First Interstellar Guide Chapter 21.2: Yu Ran’s Plan (Part 2)

Chapter 21.2: Yu Ran’s Plan (Part 2)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Dean Xie’s provided clues didn’t offer much help. After all, how could someone who had “already passed away” reappear and steal data from the neighboring Sentinel Academy?  It was more likely that the secret passage was discovered later by someone else and utilized.

Zhu Tianyi conducted a second round of questioning with all the teachers and students present on the day of the incident, probing for more details and looking for any loopholes in their testimonies… Unfortunately, no suspicious individuals were found. And Yu Ran’s suspicion had already been ruled out, thanks to the compelling evidence of “reciting the graduation speech” and “confirmation from his three roommates that he had been present.”

The investigation into the case reached a deadlock, forcing the Investigation Division to expand the scope of their investigation to search for those with invisibility abilities. This was something Yu Ran was pleased to see.

Three days later, Yu Ran was attending classes at school, while Lu Zexuan had returned to Eagle Special Forces after his leave. He encountered Mohr on the Eagle starship. To his surprise, Mohr hadn’t packed up and left; instead, he continued to work on the starship in his white coat.

Lu Zexuan asked in confusion, “Aren’t you supposed to apply for retirement and report to the Central Hospital on the capital planet?”

Mohr shook his head, “The next guide hasn’t been chosen yet. If I leave now and you encounter trouble during your missions, who will help you with mental sorting? Anyway, I have no family or urgent need to fall in love and get married. I’ll stay in the team for a while longer. When we find a suitable successor, I can leave.”

Lu Zexuan said, “You’ve been traveling with us for years, and it’s been hard on you. You should retire and rest earlier. I’ll find a way for the next guide.”

Suddenly, Mohr looked up at Lu Zexuan, “By the way, I heard that your compatibility with Yu Ran is over 98%?”

Lu Zexuan’s face stiffened, “Who told you that?”

Mohr teased with a smile, “You know, there are many staff members at the Compatibility Center, it’s not easy to keep secrets. It’s already been spread within the team, and everyone’s discussing when you’ll officially be off the market. Some people even secretly asked me who Yu Ran is and what he looks like, whether he’s compatible with our Captain.”

Lu Zexuan ignored Mohr’s joke and said seriously, “A guide with such high compatibility is rare. I did consider having him with us as a guide accompanying Eagle Special Forces, but his background…” Lu Zexuan paused, frowned slightly, “Forget it, let’s observe for a while longer before deciding.”

Mohr also stopped joking, “Hmm, it’s good to be cautious. Most of our missions are very dangerous. If the guide is not qualified, it could potentially endanger comrades.”

It wasn’t just a matter of “inadequate qualification endangering teammates.” If Yu Ran turned out to be the “dark guide” he suspected, suddenly betraying them during missions, Eagle Special Forces might even face complete annihilation. Lu Zexuan would carefully consider the matter of choosing a “team guide.” The team’s interests were far more important than his personal compatibility.

Mohr had a very low compatibility with him, and as an A-grade guide, it was difficult for him to heal the mental injuries of S-grade sentinels. Mohr had been unable to perform mental sorting on him for years. But Mohr’s healing ability had helped many comrades in Eagle Special Forces, which was enough.

As for him… He could handle it himself.

***

As the Guide Academy officially resumed classes, the students of Class 107 began to truly delve into knowledge related to “guides.”

The daily schedule was quite tight, typically with theoretical classes in the morning such as “History of Evolutionaries” and “Physiology of Sentinel-Guide,” while the afternoons were reserved for practical courses like “Mental Energy Cultivation” and “Manipulation of Mental Tendrils.”

Compared to the dull theoretical classes, Yu Ran preferred the practical ones. Their teacher for the Mental Energy Meditation class was their homeroom teacher, Ai Qi, who was exceptionally patient during class.

“Mental landscape is the home where our spirit bodies reside, a four-dimensional world that ordinary humans cannot possess or see. We, as creators of our mental landscape, can freely construct the content of our own scenes,” explained Ai Qi. “Although you students are C-grade guides, with relatively small mental landscapes, don’t be discouraged. We can enrich the content of our scenes. For example, plant various aquatic plants in a fish tank; sow beautiful flowers on the lawn; fill your home with various pieces of furniture… By arranging our mental landscapes, we can gradually master how to use our own mental energy and mental tendrils. Next, students will try the first step. Close your eyes, focus your mind, let your thoughts enter your mental world, and remember every detail of the scene…”

Following the teacher’s instructions, Yu Ran closed his eyes and organized his mental world.

His mental landscape was a vast, boundless primeval forest, with towering trees crisscrossing, various flowers vying for beauty, and numerous streams and lakes scattered throughout—

It was a world he had personally created over many years with his formidable mental energy, a paradise he had gifted to the two foxes. But at this moment, the mental landscape he presented to others was only a lake the size of a football field. Sparsely scattered trees lined its banks, the lake was crystal clear, and everything was simple.

As Ai Qi’s gentle mental tendrils entered the mental landscapes of each student to assess their learning progress, she, being a healing guide, her white mental tendrils wouldn’t harm the students but rather assist them in sorting out their mental energy.

While examining Yu Ran’s learning situation, she suddenly noticed that a tree by the lake seemed to be slowly growing, and as it grew, the white mist beside it dissipated slightly, a change so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.

Ai Qi was momentarily stunned, and when she looked again at the same spot, she found no change whatsoever. A growing-type guide? Did she misinterpret something?

Ai Qi silently withdrew from Yu Ran’s mental landscape and continued to assist the other students.

“Did she notice?” asked the white fox in the mental world, “The mist that just dispersed, it was only a little bit.”

“Don’t be impatient. There’s still a week until the joint exam. Show more of your abilities then,” Yu Ran calmly said, “For now, let’s pretend we don’t know anything.”

In the following days, Yu Ran continued to study diligently.

After each class, he either went to the library to read or went to the meditation room to practice mental energy cultivation, returning to the dormitory very late.

Once, when it was Ai Qi’s turn to be on duty, she found Yu Ran practicing mental energy concentration alone in the meditation room.

That day, she happened to be teaching the students about the use of mental tendrils. Mental tendrils, for 13-year-old students, was a difficult concept to understand. Guides condensed their mental energy into a tentacle shape, using it to sort out mental landscapes, dispel negative emotions, or attack others’ scenes. To become proficient in condensing mental energy, it required repeated practice.

Out of curiosity, Ai Qi accessed the recording of the meditation room. The special meditation room could display students’ mental landscapes in real-time on the screen, allowing teachers to observe what they were doing. As she walked, she noticed many students slacking off or sleeping. 

But Yu Ran was particularly serious. With his eyes tightly closed, his mind highly concentrated, he attempted to condense mental tendrils according to the teacher’s instructions… Unfortunately, he failed.

But after the failure, he didn’t get discouraged. He continued to concentrate and practice with his mental energy. Again and again.

Yu Ran’s forehead started to sweat, but he didn’t give up. He continued to practice repeatedly until late at night. Until the bell rang to signal the closing of the teaching building, he finally got up to leave. 

When he saw the homeroom teacher on his way out, Yu Ran hesitated for a moment and then awkwardly said, “Teacher, I still haven’t mastered what you taught today. I can’t condense the mental tendrils.” 

Ai Qi comforted him softly, “You’ve been working very hard. Don’t worry, practice makes perfect. Have you been studying late every day recently?” 

Yu Ran smiled, “The early bird catches the worm, right? I saw students from Class A also practicing in the study room. Since my talents are inferior to theirs, if I don’t work hard, the gap will only widen.” 

As Ai Qi looked at his smile, she grew even more fond of this student—talent wasn’t everything; teachers always appreciated hardworking students. So, during the following classes, Ai Qi often asked Yu Ran questions and had him attend any good lectures available. 

Yu Ran served as the class monitor conscientiously, and all the teachers of Class 107 liked him very much, while his classmates affectionately called him “Brother Ran” and sought his advice whenever they had questions.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed, and Lu Zexuan received a relatively easy task, leading the Eagle Special Forces away from the capital star. Before leaving, he visited the Guide Academy to see Yu Ran.  On the surface, it was about showing concern for each other, but in reality, it was about not being entirely reassured.

Lu Zexuan believed that Yu Ran had nothing to do with the theft of information from the Sentinel Academy. However, the deaths of several individuals before, as well as the lingering scent of guide essence he had smelled at the graduation ball five years ago, still left him unsettled.

It was a Sunday, and the Guide Academy was on break.

Lu Zexuan privately visited Yu Ran’s homeroom teacher and asked, “How has Yu Ran been performing at school recently?”

Ai Qi was taken aback, “In what capacity are you asking? Are you Yu Ran’s… parent?”

Lu Zexuan said seriously, “Our compatibility rate is 98%, and we are trying to establish a relationship. You can understand it as me, in the role of a pursuer, wanting to know more about him. Of course, you can choose not to answer.”

Ai Qi looked at Lu Zexuan in surprise. This was the first time she had heard this news. She hadn’t expected Yu Ran to be matched with General Lu to such a high degree! So, Ai Qi began to praise Yu Ran generously, “Yu Ran is the most hardworking student I’ve ever seen. He practices in the meditation room until midnight every day; he listens attentively in class and takes extensive notes; he is also the monitor of our class, always eager to help his classmates. All the teachers and students really like him…”

Listening to the teacher’s praise, Lu Zexuan felt complicated. It seemed that Yu Ran had been working hard during this time and was quite popular at school.

After chatting with the homeroom teacher, Lu Zexuan called Yu Ran out. When Yu Ran saw him, there seemed to be surprise and a hint of nervousness in his eyes. The white fox peeked at the white eagle and instinctively curled into a ball of fur. The eagle flapped its wings, wanting to get closer to it, but fearing a scolding from its owner, it restrained itself.

Lu Zexuan took Yu Ran for a walk in the park near the school, chatting as they walked. “I heard you became the class monitor?”

Yu Ran’s cheeks turned slightly red, and he said embarrassedly, “Other students didn’t participate in the election, and I saw the homeroom teacher was in a bit of a bind, so I raised my hand. I’ve been a class monitor before, for two years in middle school and one year in high school. Although the Guide Academy is different from regular schools, the nature of the monitor’s work is pretty much the same, right?”

Lu Zexuan asked with concern, “Is it tiring being the class monitor?”

Yu Ran replied, “It’s not too bad. The tasks assigned by the teacher aren’t too many, and it doesn’t affect my studies.”

As they chatted casually, Lu Zexuan led Yu Ran to sit down in a pavilion ahead, changing the subject. “By the way, I’ll be going on a mission soon and might not be back for about a week.”

Yu Ran looked at him somewhat worriedly, “Is the mission very dangerous?”

Lu Zexuan turned his head and met Yu Ran’s gaze directly. His eyes, one black and one red, were bright and focused. When he looked at others with such concentration, it was difficult to look away. At this moment, those clear eyes were full of concern.

Feeling cared for, Lu Zexuan coughed uncomfortably and looked away, saying softly, “It’s not dangerous. The location of this mission is quite far from the pollution zone.”

Yu Ran visibly relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. “That’s good to hear.”

After a moment, Lu Zexuan stood up and said, “I’ll be going now. Take care of yourself at school.”

Yu Ran replied, “Okay, you take care too.”

The two bid farewell at the school gate.

Yu Ran watched Lu Zexuan’s car leave before finally retracting his gaze.

The interaction between him and Lu Zexuan was quite peculiar. In the eyes of others, they were a 98% matched sentinel and guide getting to know each other and cultivating their relationship—when in fact, one was testing, and the other was performing, each with their own motives.