The shuttle sped through the transparent tube, passing by one high-rise building after another.
The sky was vast and distant, with white clouds swirling around.
The transportation in this world was well-developed, so the Wen family had chosen a house outside the city. It was only a ten-minute ride by shuttle.
Wen Qianshu rested her elbow on the windowsill, staring motionlessly out the window. Although she couldn’t see anything clearly outside, she still gazed intently, as if looking at some beautiful scenery.
2333: “…”
It glanced at Wen Qianshu a few times and finally couldn’t hold back anymore: “Can you stop smiling?”
Wen Qianshu held her open hand to her lips and said lazily, “My, my, are you going to control whether I smile or not?”
2333: “To be fair, you’ve been smiling almost the entire way. It’s kind of creepy.”
Wen Qianshu: “I’ll tell you a little trick that can solve this problem—turn off your visual sensors.”
2333: “…”
Just as it was about to say something, it suddenly saw Wen Qianshu abruptly unbuckle her seatbelt and lunge to the side.
A tall woman slammed her fist onto her seat.
The shuttle made a turn, and Wen Qianshu, unsteady on her feet, slid toward the window. She turned sideways to dodge the woman’s attack and, in the same motion, unfastened the bag carrying her mental body.
The small cat leaped out.
The other passengers on the shuttle screamed.
Wen Qianshu: “Actually, I must be the protagonist, right? With such good luck—”
2333: “You call this good luck??”
The woman was a Sentinel. Her mental body, a lioness, rushed over, opening its mouth to bite the cat. Wen Qianshu controlled the small cat to leap up onto the high luggage rack, while she herself ducked down, trying to continue evading the Sentinel’s attacks.
But this body was, after all, just recovering from a serious illness. It couldn’t compare to Qin Shu’s body in the last world after she joined the search team. Wen Qianshu’s consciousness was there, but her speed and strength couldn’t keep up. She was slammed hard against the glass window, nearly knocking the wind out of her.
Fortunately, the shuttle’s windows were specially made and didn’t even crack. Wen Qianshu only let out a pained grunt and raised her arm to block the next blow.
There were other Guides in the same car who tried to soothe the frenzied Sentinel’s mental body, but they found it wasn’t working. “This is a Sentinel with a Sentinel-Guide Lock—”
So, other Sentinels also unbuckled their seatbelts, scrambling to restrain her mental body and pull her away.
But the out-of-control Sentinel attacked indiscriminately, and in a moment, several Sentinels were injured. Wen Qianshu was squeezed into the innermost corner, trapped between the Sentinel and the window, unable to get out. She watched as several Sentinels fought in a tangled mess before her.
2333 said anxiously, “Don’t just stand there, get out—”
“No need,” Wen Qianshu said. “I’m just a delicate Guide.”
2333: “…”
Wen Qianshu let the chaos unfold in front of her, averted her gaze, and took the opportunity to observe her surroundings, noting everyone’s expressions—panicked, frightened, whispering to each other—and then—
Wen Qianshu’s eyes met Wen Qianhua’s.
Wen Qianhua was in the posture of rushing over, but perhaps she had been too far away and couldn’t squeeze through in time.
When she saw Wen Qianshu looking at her, she was slightly taken aback and abruptly wanted to retreat.
The shuttle’s electronic voice announced: “Frigg Parent-Child Center reminds you, we are now arriving at the station—”
The sounds of the Sentinels fighting were right by her ear.
The shuttle’s speed was decreasing, and the scenery outside the window gradually became clearer.
Wen Qianshu pushed herself up with one hand, stepped on the armrest, and vaulted over the back of the seat.
2333: “?”
What happened to the delicate Guide?
Without looking back, Wen Qianhua bent down to scoop up the little ocelot and tried to head for the door, but the small, silver-white cat blocked her path.
“Please exit from the left-side doors of the shuttle—”
Wen Qianshu grabbed her arm. “Wen Qianhua.”
Wen Qianhua stopped, turned to look at her, and frowned.
2333: “Oh my god.”
The Sentinels subdued the out-of-control Sentinel, and someone nearby had already called the police. Wen Qianshu went to give a statement. When she came out, she saw a young Guide sitting on a chair, crying. “How could this happen?” she sobbed. “She was perfectly fine just a few days ago—”
Her mental body was a small lamb, resting its chin on her knee and licking her hand. On her ring finger was a simple, beautiful silver ring.
Wen Qianshu sat down beside her and handed her a pack of tissues.
The Guide paused, sniffled, and said, “Thank you.”
She took the tissues and wiped her tears and nose.
She was a very delicate-looking Guide, her long eyelashes dotted with teardrops. She was crying beautifully, her eyes red-rimmed.
Waiting outside, she was anxious and couldn’t help but say to Wen Qianshu, “She’s not like this. Back in school, she wouldn’t even fight back when she was bullied badly. How could she suddenly, just attack someone for no reason—”
Wen Qianshu: “Bullied in school?”
“Yes,” the Guide said indignantly. “There was a really nasty Sentinel in her class who was always bullying her, even hitting her. When I found out later, I was so angry I pestered the teachers and the school until they let her transfer classes.”
“Her parents weren’t good to her either—” the Guide cried. “How could this happen—”
Just as Wen Qianshu was about to ask more, the door in front of them opened.
Wen Qianhua also came out after giving her statement. Seeing them, she frowned and said, “Why are you still here?”
Wen Qianshu said, “Waiting for you.”
Wen Qianhua pressed her lips together. “Waiting for me for what? Don’t you know you should get to a hospital for a check-up as soon as possible? What if you were seriously injured?”
The Guide was taken aback and looked at Wen Qianshu. “She attacked you?”
“She really didn’t mean it, she wasn’t like this before—”
After finally placating the Guide, Wen Qianhua practically dragged Wen Qianshu back onto a shuttle. “I told you before, Sentinels are no good. Stay away from them!”
She was about to push Wen Qianshu into a seat but paused. “Does your back hurt?”
Wen Qianshu: “It’s fine.”
She sat down, fastened her seatbelt, and watched as Wen Qianhua also sat beside her. Her sister’s face was grim, her lips pressed tightly together. The little ocelot was shut in its bag, growling incessantly.
Wen Qianshu propped her chin on her hand and looked at her, suddenly saying, “You were that worried about me? You followed me all the way here?”
Wen Qianhua stiffened.
Wen Qianshu: “How did you get excused from class?”
Wen Qianhua: “None of your business.”
“Oh—” Wen Qianshu said, “I won’t meddle. Since I’m going to the hospital anyway, I can look for Mu Danqing’s older sister.”
Wen Qianhua: “?”
She immediately bristled like a cat. “Why do you keep looking for that Sentinel? A Guide doctor is obviously better!”
Wen Qianshu stared at her, her eyes wide and unblinking.
Wen Qianhua quickly conceded, saying reluctantly, “I lied to the teacher and said I wasn’t feeling well and was going to the infirmary. I forged the leave slip myself earlier—”
Wen Qianhua: “Don’t tell Mom, and don’t tell our brothers. I won’t do it again.”
She mumbled, “I just didn’t think you could handle it alone, right? You should have just given me the thing and let me return it—”
Wen Qianshu suddenly asked, “What exactly happened back then?”
Wen Qianhua was startled but averted her gaze. “Don’t you already know everything?”
“I mean—” Wen Qianshu said, “what happened before you and I got separated?”
Wen Qianhua bit her lower lip tightly. Wen Qianshu said softly, “My mental body collapsed, so I don’t remember some things clearly.”
Wen Qianshu watched as Wen Qianhua’s whole body tensed, her lower teeth nearly biting through her lip—it was a posture full of defensiveness.
Wen Qianshu repeated, “So, tell me, what happened back then that made you so scared, so scared that you still are now?”
Wen Qianhua almost shot up, but she was held back by the seatbelt, only tensing before sitting back down. She stared at Wen Qianshu, their almond eyes and features so similar. “You really don’t remember?”
She stared at her, her gaze both urgent and anxious, but gradually the urgency faded, leaving only bleakness. Wen Qianhua raised her hand, then lowered it. “We didn’t get separated by accident. I ditched you on purpose.”
Wen Qianshu was stunned and suddenly felt a pain in her chest. She looked at Wen Qianhua, but her sister had closed her eyes.
Wen Qianhua remembered that day.
In fact, from that day on, every nightmare she had was about that day.
Back then, their family still lived in the city.
That morning, she had just argued with her mother about her mother’s favoritism—going to her older sister’s parent-teacher conference but not hers. Her mother explained to her, “Dad and I have been too busy lately, we really can’t make it to yours. How about we have your big brother go? Don’t you like your big brother the most—”
She whined and pouted, insisting it wasn’t okay.
Her mother patiently explained, “Your sister’s health isn’t good. Her developmental delay syndrome is getting worse. The teacher said a parent must be there—”
She wouldn’t listen. She was angry. She couldn’t stand this older sister.
Mother: “You are blood sisters. You have to support each other in the future.”
Blood sisters—sisters—
She thought resentfully, Isn’t it always me taking care of this sister? Even though her sister was in a higher grade, they had to go to school and come home together, so she couldn’t even walk with her classmates. When others bullied her, she fought for her. When others mocked her illness, she cursed them back.
Her sister was withdrawn all day, had no friends, and the family always made her take her sister out, trying everything to make her laugh.
On the way home that day, she felt increasingly wronged, feeling that the whole family only cared about this sister and not her at all. Her sister was also quite talkative on the way, repeatedly asking, “Don’t you think something’s a little strange?”
She was annoyed. “What could be strange? Can you not be so jumpy all the time?”
It was a road they had walked since they were little.
The neighborhood was safe, and there were many people around. What danger could there be?
She was an outstanding young Guide. The ocelot that was her mental body was majestic. In contrast, her sister’s mental body was just a wisp of mist, completely useless.
If she hadn’t noticed anything wrong, how could her sister have?
She thought this, dismissively, not taking it seriously. She even felt irritated, thinking it would be better to ditch her sister, that she never wanted to walk with her again.
Her classmates had invited her for barbecue today, but her family insisted she come home with her sister—the Mental Body Developmental Delay Syndrome made her sister’s mental energy very unstable, requiring someone to be with her and watch over her constantly.
She walked faster and faster, perhaps passing several traffic lights and weaving through several crowds. When she turned back, she found that her sister was really gone.
She was both shocked and scared, but a tiny sliver of joy bloomed in her heart—her sister couldn’t cling to her anymore, couldn’t annoy her anymore, couldn’t—
She gritted her teeth and turned back to look for her.
She told herself that if her sister really got lost, her parents would be sad, and her big brother would scold her.
And then, then she saw that scene.
The Sentinel who had lost his mind, the crowd trying to restrain him, the frantic shouts of people calling for an ambulance, the people lying all over the ground.
Ordinary people, Guides—
Blood, shattered mental bodies—
Someone saw her. “Little girl, don’t look—”
She didn’t hear what he was saying. She just ran over and saw her sister lying on the ground, looking at her with open eyes. Her mist-like mental body had dispersed, completely vanished.
That Sentinel was very strong. His mental body was a giant python, and several people together couldn’t hold him down.
The surroundings grew more chaotic, with someone shouting about the danger.
Using her small size, she ducked and weaved through the crowd. “Sister, Sister—”
Someone grabbed her by the collar, pulling her back two steps. “Don’t go over there, the ambulance is coming—”
“Sister—” She twisted around to pry the person’s hand off. “My sister is over there! Let go of me, that’s my sister—”
My sister—
Wen Qianhua let out a long breath. “If only I had listened to you back then.”
Her sister’s life was saved, but her mental body had collapsed, and she fell into a coma.
The doctor sighed, saying the chances of her waking up were slim. But the Wen family still purchased the best nutrition pod and moved outside the city—they heard a quieter environment was more conducive to mental body recovery.
Her family didn’t ask her what had happened. They just held her, cried, and comforted her, saying it was a good thing she was okay.
But from then on, she began to detest Sentinels.
She started practicing poor mental soothing, started fighting with Sentinels, and started spending entire nights sitting in her sister’s room, planning to take her sister out for good food and fun things once she woke up, to follow her every day and never find her annoying again.
She would lean over the nutrition pod and whisper, “Just wake up already.”
Wake up.
The pain in Wen Qianshu’s chest grew stronger, but after three worlds, she had surprisingly gotten used to it. She just said, “Well, I’m awake now.”
“I’m fine now, very healthy—” Wen Qianshu felt a catch in her chest, and the pain actually subsided. She hesitated, then continued along that line, “Don’t be sad anymore, okay?”
Wen Qianshu hadn’t guessed wrong. The pain in her chest grew lighter and lighter, finally becoming a dull ache.
Wen Qianhua scoffed. “I’m not sad.”
“Just stay away from Sentinels.”
She closed her eyes, then opened them again and said fiercely, “Sit up straight! Don’t lean back, or you’ll be crying from the pain later.”
Any words of concern coming from Wen Qianhua’s mouth sounded like she was trying to start a fight.
Wen Qianshu: “…”
“Okay.”
Well, she’s stubborn and won’t admit it.
Seeing them stop talking, 2333 couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really think she showed up here just because she was worried about ‘Wen Qianshu’? That Sentinel’s information overload, wasn’t it her doing?”
Wen Qianshu: “Look at her ability to control her mental body. Does she seem like someone who could pull that off?”
Wen Qianhua kept saying Sentinels couldn’t control their mental bodies well, but she couldn’t control her own either—that little ocelot was particularly fond of nuzzling Wen family members, clearly reflecting Wen Qianhua’s true emotions, which she couldn’t hide.
2333: “Maybe she’s doing it on purpose? Intentionally controlling her mental body to act like that—”
“There’s no need,” Wen Qianshu said. “If she were really that capable, why doesn’t she put on an act herself? Picking fights every other day, getting triggered after just a few words—what’s the benefit of establishing such a persona?”
2333: “…”
2333 sighed. “So we have no clue about this world at all?”
Wen Qianshu: “Why not?”
2333: “?”
Wen Qianshu: “Her condition—she’s clearly a Guide, whose mental energy should be stable, yet she’s irritable, chronically fearful, and highly aggressive.”
And those Sentinels, they all have Sentinel-Guide Locks and have just received mental soothing from their partners, so their emotions should be calm—yet they lose their minds and attack others.
“Don’t you think—” Wen Qianshu said, “that she’s a lot like someone with the so-called ‘Sentinel Hypersensitivity Syndrome’?”
Author’s Notes:
OOC Little Theater:
2333: So we have no clue about this world at all?
Wen Qianshu: You are you, I am me. Don’t say ‘we’.
