Invasion [Toward the Outpost] Section 17

Lin Yuan was protected by two pairs of arms, held tightly within a warm embrace.

It turned out they were her father and mother.

Her mother was a powerful sentinel, while her father was a gentle guide.

The fire raged all around them. Her mother held her close, running swiftly through the sea of flames on her long legs.

Little Lin Yuan curled up in her mother’s arms, yet she felt not the slightest fear.

She could feel neither the heat nor the pain. All she felt was a profound sense of peace.

As a guide, her father had shielded her senses and dulled her five perceptions.

That way, she could feel no pain and perceive no terror.

Amid the blazing sea of fire, her mother protected her body while her father guarded her mental landscape.

Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly, as though they had been running through the flames for an endless stretch of time.

Lin Yuan heard her father’s gentle voice.

“Little Yuan, come. Daddy will teach you how to control a sentinel’s world.”

She could not make out her father’s face, but his gentle voice rang directly inside her mind.

“Little Yuan, you’re a genius. You can certainly do it.”

“For the rest of the journey, you and your mother will have to walk it together.”

No!

Lin Yuan suddenly opened her eyes.

The dream vanished, and most of the memories within it faded away as well.

She lay on the bed, feeling only her heart pounding violently.

At some point, the rain outside had grown heavy, and the night was as thick as ink.

Cold rain struck the windowpane, countless winding trails of water crawling down the glass.

Lin Yuan sat up dazedly and stared out at the pitch-black rainy night, remaining lost in thought for a long while.

Then, all at once, a thought occurred to her.

That fish—

No, was that sentinel still sitting in that alley?

Chapter 8

On rainy nights, most people had already left work early and returned home.

Tan Shu folded his umbrella, carefully shaking the raindrops from his shoulders. He walked down the long corridor and raised his hand to knock on the door of the Chief of the Public Security Bureau’s office.

“Come in.”

Behind the imposing desk sat Chief Cao Junmin, reviewing documents.

He had a square, dignified face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and smile lines at the corners of his mouth. He looked both commanding and refined.

“Teacher.” Tan Shu stopped beside the desk and greeted him.

Tan Shu had once been one of his students when Cao Junmin was president of the Sentinel Academy.

After Cao Junmin was promoted to chief of the Public Security Bureau, he brought several students he had personally trained into positions at his side.

As one of his trusted aides, Tan Shu always addressed Cao Junmin as “Teacher” in private, as a sign of familiarity.

Cao Junmin’s pen flew across the page. Without looking up, he asked, “What is it?”

“It’s about Ni Ji.” Tan Shu moved closer to the desk. “He’s been locked up in the Military Administration Office for several days now.”

“That child was bound to face such a day sooner or later. It’s good for him to suffer a little.” Cao Junmin picked up the document he had signed, blew lightly on the ink, and examined it carefully in his hands before finally lifting his head. “What is it? You were classmates back then. Are you thinking of putting in a word for him?”

Tan Shu hurriedly replied, “No, no. I’ll act according to your instructions, Teacher.”

Sitting behind the broad desk, Cao Junmin interlaced his hands and regarded him with a beaming smile. He looked like the kindly principal of a school, checking in on a student who had been punished with copying the school regulations.

Tan Shu kept turning over his thoughts, trying to fathom Cao Junmin’s intentions. He did not know how to phrase things in a way that would best please his teacher.

If he were following his own private wishes, he would be very unwilling to see Ni Ji appear again.

Ni Ji had practically been a vast shadow hanging over his entire student life.

Back then, at school, Ni Ji had been dazzling beyond compare. In nearly every inter-academy competition, he had been able to bring home the title of champion individual combatant for the Sentinel Academy. Wherever he was, everyone else was eclipsed into insignificance.

Over all these years, Tan Shu had endured countless hardships and nearly cast aside his dignity, fawning over Cao Junmin like a dog. Only then had he become Cao Junmin’s foremost trusted aide.

What if Ni Ji came back? Would he take away the position Tan Shu now held?

Tan Shu knew that Cao Junmin both loved and resented Ni Ji. He had never let go of the grievances caused by Ni Ji’s defiance in those years.

“It’s not that I’m being heartless, after all. He, like you, is still my student.” Cao Junmin spoke slowly from behind the desk, his tone resembling that of a principal expressing concern for a student.

“When people are young, they’re always too arrogant. Especially someone like Ni Ji, with a little ability. He thinks there’s nothing in this world worthy of making him bow or submit. Only after he has suffered, after his bones have been broken, will he understand that staying alive in this world is not so easy.”

He lowered his head and resumed reviewing the documents.

“Let him suffer for a few more days at the hands of those people in the Military Administration Office. Once he realizes that he was wrong back then and remembers to come begging me, go and bring him out.”

Tan Shu carefully watched the slightest changes in his expression before saying softly, “But, Teacher, I just heard that the student was released without charge.”

Cao Junmin lifted his eyes from behind the desk and looked at him with a half-smile.

Tan Shu’s heart jolted, and cold sweat broke out across his back. He waved both hands repeatedly as he explained, “Teacher, I truly didn’t know. I’ve been keeping watch over this matter according to your instructions from several days ago. I only heard about it today. Apparently, by coincidence, someone happened to prove that he had been framed. The evidence was even made public. The people at the Military Administration Office had no choice but to release him.”

Tan Shu had followed Cao Junmin for many years and knew that his teacher was a notorious smiling tiger.

Although he always appeared refined and gracious, speaking with a smile on his face, he was in fact extremely narrow-minded.

He wanted to make use of Ni Ji, but first he wanted to break Ni Ji’s spirit. He wanted Ni Ji to abandon his dignity and become obedient, just like himself.

So even though he knew what kind of place the Military Administration Office was, and how those people would torment someone as unyielding as Ni Ji, he had continued pretending not to know. He had merely waited for Ni Ji to be tortured until his will collapsed, at which point he would appear in the guise of a benefactor.

Having understood his teacher’s intentions, Tan Shu immediately said, “Although he’s been released, he has nowhere to go here in the capital. Besides, after being put through all that in the Military Administration Office these past few days, he’s covered in injuries. He’s probably still sitting outside the Military Administration Office right now.”

Cao Junmin rose from behind the desk and reached out to pat Tan Shu on the shoulder.

“Teacher isn’t blaming you, after all. You were classmates, and the two of you were quite close back then.”

“In that case, go and bring Ni Ji back. Get him cleaned up, and tell him that Teacher hasn’t forgotten him. See what he’s thinking now.”