First Interstellar Guide Chapter 23: Actor Yu Ran

Chapter 23: Actor Yu Ran

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Lu Zexuan returned to the White Tower and happened to meet Mohr, who smiled and asked, “How did it go with Yu Ran?”

“…It should be okay?” Lu Zexuan didn’t know if this meeting counted as good progress, but it seemed to have improved compared to last time, at least White Eagle seemed quite happy? He ignored the strange feeling in his heart and changed the subject, asking, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to check on Little Qi; her condition doesn’t seem right.”

Little Qi was the girl they rescued during this mission. Lu Zexuan followed Mohr to the room with a sign that read “Sentinel Isolation Observation Room.” Mohr swiped a card to open the door—

The interior of the room resembled a high-level hospital ward, with a separate bathroom, a sofa for resting, and a single bed. The room was filled with white noise, and thick carpets covered the floor, muffling footsteps. Due to the heightened senses of sentinels, these “isolation rooms” were usually used to isolate mentally damaged sentinels to prevent external interference.

A girl of about seven years old sat on the edge of the bed, her face devoid of any expression. She stared blankly ahead, even when Mohr and Lu Zexuan entered the room, she showed no reaction.

Lu Zexuan reached out and waved his hand in front of her, “Little Qi?”

The girl’s pupils followed Lu Zexuan’s hand as it moved; she could see. But her expression still resembled that of a soulless puppet.

Mohr said, “She is too young. I forcibly erased her memories, and her already small mental landscape had a portion forcibly removed. This is the result.”

But if the memories were not erased at that time, that bloody and horrifying experience could easily have left stubborn negative shadows in her mental world, affecting her growth.

Mohr sighed and said, “Fortunately, her life was saved, and the trauma in her mental world can be slowly healed.”

“Have you found her relatives?” Lu Zexuan asked in a low voice.

“Her mother passed away when she was very young, and she has been dependent on her father ever since. For her, her father is the closest and most trusted person. But it was this person who, in front of her, turned into a living monster, choking her neck and almost eating her…” Mohr rubbed his forehead helplessly. “Memories can be erased, but the emotions left deep in the heart cannot be completely erased. She is sad now but doesn’t know why.”

Lu Zexuan frowned slightly and said after considering for a moment, “I have a solution. Yu Ran happens to be a forest-type healing guide. When he learns how to use mental tendrils to rebuild the mental landscape, let him try to help Little Qi, with you assisting on the side. You two can enter the child’s mental landscape together. If Yu Ran mishandles it, you can stop him in time without hurting her.”

Forest-type healing guides accounted for only 5% of guides. Graduated guides already had their own jobs, so Lu Zexuan couldn’t directly mobilize them to help Little Qi. Some of the guides he knew personally, who were quite familiar, were not currently in the capital.

Finding Yu Ran was partly because he could indeed help, but also because Lu Zexuan wanted to test Yu Ran’s healing abilities to see if he could become a team guide for the Eagle Special Forces.

Mohr thought carefully, then nodded and said, “The method seems feasible. Little Qi’s mental energy is very low, and if we work together, Yu Ran and I will have enough. But… does Yu Ran learn things so quickly? I remember that students in Class C take half a year to learn how to use mental tendrils to treat others.”

Yu Ran was a growth-type guide, and this was his privacy. Lu Zexuan couldn’t directly tell Mohr, so he found a reason and said, “After all, he’s 18 years old, much more capable of understanding than a 13-year-old student, so it’s normal for him to learn faster.”

Mohr didn’t doubt it. “That’s great.”

Two days later, the Eagle Special Forces received an urgent mission, which was announced in the middle of the night. Lu Zexuan didn’t even have time to bid farewell to Yu Ran before leading the team out of the capital—

Like the Southern Cross, there were suddenly many mutated sentinels in the Serpens constellation. When Lu Zexuan’s team arrived at the human safe zone, they happened to see two mutated sentinels feasting on human corpses. The scene was gruesome and bloody.

Lu Zexuan’s face was grim as he drew his electromagnetic knife and swiftly beheaded the two mutated sentinels!

Mohr looked at the scene and asked in confusion, “Don’t you think… there have suddenly been more mutated sentinels recently?”

Sentinels’ mental worlds were inherently unstable, and madness was common. Previously, there would be some sentinels who became mutated and distorted due to mental collapse at the border between humans and galactic creatures, and they would be handed over to the Eagle Special Forces for arrest or execution. But the concentration of mutated cases like this… Lu Zexuan had never experienced it before.

A sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart.

Lu Zexuan said in a deep voice, “There are indeed more than usual. This matter is probably not that simple. Let’s complete the mission first, then return to the capital to discuss.”

This mission was even more difficult than the last one. The planet in the Serpens constellation already had a large number of galactic creatures, and the mutated sentinels had hidden in the wilderness. It took the Eagle Special Forces an entire half month to capture all the scattered mutated sentinels and eradicate all the mutations.

Several comrades were seriously injured and had to lie in the treatment pods. Lu Zexuan’s face was very ugly as he led the team back to the capital.

After delivering the berserk sentinel to the White Tower, he and Mohr turned to the isolation ward. Xiao Qi’s condition remained the same as before. Eating, sleeping, all like a normal person, yet with a vacant gaze, not speaking, like a walking puppet.

Lu Zexuan said, “This child was at the scene. Maybe she knows something?”

Mohr replied, “Once we restore her mental world completely, I’ll see if I can retrieve her memories.”

Lu Zexuan took out a communicator and sent a message to Yu Ran, “Yu Ran, how’s your treatment course going?”

Yu Ran quickly replied, “I’ve learned the basics of rebuilding a mental landscape. I’ve been practicing simulations with the instructor recently. The teacher said my techniques are quite standard.”

Lu Zexuan said, “I want you to do me a favor, help rebuild the mental landscape for a 7-year-old girl.”

Yu Ran hesitated, nervously saying, “But I don’t have experience treating real people. What if something goes wrong?”

Lu Zexuan reassured her, “Don’t worry, Mohr will be there to assist you. The child’s mental energy is very low, and your mental energy is enough for her treatment.”

Yu Ran sighed in relief, “If Dr. Mohr is helping, maybe I can give it a try?”

Lu Zexuan said, “Well, tomorrow is Saturday. I’ll pick you up at 9 in the morning. Arrange for leave from the academy in advance.”

Yu Ran replied, “Okay, see you tomorrow!”

In the guide academy’s student dormitory, Yu Ran looked thoughtfully at the chat records between the two—

A 7-year-old girl? It seems like the person rescued by Lu Zexuan on a mission. It’s likely that her parents have passed away, and some malignant event occurred that was enough to destroy her mental world. Mohr, in order to save her life, forcibly erased her memories, leaving hidden dangers. If it were an adult sentinel, forcibly erasing memories wouldn’t have much impact. Adults who don’t remember something might feel lost but quickly adjust and recover.

But children are different; their mental resilience is too fragile. Forcibly erasing memories might directly collapse their mental landscape, driving them mad. It’s fortunate that Mohr’s medical skills are superb. He handled it with precision when he intervened; otherwise, the girl’s life would have been in danger.

Lu Zexuan’s decision to have him and Mohr collaborate in treatment not only avoids the risk of Yu Ran “injuring the patient due to improper operation” but also probes into Yu Ran’s mental energy capabilities, killing two birds with one stone. Since General Lu wants to test him like this…

He must perform well.

In his mind, Yu Ran said, “Tomorrow, I’ll use two mental tendrils to treat that child. Listen to my instructions, and if necessary, you can faint weakly.”

The little white fox exclaimed excitedly, “No problem, I love acting the most!”

***

The next morning at nine o’clock, Lu Zexuan drove to the guide academy. Yu Ran was already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing him, he immediately ran over, his joy evident in his eyes. The little white fox also cooperated with its master’s act, sneaking glances at the eagle while using its fluffy tail to cover its face.

The white eagle was speechless. How could there be such a cute spirit body? It really wanted to pet its large tail!

Lu Zexuan quickly stopped the white eagle’s restless movements and got out of the car to help Yu Ran open the door.

After getting in the car, Yu Ran asked with concern, “It’s been over half a month since we last met. Have you been on missions again?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “Yeah, things have been busy lately, so I haven’t had the chance to come see you.”

Yu Ran hurriedly said, “It’s okay, I know you’re busy with work. I’m doing fine at school. The teachers take good care of me, giving me private tutoring and saying that I’m progressing quickly.”

Lu Zexuan glanced at him and asked, “How many mental tendrils can you summon now?”

Yu Ran scratched his head embarrassedly and said, “Currently, I can only summon two, for about two minutes. I’m not sure if it’s enough.”

Lu Zexuan said, “It should be enough for treating young children.”

In less than half an hour, the car arrived at the central square of the White Tower. The sentinels patrolling around saw the Eagle Special Forces emblem on the vehicle and, after a brief check, allowed them to pass.

Yu Ran looked up from the window, curiously observing the towering white tower in front of him and murmured, “This building is so tall, I can’t even see the top.”

Lu Zexuan explained, “The White Tower has over 300 floors. The top floor is a helipad floating in the clouds, not visible from the ground.”

Yu Ran turned back and asked, “I heard that many high-ranking sentinels and guides live in the White Tower. Do you live here too?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “Yeah, after graduating from college, I was assigned to the dorms in the White Tower.”

The hovercar directly reached the sky parking platform on the 10th floor of the White Tower. After verification, the metal door slowly opened before them. Lu Zexuan drove the car in, found a fixed position to park, then got out with Yu Ran and headed to an elevator.

Yu Ran seemed like he was “touring the White Tower for the first time,” curiously looking around. The elevator rapidly ascended and stopped on the 240th floor.

Following Lu Zexuan, Yu Ran walked through a long corridor, the constant sound in his ears causing him to furrow his brows slightly. Lu Zexuan explained, “There’s constant white noise here, to protect the sensitive senses of sentinels from being disturbed by background noise. It might take some getting used to for you on your first visit.”

Yu Ran smiled and said, “It’s okay, the white noise isn’t too loud.”

Lu Zexuan arrived at the door and swiped a card to enter.

Mohr was waiting inside. Upon seeing the two, he smiled and greeted them, “Yu Ran, long time no see.”

Yu Ran politely greeted back, “Dr. Mohr.”

He looked towards the bed behind Mohr and indeed saw a girl of about seven sitting on the bed. She had two ponytails and a fair doll-like face, very cute. However, at this moment, her gaze was vacant, her face devoid of any expression, resembling a puppet.

Lu Zexuan said, “Alright, let’s begin.”

Mohr led Yu Ran to sit beside the bed and instructed, “Later, I will enter her mental landscape with you. Follow my mental tendrils to help her repair and rebuild her imagery. I will guide you on the side.”

Yu Ran nodded earnestly, “Okay.”

The two closed their eyes together, focusing their minds. Two pure white mental tendrils formed in Mohr’s palm, swimming swiftly, gently touching the girl’s forehead. Following suit, Yu Ran summoned two green mental tendrils and followed Mohr’s lead.

Lu Zexuan stood by and watched—sentinels didn’t have mental tendrils and couldn’t enter others’ mental landscapes. He couldn’t see what was happening inside the girl’s imagery, but with Mohr’s guidance, he wasn’t worried about Yu Ran making mistakes.

Inside the mental landscape, Mohr patiently guided while Yu Ran cautiously followed. The girl inherited her father’s traits, a sentinel with a spirit body resembling a brown bear. Her mental landscape was a cave, and at the moment, the small brown bear, resembling a teddy bear, was hiding deep in the cave. Its body appeared semi-transparent, as if it could disappear at any moment.

Yu Ran’s mental tendrils followed Mohr, slowly entering deeper into the cave. He noticed a conspicuous black hole on the cave wall, as if forcibly dug out.

Mohr stopped, “This is it.”

At this moment, the girl’s mental world was on the verge of collapse, with the cave swaying slightly, posing a risk of collapse at any moment. Yu Ran concentrated his mental energy, and the green mental tendrils gently brushed against the damaged wall.

As the two tendrils plunged into the black hole, new soil began to surge out gradually. They seemed to have intelligence, following the guidance of the green vines, slowly filling the gaps in the wall.

Mohr watched with satisfaction—Yu Ran’s healing talent was high. For a C-grade guide to achieve such precise treatment, with no excess or incorrect actions, was rare to see. Although he helped position him, he was still a student with plenty of room for improvement.

This case was very simple. Given time, Yu Ran could handle more complex cases, even helping berserk sentinels regain their sanity.

The healing in the mental world was silent, but in Lu Zexuan’s eyes, Yu Ran’s forehead was already covered in fine sweat, and the spirit fox also looked exhausted. Time passed slowly, and Yu Ran’s sweat increased. Lu Zexuan frowned as he watched Yu Ran. He couldn’t interrupt the guide’s treatment, but for some reason… he felt worried about Yu Ran’s condition.

After about two minutes—what felt like a long time to Lu Zexuan—Mohr finally led Yu Ran out of the girl’s mental landscape.

Lu Zexuan hurriedly asked, “How did it go?”

Mohr smiled, “Very smoothly. Little Qi’s mental landscape has been fully reconstructed.”

As soon as the words fell, the girl on the hospital bed suddenly burst into loud sobs, as if the emotions that had been pent up for a long time finally found a way out. Her spirit body, the little bear, appeared beside her, its head drooping in sorrow. The little girl cried so hard she was almost out of breath—

She had lost her father. Although she didn’t remember how he died, she knew he was gone. She had no family left in this world. Negative emotions couldn’t be suppressed indefinitely. Sometimes, releasing them was a good thing.

Yu Ran reached out and gently stroked the girl’s head, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, I lost my parents too, just like you. In this world, there are many orphans like us, and we’re all trying our best to live. And, you’re a sentinel, you have stronger abilities than ordinary people, so be strong.”

The little girl threw herself into Yu Ran’s arms, crying, “Big brother… is my dad really dead… sob…”

Mohr explained, “Your dad sacrificed himself during a mission.”

The girl accepted this explanation and cried in Yu Ran’s arms for a long time, soaking Yu Ran’s clothes. Yu Ran didn’t show any impatience at all, patiently patting the child’s back. He was like a gentle guide doctor, trying his best to heal the scars on the sentinel’s mental state in his own way.

After a long time, the little girl cried herself to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. After this mental reconstruction and emotional release, her mental world shouldn’t leave behind any indelible shadows. In the future, she could grow up healthy and might even become an outstanding sentinel.

Yu Ran sighed in relief, stood up, and looked at Lu Zexuan, saying, “Thankfully, I could help a little.”

Shortly after saying this, his face turned slightly pale. The fox, which had already looked exhausted, curled up and fainted directly on its owner’s shoulder.

Yu Ran also seemed unsteady, swaying on his feet. Lu Zexuan quickly stepped forward to support him, “Yu Ran, are you alright?”

There was tension in the sentinel’s voice, which he hadn’t even realized.

Yu Ran weakly said, “P-perhaps I consumed too much mental energy… I-I just need to rest for a while.”

The white eagle flapped its wings anxiously, “The little fox fainted! It must be exhausted, right?”

Mohr said, “Yu Ran is a C-grade guide. It’s normal for him to experience severe energy consumption during his first treatment. Take him to rest properly.”

Lu Zexuan looked at Yu Ran’s pale face and decisively reached out with both arms, gently picking Yu Ran up and walking towards his own dormitory. Yu Ran obediently let himself be carried, and surprisingly, he fell asleep peacefully in his arms.

Lu Zexuan was speechless. Poor little guide, he cured the patient but ended up falling asleep from exhaustion. Lu Zexuan looked at Yu Ran, who had fallen asleep in his arms. His long and thick eyelashes, his rosy lips, and his fair and clear complexion made him look very lovable. If Yu Ran’s background were not an issue… perhaps he could let go of his guard and consider truly getting to know him?

Lu Zexuan carried Yu Ran back to his bachelor apartment, carefully laying him down on the bed, clumsily helping him take off his shoes and tucking him in. Then, Lu Zexuan turned to pour some water for Yu Ran.

Yu Ran seemed to be sleeping deeply. But in his mental world, Yu Ran was chatting with two foxes, “Progress is good. General Lu is willing to take me to his bachelor apartment and let me sleep in his bed, it seems his guard against me has lowered.”

The nine-tailed fox calmly reminded, “Be careful not to overplay your hand. If he develops genuine feelings for you, it might not end well.”

Yu Ran analyzed, “Lu Zexuan is a very rational person. He won’t easily fall for someone. He’s testing me and getting close to me now because our guide essences match well, and he wants to bring me to the Eagle Special Forces as a guide.”

The little white fox said in confusion, “But I feel like the way that eagle looks at me is strange.”

Yu Ran replied, “… Is it?”

Spirit bodies can perceive subconscious feelings. Yu Ran carefully recalled Lu Zexuan’s reactions… perhaps this sentinel’s emotions were more restrained, and he hadn’t noticed anything wrong. In any case, they were both approaching each other with purpose. There was no need to worry too much about whether Lu Zexuan would develop feelings for him, a lowly guide.

In Lu Zexuan’s mind, at most, it would be friendship, similar to his relationship with Mohr. General Lu just wanted to evaluate him and see if he could handle the role of a “special forces guide”. It must be like that. With his mind at ease, Yu Ran truly fell asleep in Lu Zexuan’s bed.