Chapter 9: You Want to Die!

Xiong Sheng’s status and position destined him to be the center of attention. Yet, because he had never successfully bonded with an exclusive Guide, his romantic entanglements were countless and fleeting.

A warm, soft body pressed against him.

"You’re asking for death!"

Xiong Sheng struggled to restrain himself, the veins on his forehead bulging. He knew that if he lost his sanity, the girl before him would surely be torn to shreds. He reached out with a massive fist, grabbed Dili by the throat, and lifted her into the air.

"Help..."

As Dili struggled desperately, her wood-element ability manifested as a beam of light, striking Xiong Sheng squarely in the forehead with a loud thud.

It was hard to say whether it was just luck on Dili’s part, but the last remnants of red energy in Xiong Sheng’s mental sea actually resonated with her wood-element power. The red energy flared with its final heat, consuming a mass of black energy. Following this, the red energy dissipated, and Xiong Sheng’s berserk level instantly plummeted to seventy-four.

"It actually worked! But how did she escape from the Desert Star in the first place?" And how did she manage to return to the Imperial Star all by herself?

Tang Chao and his two companions exchanged bewildered glances.

"It wasn't her. But she stumbled into a solution by accident. I, Xiong Sheng, do not like to owe favors. Ask her what reward she wants and send her away."

Xiong Sheng rubbed his temples as he walked out. Dili had fainted from the sheer shock and terror of the encounter.

"Commander, if it wasn't her, should we continue tracking that Yuan Xi?" Perhaps there was another way to lure Yuan Xi out into the open.

Tang Chao nodded at Dong Qi.

***

Three months later.

In the dilapidated task hall of the 5079 Safe Zone, a bustling crowd moved in and out, creating a lively scene.

In a corner of the noisy hall, a girl wearing a grey linen cloak and a face mask sat alone at a table. She stared listlessly at the only television in the hall—or, as they called it here, a light screen—watching the worthless footage playing across it.

Women were rare in the Safe Zone, especially those traveling alone. A man who had just turned in a mission bared his teeth, ready to strike up a conversation, but was pulled back by his companion.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"That little lass has skin as smooth as cream. My buddy and I have been out on missions for so long, I’m about to burst..."

"Have you spent too much time in the jungle that your brain's turned to mush? Do you really think anyone who shows up here is a pushover?"

"It's just a little girl I could crush with one fist..."

His companion looked reluctantly at the fair, delicate skin peeking out from beneath the girl’s gloves. Women were rare in the Safe Zone, and one with such delicate skin was a prize beyond reach.

"If you're hell-bent on dying, I won't stop you! You'd better take a good look at what's resting next to her table..."

What was resting there? Damn! Overcome by lust, he hadn't noticed the two metallic, faintly glowing rods leaning against the table.

Rods? A woman?

This area belonged to the Fifth Star System of the Fringe Stars. Over the past two years, a pair of siblings with fearsome combat prowess—both skilled with rods—had emerged in the Safe Zone.

Together, the rods were a whirlwind of devastating power. Separated, they became dual batons, attacking from both sides, or even shifting into nine-section whips, every strike lethal. It was rumored that these cyan and purple weapons were actually artifacts. Unfortunately, many had tried to target the siblings, and many had tried to steal the rods, but none had ever come out on top.

"Let’s go, let’s go..."

Nearby, the girl seemed entirely undisturbed, still watching that... television.

On the ancient, low-resolution screen, which flickered with unidentifiable static, a man with the appearance of a deity slowly lifted his eyes. With pale golden hair, pale golden eyes, and moon-white robes, paired with a sacred and solemn expression, no one would dare argue if someone called him a god fallen to the mortal realm.

Well, if you added holy white wings, he might look even more like the Archangel Michael from her memories...

"Today, for the ninety-ninth time, my proposal to the Elder Council regarding the legal right for female Guides to have five husbands has been rejected once again. However, I will not give up. Six months from now, I will submit this proposal for the hundredth time, and I hope to hear good news then..."

Wow, so handsome! His voice was so pleasant, too! I just want to cuddle with him...

The girl, who prided herself on having lived two lifetimes and having a heart as calm as still water, found herself infatuated for the first time in her life.

Chief Michael... Archangel Michael!

The fictional character she had once "fallen in love with" had actually appeared in the same world as her! She wanted to break through the screen and rush into his arms; that would surely be the happiest moment of her life.

"Sister? Sister, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

"Hm? Oh... it's nothing, just thinking about something."

The girl regained her composure, feeling a flicker of shame for her momentary lapse. Truly, a handsome man could cloud one's judgment!

"There's no valuable information here either. Should we leave and go to that person's planet to search?"

That person? That individual had been hidden away on purpose. With so many habitable planets in the Moyun Star System, finding one person was harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

"One step at a time. Revenge is a dish best served cold; even ten years isn't too late!"

The boy, hidden beneath a ragged cloak, nodded. In any case, they had to vent this resentment, but they were currently weak and needed to plan carefully.

"Sigh! I say, why bother? Even after a hundred times, it’s not guaranteed to be approved..."

"Exactly! Without legal rights, those Guides are already so arrogant, bonding with so many elite Sentinels. Give them more power, and they’ll be flying to the heavens!"

"That's right, isn't the Moyun Star System already pampering those Guides enough?..."

Blah, blah, blah...

"Sister, let's go. It's just a bunch of nonsense."

As if you could even find a Guide in the Fringe Stars! They were all precious treasures living in ivory towers. The Fringe Stars were only home to low-level Sentinels and commoners struggling to survive. For these low-level Sentinels, the only way to control their berserk levels was through cheap suppressants.

"Broadcast: The First Legion's First Squad has successfully taken down another Level Nine Wild Beast. This marks the fifth one since Major Feng Yanting took office. Let us sing praises for our hero..."

On the screen, a lithe, powerful figure clad in cool, silver-stream light mecha armor unleashed torrents of fire and metal-element abilities. Only when the Wild Beast finally collapsed, exhausted and dead, did the sharp, icy gaze behind the helmet reveal itself under the dim sky.

"Wow! It's Major Feng! He's so cool and handsome; he truly is the Empire's greatest weapon..."

What is wrong with me today? I’m acting like a lovesick fool again? And toward a man on a screen, no less... I didn't transmigrate into a beast world, so why do I feel like I'm in heat?

Forget it! Let's get out of here before I have another episode... This feeling is so shameful! I've transmigrated and am almost twenty years old, and I still have all the desire but none of the nerve!