First Interstellar Guide Chapter 33: Living Together?

Chapter 33: Living Together?

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Lu Zexuan returned to the White Tower with Yu Ran dressed in military attire. The members of the Eagle Special Forces had already received the news and assembled on the starship at the landing pad, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new guide member.

The group whispered among themselves, “Do you think Major Lu and Yu Ran have progressed to the next level?”

“Major Lu always visits the guide academy whenever he returns to the capital star. They must be in the honeymoon phase, right?”

“I heard that Yu Ran studied every night just to be with Major Lu. He even graduated early from the guide academy.”

“Their relationship is really something, huh?”

Sentinels have extremely sharp hearing. As soon as Lu Zexuan arrived at the landing pad, even before seeing the members, he could hear their discussions from afar.

“Yu Ran studied every night for Major Lu”—this news had already spread. After all, many people were surprised that Yu Ran could graduate so quickly from the guide academy. He was the first student of his year to graduate early, even faster than Class A.

Thinking about how Yu Ran stayed up every night studying, evident from the dark circles under his eyes, Lu Zexuan couldn’t help but feel a bit distressed. He turned to look at Yu Ran, meeting his gaze.

Dressed in military attire, Yu Ran exuded confidence, devoid of the frailty he initially showed. Instead, he had a resolute military demeanor. It seemed like he was born to be a soldier; once he put on the uniform, his entire aura changed.

Lu Zexuan couldn’t help but ask, “Your salute is very standard. Did you practice it?”

Yu Ran blushed embarrassedly and said, “Um, I practiced in front of military promotional videos. My dream is to become a military doctor.”

Lu Zexuan gave a rare smile, his gaze towards Yu Ran gentle, “You indeed suit this military uniform well. Let’s go, I’ll take you to meet our comrades.”

The two walked together onto the Eagle starship. This was Yu Ran’s second time on the Eagle starship. However, the last time was when Lu Zexuan rescued him, and he only saw Mohr, without having time to explore the layout of the starship’s interior. This time, however, Lu Zexuan personally brought him to report to the special operations team.

On the bridge, over fifty A-class sentinels stood in two neat rows.

At the moment Lu Zexuan arrived, a tall sentinel shouted, “Attention!”

Everyone placed their right hand on the brim of their hats and saluted crisply. Lu Zexuan returned their salute and said, “Let me introduce our new guide. His name is Yu Ran, and he will assist Mohr in the logistical medical work of the team. Welcome!”

The sentinels clapped enthusiastically. They weren’t just welcoming a “new guide teammate,” but welcoming the “Captain’s wife.” It was obvious to the discerning eye why General Lu had applied for a special exemption to bring Yu Ran by his side. Some things didn’t need to be explicitly stated; it was enough to understand them tacitly.

They couldn’t afford to offend Yu Ran in the future, or else General Lu wouldn’t let them off lightly—this was the consensus among the sentinels of the Eagle Special Forces.

After exchanging greetings, Lu Zexuan said, “Starting with Bear, introduce yourselves to Yu Ran.”

There was no need to introduce Mohr; Yu Ran was already familiar with him. Standing next to Mohr, a spirit body of a tall and mighty brown bear, a sentinel smiled shyly and said, “I’m Xiong Kai, the deputy captain of the Eagle Special Forces, an A+ sentinel. As you can see, everyone calls me Bear.”

Next to him was a young girl with neat short hair. She saluted Yu Ran straightforwardly and said, “Eagle Special Forces scout, Lin Fengyao, everyone calls me Hummingbird!”

Her spirit body was a light and agile hummingbird. In a team where most spirit bodies were predators, Hummingbirds, evolving towards “speed,” usually undertook the task of rapid reconnaissance on the battlefield.

“Hello, I’m Kalo. My spirit body is a crocodile. You don’t have to be afraid of it; it’s usually very gentle.” A sentinel with golden curly hair said, his large crocodile even wagging its tail friendly towards Yu Ran.

“I’m Zou Yong, and my spirit body is a gecko.”

“I’m Lu Xiaolong, and my spirit body is a chameleon. I work together with Hummingbird for reconnaissance.”

“I’m Stett, and my spirit body is a bloodhound, responsible for search and rescue.”

“I’m…”

One sentinel after another stepped forward to introduce themselves briefly and showcase their spirit bodies. Yu Ran, with his exceptional memory as a guide, remembered the names, spirit bodies, and tasks undertaken by all fifty-two sentinels of the Eagle Special Forces.

Who exactly was the informant sent by the Dark Night Organization to monitor Lu Zexuan? His gaze swept across the line, but he couldn’t discern any clues from the faces of these sentinels. Those who could be undercover must have extremely strong psychological qualities and superb acting skills. It was impossible to discern anything just by looking at the surface.

However, he wasn’t in a hurry. He still had two months to slowly find out who this informant was and then put on a good show in front of them.

Yu Ran withdrew his gaze and saluted everyone earnestly, saying, “In the future, please take care of me.”

The sentinels chuckled, and someone whispered, “We should be the ones taking care of you.” 

“Yeah, yeah, we should take care of our guide!” 

Lu Zexuan looked at Yu Ran and said, “Let’s take a tour around and get you familiar with the environment.”

Yu Ran nodded, “Okay.”

Mohr smiled and said, “I’ve already arranged Yu Ran’s dormitory on the starship. It’s right next to mine.”

He led Yu Ran to the dormitory on the starship, opened the door, and said, “You can change the door code yourself. Space on the starship is limited, and everyone’s dormitories are very simple, with just a bed, a storage cabinet, and a small bathroom. Sometimes we have to stay on the starship for a long time during missions, so you’ll need to get used to these conditions as soon as possible.”

Yu Ran said, “As long as there’s a place to sleep, and I can take a shower, it’s good enough.”

He wasn’t picky about living conditions at all. Lu Zexuan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and continued to show him around the other areas.

The command room, medical area, weapons warehouse, cafeteria…

Although the Eagle starship wasn’t large, its interior furnishings were very complete. After touring around, Yu Ran memorized the layout of the starship in his mind. He looked at Lu Zexuan and asked, “When are we going on a mission?”

Lu Zexuan said, “Next week. The Eagle Special Forces still need to recruit some new members. After the recruitment is completed, the White Tower will assign new tasks to us. During this time, you can follow Mohr and get familiar with various logistical tasks on the starship.”

Yu Ran nodded, “Okay.”

The military’s conscription and recruitment take place in May every year. At the outset, the Eagle Special Forces had hundreds of members, but over the years, due to difficult missions, many Sentinels sacrificed their lives. Now, only 52 Sentinels remain.

Lu Zexuan repeatedly mentioned a shortage of personnel. Taking advantage of the military’s expansion, he decided to recruit new soldiers.

Yu Ran, lost in thought, recalled what the Marshal told him before leaving: in the underground prison cell 103 of the White Tower, ten floors below ground level, there’s a frenzied Sentinel detained. This person could assist him. The Marshal would prepare new identity documents, allowing the individual to infiltrate the Eagle Special Forces. Yu Ran had to rescue this person within a week.

Since the Sentinel was singled out by the Marshal, they must possess extraordinary abilities. How could they rescue someone from the heavily guarded White Tower prison? It seemed careful planning was necessary.

After departing from the Eagle starship, Lu Zexuan brought Yu Ran back to the White Tower. To facilitate the rapid assembly of active-duty Special Forces Sentinels for combat, during idle times without missions, the members of the Eagle Special Forces resided in the dormitories of the White Tower.

Yu Ran, as a Grade C guide, didn’t have the qualifications to live independently in the White Tower. However, if he were considered “Lu Zexuan’s family member,” he could share a dormitory with Lu Zexuan in the White Tower.

Lu Zexuan brought Yu Ran to the dormitory located in Sector S of the White Tower and swiped his card to open the door. Yu Ran followed him inside. This was Lu Zexuan’s dormitory, where Yu Ran had visited last time when he was treating Little Qi. However, at that time, he had pretended to be exhausted and had not observed carefully.

This time, upon closer inspection, Yu Ran saw a spacious living room with a row of warm-colored sofas, a gym next to it filled with some exercise equipment unfamiliar to Yu Ran, a bathroom, and a master bedroom with a large bed.

Lu Zexuan coughed awkwardly and explained, “The White Tower stipulates that Sentinels and guides of Grade A and above can apply for separate dormitories. For now, you can only stay with me.”

Yu Ran was puzzled.

Seeing Yu Ran’s confusion, Lu Zexuan hurriedly explained, “I’ll sleep on the sofa, you take the master bedroom.”

Yu Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he needed to get close to Lu Zexuan now to gauge if he could be trusted, sharing a bed with Lu Zexuan was still uncomfortable for him. Their guide essence compatibility exceeded 98%. If they became too intimate, it might trigger a bonding heat, which would be disastrous.

Yu Ran scratched his head and pretended to blush, “You’re so tall, the sofa might be too small for you. It’s better if I sleep on the sofa.”

Lu Zexuan said, “It’s okay, I have good stamina, I can sleep anywhere. You need to rest well…” Seeing Yu Ran about to say something else, Lu Zexuan interrupted directly, “That’s settled.”

Saying this, he took the luggage from Yu Ran and dragged it into the master bedroom, then opened the wardrobe.

Half of the wardrobe was filled with Lu Zexuan’s clothes, while the other half was empty. Obviously, Lu Zexuan had specially arranged it for Yu Ran’s arrival. This Sentinel was indeed thoughtful, even buying slippers, pajamas, and toiletries that Yu Ran might need.

Yu Ran hung his clothes in Lu Zexuan’s wardrobe with mixed feelings.

White Eagle exclaimed excitedly in his mind, “Great, great, you guys are officially living together, right? I can see the little fox every day now!” After a pause, it added, “Master, why are you sleeping on the sofa? Why not sleep together? You can connect mentally first, then physically bond.”

Lu Zexuan frowned, “I’m not an animal. He’s only 18, how could I bond with him… What are you thinking?”

White Eagle was puzzled, “Are you implying that my thoughts are animalistic? I am a bird myself, isn’t it normal to have animalistic thoughts?”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. This bird’s intelligence was worrying. Lu Zexuan rubbed his forehead helplessly.

Yu Ran noticed his gesture and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Do you have a headache?”

Lu Zexuan cleared his throat lightly and said, “It’s a rather dull spirit body that causes headaches.”

Yu Ran looked at White Eagle, who innocently tilted its head. Yu Ran couldn’t help but chuckle. “Most Sentinel spirit bodies retain characteristics of fierce beasts. Don’t underestimate White Eagle. It helped you evolve flight capabilities, which is quite remarkable for a spirit body.”

White Eagle was delighted and flew over, landing on Yu Ran’s shoulder, as if indicating its intention to stick with Yu Ran in the future.

Lu Zexuan ignored it and took out an access card from his pocket. “This is an internal pass for the White Tower. I’ve applied for one for you. In the future, try to stick with me. If I’m not around and you need to go out, use this card. Also, below the first floor, access is not allowed without special circumstances.”

Yu Ran took the pass and asked curiously, “Below the first floor, meaning underground? What’s in the White Tower’s underground?”

Lu Zexuan explained, “The White Tower’s underground, from the first basement to the tenth, detains many frenzied Sentinels. These Sentinels are extremely aggressive and have lost their sanity. Even though they’re locked up, they’re still very dangerous.”

Yu Ran nodded in understanding. “You mean the frenzied Sentinels captured during missions?”

Lu Zexuan shook his head. “Not only the recent frenzied Sentinels, but also some from years ago who were arrested and couldn’t be cured. They’ve been living in the underground prison.” He paused, seeming to realize he shouldn’t have mentioned these things to Yu Ran, and changed the subject, asking, “Are you hungry? Let’s go eat.”

Yu Ran smiled, “Yes, I’m quite hungry.”

They went to the dining hall together. Seeing Yu Ran in the black and gold uniform of the Eagle Legion, other Sentinels couldn’t help but express curiosity.

“Is that the Grade C guide General Lu specially brought into the White Tower?”

“I heard his guide essence matches with General Lu’s up to 98%. If General Lu encounters danger, his guide essence could save his life.”

“I envy that. When will I ever meet such a guide?”

“They seem quite compatible.”

Listening to the discussions from the corner, Lu Zexuan’s mood suddenly became complicated. Everyone assumed they were a couple, thinking that Lu Zexuan brought a boyfriend to the White Tower to bind a guide with a 98% match to his side, engage in mental connection, and even physical bonding to stabilize his mental world. For most Sentinels, encountering such a highly compatible guide would prompt them to mark the guide as their own as soon as possible, making them their “exclusive guide.”

But… Lu Zexuan really hadn’t thought that far. He respected Yu Ran. Currently, he had invited Yu Ran to the Eagle Special Forces as a “comrade” to assist him. He didn’t harbor any inappropriate thoughts toward Yu Ran, let alone marking an 18-year-old who had just come of age as his guide. He couldn’t explain this to the other Sentinels.

Fortunately, Yu Ran’s hearing wasn’t as sharp, so he couldn’t hear the gossip around him, otherwise it would be very embarrassing. Indeed, Yu Ran didn’t hear the discussions in the corner— he simply didn’t care about such gossip.

At this moment, he was thinking about how he could reach the tenth basement underground and rescue that Sentinel. Right, he was currently the healing guide of the Eagle Special Forces, giving him ample reason to provide mental guidance to the Grade C frenzied Sentinel recently captured by Lu Zexuan. He decided to check the situation underground first, starting with the frenzied Sentinels. After all, there was still a week’s time; he would surely find a way.