Chapter 16: No, It's Mine

“Is the distribution the same?” Aug glanced behind them and whistled softly. “Then can you tell us, who’s that little guy you’re carrying back there?”

They had already clashed with the sentries of Squad 19 and drawn their hostility; there was no way they could just back down now.

If it were merely that they had hidden supplies and refused to share, that would be one thing.

But the sentries’ strength wasn’t determined by numbers alone. Both Horin and Nyx were S-class sentries, and there was also a Dragon-class among them, while the strongest mercenary in their group was only A+ rank.

However, if Squad 19 had a guide, this was no ordinary dispute over supplies.

A guide was worth more than any material resource.

Sentries held an innate obsession with guides; Horin could already sense it—he wouldn’t let it go so easily.

Horin tilted his head and exchanged a glance with Nyx before stepping aside and saying, “He’s my brother.”

The other sentries blocking the way also stepped back, revealing the figure they had been shielding.

Aug and his teammates looked on. A Dragon-class sentry carried a slight boy on his back. The boy lay curled against the sentry’s back, his face mostly hidden, only a small patch of pale skin visible.

Aug twitched his nose. The air was thick with the volatile pheromones of the sentries, a mixture of irritability and aggression.

The sweet fragrance he had caught earlier was gone.

“Your brother?” Aug said, “Bringing someone so young into the contamination zone?”

Seeing the boy’s uniform—the standard sentry combat suit—they assumed he was also a sentry.

Horin replied, “Making money. I came in here when I was about his age. Problem?”

Aug gave a somewhat awkward laugh. “No problem, no offense. It’s just that your brother doesn’t look well. Is he badly injured? We have some medicine…”

“No need,” Horin said firmly. “Any other questions?”

“No, no more questions.” Aug, seeing the resolute refusal, waved his hand to signal his teammates and withdrew his spirit form.

Horin’s mental state and aura, combined with the other S-class sentry, made them somewhat wary.

They had looked closely but couldn’t confirm if the boy was a guide. Any further move could lead to a messy outcome.

Though Aug still harbored doubts, it was not the time to escalate the conflict.

He could verify later.

Nearby, the spirit form of a wyvern watched them intently, restless and ready to attack at any moment.

“Roar!” The wyvern gave a low warning growl.

Nyx patted its head and said to Aug’s group, “He’s timid. If you scare him again, we won’t be able to hold him back.”

Aug and his team knew Nyx wasn’t bluffing.

Sentries were inherently unstable, mentally fragile individuals, and Dragon-class sentries were the most unhinged of all.

Some Dragon-class sentries would go berserk beyond the control of even the guides.

Their breakdowns were different from the usual mental damage that sentries suffered; sometimes, even when their mental powers were intact, they would suddenly lose control.

Sentries were prone to irritability—that was not unusual—but Dragon-class sentries possessed far stronger spirit forms than ordinary sentries.

When their spirit forms mutated, they transformed into enormous wyverns—deadly weapons in their own right.

Although few Dragon-class sentries could fully mutate into dragons, and the one before them was not particularly large, they dared not take the risk.

The Dragon-class sentry in front of them had already begun mutating. Even at B-rank, his combat power rivaled that of S-class sentries.

They had no choice but to back off for now.

Aug cast one last long look at the boy buried on the sentry’s back before leading his mercenaries away, their figures quickly swallowed by the gray mist.

Once they left, Nyx, Horin, and the others still couldn’t relax. They had barely gone any distance before encountering this incident; things would only get harder ahead.

Fortunately, the route they had chosen was relatively remote, one that regular sentries rarely patrolled.

Running into Aug’s group was just an unlucky coincidence.

“All right, give us Yu Xia,” Nyx said, stepping toward Baru and reaching out to take Yu Xia.

Baru took a step back, still carrying Yu Xia, avoiding Nyx’s hand.

He lowered his head and muttered softly.

He was still in his mutated state, his voice rough and indistinct, not as clear as usual.

“No. She’s mine,” Baru said stubbornly, his spirit form blocking the sentries like a warning growl.

Nyx ground his molars. “You damn brat!”

When calm, Baru was timid and obedient; but when provoked into mutation, he was stubborn and difficult.

With Yu Xia on his back, no one dared to confront him directly. Angering him here could cause serious trouble.

Yu Xia noticed how cautiously everyone treated Baru, as if waiting for an opportunity to take her from him.

But Baru watched them vigilantly, refusing to let anyone touch her.

Yu Xia could sense his consciousness through his spirit energy—it was clear he was determined to protect her.

She thought for a moment, then gently stroked his head, soothing him like a child back at base, whispering softly, “Baru, it’s all right now. With you and Nyx here, I’ll be very safe.”

Baru turned his head and nuzzled her hand with his cheek.

Yu Xia continued to caress his head, speaking gently to calm him.

Baru closed his eyes, comforted by her touch; his spirit form drew closer, resting his large head against her calf.

Yu Xia stroked his head with one hand, while the other petted the dragon’s head.

The sentries watched Yu Xia’s tender care for Baru with burning envy. Even Horin ground his molars, scowling at Baru.

After a while, seeing that Yu Xia didn’t even stir her spirit energy and Baru’s mutation symptoms gradually faded, the sentries relaxed.

Nyx noticed that Yu Xia’s recovery from mutation was even faster than Baru’s. By the time the mercenaries left, she had almost returned to normal.

He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, they had only been frightened into a reactive state—a false alarm.

Once Baru returned to normal and withdrew his spirit form, they finally communicated with him properly and carefully took Yu Xia from his back, passing her to Horin.

Nyx wanted to scold him but seeing Baru’s downcast, dejected expression, he simply patted his head. “We’ll punish you later when we’re out.”

As soon as Yu Xia was on Horin’s back, she caught the scent of blood on him and asked in surprise, “Horin, are you hurt?”

Horin turned his face slightly and lightly pressed his cheek to hers. “No. It’s not my blood.”

Nyx also asked, “Why did it take you so long to catch up? What happened?”

Horin replied, “I dealt with a few tails. You were being followed by mutants.”

“Looks like Yu Xia’s instincts were right,” Nyx said thoughtfully, looking at her.

Horin gently shifted the boy on his back and looked at Yu Xia. “What?”

Nyx said, “Yu Xia just sensed it.”

Yu Xia nodded. “I felt something following us.”

She paused, furrowing her brow slightly. “Now it seems I can’t sense it anymore. It’s all tangled… there’s a lot of people’s… spirit energy.”

It must be spirit energy—a chaotic tangle of threads.

She felt wrapped in this mess like a moth caught in a spiderweb, unable to break free, a suffocating, indescribable discomfort pressing down on her.

“It’s the sentries,” Horin said, eyes scanning the thickening mist around them. “All the sentries want to get out now. The closer we get to the rear, the closer those sentries come to us.”

Yu Xia’s sensitivity to spirit energy meant the restless, agitated energy of the sentries constantly interfered with her, making it urgent to get her out of there quickly.

The group pressed on toward the contamination zone’s exit, even more cautious this time, posting sentries ahead, behind, and on all sides.

Yu Xia stayed close to Horin. His pheromones suppressed her own scent completely, so even if they encountered sentries not far away, none would notice Yu Xia or be drawn to her aura as Aug had been.

The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became, visibility dropping to less than two meters.

Only the sentries’ keen senses saved them from losing their way.

Though Yu Xia could barely see her own team, the chaotic, restless spirit energy around her told her many sentries were nearby.

Their spirit energy was like a cacophony of static-filled phone calls ringing incessantly in her mind.

Mixed with an indescribable feeling, it pressed on her chest so heavily she could barely breathe.

At that moment, a sharp sound cut through the air, accompanied by a bright pinpoint of light above their heads.

“Boom!”

The light fell, igniting the dense fog with flames.

A new round of bombardment began from behind.