First Interstellar Guide Chapter 22.2: Fusion (Part 2)

Chapter 22.2: Fusion (Part 2)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In the blink of an eye, a week passed, and the Eagle Special Forces successfully completed their mission. Lu Zexuan had all the berserk sentinels captured on Planet N96 bound and taken to the White Tower, where they were detained in underground chambers. The White Tower would arrange for guides to mentally sort through these sentinels. Those who could be cured would be released to continue their duties, while those who couldn’t might be imprisoned for life, never to see the light of day again.

Lu Zexuan didn’t look too pleased. As they left the underground prison, he suddenly whispered, “If one day, I too go berserk, please, use the most straightforward method to kill me.”

Mohr’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively retorting, “Don’t talk nonsense. That day won’t come.”

Lu Zexuan calmly replied, “No one can guarantee how long I can hold out. An S-class sentinel becomes even more terrifying after going berserk, and treatment becomes extremely difficult. If you don’t kill me at the first opportunity, I might end up killing all of you and then many more.”

Though his tone was calm as he spoke those words, Mohr felt uneasy listening to them.

Since taking on the role of Captain in the Eagle Special Forces, Lu Zexuan had never undergone thorough mental sorting. As an S-class sentinel, he would need at least an S-class healing guide to treat him; otherwise, he might not be able to break through his mental barriers without suffering backlash.

S-class guides were extremely rare, and a request for their treatment required submission to the military and approval from superiors. But Lu Zexuan had never submitted such a request.

Superiors assumed Lu Zexuan’s mental state was fine and didn’t require treatment. However, Mohr, who had fought alongside him for many years, knew very well that Lu Zexuan harbored many negative emotions suppressed within his mental landscape. He didn’t want to show these memories to strangers, let alone reveal his mental landscape publicly. He was a man of deep loyalty, yet also extremely stubborn. Over the years, he had endured too much pressure, and if this continued, there might indeed come a day of mental collapse, or even berserk and mutation.

With a sigh in his heart, Mohr suggested, “Isn’t Yu Ran 98% compatible with your guide essence? I think you can actually be a bit selfish and bring him by your side. That way, even if you encounter danger in the future, his guide essence can save your life.”

At the mention of “Yu Ran,” Lu Zexuan’s brow furrowed slightly, thoughtfully saying, “Yu Ran… I should go see him.” 

With that, he turned to leave for his dormitory, intending to change clothes before going to find Yu Ran.

Mohr, feeling helpless, remarked, “You haven’t seen him for a week, and you’re going to see him empty-handed like this?”

Lu Zexuan stopped in his tracks, puzzled. “Empty-handed? Do I need to bring something?”

Mohr was speechless. You’re really going in with just your charm, huh!

Lu Zexuan thought carefully and said, “Yeah, it doesn’t seem right to always go empty-handed.”

Mohr advised, “You should put in a bit more effort. Yu Ran is good-looking, has a good personality, and even has distinctive heterochromatic eyes. Even with C-level mental energy, many sentinels would vie for him. Don’t think just because you have a 98% match that he must be with you. You need to take the initiative, you know?”

Lu Zexuan seemed to understand and nodded, “Hmm.”

After returning to his dorm, General Lu changed into casual clothes and headed out to buy a gift. He went to a renowned private bakery in the capital city and ordered an exquisite tiramisu cake topped with a circle of fresh strawberries, which looked absolutely appetizing… Sending food is always a safe bet, right? Yu Ran should like it, right?

Today happened to be Sunday, a day off for the guide academy. Lu Zexuan once again drove to see Yu Ran.

Yu Ran rushed out of the school gate, seeming eager to meet Lu Zexuan. He ran up to him, panting, and stopped in front of the tall man, nervously asking, “Is the mission over? You’re not injured, are you?”

Meeting his concerned gaze, Lu Zexuan felt a bit uneasy and rubbed his nose. “Don’t worry, I’m not injured.”

Yu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. I dreamt last night that you were bitten by a monster, covered in blood, and woke up in the middle of the night… I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He even dreams about me? Is this what they call “thinking by day, dreaming by night”? Lu Zexuan’s mood felt somewhat complex as he looked at the guide who stood a head shorter than him. He asked quietly, “Have you been dreaming about me these past few days?”

Yu Ran’s ears turned slightly red, and he avoided eye contact, nervously explaining, “N-No, I-I’m just worried that something might happen to you…”

Little White Fox also played along with its master, sneaking a glance at White Eagle and then bashfully burying its head.

White Eagle: “!!!” It’s so cute! So adorable!

Feeling the spirit body’s restlessness, Lu Zexuan cleared his throat and said, “Let’s go sit over there.”

The Sanctuary was located in the suburbs of the capital, with no one living within a two-kilometer radius and no restaurants or cafes for dining or leisure. Whenever they met, the two could only sit in the nearby park. But Yu Ran still had a happy expression, obediently following Lu Zexuan, with a smile that couldn’t be concealed on his face.

Lu Zexuan led him to the same pavilion as last time and handed him the cake, saying, “Here’s your gift.”

Yu Ran curiously took it. “What’s this?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “Open it and see.”

Yu Ran opened the exquisite box to find a heart-shaped tiramisu cake topped with a layer of strawberries, freshly picked today, each one ripe and juicy.

—Unfortunately, he hated sweets the most. Such a large dessert with thick cream… Lu Zexuan, you’re practically trying to kill me.

Seeing Yu Ran freeze, Lu Zexuan felt a bit puzzled. “I didn’t know your preferences, so I just bought some food. Why… don’t you like it?”

Yu Ran’s eyes suddenly reddened, his voice choking as he said, “I just remembered my mother. She used to make cakes for me often, but unfortunately, after she passed away, I can never taste them again…” He then picked up a fork, stabbed a strawberry covered in sweet cream, and stuffed it into his mouth, looking like he was about to cry.

Seeing him upset, Lu Zexuan felt a twinge of guilt. If Yu Ran’s background wasn’t fabricated and he truly was an orphan who had just awakened as a guide, then constantly doubting and probing him, like many S-class sentinels did, was it a bit too much?

White Eagle quipped in Lu Zexuan’s mind, “It’s way too much! He lost both parents and became an orphan, alone and helpless. Yet every day, you S-class sentinels keep suspecting and interrogating him, and even an A+ guide almost mentally broke him with violent interrogations. He’s really unlucky! What did he do wrong?”

Lu Zexuan replied silently, “Just be quiet.”

White Eagle continued to chatter in his mind, “Look how cute Little White Fox is! It’s grown so much since last time, and its fluffy tail looks even better! How could such a cute spirit body belong to a bad person? You’re just too suspicious.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless.

There seemed to be two voices debating within Lu Zexuan’s mind. One was the rational skepticism, while the other was the spirit body’s subconscious questioning of himself. The doubt began to slowly waver. However, the issue of the guide essence still couldn’t be explained clearly, so he couldn’t hastily draw conclusions.

Lu Zexuan quickly calmed down and changed the subject, saying, “How’s school been lately? As a growth-type guide, have the teachers provided any individual guidance for you?”

Bringing up this topic, Yu Ran visibly brightened up. He excitedly said, “The dean has been especially attentive to me, and my class teacher values me a lot. They’ve privately taught me a lot of content that only A-class students could learn. I can now manifest two mental tendrils, and my mental landscape has doubled in size compared to before!”

Lu Zexuan looked at him in astonishment. “Doubled in size? Your rate of improvement in mental energy is quite fast.”

—Of course, within two months, if I don’t improve to the extent that impresses you, will you take me to the banquet?

Yu Ran scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “Unfortunately, I’m still at C-level. It will take more practice to advance to B-level. Luckily, the teacher said that as a forest-type healer, even at C-level, I can still have a significant impact and help many C-level sentinels.”

Lu Zexuan stared at him intently. “You’re a forest-type guide?”

“Yes, I heard this type of healing ability is quite rare.” Yu Ran touched the tail of the small fox on his shoulder, his eyes filled with unrestrained joy.

Lu Zexuan suddenly remembered the little girl they saved during the mission. At that time, Mohr had forcibly used hypnosis to erase her short-term memory, making her forget the horrifying experience of “almost being eaten by her father” and even forgetting that she had witnessed Lu Zexuan beheading her “mutated father.”

She inherited her father’s abilities and was a sentinel with a spirit body of a brown bear. However, being too young, her spirit body’s size resembled that of a teddy bear, appearing faintly visible and seemingly on the verge of disappearing at any moment. This terrifying experience could easily leave her with psychological scars that were difficult to heal, or even cause her to go berserk during her childhood. Forcibly erasing memories would cause mental damage, leaving voids in the mental landscape. A forest-type guide could help repair and rebuild her mental landscape.

The forest-type senior guides Lu Zexuan knew were currently on missions and not in the capital. There was also an S-class guide who was extremely difficult to invite. It was impossible for such a big shot to waste time treating a seemingly worthless 7-year-old child.

In recent days, Mohr had been secretly assisting the little girl, and her condition had temporarily stabilized. However, the voids left in her mental landscape were still a potential hazard.

If Yu Ran could help…

Yu Ran looked at the pensive Lu Zexuan with confusion. “You seem to be in a bad mood. Are you facing any difficulties?”

Lu Zexuan snapped out of his thoughts and said, “It’s nothing, just a small problem. By the way, when will you learn the method to heal sentinels?”

Yu Ran thought for a moment and said, “According to the current teaching schedule, I’m synchronized with the students in Class A. In a month, the class teacher will teach me how to use mental tendrils to treat others. However, I’ll definitely not be proficient at the beginning, and the teacher won’t let me treat real patients. It will all be practiced in the 3D simulation laboratory.”

Lu Zexuan pondered—Yu Ran’s mental energy was a bit low, but the girl’s mental energy was even lower, and she was a young sentinel, so her mental barriers were easily broken. Moreover, Mohr hadn’t erased many memories. As long as Yu Ran could master the techniques of rebuilding the mental landscape and Mohr could assist from the side, immediately interrupting if anything went wrong, this matter…

Perhaps it could be attempted.

***

This conversation between the two seemed to be more harmonious than the last. Lu Zexuan’s probing was not as frequent, and Yu Ran’s acting skills remained excellent. He also dutifully wrapped up the conversation with, “reluctantly watching General Lu leave,” before withdrawing his gaze and returning to the dormitory.

Seeing him carrying a box, his roommate Kamiya asked curiously, “Brother Ran, what did you buy?”

Yu Ran felt a little embarrassed. “It’s a cake General Lu gave me.”

Kamiya paused for a moment, then quickly reacted, “General Lu came to see you again, huh!”

Roommates knew about Lu Zexuan’s visits to Yu Ran, after all, Yu Ran would always “eagerly rush out.” Although the 13-year-old roommates didn’t understand the feeling of love, they could still sense it—brother Ran was in love!

Yu Ran smiled and said, “Do you guys want some cake? Let’s have it together, it’s too big for me to finish alone.”

The three of them sat together, Yu Ran cut the cake into several pieces, distributed them to his roommates, and kept only a small portion for himself, pretending to enjoy it happily.

The gift was given quite well. But can we not have this next time? He really didn’t like sweets.

Author’s Note:

The branches of attack-type and healing-type guides are my personal setting and not the universally accepted lore of the Watch. This is mainly for convenience in writing the plot.