FI CH 17

Chapter 17: Rainforest Siege (XI)

Bai Hua was already covered in wounds, but he still charged forward without a second thought.

This forced the brown-haired sentinel to focus all his attention on the young sentinel in front of him. During their fight, the voices of the Watcher and the Captor seemed to be saying something, but he subconsciously blocked them out. This young sentinel was simply too difficult to deal with—knocked down over and over, yet he kept getting up again, even clinging shamelessly to the brown-haired sentinel’s leg and refusing to let go…

Bai Hua’s gaze sparked a fighting spirit in the brown-haired sentinel; for a moment, he even forgot that he was supposed to be chasing after the guide. But he quickly came to his senses.

It was at that moment that a subtle tremor rippled through the surroundings—he thought he heard the sound of a barrier cracking, and it wasn’t coming from inside, but from outside…

That shouldn’t be possible. There was no way someone with the same kind of ability would just happen to appear, and not in such a short amount of time.

The brown-haired sentinel finally realized the gravity of the situation. He struck Bai Hua with a hard punch to force him back, then immediately turned and rushed in the direction of the guide. Bai Hua was hit so hard he could barely stand, yet he still scrambled up in his battered state and staggered after the sentinel.

By the time the brown-haired sentinel arrived, he was greeted by a once-in-a-lifetime sight: a beam of sunlight was piercing through a hole in the sky, penetrating both reality and illusion. Two spaces that should never have coexisted were briefly linked together.

This phenomenon could only mean one thing—someone outside was forcefully breaking through, while the Captor inside was simultaneously trying to patch the spiritual landscape. Both sides were locked in a fierce contest, neither backing down.

Only now did the sentinel finally grasp what the Watcher and the Captor had been shouting at him earlier: their rescue team had arrived, and somehow—they had managed to find the spatial breach.

Through the gap in the broken sky, the brown-haired sentinel could clearly see a yellow bird circling above.

And then it clicked.

It was the same bird that had flown over his shoulder earlier—the one he had let pass.

Kurosawa had somehow already taken control of the bird, and managed to send it outside the spiritual landscape undetected to seek out the rescue team. Even the location of the breach in the outer barrier was leaked by it.

The brown-haired sentinel hadn’t expected that the guide would be capable of pulling off something like this—nor that he’d be so perceptive as to notice the pursuer’s little habits when constructing spiritual landscapes.

To reduce the mental strain caused by simulating such a realistic environment, the Captor had brought in certain real-life organisms or inanimate objects and allowed them limited freedom to come and go.

It was through this tiny detail that Kurosawa successfully helped the rescue team locate them.

Just then, the voice of the Captor echoed in the brown-haired sentinel’s ears: “…I can’t hold on much longer. Hurry!”

He glanced at Kurosawa ahead of him, and then heard footsteps approaching from behind. The young sentinel had somehow caught up. Though both of them were clearly exhausted, seeing his partner safe brought visible relief. Amid the chaos, the two of them exchanged a smile.

And at that moment, the brown-haired sentinel made a decision.

He suddenly turned around and lunged for Bai Hua. Perhaps he had nothing left to hold him back now, because his speed doubled in an instant.

Bai Hua didn’t expect such a sudden move—he was quickly subdued. A sharp pain struck the back of his neck, and his head spun. That overwhelming force almost knocked him out cold. He collapsed onto the ground, unable to get back up, and the brown-haired sentinel grabbed him like a chick and began dragging him back.

Kurosawa had already started sprinting over the moment the sentinel moved, but he still couldn’t stop it in time.

It was only then that he realized—the brown-haired sentinel had never used his full strength until now. He must have finally been cornered and decided to go all out, focused only on capturing them and returning.

But with the rescue team already arriving, Kurosawa couldn’t just stand by and watch Bai Hua be taken away.

Even though his mental strength had already been pushed to its limit—and forcing it any further risked serious spiritual backlash—Kurosawa didn’t hesitate. He launched another mental attack.

Perhaps it was this reckless resolve, this all-or-nothing desperation, that caused a noticeable crack to form in the brown-haired sentinel’s spiritual barrier. The sentinel was forced to fully concentrate on defense, and without realizing it, loosened his grip. Bai Hua immediately fell to the ground.

He let out a low grunt, and through sheer pain and willpower, delivered a powerful counterattack. The brown-haired sentinel was sent flying and rolled several times across the ground.

Kurosawa, overwhelmed, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The two of them were in complete disarray, barely able to stay upright—yet still, they leaned on each other, helping one another as they made their way toward the outer barrier.

Their pace was slow—painfully slow—and perhaps they couldn’t survive even one more blow. But as long as they hadn’t collapsed, they would not stop moving.

Kurosawa and Bai Hua could no longer hear any movement from behind. Whether the brown-haired sentinel had lost consciousness or simply couldn’t get up, they weren’t sure.

In terms of physical injuries, Bai Hua looked the worst—practically drenched in blood. But Kurosawa’s mental damage couldn’t be judged with common sense. One thing was certain: neither of them had ever been through something this brutal before. In this strange moment, for reasons unknown, both of them felt like laughing—laughing at how miserable they looked, laughing at the life-or-death days they’d endured, laughing simply because they were still alive.

It seemed the Captor had given up, abandoning the reconstruction of the mental landscape. The rescuers were free to break through, and at last, the mental boundary gradually dissolved.

The first rescuer to arrive was Bai Hua’s friend—He He. The moment he saw them, he froze for a second, then exhaled in relief and gave Bai Hua a small smile.

Perhaps it was the sight of a familiar face that finally let Bai Hua relax. No matter how much he had forced himself to stay upright before, now his legs simply wouldn’t move another step.

He He took a few steps forward, ready to support them—only to suddenly widen his eyes as he looked behind the two.

The brown-haired sentinel had somehow climbed to his feet again. He still hadn’t given up. Perhaps now he was truly desperate—determined to finish this by force if he had to. If fists didn’t work, then it was time to draw blood. He pulled out a short knife and, without hesitation, aimed it at one of Bai Hua’s non-vital points and struck.

He He shouted Bai Hua’s name and rushed forward, but it was already too late.

Bai Hua instinctively sensed the danger. But he no longer had the strength to even turn his head, let alone dodge.

And just then, someone suddenly shoved him aside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow flash past. It took him a moment to register what had happened—Kurosawa had thrown himself forward and taken the knife in Bai Hua’s place.

The sharp blade pierced straight through Kurosawa’s shoulder, blood gushing immediately.

Bai Hua had no idea when he’d managed to turn around, but the moment he realized what had happened, he instinctively rushed to catch Kurosawa as they collapsed to the ground together.

Kurosawa let out a low groan and coughed up another mouthful of blood. The thick scent of his pheromones in the air nearly sent Bai Hua’s blood boiling.

The hand Bai Hua used to support Kurosawa’s body trembled—not just from the intensity of emotion that surged through him, but from a deep, long-suppressed fury.

The brown-haired sentinel hadn’t expected the guide to suddenly shield the other with his own body. Though he had noticed at the last second and tried to lessen the force of his blow, it was still too late. Even so, it didn’t shake his determination to take both of them back with him. He reached out again to grab them.

But Bai Hua suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp and fierce, and snarled: “Don’t touch him.”

The brown-haired sentinel froze for a moment, suddenly realizing that this young sentinel before him had entered a berserk state—right on the edge of a rage-induced frenzy—but surprisingly, he hadn’t lost control. He stared at Bai Hua in astonishment, as if some buried truth was surfacing. “You’re also…” he began.

But the brown-haired sentinel didn’t finish his sentence. For some reason, he stopped his attack—mid-action—and just stood there.

By now, He He had arrived. Before he could even intervene, the brown-haired sentinel took a step back on his own and turned to leave.

He He glanced at the retreating figure, not bothering to give chase. Instead, he immediately crouched down to check on the two men. Kurosawa was already unconscious, most of the blood on Bai Hua’s body having come from him. Bai Hua didn’t look much better—he was clearly affected by Kurosawa’s pheromones and was on the verge of entering heat. But his intense rage seemed to be suppressing it—for now.

He He glanced over his shoulder and, before the other rescuers could arrive, quickly helped Bai Hua take a dose of guide suppressant.

“Bai Hua, it’s over. Calm down,” He He said while tending to Kurosawa’s wounds, repeating the words again and again.

After a few repetitions, Bai Hua finally responded—it was unclear if it was the suppressant kicking in or simply the comfort of He He’s voice.

“It’s me. You’re safe now,” He He continued gently.

“…Mm.”

“You were affected by Kurosawa’s pheromones. I gave you a suppressant.”

“Thank you.” Bai Hua had now completely regained his usual composure. Looking down at Kurosawa, he asked, “Is he going to be okay?”

“I’ve stopped the bleeding. Fortunately, the knife didn’t hit any vital organs. But he still needs immediate medical attention.”

“What about the others?”

“They returned two days ago. Everyone’s safe—don’t worry.”

“Alright.”

“I’ve never seen you like this before…” He He murmured. But after saying it, he didn’t know what else to add.

Bai Hua closed his eyes wearily and fell silent.

Seeing that more rescuers were finally arriving, He He added, almost as if to fit the moment: “But either way… you’re safe now. That’s what matters.”

“Yes. Finally… we can leave this place.” Bai Hua said this with a smile, but his expression wasn’t the least bit relaxed.

Because in that moment of crisis earlier… he had suddenly remembered who the brown-haired sentinel was.

The reason it had taken him so long to recall was because he had never seen the man in person—only in the guidebooks at the Sentinel Association. That man was a graduate of the 199th class of the Sentinel Academy and had once been hailed as the strongest top-ranked sentinel.

Lin Yuan.

According to sentinel-guide historical records…he had died ten years ago in a battle against the rebel army.

(To be continued…)
T/L:… ( °ㅁ°) !!