Chapter 2: Fluffy Petting!
There were already quite a few S-Class Sentinels, but the highest level of mental power among Guides was still only at A-Class. Mismatched mental strength created a heavy burden for both parties—it was inefficient and painful.
But for Sentinels, there was no better option if they wanted to survive. And for Guides, offering comfort to S-Class Sentinels was extremely risky, so they were often very reluctant to do it.
His older brother had been one of the earliest S-Class Sentinels. Now, he was on the brink of losing control. No one knew when he might completely break down. Every day, he injected himself with high doses of tranquilizers just to stay sane, and he had even signed an agreement with the White Tower, requesting to be executed immediately if he ever lost control.
He had signed the same agreement.
Becoming a Sentinel wasn’t necessarily a good thing—it was a path with no future.
His spirit animal was a snow leopard. Its natural defensive habit was to bite its own tail. Influenced by that, he currently had an urge to bite onto something too…
The dull pain in his head worsened. Fang Yinnian rubbed his temples. Just hang in there a bit longer—once he got back to the White Tower, he could schedule a soothing session.
It felt like something had wrapped around him, and then the dull pain in his brain suddenly disappeared. A scent of fresh greenery and wood drifted into his nose. He opened his eyes sharply—was his hallucination really this intense already?
Then he saw his spirit animal…
It wasn’t a hallucination. His spirit animal had actually been entangled.
Fang Yinnian stared fixedly at the source of the vines entangling his spirit animal—it was the Guide sitting next to him, gazing absentmindedly out the window.
She looked like she was daydreaming… or maybe deep in thought. She had casually reached over, grabbed his spirit animal, and was now petting it under the chin like a pro at cat-handling.
The “big cat” purred contentedly, clearly enjoying it.
And… so did he.
Everything Fang Yinnian had learned before suddenly became useless. Wait, Guides have spirit animals too?
And… why had his own spirit animal come out on its own? Under these circumstances, it would be much better if it were resting in the spiritual domain.
But… his spirit animal seemed to really like it.
Fang Yinnian looked down and made eye contact with it—it just kept purring, even flipped over on its back and showed its belly in Song Nanxi’s arms.
Fang Yinnian quickly turned his head away. This is indecent.
Song Nanxi was spacing out. Suddenly, she saw a bunch of fluffy animals—cats and dogs. Looked like she was imagining herself in a pet café. That big cat kinda looked like a snow leopard, but whatever—maybe just a Siberian silver tabby. It was her imagination anyway, so petting was fair game.
So she pulled it into her arms and began petting it. The “silver tabby” was very well-behaved, even purring—it really was like a silver tabby now.
Wait… she really could hear it purring?!
Song Nanxi suddenly snapped back to reality and looked down sharply, locking eyes with the “silver tabby” on her lap.
The snow leopard seemed confused as to why she had stopped petting it. It reached out a paw to tap her hand, urging her to continue.
In a daze, Song Nanxi pinched herself. Ouch. It wasn’t a dream.
She looked around, bewildered. Fang Yinnian had turned his head to look out the other window, and the three Sentinels in the back seat were already leaning on each other, fast asleep.
What was she supposed to do in this situation? Whose spirit animal was this?
Through the reflection in the car window, Fang Yinnian caught sight of Song Nanxi’s confusion. A little embarrassed, he spoke without turning around. “Sorry… that’s my spirit animal.”
Song Nanxi looked down at the snow leopard on her lap. It was in a juvenile form, and upon hearing Fang Yinnian’s voice, it became afraid of being taken away. It immediately began burrowing into her arms, its entire body broadcasting one clear message: I don’t want to leave.
“You released it?” Song Nanxi gently scratched the snow leopard’s chin, calming it instantly. It snuggled into her arms and lay down comfortably, rubbing its head against her hand.
“No…” Fang Yinnian quickly changed his answer, “I mean, yes—I wanted to let him out for a bit of fresh air. I didn’t expect him to like you so much. Sorry for bothering you.”
Song Nanxi rubbed the snow leopard’s ears—the texture was amazing. “Not at all. I really like him. His fur is soft and he’s very cute.”
Fang Yinnian’s ears turned red. A spirit animal is essentially an extension of a Sentinel’s mental power—there’s a degree of shared sensation…
He awkwardly rubbed his ear. “I’m glad you don’t mind.”
“Why would I? I really like fluffy little animals… Uh, wait—saying that about your spirit animal probably sounds a little disrespectful? I hope you don’t take it the wrong way. Anyway, I really do like him.”
“They’re all asleep… You guys must be really busy, huh?” Song Nanxi stroked the snow leopard’s fluffy tail and made small talk with Fang Yinnian.
He looked back and saw that, yes, they were indeed asleep, leaning against each other.
“Yes, we just finished a mission this morning.”
“And then immediately got assigned to pick me up, without a break?”
“Mm.” Although he didn’t think their falling asleep had anything to do with the back-to-back missions. That calming presence—it wasn’t his imagination… That scent of greenery and plants wasn’t a hallucination either.
“You’ve had it tough,” Song Nanxi said, not sure what else to offer.
“It’s nothing. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility,” Fang Yinnian replied. He didn’t want her to feel burdened. Guides shouldn’t have to worry about things like this.
The car began to slow down, and through the window, Song Nanxi saw a tall white tower in the distance. That was the White Tower—the utopia of Guides.
“Looks like we’re almost there.” Song Nanxi increased the pace at which she was petting the snow leopard in her arms. Once they arrived, she wouldn’t be able to touch it anymore, so she had to get in all the pets she could now!
“Yes, we should arrive in about five minutes.” Fang Yinnian’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, trying to suppress his senses. This wasn’t good.
He suspected that this Guide’s mental compatibility with him wasn’t low. At the very least, no other Guide had made him feel this way just by touching his spirit animal.
The car pulled into a parking space and came to a full stop. Song Nanxi gently placed the snow leopard onto Fang Yinnian’s lap. “You should take him back now.”
Fang Yinnian could see her reluctance and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you like him that much?”
“Of course! He feels great to touch, doesn’t shed fur, and is just an all-around wonderful little guy.”
And the best part? All she had to do was pet him—no feeding, no cleaning litter boxes, and completely emotionally manageable. For her, it was the perfect pet!
“Next time… when we meet again, would you like to pet him again?”
“That would be amazing! Thank you!” Song Nanxi beamed with joy, and in the end, couldn’t help but give the snow leopard’s little head a few pats. “Bye-bye, see you next time.”
“…Mm.” Fang Yinnian’s reply was muffled, and then he withdrew the snow leopard back into his mental domain.
Fang Yinnian got out of the car first and hurried around to open the door for Song Nanxi. He even thoughtfully covered the top of the doorframe with his hand to prevent her from accidentally bumping her head. “Miss Song, this way please.”
The White Tower was a place independent from the safe zones. Calling it a paradise apart from the world wasn’t an exaggeration. It held the greatest combat power in the post-apocalyptic world—all the country’s Sentinels were gathered here, for one reason: the presence of Guides.
The leadership had even started intentionally assigning large numbers of scientists here. Everything in this place contrasted sharply with the outside world. Under the impact of advanced technology, the White Tower felt like a completely different universe.
Not to mention… it had flowers. And grass.
Fang Yinnian walked ahead, leading the way. Along the way, they encountered several squads who stopped and greeted him warmly. Song Nanxi came to a clear conclusion—Fang Yinnian’s status among the Sentinels was definitely not low.