White Tiger was in another vehicle.
Sentinels and guides rode separately. This was standard Tower protocol, born from the fear that if they shared a confined space for too long, a Sentinel might be overwhelmed by the unconscious release of guide hormones and do something uncontrolled.
’Right now, White Tiger should be in the vehicle behind ours, the one full of combat Sentinels.’
Yun Sheng pulled her gaze away from the window and lightly tapped out a reply.
F-3: A little better. Did the guide head over to you guys? The fog’s too thick, so the driver stopped.
After she sent the message, the chat box showed "typing..." for a long time, but no new message appeared.
Yun Sheng stared at the screen, a thread of unease rising in her heart.
A few seconds later, the message finally arrived.
S-1: No. He didn’t come over.
S-1: I’m telling my driver to stop now.
Yun Sheng’s pupils contracted slightly.
’The guide said he was going to discuss things with the captain, but White Tiger said he never arrived. So where did the guide go?’
She snapped her head up and looked out the window again.
The fog still flowed thick and heavy, clinging to the motionless windows like countless unseen hands drifting slowly past.
Cheng Nian noticed something was wrong and whispered, "Yun Sheng, what is it?"
Yun Sheng pressed her lips together firmly and said as calmly as she could, "It’s nothing, don’t worry."
After reassuring Cheng Nian, she looked down, her fingertips flying across the screen.
F-3: The guide didn’t go to you. Where did he go? He couldn’t have gone missing, could he?
This time, the reply came quickly.
S-1: Not sure. I’ve had the driver stop. I’m sending people to search along the road.
S-1: What’s the situation on your end? Anything unusual?
Yun Sheng looked up, her gaze sweeping across the cabin.
Everything was the same as before.
The trainees sat nervously in their seats, Cheng Nian leaned against her, the fog drifted slowly outside the window, and from the distance came the occasional, unplaceable shriek of a pollutant.
’Nothing was out of the ordinary.’
But it was precisely this "lack of anything unusual" that made the unease in her heart grow stronger.
’It’s been almost ten minutes since the guide left. Where did he go? Why haven’t I heard any unusual sounds?’
F-3: All normal here. The guide isn’t back. Should we get out and look for him?
S-1: No. No one gets out of the vehicle.
S-1: Wait for me.
Yun Sheng stared at the three words, and her heart skipped a beat.
’White Tiger is coming over?’
Before she could reply, a dull thud suddenly came from the rear of the cabin.
It sounded like the door was being pulled open from the outside.
"Who is it?!"
"Is the guide back?"
"It’s not a pollutant, is it?!"
The cabin instantly erupted into chaos.
The trainees, like startled birds, all whipped their heads toward the door. A few by the windows were already reaching for the weapons at their waists. Cheng Nian clutched Yun Sheng’s sleeve for dear life, her fingers trembling.
The door was slowly pulled open a crack, and a foot in a black combat boot stepped inside.
A gray combat uniform, a tall and slender figure, the hard line of his shoulders.
It was White Tiger.
He stood at the door, still shrouded in the damp mist from outside. A mask covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of deep, dark eyes.
The tension in the cabin instantly dissipated.
"It’s White Tiger Officer..."
"You scared me to death..."
The trainees muttered amongst themselves, patting their chests, still shaken.
White Tiger ignored their gazes.
His gaze passed over everyone else and slowly came to rest on Yun Sheng.
He then strode into the cabin. The door closed automatically behind him, shutting out the eerie, thick whiteness.
The cabin fell silent again, every eye following the gray figure.
"Sir," a trainee in the front row ventured, "what’s... the situation outside? Where’s the guide?"
White Tiger paused and turned to face the nervous faces in the cabin.
"The guide and the captain are discussing the route ahead." His voice wasn’t loud, but it had a steady, inexplicably reassuring quality. "The fog is too thick, and forcing our way through is risky, so we’re holding our position for now. During this time, I will be responsible for the security of this vehicle."
As soon as he finished speaking, a collective sigh of relief was clearly audible in the cabin.
"That’s great..."
"With White Tiger Officer here, we can relax..."
The trainees’ tense shoulders all slumped in relief.
The image of White Tiger single-handedly repelling a swarm of pollutants was still fresh in their minds. With him here, the thick fog suddenly seemed less terrifying.
White Tiger said no more.
He turned, his gaze once again falling on Yun Sheng.
Cheng Nian suddenly felt a gaze land on the top of her head.
She looked up and met White Tiger’s deep, dark eyes.
Those eyes weren’t looking at her.
They were looking at Yun Sheng, who was beside her.
Cheng Nian froze for a second, then, as if something had just dawned on her, she quickly scooted to the side, shrinking into a small ball and wishing she could just plaster herself to the window.
White Tiger immediately walked over and sat down in the newly vacated spot.
Yun Sheng felt the seat beside her dip slightly, followed by a faint scent, tinged with damp mist, enveloping her.
She turned her head and asked in a low voice, "What’s really going on outside?"
White Tiger didn’t answer immediately.
He just tilted his head slightly, his unhurried gaze slowly gliding from her brows and eyes, sweeping across her entire face.
His gaze made her heart skip a beat.
’It wasn’t because of nervousness.’
’It was because his gaze was so familiar.’
That kind of calm, restrained gaze, tinged with some indescribable emotion—she had seen it before.
In a recent dream, Bai Ye had looked at her in the exact same way.
’Bai Ye.’
’White Tiger.’
A ridiculous thought suddenly flashed through Yun Sheng’s mind.