Chapter 222: Don’t Be Afraid, I’m Here
’He wants to see Xing Che? Why?’
Yun Sheng looked at the middle-aged man and said softly, "May I know why you want to see Xing Che?"
The middle-aged man met her gaze and smiled faintly. "I’ve looked into his background. He’s not affiliated with the Star Alliance, yet he’s so powerful. I’ve simply taken a liking to his talent and wanted to try recruiting him. Of course, you can rest assured. He saved your lives, so even if he’s not willing, I won’t make things difficult for him."
Yun Sheng was silent for a moment, seeming to weigh his words.
The tent was quiet for a few seconds before she finally spoke. "I can ask for you, but I can’t be sure if he’ll be willing to see you."
The middle-aged man nodded. He didn’t press the issue, just gave a soft "mm" and averted his gaze.
Zhao Heng glanced at Yun Sheng, signaling that she could leave.
Yun Sheng acknowledged him and turned to walk out of the command tent.
The moment the curtain flap fell, she realized her back was already slightly damp with sweat.
She took a deep breath and quickened her pace toward her own tent.
Yun Sheng had no intention of looking for Xing Che right away. She felt that this matter wasn’t so simple.
’A liking for talent? Recruitment?’
’A newly appointed Chief Guide, who hasn’t even gotten to know all the trainees under him, is suddenly interested in recruiting a Sentinel of unknown origin?’
She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, but since she wasn’t familiar with this Chief Guide, she decided to wait until she saw Xing Che later and see what he thought.
Halfway there, Yun Sheng suddenly saw someone standing on the training grounds.
It was Zhou Ying.
She was standing alone in the middle of the training grounds, a knife in her hand, practicing her forms against the air. Her movements were clean and sharp, possessing a fierce sort of beauty.
Yun Sheng’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and she walked over.
"Zhou Ying." Yun Sheng stopped beside her and spoke softly. "The video... you were the one who sent it to me, right?"
Zhou Ying sheathed her knife and turned to look at her.
"It was me." Her gaze landed on Yun Sheng’s face. "Yun Sheng, to be honest, I really hated you at first. I thought you were a good-for-nothing who got into the Preparatory Guide training through connections, taking someone else’s spot. But after this period of time, after seeing your strength and watching you save everyone multiple times, my opinion of you has changed."
"So you don’t have to thank me. I originally filmed the video to observe your true strength and see how you use your spiritual power. Besides, the whole thing was started by Zhao Qian’s provocation, and she was the one who tried to seriously harm Cheng Nian. I just recorded the facts."
Yun Sheng smiled. It was a faint smile, but it bloomed from the bottom of her eyes.
"I should still thank you, though."
Zhou Ying looked at her, then suddenly raised her knife, its tip pointing directly at Yun Sheng.
"If you really want to thank me, then fight me."
Yun Sheng froze for a second, then spread her hands, her tone tinged with helplessness.
"Can we do this another day?"
She had gotten up at the crack of dawn to train with Xing Che, fought a match with Zhao Qian, and then had to deal with that Chief Guide... She was honestly mentally and physically exhausted.
Zhou Ying looked at her for a few seconds, withdrew her knife, and nodded briskly.
"Fine. Don’t forget what you said."
With that, she turned and resumed her knife practice, no longer looking at Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng saw her serious expression, chuckled softly, and turned to walk toward her tent.
After a few steps, she stopped and glanced back.
The blade of Zhou Ying’s knife glinted coldly in the sun. Every swing carried a ruthless force, just like her—decisive and efficient, without any wasted motion.
Yun Sheng looked away, suddenly feeling that she and Zhou Ying could perhaps become friends.
Just then, the ground began to tremble violently, the gravel underfoot jumping.
The familiar shrieks of pollutants rang in her ears, one after another, coming from the distance, growing more frequent and closer.
Ever since they killed that SSS-level Devouring Abyss Beast, the area around the camp had been quiet. The cries of pollutants were almost never heard.
But for such a wave of sound to erupt now... ’Has something happened again?’
Yun Sheng frowned. Just as she was about to head toward the tents, something suddenly brushed against her leg.
She looked down and saw that it was the little wolf.
The fluffy little thing was nudging her calf with its head, a soft whimper coming from its throat.
Yun Sheng immediately crouched down, scooped up the little wolf, and tapped its nose.
"What are you doing here? Where’s Si Jin?"
The little wolf let out a low whimper and licked her finger with the tip of its tongue. It felt wet and warm.
Its blue eyes stared right at her, as if it wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Yun Sheng met the little wolf’s beautiful blue eyes. The rising and falling shrieks of the pollutants still echoed in her ears, and a bad premonition suddenly washed over her.
’Could something really have happened, and that’s why Si Jin sent the little wolf to protect me?!’
She tightened her arms, hugging the little wolf closer. Then she stood up and suddenly turned, heading for the place where she usually trained with Xing Che.
The little wolf nestled obediently in her arms, its tail gently sweeping against her arm. It was very quiet.
Yun Sheng’s heart beat faster and faster, and her steps grew more and more urgent.
If Si Jin didn’t show himself, she wouldn’t be able to find him anytime soon. It would be easier to find Xing Che, since he basically stayed in the woods where they trained.
But as the cries of the pollutants grew more frequent, the camp had already tightened its security.
The section of the wire fence she usually sneaked out through had been reinforced, and several Sentinels were now standing guard. Slipping out unnoticed was impossible.
Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed. Before she could think of a plan, Guo Kai’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Yun Sheng, what are you doing here? Emergency assembly! Get to the training grounds, now!"
His expression was grave. He left her with just that one sentence and turned to leave.
’An emergency assembly? Now?’
Yun Sheng hesitated for two seconds, then hugged the little wolf and ran toward the training grounds.
As she neared the location, she looked down, stroked the little wolf’s head, and whispered, "Get smaller."
The little wolf blinked its deep blue eyes, its body shrank slightly, and in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a small, palm-sized ball.
Yun Sheng gently tucked it into her pocket. The little wolf curled up obediently inside, only its small, fluffy head peeking out, glancing at her from time to time.
She patted her pocket, took a deep breath, and ran faster onto the training grounds.
The training grounds were already full of people. Everyone looked tense, their gazes frequently darting toward the dense forest outside the camp, from which the pollutants’ cries were coming.
The shrieks of the pollutants rose and fell, getting closer and closer, surging in from all directions like a tide and making it hard to breathe.
Yun Sheng quickly scanned the crowd, saw Li Wen and Cheng Nian standing in a corner, and hurried to squeeze through to them.
When Cheng Nian saw her, her tense shoulders visibly relaxed. She grabbed her hand and stood close beside her.
Li Wen also breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t say much.
Yun Sheng watched more and more trainees run over, while the perimeter was now lined with accompanying Sentinels. Her fingers unconsciously tightened on the edge of her pocket.
The little wolf inside gently nudged her palm. It was warm and soft, as if saying, ’Don’t be afraid. I’m here.’
Her heart was still pounding, but she felt a little calmer for some reason.
But soon, an oppressive roar exploded from the depths of the dense forest. The sound was low and savage, like some giant beast awakening from a deep slumber, and it made the entire camp tremble faintly.