FI CH 12

Chapter 12: Rainforest Siege (VI)

The Sentinel didn’t pursue them.

Once the two had retreated to a safe distance, Kurosawa finally spoke. “I can’t be certain whether they’re part of the rebel forces, but I’m sure of one thing—this is an extremely disciplined and well-organized group.”

Bai Hua understood that Kurosawa was analyzing the situation, so he didn’t interrupt.

“That black-haired Guide—his spiritual power was entirely focused in his eyes. He could even spot us from that distance. He’s likely a surveillance-type. Then there’s the one with trapping abilities, and that formidable Sentinel. If those three work together, they could wipe out most enemies with ease.”

Bai Hua realized this was the reason they’d been caught in such a tough battle. “But they don’t seem to be trying to kill us.”

“Exactly. That’s what strikes me as odd. So far, all they’ve done is test and surround us. Maybe it’s part of a larger plan, or maybe they have a different objective altogether—but there’s definitely someone pulling the strings.”

Bai Hua thought of the three again and suddenly said, “That Sentinel… I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Kurosawa glanced at him.

“He’s got a military air about him—not like a wandering rogue Sentinel, but more like someone with formal training.”

“Then let’s assume he’s a defector from the army,” Kurosawa mused. “And think about what connections he might have. All three of them are seasoned veterans. Honestly, we don’t stand a chance if we go head-to-head. Our best move now is to wait for reinforcements.”

Bai Hua frowned. “So you’re saying there’s still nothing we can do?”

“I actually have an idea, but I’m not sure if it will work,” Kurosawa said. After grasping the nature of their spiritual connection, he continued, “Since we’re able to see into someone else’s mental landscape, then theoretically, if it can be destroyed from the inside, it should also be possible to destroy it from the outside.”

Bai Hua suddenly understood what Kurosawa meant—he was planning to use this method to rescue their teammates.

“But there’s a risk,” Kurosawa added.

“What kind of risk?”

“The reason no one’s ever destroyed a mental landscape from the outside is because they couldn’t see it. We might be the first pair of partners with this kind of ‘perception-based’ compatibility.”

Bai Hua paused at those words. He knew that highly compatible Sentinel-Guide pairs could exceed the standard in terms of combat ability—but he hadn’t expected it to manifest like this. That explained why Kurosawa hadn’t given him a definite answer before—only that they could “try it.”

Regardless of how a new ability emerged, it never strayed far from its core. Bai Hua was sure that this wasn’t something derived from his own spiritual entity. He asked again, “Is this ability related to your spirit body?”

“Yes,” Kurosawa replied. “So, if it’s exposed, we might become targets.”

Bai Hua understood the implication: abilities that stood out too much would either be recruited—or eradicated. But right now, they were backed into a corner, and this might be their only chance.

Still, Bai Hua didn’t hesitate for long. “I can’t just stand by and watch them die.”

Hearing this, Kurosawa chuckled lightly. “I knew you’d say that. Which is why we need to talk strategy.”

After a thorough discussion of their plan, the two decided to make their move that afternoon.

They used the same method as before to pinpoint the enemy’s location, then silently moved in. For a while, they simply observed from hiding. Not until dusk did they take action.

Bai Hua launched the attack without warning, leaping from the underbrush and striking with full force at the exact location Kurosawa had marked as the weak point in the mental landscape.

The theory proved sound. The enemy’s mental landscape immediately collapsed. Their four teammates appeared in reality, looking disoriented, as if unsure why they had suddenly returned to the real world.

There was no time to explain. Bai Hua simply barked, “Run!”

Sure enough, when the mental landscape was destroyed, the enemy Guide who had created it noticed. He looked genuinely shocked and turned to the black-haired man beside him. “My mental landscape was broken from the outside.”

“I saw it,” the black-haired man said, just as stunned. “A Sentinel did it. How could he have such a skill? That shouldn’t be possible…”

The brown-haired Sentinel finally spoke. “It’s an ability derived from a Sentinel-Guide bond. Their compatibility must be very high.”

The Captor and the Watcher^[1] exchanged glances, then turned to the brown-haired man—clearly unsure of what to do next.

The Sentinel said calmly, “Their abilities are quite unique. They might prove useful in the future.”

The Captor asked, “Should we still follow the original plan?”

“The other four—yes, follow the original plan,” the Sentinel replied. “As for the remaining two, I’ll handle them personally.”

The Watcher glanced in the direction where the group had escaped, then said, “Should we act now? But we’ve already lost sight of them.”

“Tomorrow,” the brown-haired Sentinel said without urgency. He gestured toward the darkened sky. “You can’t see clearly at night anyway. Let them enjoy their last night together.”

***

Bai Hua led the four teammates along the escape route Kurosawa had marked out as safe, making their way to the rendezvous point.

Whether the enemy hadn’t anticipated this move or simply couldn’t catch up, they didn’t encounter any danger on the way.

The six of them reunited—there wasn’t much time for sentiment. After a brief exchange of information, they immediately got to work treating wounds and bandaging injuries.

From Wei Yang, Bai Hua learned everything that had happened after he and Kurosawa disappeared. The remaining four had fallen into another mental landscape, and then another… and another. It was endless. Battle after battle, with almost no time to rest. An Shi was still the most seriously injured—he had taken on most of the attacks by himself.

Kurosawa also gave a quick report of what had happened after they separated, detailing the abilities of the three enemies and helping to formulate a new plan. There was no need to confront the enemy head-on anymore—what they needed now was a good place to hide and observe.

That night, Kurosawa once again attempted to contact the Association—but still received no response.

The next day, heavy rain fell, and the rainforest remained stiflingly hot and humid.

The six of them headed toward the marshes. There was more cover in that area, and they could better use the terrain to their advantage.

Kurosawa focused on sensing danger and blocking the Watcher’s surveillance. Meanwhile, Wei Yang and Zhu Yan activated their psychic concealment to erase their trail from the memories of any nearby creatures.

Though they had made thorough preparations, they hadn’t expected the one to appear would be that brown-haired Sentinel.

Bai Hua was the first to notice the faint shift in airflow. He suddenly shouted, “Scatter!”

Just as he spoke, the brown-haired Sentinel leapt down from the trees. He had clearly already locked on to his target—he charged straight toward Kurosawa.

Bai Hua, being closest to Kurosawa, quickly stepped in front of him, taking the full brunt of the Sentinel’s strike.

But the man was incredibly strong and fast. Bai Hua was knocked back several steps, crashing into Kurosawa. Before he could regain his footing, the Sentinel was already attacking again.

Kurosawa barely managed to steady Bai Hua—he hadn’t even had time to prepare—when the Sentinel closed the distance in an instant.

Just then, An Shi and Wu Jin burst out from the sides, left and right, restraining the Sentinel and buying Bai Hua and Kurosawa a brief window.

But Bai Hua could tell immediately—the man’s target was clearly the two of them. Perhaps it was because of the unique ability they had developed together.

At the same time, Bai Hua also realized something else: he wasn’t strong enough to defeat this man.

His combat instincts had always been sharp—and sure enough, both An Shi and Wu Jin were swiftly overwhelmed. Even Wei Yang and Zhu Yan’s coordinated psychic attacks had no effect at all. The Sentinel advanced steadily toward them, a powerful presence radiating from him, fully intent on capturing them.

Even at this close range, Bai Hua still felt the man looked familiar. He was actually quite young—no more than thirty—with sharp, defined features and a buzz cut. His chiseled face and piercing gaze, along with his upright, military posture, made it obvious he had formal combat training.

Kurosawa took one look at their badly injured teammates and spoke up, “Can we talk?”

The brown-haired Sentinel actually paused, his stance casual, as if certain they couldn’t escape from him. “What do you want to talk about?”

“What is your objective?”

The Sentinel gave a light smile but didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “The two of you come with me. I’ll let the others go.”

It was the answer Kurosawa had expected. But the others didn’t agree—bruised and battered, they still struggled to stand, ready to fight again. Even Bai Hua took a step forward.

Kurosawa reached out and pressed a hand to Bai Hua’s shoulder, signaling him not to act rashly. Then he responded, “Alright.”

Everyone looked at Kurosawa in shock. Even Bai Hua trembled slightly—but he quickly composed himself and didn’t make a move.

The brown-haired Sentinel seemed quite satisfied with Kurosawa’s cooperation and simply said, “Come with me.”

He turned his back on them without hesitation and walked off, showing no fear of being attacked from behind.

Kurosawa’s hand remained on Bai Hua’s shoulder. He whispered, “Let’s go.”

Bai Hua glanced back at him, sensing he had another plan in mind. He gave a small nod and used his eyes to signal the others not to act impulsively.

At that moment, Kurosawa met Wei Yang’s gaze. Between Guides, sometimes a single look was all it took for understanding.

The two of them followed the Sentinel’s direction, but after only a few steps, the surrounding environment suddenly shifted—they were already inside the Captor’s mental landscape.

The enemy had long since laid down a psychic snare. Even if they resisted with everything they had, it might not be enough to break free.

Kurosawa let out a quiet sigh, a wave of certainty washing over him—this had indeed been the right decision.

Just earlier, he had secretly passed a message to Wei Yang: even if he and Bai Hua didn’t make it back, at least one of the remaining four must return to report everything.

(To be continued…
T/L: This is getting so intense… omg (」°ロ°)」