First Interstellar Guide Chapter 67: Puppet Sentinel

Chapter 67: Puppet Sentinel

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Since the day Hummingbird saw Major Lu bringing Yu Ran back to the Eagle Special Forces, she felt that these two people were very compatible. At first, she only dared to secretly observe Yu Ran, but later found that Yu Ran was very easygoing. She felt even more that Lu Zexuan had picked up a treasure.

During the days they spent on Red Spider Star, she had been very worried about Yu Ran. After all, Yu Ran was a low-level C-class guide with almost no combat power. If he encountered any danger, it would be certain death. Now, seeing Yu Ran with Major Lu, she finally felt relieved.

In the sky, Lu Zexuan’s keen vision had already seen the situation in the forest. In his mind, he thought, “There are seven people below, and Hummingbird is in the front. I’ll be quick and clean, not letting her suffer too much.”

Yu Ran replied, “Good, let’s finish this quickly to avoid them suspecting anything.”

Not far away was a small hill, and inside was the hiding place of Lu Xiaolong. Lu Zexuan landed with Yu Ran near the clearing. Inside the cave, Lu Xiaolong, who blended into the wall, was about to come out to meet the two. But when he took a closer look… why did Lu Zexuan’s eyes look strange? His expression was somewhat blank, his eyes seemed soulless, devoid of any emotion.

Alarmed, Lu Xiaolong immediately hid himself.

Not long after, Hummingbird rushed over excitedly, “Major Lu, Ranran! Finally found you!”

Before she could finish her words, Lu Zexuan swiftly drew his electromagnetic knife, and the gleaming white blade arced beautifully in the air. With a swift and decisive motion, he pierced through Hummingbird’s chest area.

Hummingbird: “???”

Before she could react, she was struck by the knife!

Hummingbird stared wide-eyed at Lu Zexuan, “Lu, Major Lu?”

The next moment, Yu Ran’s fiery mental tendrils suddenly reached out, connecting to her brain. Hummingbird collapsed instantly, losing consciousness.

Tang Ce, who arrived behind her, saw this scene and hurried over to support her. “Bird Sister, what’s wrong? Bird Sister!” He looked at the blood on Hummingbird’s body, lifted his head in disbelief, “Major Lu, why did you kill Bird Sister?”

Yu Ran coldly said, “Kill them.”

Lu Zexuan, expressionless, replied, “Yes, Master.”

Tang Ce was speechless. You two are really playing your parts convincingly.

At this moment, the other five teammates rushed over. Seeing Hummingbird lying on the ground, everyone wore expressions of incomprehension. Tang Ce loudly reminded them, “Run! Major Lu seems to have gone berserk. He killed Hummingbird!”

With that, he was the first to flee. Lu Zexuan immediately flew up and caught up with Tang Ce. With a swing of his electromagnetic knife, Tang Ce screamed in agony and fell to the ground. His spirit body, a chameleon, quickly blended into the surrounding soil.

In less than three seconds, blood seeped out from the soil in large patches. Tang Ce seemed to be dead, his spirit body disappeared, his face as pale as paper, his temperature adjusted to that of a corpse. His eyes were wide open, staring straight at Lu Zexuan, as if refusing to accept his fate.

Lu Zexuan innocently said, “I didn’t even touch him.”

Yu Ran said, “…Ignore him for now, deal with the others.”

The others, initially hesitant upon hearing Tang Ce’s claim of Major Lu going berserk, suddenly came to their senses when they saw Major Lu swiftly kill Tang Ce. The Hound shouted loudly, “Lu, Major Lu has really gone berserk?”

“Oh my god, he really killed Bird Sister and Xiao Tang!”

“Run!”

An S-class berserk sentinel was extremely terrifying. Even a dozen or so A-class sentinels might not be able to defeat Lu Zexuan. The five of them sensed the danger and quickly turned to run. Of course, Lu Zexuan wouldn’t let them go. With his knife in hand, he chased after them.

From deep within the forest came one chilling scream after another. In the blink of an eye, these people were all swiftly “dealt with” by Lu Zexuan.

Lu Zexuan flew back to Yu Ran’s side, his electromagnetic knife still dripping with blood. There was no expression on his face as he lowered his head to Yu Ran and said hoarsely, without any emotion, “Seven, all dead.”

Yu Ran smiled, patting Lu Zexuan’s head as if petting an animal. “You did well.”

Lu Xiaolong, inside the cave, watched this scene with his mouth gaping open. What was going on? Has Lu Zexuan gone berserk? No! A berserk sentinel would indiscriminately attack everyone around him, but he didn’t attack Yu Ran. Instead, he seemed to be following Yu Ran’s orders very obediently. Could it be that Yu Ran took the opportunity to control Lu Zexuan? Otherwise, why would Lu Zexuan suddenly kill these comrades he risked his life to save?!

Lu Xiaolong’s heart pounded violently. The next moment, he heard Yu Ran softly say, “Our secret must not be known by anyone, so we can’t leave anyone alive… You must kill everyone, understand?”

Lu Zexuan obediently nodded, “Yes.”

Yu Ran smiled, “Let’s go, find the others.”

Lu Zexuan spread his arms and lifted Yu Ran, soaring into the air with his snow-white wings. Soon, the two disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Lu Xiaolong cowered against the wall of the cave, too afraid to come out.

At this time, Zhao Feng, Zhao Quan, and Mohr were foraging in the forest.

Zhao Feng suddenly stopped, puzzled, “Why do I hear screams from over there?”

Zhao Quan said, “Brother, I hear it too. Could it be the members of the Eagle Special Forces encountering some monsters?”

Mohr anxiously said, “Let’s go help!”

As soon as the words fell, Lu Zexuan, with his arms wide open, suddenly swooped down from high altitude.

Zhao Feng and Zhao Quan were twin brothers, with a telepathic connection between them. Both were A+ Sentinels, and their spirit bodies were formidable. If the two of them were to fight Lu Zexuan with all their might, although Lu Zexuan had a high chance of winning, it would inevitably result in mutual harm and a waste of time.

Yu Ran said, “Leave one brother to me. You knock out the other as quickly as possible.”

Lu Zexuan nodded, “Okay.”

On the ground, the three of them saw Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran approaching, and a hint of joy appeared on their faces.

Zhao Feng eagerly went up to them, “General, are you all right?”

Mohr asked with concern, “Are you guys trapped in the red mist too?”

Zhao Quan said, “We heard screams over there just now. The team members may be in danger, so we hurried over…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Zexuan, with his electromagnetic knife covered in blood, swung it swiftly. There was a dull thud, followed by a slight blunt pain at the back of Zhao Quan’s head, and he was instantly knocked unconscious.

The speed at which an S-class Sentinel struck was too fast, and Zhao Quan was caught completely off guard by Lu Zexuan’s ambush.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Feng couldn’t help but stare blankly. Sensing the danger, he immediately summoned his spirit body. However, suddenly, behind Yu Ran, a giant nine-tailed fox appeared. The fox was engulfed in flames, and its nine tails spread out like an umbrella, almost as tall as the surrounding trees. The nine-tailed fox stared coldly at Zhao Feng and Mohr on the ground, as if they were mere ants.

This was… an S-class, perhaps even S+ class, Guide spirit body!

Zhao Feng and Mohr stood frozen in place, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Yu Ran’s gaze was icy cold. He raised his right hand, and several red mental tendrils suddenly connected to Zhao Feng. The agonizing pain burning in Zhao Feng’s mind made him let out a piercing scream, and soon he lost consciousness completely.

Mohr looked at Yu Ran, his lips curling into a bitter smile. “Ran Ran, you’re such a powerful guide. You’ve been deceiving us all along…” He glanced sadly at Lu Zexuan and his voice choked up. “It doesn’t matter if I die. But Zexuan, he’s genuinely devoted to you. How can you bear to make him personally hand down the death sentence to his comrades?”

As fellow Guides, Mohr had already figured out that Lu Zexuan wasn’t berserk but rather under Yu Ran’s control. Though he didn’t know how Yu Ran was controlling Lu Zexuan, a berserk Sentinel would indiscriminately kill everyone. Lu Zexuan hadn’t laid a hand on Yu Ran and instead looked at him with absolute submission, as if he were Yu Ran’s puppet on a string.

The flames of the tendrils reached Mohr’s brain, and the formidable mental energy surged like a tsunami. Mohr felt as if his heart was being twisted by knives. He closed his eyes and silently prayed in his mind, “Cheng’an, I’m sorry, I can’t protect your brother anymore.”

The flames burned in Mohr’s mental landscape, quickly surrounding the pure white deer. Just when Mohr thought his fate was sealed, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind, “There’s more to Lu Chengan’s death than meets the eye. If you want to know the truth, strive to stay alive.”

Mohr’s eyes widened in surprise, then he was swiftly hypnotized by Yu Ran.

Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan cooperated seamlessly. After locating the members of the Eagle Special Forces in the air, they launched a sudden attack. Most of the team members wouldn’t have time to react, especially considering Lu Zexuan’s speed. Moreover, seeing Major Lu flying with Yu Ran, they wouldn’t have any defensive instincts.

This made things much easier. 

Creating the illusion of “deaths” among the team members with the fastest speed and the least damage possible was ideal.

In the air, Lu Zexuan’s eagle-like vision could clearly see the situation in the forest. Solitary Sentinels were easy to deal with, but when they gathered in small groups, Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran would team up, with Lu Zexuan launching sneak attacks while Yu Ran attacked mentally.

To make the performance more realistic, Lu Zexuan occasionally actually stabbed the team members. The forest echoed with screams, and all of this was heard clearly by Lu Xiaolong, hiding in a cave.

Lu Xiaolong’s face turned pale. He thought to himself, Yu Ran is truly a lunatic. After controlling Lu Zexuan, he didn’t leave a single survivor! But then again, this was consistent with the organization’s philosophy. Lu Zexuan was an important piece in their strategy, and if word got out, their careful planning would be for naught. What should he do? Keep hiding?

Just as Ly Xiaolong was pondering his next move, Lu Zexuan flew back with Yu Ran.

Yu Ran said calmly, “There are still a few we haven’t found. They must have hidden after hearing the screams. You proactively call them over and say… ‘Members of the Eagle Special Forces, gather here quickly.'”

Lu Zexuan obediently flew into the air and loudly announced, “Members of the Eagle Special Forces, gather here quickly!”

Controlled Sentinels would completely obey their “master’s” commands. At this moment, Lu Zexuan was like a puppet obedient to Yu Ran’s every word.

Hesitant Sentinels hiding in the forest finally ran towards Lu Zexuan’s direction. But soon, they discovered that the area was littered with the corpses of their comrades.

Blood stained the forest, and the bodies looked as though they had just been pulled out of a morgue, their eyes staring lifelessly. The scene was horrifying. 

A young Sentinel, just graduated from military academy, trembled as he witnessed the gruesome scene. “Lu… Major Lu, what happened? How did Birdie, Croc, and the others…”

An experienced veteran immediately realized, “Major Lu has gone berserk! Run!”

Once an S-class Sentinel goes berserk, their abilities become terrifying beyond imagination. In the history of the Federation, there have only been a few instances where berserk S-class Sentinels have killed all their teammates. Lu Zexuan had always told Mohr that if he ever went berserk, Mohr must kill him immediately. That’s the reason behind it all.

At this moment, although Lu Zexuan was pretending, in the eyes of his teammates, the man with the blood-drenched blade and icy cold gaze seemed like a demon straight from the depths of hell — and these comrades lying on the ground, they were all killed by him!

The screams just now weren’t caused by encountering monsters; they were caused by Lu Zexuan. Realizing this, the few surviving Sentinels felt a chill run down their spines.

Run? Could they even escape?

As this thought crossed the Sentinels’ minds, Lu Zexuan suddenly flew behind one of them like lightning, swiftly swinging his blade towards the back of his head — Lu Zexuan’s strength was just right; it looked like a killing blow, but in reality, he used enough force to knock the person unconscious instantly.

Another Sentinel who ran towards the direction of the cave was swiftly caught up by Yu Ran’s mental tendrils. The flaming tendrils, like agile snakes, tightly entwined around the other’s head, and the attacked Sentinel let out a piercing scream before collapsing to the ground in less than three seconds.

Only one recruit remained, about to sprint away, but he tripped over Tang Ce’s corpse.

The recruit crawled forward on the ground, trembling lips stuttering, “Lu… Major Lu… please… please don’t kill me…”

Lu Zexuan’s expression remained blank as his silver electromagnetic knife continued to drip blood.

Slowly, he walked up to the recruit and stabbed him in the back.

“Aaah—!” The screams echoed in the forest. It wasn’t until a moment later that the entire forest returned to silence.

Lu Zexuan flew back to Yu Ran, obediently lowering his head. “Master, it’s done.”

Yu Ran smiled slightly and lightly patted Lu Zexuan’s head as if rewarding him. “Very good. How many did you kill?”

“Fifty-one,” Lu Zexuan replied.

Yu Ran furrowed his brows slightly. “One more left. Wonder where he’s hiding?” He scanned his surroundings, and Lu Xiaolong, hiding in the cave, felt his heart skip a beat. Then, Yu Ran said, “Go check that cave over there.”

Lu Xiaolong’s eyes widened suddenly, holding his breath.

Lu Zexuan entered the cave with his knife ready, followed closely by Yu Ran. By now, Lu Xiaolong had changed his body’s color to blend with the cave walls, invisible to Lu Zexuan but not to Yu Ran, who could sense emotions as a Guide.

Though Lu Xiaolong was physically invisible, he couldn’t hide his fear.

Soon, Yu Ran locked onto his position through emotional perception and said calmly, “I found you, Lu Xiaolong.”

Countless red tendrils surged from Yu Ran’s palm like a violent wind, fiercely attacking the corner of the cave!

In an instant, Lu Xiaolong’s entire body was surrounded by flames. The excruciating pain burning in his mind made him scream, “Aaah—don’t… don’t kill me! We’re… we’re allies!”

Yu Ran’s attack suddenly stopped, and he looked at Lu Xiaolong with cold eyes. “Allies?”

In Lv Xiaolong’s mind, he pleaded desperately, “I… I’m also part of the organization. Please don’t kill me! I absolutely won’t reveal the secret that you’ve controlled Lu Zexuan!”

Yu Ran raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. “Oh? But I think dead men keep secrets better.”

Lu Xiaolong’s face turned pale. “Please, spare me! I’ll speak well of you to our superiors.”

Yu Ran pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing the options. Since Lu Xiaolong had revealed his position under mental attack, Lu Zexuan, following Yu Ran’s order of “no survivors,” flew forward and grabbed Lu Xiaolong’s neck.

Expressionless, Lu Zexuan’s fingers tightened like an iron grip, and Lu Xiaolong felt his neck about to be snapped. The fear of death overwhelmed him, and he fell to his knees in front of Yu Ran, begging frantically, “Don’t kill me! I’ll do whatever you say from now on! I’ll listen to you!”

Yu Ran chuckled lightly and gestured to Lu Zexuan. “Zexuan, let him go.”

Immediately, Lu Zexuan obediently released his grip. Yu Ran stepped forward, patting Lu Xiaolong’s shoulder lightly. “I didn’t expect the organization to send two moles into the Eagle Special Forces. Sorry, almost hurt our own.”

Lu Xiaolong sat on the ground, his heart pounding from the near-death experience, breathing heavily. Little did he know, at this moment, Yu Ran and Lu Zexuan shared a knowing smile in the mental world.

“He should completely believe now that you’ve been under my control and that you’ve killed all the Eagle Special Forces,” Yu Ran remarked.

“Yeah, the next step is figuring out how to get back to the capital star. Did our starship crash?”

“Don’t worry. The Eagle starship fell here due to the gravitational pull of the wormhole. I had the Queen hide it with the red mist illusion. The hull isn’t severely damaged, and I can reboot and repair the systems.”

Ranrran indeed planned meticulously, considering every detail. The wounded members of the Eagle Special Forces would now be left to the care of the Queen, while the two of them, along with Lu Xiaolong, who had witnessed everything, would return to the Dark Night Organization to officially commence their joint undercover operation.

Author’s note:

These two are real drama kings~

Suddenly, the image of Ranran patting Major Lu’s head like petting an animal seems quite cute, hahaha.

Lu Zexuan: “Just a blank-faced puppet, pet me as you please.”