FI CH 13

Chapter 13: Rainforest Siege (VII)

“Got them?” Two figures appeared in the mental landscape—it was the same Captor and Watcher they had seen before, speaking to the brown-haired sentinel.

The Watcher seemed quite curious about Kurosawa, his gaze sweeping over him repeatedly. “He’s pretty young.”

The sentinel said, “Blindfold him, suppress his senses, tie him up, and don’t stay too close to him.”

Blindfolding and sensory suppression were standard tactics used against guides—it was a reliable way to prevent any potential information leaks. Long ago, there had been cases where guides acted as undercover agents, infiltrating enemy camps to steal valuable intel. This sentinel was clearly very experienced and extremely cautious.

The Watcher approached Kurosawa, who did not resist at all, allowing him to do as he pleased. After finishing with him, he pointed to Bai Hua. “What about this sentinel?”

The brown-haired sentinel glanced at Bai Hua and said, “Blindfold him, tie his hands behind his back—that’s enough. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

The Watcher paused for a moment but complied anyway.

From their brief exchange, Bai Hua could tell that the two guides seemed to hold this sentinel in considerable respect.

The Captor had also been silently observing the two. At this point, he suddenly said, “Strange… they haven’t bonded yet.”

That remark didn’t just surprise the Watcher—even the brown-haired sentinel raised his head to look at the two. He suddenly asked, “What’s your compatibility rating?”

Bai Hua replied, “Ninety-four percent.”

Even if Bai Hua hadn’t answered, they had other ways of finding out.

“No wonder… You two haven’t even bonded, yet you already developed a derivative ability…” the Watcher muttered thoughtfully. He seemed to finally understand why the brown-haired sentinel had been so cautious with them.

The Captor turned to the sentinel and asked, “So now what? Are we heading back?”

“Not yet,” the sentinel replied. “Let’s finish the rest of the task first.”

Bai Hua didn’t know exactly what they meant by “the rest,” but he and Kurosawa had been trapped within a mental landscape the entire time, completely isolated from the outside world. Whenever one or two of the three left, at least one would always stay behind to guard them. Most of the time, it was the sentinel. Occasionally, the Watcher or the Captor would take the shift.

Bai Hua referred to them as Watcher, Captor, and Sentinel because he didn’t know their real names. On the battlefield, it wasn’t uncommon to assign individuals code names based on their abilities—and these three were extremely cautious, never revealing any personal information during conversation.

Kurosawa, since being captured, had remained silent. While his senses were sealed, he should still have been able to hear.

That day, the Watcher was the one assigned to watch over them.

Bai Hua could differentiate between the three based on the sound of their footsteps. After a brief moment of thought, he suddenly called out, “Kurosawa?”

“…Mm.”

The Watcher immediately glanced over at them. The two were kept apart, unable to reach or touch each other—spiritual communication was also impossible. Yet, despite that, he instinctively grew wary of the two highly compatible individuals and warned, “The others will be back soon. Don’t try anything stupid.”

Bai Hua said nothing more, and Kurosawa also fell silent.

From Kurosawa’s voice, Bai Hua estimated he was about five paces away.

They couldn’t overpower the sentinel, and the Captor was hard to deal with. The only one who might be vulnerable was the Watcher. Bai Hua didn’t know what Kurosawa had planned, but if they wanted to escape, he knew he had to create an opportunity. Guides tended to lower their guard when they were within their own sphere of control—especially toward sentinels. In contrast, they were more vigilant around fellow guides. This was a common pattern… and a potential weakness.

After a while, the Captor returned. Bai Hua could hear the Watcher sigh in relief, as though guarding the two alone had been an exhausting burden.

Just then, Kurosawa spoke up. “I’d like some water.”

Maybe because the Captor was present, the Watcher wasn’t as tense anymore. He walked over to Kurosawa and poured some water into his mouth.

Bai Hua said, “Me too.”

The Watcher walked over to him next and tilted water into his mouth.

Bai Hua took note of the Watcher’s movements. To prevent water from spilling when feeding them, he would always tilt their chin up first. Bai Hua wasn’t sure if this was a deliberate hint from Kurosawa—but he had decided. If they were going to act, this person would be the first target.

This time, the brown-haired sentinel had been gone longer than usual. Only the Watcher and the Captor remained nearby.

Inside the sealed-off mental landscape, there was no way to tell night from day, but Bai Hua’s internal clock told him that three days had already passed. A strange feeling crept up on him: they were going to leave this place soon.

***

That night—at least, what Bai Hua estimated to be late at night—Kurosawa suddenly made a move.

He held a piece of wood in his hand and began scratching it lightly with his fingernail. It wasn’t idle fidgeting, but a deliberate, rhythmic movement—repeating the same tempo.

Such subtle noise would be impossible for a Guide to detect, but Bai Hua could hear it. It was a coded signal.

Only the Watcher and Captor were still around. The Sentinel had been gone for an entire day and had yet to return.

Maybe Kurosawa figured this was their best chance and decided it was time to act.

Bai Hua listened closely to the signal. Although he couldn’t decipher its full meaning, he still chose to cooperate. Their time together had been brief, but Bai Hua knew Kurosawa well enough to understand that he wouldn’t take reckless risks. If he was acting, it meant he had a plan—and confidence.

The gist of the code was: “Wait until the Sentinel shows up before taking action.”

Bai Hua had no idea how Kurosawa could tell when the Sentinel would return. But, as always, he was right—the Sentinel did come back. And for some reason, he called the Captor away with him.

With both of them gone, the Watcher—usually nervous when left alone—seemed more relaxed this time. Perhaps it was because he knew the Sentinel had returned, or perhaps he was comforted knowing the other two weren’t far away. Whatever the case, he wasn’t as guarded as usual.

Then, unexpectedly, the Sentinel returned again—and this time, he called the Watcher out as well. The Captor had not yet come back.

The Watcher looked puzzled and reminded, “But what about the two of them…?”

The Sentinel simply said, “I’ll watch them.”

Without suspicion, the Watcher left alongside him.

Once the two men had left, Kurosawa finally spoke. “Can you get yourself free? Do it quickly—I can’t hold out for long…”

Bai Hua immediately understood—that Sentinel from earlier wasn’t real. It must have been some kind of visual illusion or trick. He had no idea how Kurosawa managed to pull that off with his senses still sealed. This man… was truly unfathomable. Still, he quickly replied, “Yes, I can.”

Getting out of his restraints wasn’t a challenge for Bai Hua. He had been ready for this. If Kurosawa hadn’t made a move tonight, he would’ve acted on his own.

He swiftly undid the rope binding him and rushed to free Kurosawa as well.

Kurosawa scanned their surroundings quickly, then pointed. “The weak point is over there.”

Bai Hua didn’t ask why—he simply followed the direction Kurosawa gave.

They broke free from the Captor’s mental landscape, and the outside world was completely dark. Just as Bai Hua had guessed—it was deep into the night.

Kurosawa said, “Lead me. I can’t see.”

Bai Hua finally realized why Kurosawa had chosen to act at night—Guides generally had poor night vision. That included himself, and likely the other two as well. While Bai Hua’s night vision wasn’t exceptional, at least it wasn’t a hindrance.

Gripping Kurosawa’s arm, he led him forward into the darkness. “How did you know the Sentinel wouldn’t be here tonight?”

“I didn’t. But he’s been away more often lately. I figured something must be going on on their end. We needed to take the chance to escape while we could.”

Bai Hua muttered, “That’s risky.”

“It wasn’t me taking the risk,” Kurosawa shook his head and added, “If I hadn’t made a move tonight, you would’ve.”

Bai Hua was startled. “How did you know?” During their time in captivity, he hadn’t exchanged a single word with Kurosawa.

“Your pheromones. I could tell your emotional fluctuations without needing to see or hear anything.”

Bai Hua glanced at him, momentarily speechless.

Kurosawa didn’t follow up with more.

They simply leaned on each other, helping one another forward, stumbling through the vast, dark wetlands—guided only by each other’s presence.

(To be continued…)