First Interstellar Guide Chapter 14: Lu Zexuan’s Speculation

Chapter 14: Lu Zexuan’s Speculation

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At 7 p.m., Lu Zexuan, dressed in casual clothes, drove punctually to a private restaurant in the suburbs. This restaurant was hidden, and both the manager and the waiters were ordinary humans who had not evolved. Conversations here were not at risk of being overheard.

After parking the car, Lu Zexuan quickly walked towards one of the private rooms.

After a moment, a young man with golden curly hair pushed open the door. Seeing Lu Zexuan, he squinted his eyes, walked up to him, sat down, and jokingly said, “You busy man, if I recall correctly, it’s been a whole year since we last met, hasn’t it?”

Lu Zexuan poured a cup of tea and gently pushed it in front of Meredith. “I happened to be on annual leave recently.”

Meredith took a sip of tea and asked, “How many days off?”

“Seven days.”

“That’s not bad. You can go back and reunite with your parents.”

A majestic golden lion lay at Meredith’s feet, looking at the white eagle on Lu Zexuan’s shoulder, shaking its head excitedly.

Meredith lightly smiled and patted its head, “Go ahead, play by yourselves, don’t scare anyone when you go out.”

Lu Zexuan and Meredith had grown up together, their relationship akin to brothers. Their spirit bodies were also very familiar, and every time their owners met, the lion and the eagle would play together. The white eagle spread its wings and flew around the room, while the lion chased after it on the ground. The two owners paid no attention to this strange scene.

The waiter who brought the dishes into the room was an ordinary human who hadn’t evolved and couldn’t see these spirit bodies.

Lu Zexuan had already ordered the dishes in advance, and the waiter served them quickly, arranged them neatly, then tactfully left the room, closing the door behind her. “Gentlemen, enjoy your meal.” 

Meredith praised as he ate, “The food in this restaurant is still so delicious… So, what did you invite me out for?”

Lu Zexuan was straightforward, “I did invite you out today for a reason.”

Meredith had a look of “I knew it” on his face. “I guessed that you didn’t just invite me out for dinner. But, you know my identity, there are some things I shouldn’t be asked…”

Lu Zexuan said, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you any confidential questions to put you in a difficult position. Today’s conversation is strictly personal, and what I ask is also private. Once this door is closed, consider that nothing has been said.”

Looking at his friend’s serious expression, Meredith couldn’t help but feel curious, “What’s so important? Is it related to the information I investigated about the graduation ball?”

Lu Zexuan nodded, “Yes. The information you gave me didn’t find any suspicious points, but I trust my intuition more. Five years ago at the university graduation ball, I once passed by a guide and smelled the scent of guide essence on him. Recently, I smelled this scent on someone else, but that person is only 18 years old.”

Meredith carefully pondered his words and analyzed, “Guides who attended the ball must have been university graduates. Freaks like you, who graduated from the Sanctuary and then went to Academy in just three months, would have also been 19 years old by the time of university graduation. If someone was 19 five years ago, they would be 24 now.” He paused, “The person you met, is their age fake?”

Lu Zexuan frowned, “It’s not that simple. He really is 18 years old, and his identity background, family members, and household registration information are all complete. Moreover, he is a newly awakened guide who just registered with the guide association yesterday.”

Meredith rubbed his chin, “Could it be that you remembered it wrong? Some guide essence scents are very similar. It smells similar, but it’s not the same person.”

Lu Zexuan was very certain, “I didn’t remember it wrong, because my compatibility with his guide essence is 98%.”

Meredith was speechless. 98%? Is that even possible?

As a sentinel, Meredith certainly knew what a 98% match in guide essence meant — it indicated that the person’s guide essence had an absolute attraction to Lu Zexuan and could have a significant impact on him. Even if Lu Zexuan’s mental state was on the verge of collapse, or even on the brink of frenzy, that person’s guide essence could potentially save his life.

Meredith summarized, “So, you’re saying that the adult guide you saw at the ball five years ago has now appeared by your side as a completely different person, a newly awakened 18-year-old?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “Yes, and he’s also a C-level in mental energy.”

Meredith’s expression turned serious, “Participants in the graduation ball are elite students from various universities. Only A-level or higher sentinels and guides can get tickets. It’s impossible for a C-level guide to enter the ball. This person’s age, appearance, background, and even mental energy are all inconsistent. Only the guide essence is the same?”

Lu Zexuan’s expression became grave, “I find it absurd too. But his guide essence… I trust that I wouldn’t be mistaken about it.”

This matter sounded unbelievable. Most people, upon hearing Lu Zexuan’s description, would think he had remembered it wrong. The guide from back then and the recent one he encountered couldn’t possibly be the same person. However, Meredith understood his friend very well. Lu Zexuan was an extremely calm and cautious sentinel, one of the few S-level sentinels in the Federation.

The sensory acuity of S-level sentinels sometimes surpassed that of high-tech instruments, not to mention a 98% match in guide essence — he couldn’t have smelled it wrong. Where could the problem lie? How could a person have the same guide essence but have everything else about them — identity, appearance, physique, and even age — changed?

Lu Zexuan looked at Meredith and asked seriously, “I brought you here to ask if there’s a possibility that his guide essence data was deleted, his identity chip removed, and his features completely altered — someone helped him forge a completely new identity to facilitate him doing something in secret.”

Meredith furrowed his brows, seeming to think of a possibility, and looked at Lu Zexuan, hesitating to speak.

Lu Zexuan urged, “Go on, what did you think of?”

Meredith lowered his voice and leaned in close to Lu Zexuan’s ear, “Have you heard of… Dark Guides?”

Lu Zexuan’s expression stiffened slightly. “Yes.”

— Dark Guides, the most terrifying group within guides. They possessed extremely strong mental energy, capable of invading others’ mental worlds, controlling their actions, and even turning them into their puppets. They were the best “beast tamers”. And every human had the potential to become their “puppets” under their mental control.

Leonard, who committed suicide by jumping off B73’s building, Kyle and Mark, who killed each other on the spaceship… And Yu Ran, who happened to pass by the crime scenes.

Thinking of all this, Lu Zexuan felt a chill run down his spine. “Do Dark Guides completely erase all traces of their existence?”

Meredith nodded, “Yes. Their existence has always been mysterious. Dark Guides are not under the jurisdiction and constraints of the Federation’s guide association. Their ideology conflicts with the association’s, so when they leave the association, they completely break ties and erase all traces of themselves to avoid being hunted down by the guide association.”

Guide essence was crucial information for tracking guides. If it was a Dark Guide who betrayed the association, it made sense that his guide essence data couldn’t be found by the association.

Lu Zexuan continued to inquire, “What about the identity chip? How would it be removed? As far as I know, the materials of the association’s identity chip are special. Once implanted, they automatically integrate with the surrounding muscle tissue, and surgery can’t remove them.”

Meredith paused and said in a low voice, “Regeneration from severed limbs.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. The moment he heard the answer, a sharp pain pierced Lu Zexuan’s heart. If all his analysis was true, then Yu Ran had once cut off his arm, implanted with a chip, to break free from the guide association, and then used advanced “treatment pod” to slowly grow a new arm… How much pain would that cause?

He still remembered the girl at Base B73, whose legs were bitten off by a monster, crying in pain, almost fainting. At such times, even anesthesia was hardly effective. The process of growing new limbs was also a long ordeal of pain and suffering. What had Yu Ran experienced?!

Lu Zexuan dared not imagine the scene of Yu Ran cutting off his arm, nor could he believe that the seemingly innocent and ignorant teenager would be a member of the Dark Guides opposing the Federation. He hoped that all these speculations were just speculations, but the lingering shadow in his mind made him involuntarily clench his fists.

Meredith looked at his friend’s face with concern and said, “If you have truly discovered a dark guide, you’d better hand him over to Chief Zhu of the Investigation Division. He has ways to deal with these people.”

Lu Zexuan shook his head, “I have no evidence, it’s all just speculation. I cannot imprison someone in the Investigation Division based on my guesses alone and subject them to the most dreadful interrogation.”

Meredith shrugged and persuaded, “Then withdraw in time, don’t contact him anymore, lest you be dragged down by him.”

Lu Zexuan frowned, “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

***

3 a.m., Sanctuary, the capital planet. Due to the recent holidays, the school was deserted, with only a few scattered guards patrolling back and forth. In the quiet of the night, a slim figure in black sportswear silently climbed out of the dormitory window, swiftly descending the building via the balcony’s air conditioning duct. Skillfully avoiding all surveillance, he briskly moved through the shadows cast by the buildings, slipping out of the guide academy.

Obviously, he was familiar with the terrain, paths, and even the coverage of surveillance here. Not far from the guide academy, under a big tree, parked a private car, its body almost blending into the thick night. The car was entirely black, with no visible markings, even the license plate was hidden.

The man in black got into the car.

Sitting in the back seat of the car was an old man with white hair. He said in a deep voice, “You shouldn’t have arranged to meet me at this time. If we’re discovered, all our previous efforts will be wasted.”

The calm voice of the man in black responded, “Encountered some tricky situations, need your help.”

The old man sighed, “Go ahead.”

“In a few days, when the Sanctuary reopens, I hope you’ll send someone to attend the opening ceremony of the Sentinel Academy, so that most of the students and teachers will be gathered in the auditorium, making it easier for me to act. It’s best to have Lu Zexuan come too; he’s been suspicious of me all along, and I’m worried he might ruin my plans.”

The old man remained silent for a moment before nodding, “No problem, I’ll arrange it.”

The man in black didn’t say anything more, simply opened the door and jumped out of the car.

At that moment, a voice came from behind, “Ran.”

The man in black stopped in his tracks.

The old man’s voice was slightly hoarse, “Take care of yourself.”

The sky above was filled with sparkling stars as Yu Ran nodded calmly, his slim figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the night.