FT DR Chapter 14: The Comprehensive Awakening of the Guide

Chapter 14: The Comprehensive Awakening of the Guide

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Wu Chenghe staggered all the way back to his residence, feeling exhausted by the time he reached the gate. Although he had witnessed Monica in estrus before and had researched a lot of information beforehand, when the moment truly arrived, it completely surpassed his imagination.

His body temperature had soared close to forty degrees, causing his eyes to gleam with fever. He couldn’t even walk in a straight line and had to move in an S-shape. His vision became very strange, with normal objects appearing severely blurred, some even having distorted outlines. His hearing became exceptionally acute; sitting in the flying saucer, he didn’t even need to connect to the traffic console. He could hear traffic alerts from several kilometers away with just his ears. His nose became more sensitive than that of a police dog’s; getting out of the car and standing by a fountain, he even smelled the fresh scent of cat feces under the flowerbed soil.

And his skin began to become extremely sensitive as well, as if amplifiers were installed on all his pores, causing even the slightest airflow to bring noticeable friction pain.

Help! Wu Chenghe practically crawled up to the second floor. Trembling, he opened the door to the small pharmacy and retrieved a dose of the soothing agent he had prepared the night before, injecting it into his jugular vein. Due to his trembling hands, he pricked the wrong spot several times, causing himself even more pain.

Fortunately, his professional skills were top-notch. The first batch of medication worked well, and after a few minutes, he felt less shaky, and his vision improved slightly. Hastily, he packed up the remaining medication, along with the injection needles, into a thermal box. Then, he retrieved a compressed oxygen tank and a breathing converter from the cabinet.

It had been an hour since the onset of estrus symptoms, and Wu Chenghe felt a faint sweet scent emanating from his body. He dragged the medications and oxygen tank into the refrigerator, set the thermostat to two degrees above zero, and while waiting for the temperature to lower, he returned to the pharmacy. Using a sprinkling can, he mixed a large pot of diluted acetic acid and sprayed the flying saucer he had just sat in, as well as the entire villa.

Stay calm, stay calm. Everything had to proceed according to plan, without a single misstep, or else he would soon be discovered… He struggled to stabilize his emotions, suppressing the tidal waves surging in his mind. He removed everything soaked with pheromones, such as his school uniform, shoes, and socks, and threw them into the washing machine.

Wait a minute, something seemed to be missing... Wu Chenghe’s head felt dizzy and swollen. He rummaged through the clothes and realized that his tie was missing. But at a time like this, he couldn’t afford to run out for a tie. He had to set it aside for now and poured detergent and diluted acetic acid into the washing machine, then started the cleaning cycle.

After going through the entire plan in his mind, confirming that nothing was overlooked, Wu Chenghe breathed a sigh of relief, locked the door, and crawled naked into the refrigerator.

It was freezing inside the refrigerator. He sneezed several times upon entering, but his high body temperature was relieved as a result, making him feel much more comfortable. He fumbled to put on the breathing converter, attached the oxygen tank, and then injected himself with the second dose of soothing agent.

The refrigerator was pitch black, and the thick insulation layer blocked out most of the noise, making his eyes and ears much more comfortable. Although his skin was still sensitive and couldn’t tolerate the ice chips in the air, compared to being outside just now, this place was already heaven.

Wu Chenghe curled up and lay on his side. His head was spinning, feeling like something in his brain was malfunctioning. He felt like he was constantly spinning and falling, but could never reach the bottom. This weightlessness was extremely uncomfortable, and soon he felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. So he had to adjust his position, half-leaning against the refrigerator wall. But this put pressure on his back, making it painful and unbearable.

Time passed second by second, and every second felt like torture for Wu Chenghe. Although the refrigerator had a capacity of 900 liters, it was a vertical rectangular shape, and he couldn’t lie flat at the bottom. He could only change positions, curling up or half-leaning inside. Before long, his body became stiff and sore.

After the twelfth injection, his body began to feel somewhat numb, with a slight paralysis sensation at the extremities. Wu Chenghe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that everything was over, that things were getting better. Little did he know that the most difficult moment was just beginning—his mind gradually felt like boiling water, bubbling incessantly, and something invisible seemed to steam out, spreading in all directions.

They surged out of his head, condensing into countless long “tendrils” in the darkness, twisting and entangling like the tentacles of an octopus. Wu Chenghe realized that it was his “mental cloud” extending its “mental tendrils,” but he had no control over it. He could only let them roam like crazy octopuses, piercing through the refrigerator door, through the kitchen, through the living room, delving into the vast world beyond.

He closed his eyes, completely immersed in darkness, but “saw” the surrounding world in another way. In this world, there were no colors; all objects were outlined by black and gray lines, simple and hollow. Gradually, spots of golden light lit up in the black and gray, then another… After a few minutes, scattered points of light began to spread throughout the world of lines.

Wu Chenghe “watched” these faint lights and gradually realized that they were living beings because they moved and flickered. Those that were larger in size should be humans, while those that were exceptionally bright were sentinels.

The world of lines continued to expand—ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters… Countless points of light lit up between the lines, flickering and floating like lanterns in the dark night. Wu Chenghe could feel their thoughts, starting off weak but gradually becoming stronger, swirling like noise in his brain, chaotic and clamorous.

He couldn’t control his mental tendrils, couldn’t stop his mental cloud from expanding. He felt like he was being driven mad by the thoughts emitted by those points of light, but he couldn’t stop.

After seventeen years of silence, his brain couldn’t bear such a massive expansion of information, emitting unbearable sharp pain. Wu Chenghe twisted and trembled in the refrigerator, struggling. After injecting the twenty-second soothing agent, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted. The injection needle fell to the ground with a “clatter” and was never picked up again.

“Fuck… help me…” Tears uncontrollably gushed out. Wu Chenghe convulsed a few times and completely lost consciousness.

***

Marlow felt a bit disoriented today, not fully aware until he finished his physical training in the afternoon and sat down at the dining table at home, feeling a bit dazed.

“What’s wrong, Marlow?” Lilith, in order to welcome her son, rushed back from the military station, personally prepared a traditional hearty dinner. She placed a nine-inch apple pie on the table and worriedly touched her son’s head. “Do you have a fever? Is the mania about to break out? Have you been injecting the balancing agent on time recently?”

“Uh… I’m fine.” Marlow pushed away his mother’s hand, frowned, and rubbed his temples. “Maybe it’s the jet lag that hasn’t reversed yet. There were too many people at the airport last night, and the fans were too crazy. They gave me a headache.”

“Oh, next time, tell the manager of your team not to publicize your schedule. People might think you’re just drumming up publicity.” Lilith complained, took off her apron, opened a bottle of champagne, and directed her quantum beast to call her husband to dinner. The female caracal walked through the stairs into the study. 

Soon Hannibal walked out, smiling, “Give Marlow a glass too, let’s celebrate.”

“He’s only sixteen, he can’t drink.” Lilith frowned, scolded her husband with a glance but still poured half a glass for her son.

“After winning the championship, we can make an exception.” Hannibal ruffled his son’s curly hair, feeling a little out of place, remembering another son, but glanced at Lilith and didn’t mention it. He sat down, raised his glass, “To the championship.”

“To the championship.” Lilith’s face showed a proud smile, echoing.

Marlow was still a child after all. A trace of pride appeared on his cool face. He raised his glass and clinked it with his parents, “Thank you.”

Lilith’s cooking skills were not outstanding, but as a colonel, it was already very rare. Hannibal and Marlow tactfully didn’t complain about the apple pie being too sweet or the grilled chicken too salty. They chewed their food and occasionally discussed the team and school matters.

“It’s the last semester, and there are five months left before the joint exam. Should the team temporarily withdraw? Which university do you want to apply to?” Hannibal asked Marlow.

“Is it the Strategy Academy directly under the First Army or your grandfather’s Aviation Academy?” 

Marlow replied, “Actually, I want to apply to Aston University. After all, it’s the top-ranked military academy.”

Lilith’s expression changed. She said, “I disagree. The relationship between the Federation and the Voyager Army is becoming increasingly tense. The new president, Jin Zhe, is a hardliner, unlike the previous president. Who knows when he will clash with your father? I disagree with you going to the capital for university!”

Aston University was the first university established after human settlement on Planet Dunkirk. It was primarily focused on military education, with civilian education as a supplement. For more than seven hundred years, it had been the cradle of military and political officials in the Federation. However, in the past hundred years, the relationship between the Federation government and the Voyager Army had been delicate, especially since the new president, Jin Zhe, came to power. Many policies had been tightening, making the Voyager Army very wary.

Sending her only son to the capital for university at such a time was obviously not a wise choice. So Lilith and Hannibal both preferred to keep their son within their own sphere of influence.

“I heard some news,” Marlow hesitated for a moment and said, “I heard that the council is discussing a proposal requiring families with colonel or higher ranks in the Voyager Army to send at least one descendant back to the capital of Dunkirk for higher education. Especially for children aspiring to join the military, they must attend university at the capitol military academy. Dad, is this true?”

Lilith had obviously never heard of this news and looked at her husband in surprise, “Is there such a thing?”

Hannibal said, “I’ve heard of it too, but it shouldn’t pass. I don’t think the Federation would pick a fight with the Voyager Army for now—Star Cluster City needs a lot of energy, and our Second and Third Armies are still pioneering in the Lyra Constellation. If they stop for a while, they’ll be cut off from food.”

“What if the proposal is real? Are we going to send our child to the capital of Dunkirk?” Lilith said anxiously, “If the Federation wants to go against the Voyager Army, won’t they become hostages in the president’s hands?”

“How could that be? You’re overthinking it. What can a few kids do if they really dare to turn against the Voyager Army? Would I give up the interests of hundreds of millions of people in the Voyager Army for a few kids?” Hannibal frowned, “Jin Zhe isn’t that stupid. He understands my style. So if the council really has this proposal, the main purpose should still be ideological education. After all, most of our children were born in the Voyager Army and don’t have a sense of belonging to the Federation. They are doing this to foster cohesion among the next generation.” After a pause, he continued, “Anyway, let’s wait and see. If Marlow really likes Aston University, it’s okay to go to the capital for a few years. After all, the Federation is much better in terms of education and culture than the Voyager Army. I also hope he can make some excellent alumni.”

“I disagree!” Lilith didn’t care about Hannibal’s reasoning. In her eyes, her son’s safety was more important than anything else. “Marlow, listen to me, stay at the Voyager Army to study, and don’t even think about Aston University.”

Marlow rolled his eyes and didn’t answer. Hannibal smiled and said, “Ah, let’s just eat. We should respect the food and our great chef.”

“Stop it, don’t think I don’t know you’re mocking my cooking.” Lilith didn’t want her son to bring this up on his first day back.

“How could I? Your cooking has always been excellent.” Hannibal smiled and winked at his son while grabbing the sauce. 

Marlow raised an eyebrow at his father and silently mouthed “whatever” behind his mother’s back.

After dinner, Lilith took the plates to the kitchen to wash them. Hannibal asked Marlow, “How was school today? Did you see Charlie?”

“Charlie?” Marlow’s expression had a moment of confusion as he recalled what happened this morning, feeling like it was shrouded in thick fog, and he couldn’t quite remember.

“You didn’t see him? Didn’t he go to school today?” Hannibal’s expression changed.