This sudden attack wasn’t all that unexpected for Ning Li.
Scarface was ruthless and tough, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.
The style of a subordinate usually depends on what kind of superior he has.
A kind and benevolent superior would never allow his subordinates to act recklessly.
Generally speaking, subordinates reflect their superior’s will to some extent.
It wasn’t hard to see what kind of style Scarface’s superior had.
Since everyone else was also under his command, how could their methods possibly be gentle?
Even if it was absolutely true that Ning Li threw away the bead, that group wouldn’t let her go.
As long as the bead passed through her hands, as long as she had seen the bead, in their eyes, she was already guilty beyond redemption.
What a ridiculous fact.
She didn’t know who the bead’s owner was, nor who needed it.
She hadn’t even known what the bead was for at first.
She was just an innocent bystander who happened to pick up the bead and was willing to hand it over if necessary.
Yet, this group was determined to wipe out even an innocent person like her.
From this extreme way of doing things, Ning Li keenly sensed a trace of fear and trembling lurking beneath the plan.
What was the person who needed the bead so afraid of?
And what were they trembling for?
Were they afraid of the bead’s owner?
Or something else?
She didn’t know these answers yet.
All she knew was that if she didn’t fight back now, she would only die.
The Abnormal Species targeting her was pitch-black all over, looking like some indescribable ink, but it was even thicker and more corrosive than ink.
Along the way, it left behind a trail of black “ink.”
If you looked closely, you could even see those clumps of black “ink” slowly wriggling.
These “ink” patches were actually alive!
What exactly was this thing?
How aggressive was it?
While Ning Li ran as fast as she could toward a deserted area, she also had to work hard to suppress the furious Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei was angry, jumping up and down in her Spirit Sea, shouting and clamoring to return to its original form and tear it apart.
But Ning Li stopped Xiao Hei.
Now wasn’t the time for it to show off.
Right now, it was just a gentle and harmless Overlord Flower.
An Overlord Flower shouldn’t have too much offensive power, nor should it be able to defeat an Abnormal Species.
As Ning Li fled, shouts, screams, and confused questions erupted from all directions. Except for her, everyone else was in a state of bewildered panic.
They didn’t understand why an Abnormal Species would appear in a place meant for post-battle healing.
This clearly didn’t make sense.
Where were the Sentinels of the Patrol Team?
Didn’t they notice an Abnormal Species sneaking in here?
Even if they didn’t see it earlier, with all this chaos now, surely they would have noticed by now?
Why weren’t any Patrol Team Sentinels coming to deal with the Abnormal Species?
Yuan Zi’s voice pierced through all the chaotic screams, reaching the sky, “It’s running toward Li!”
After she spoke, she trembled, her hands fumbling from fear as she had Little Rose release Rose Fragrance.
In this situation, Rose Fragrance didn’t have any offensive power, but it could help nearby Guides calm down and steady their emotions.
The faint, continuous Rose Fragrance drifted with the wind in all directions, floating to the nose of every confused Guide.
The clear and delicate scent of roses drove away the anxiety in the air.
Following Yuan Zi, Lu Shuangshuang also promptly used her Spirit Entity’s Talent—Confusion.
Her Spirit Entity was Rosemary, a shrub of the Lamiaceae family, with long, rounded leaves growing densely along its branches.
The Compendium of Materia Medica describes it as “profuse flowers and fruits, undaunted by severe frost, harvested for its subtle fragrance, the leaves picked and carried in a pouch, its scent extremely strong.”
In the previous world, rosemary was mostly used as a spice or mosquito repellent, but in this world, it had gained another use—
Confusion.
Rosemary confused the Abnormal Species for two seconds.
It wasn’t long, but it was effective!
Lu Shuangshuang shouted, “It works! We can hold off this Abnormal Species!”
Everyone else also saw with their own eyes that the Abnormal Species paused in place for two seconds.
The Guides finally snapped out of their daze.
Under the effect of Yuan Zi’s Spirit Entity Talent, they all tried to calm down, then began to use their own Spirit Entity Talents one after another.
Guide Spirit Entities were only auxiliary, but even auxiliaries had many types.
Soon, the Abnormal Species was confused, tripped, doused with a bucket of cold water…
These skills couldn’t really hurt it, but they could slow it down, tangle its limbs, and keep it from reaching Ning Li right away.
Ning Li stood there in a daze.
Before her were all kinds of Spirit Entity Talents, each radiating a different light.
Most of these Talents weren’t strong—in fact, they could be called weak—but everyone was doing their best, trying to slow the Abnormal Species, and these faint lights, gathering together, became a bright glow, lighting up the area around them.
These multicolored sparks were even more brilliant than fireworks.
Ning Li had never seen such a scene before.
It was beautiful.
The stubborn, youthful faces of the Guides hidden beneath the glow left a deep impression in Ning Li’s heart.
Ning Li’s palm curled slightly.
What kind of world was this, really?
Her fellow Guides were fighting desperately to protect her.
But the Sentinels, who were supposed to protect Guides, had let an Abnormal Species in for their own selfish reasons, just to “eliminate” her.
How laughable.
Lu Xiao shouted loudly to encourage everyone, “Don’t be afraid! As long as we hold on until the Patrol Team Sentinels arrive, we’ll be fine!”
The other Guides echoed, “Alright!”
“I’m holding it back!”
“It’s slowing down!”
The injured Sentinels had looks of either confusion, unease, or deep thought in their eyes.
As Sentinels, they had already sensed something was wrong.
Ever since the Abnormal Species appeared, everything about this incident was strange.
As for so-called reinforcements—
Would they really come?
The Patrol Team Sentinels were still nowhere to be seen, and the Guides, giving it their all, were only rewarded with their Spirit Power draining rapidly.
Even if they kept using Spirit Power Recovery Agents to restore some of their almost-depleted Spirit Power, the Recovery Agents were limited, and there were still many Sentinels waiting for their help.
They couldn’t use up all the Recovery Agents here.
“What do we do? I can’t hold on much longer!”
“Me neither!”
“My Spirit Power is almost gone, I’m starting to black out!”
“Everyone, just hang on a little longer! Just a bit more!”
Ning Li wanted to tell them, this was trouble she brought on herself, she should face it alone, and they were just innocent victims.
They didn’t have to go this far.
They could just ignore it.
The Abnormal Species was after her.
As long as they didn’t attack it, it wouldn’t attack them.
And not just this time.
Even last time, it was the same.
Yuan Zi, Lu Shuangshuang, Zhao Lan, and two other classmates became suspects because of her, were paralyzed by the Sentinels’ Jellyfish Spirit Entities, and interrogated.
All because of her!
All because of her!
Ning Li’s voice was hoarse, her heart sinking lower and lower.
The supervising teacher seemed to have guessed something.
She had also heard about what happened at the school gate before.
She walked over to Ning Li, patted her on the shoulder, and comforted her, “Don’t feel guilty. When one is in trouble, classmates help each other—that’s the Guide Spirit we advocate at our Academy.”
After saying “Guide Spirit,” the supervising teacher seemed a little lost for a moment.
Death.
That word came from “Sentinel Spirit.”
And “Sentinel Spirit” was first proposed by the Former Commander.
The Former Commander said that as a Sentinel, one should be loyal and dutiful, live and die by one’s post, and rush to help fellow citizens in need, not clinging to life or fearing death.
He did it.
His subordinates did it too.
Other ordinary Sentinels did it as well.
But now—
Times had changed.
Were the Sentinels of today still those loyal and dutiful Sentinels?
Were they still those who didn’t cling to life or fear death?
Even now, Sentinels who believe in the “Sentinel Spirit” still exist, but as time passes, it’s as if the “Sentinel Spirit” has faded and blurred with the Former Commander’s departure…
The supervising teacher was dazed for only a few seconds before snapping back to reality.
She asked, “If someone else was attacked today, would you just stand by and watch?”
Ning Li shook her head, “No.”
The supervising teacher smiled gently, though there was a hint of worry deep in her eyes, “Then that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
She looked at the Abnormal Species not far away.
It had been stopped by a group of Guides, and their support skills probably seemed like provocations to it.
Whether it was confused, tripped, doused with water, or whatever, it was like being scratched—hardly any damage, but extremely insulting.
This pitch-black Abnormal Species, as if made of “ink,” looked like it was about to get angry.
If it went berserk, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Xiao Hei was up front, furiously spitting at the Abnormal Species.
Noticing this, Ning Li ordered it to come back immediately.
[Spit it to death, spit it to death!]
Ning Li’s tone grew firmer, “Don’t provoke it.”
Xiao Hei protested, [It started it!]
The Abnormal Species wanted Ning Li dead, which meant it wanted Xiao Hei dead too; not taking Ning Li seriously was the same as not taking Xiao Hei seriously.
How could a proud Spirit Entity like Xiao Hei tolerate that?
Not being able to return to its original form already had Xiao Hei fuming.
If it did nothing, it might just suffocate from holding it in!
Ning Li—originally just wanted to keep a low profile and avoid trouble.
But in truth, she wasn’t afraid of trouble.
Although she knew it wasn’t the right time to reveal Xiao Hei’s true nature, her classmates fighting to protect her were reaching their limit.
Just as she was about to let Xiao Hei fight, a golden chain suddenly whipped over from not far away at lightning speed, tightly binding the Abnormal Species that was about to go berserk!
The golden chain shone brightly, covered in dense, flowing runes.
Ning Li couldn’t understand the runes, but she could tell they were meant to restrain the Abnormal Species.
Because as soon as it was bound, the Abnormal Species let out a miserable howl.
The wailing was piercing, like an owl at night, cutting through the air and stabbing into everyone’s eardrums.
“What is that?”
“What a powerful Talent!!”
“Oh my god, reinforcements are finally here?”
“We can finally rest!”
“Thank you, whoever you are, brother or sister! From now on, we’re family, even if we’re not related by blood!”
The Guides cheered, except for Xiao Hei, who was sulking.
[It stole my moment to shine!]
Ning Li: ………………
Spirit Entities were too competitive.
As their master, what could she do?
She replied offhandedly, “There’ll be a next time.”
In a world this dangerous, there would be no shortage of moments to shine.
Abnormal Species wouldn’t stop killing; as long as they existed, scenes like today would keep repeating themselves.
With reinforcements here, the Guides from the Peripheral Guide Academy could finally relax a little.
The golden chain moved over the Abnormal Species like water—soft in appearance, but tougher than anything.
No matter how the Abnormal Species struggled, it couldn’t break free.
In the dim light not far away, a boy in a First Guide Academy uniform walked over, surrounded by others.
He looked somewhere between a youth and a teenager, his face exquisitely beautiful, features already outstanding individually but together, absolutely stunning.
He had a pair of beautiful eyes, and when he looked at the Abnormal Species, it somehow seemed as if he looked at it with deep affection.
His tone wasn’t heavy, but carried an authority beyond his years, “The Patrol Team has been neglecting their duty to this extent.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Patrol Team Sentinels finally arrived, immediately slaying the Abnormal Species under the moonlight!
The leader walked up to the young man, speaking respectfully, “Young Master Qi, I’m sorry, it was our dereliction of duty that allowed the Abnormal Species to get in here. I sincerely apologize for the trouble!”
The youth’s eyes seemed to see through people’s hearts.
He wore a faint smile that wasn’t quite a smile, “I’m not the one you need to explain to.”
After all, he wasn’t the one who almost died to the Abnormal Species.
The leader gritted his teeth, turned, and apologized to the Guides from the Peripheral Guide Academy, “Students, I’m very sorry for frightening you! Everything’s fine now!”
The Guides were still upset, wanting to ask why the Patrol Team arrived so late.
But in the end, their kindness made them accept the apology.
That leader was actually someone Ning Li knew.
He was the one whose Spirit Entity was a jellyfish.
Back at the school gate, he was the one who interrogated Ning Li.
The Bodyguard Captain who had once looked down on her was now bowing so low.
His back wasn’t so straight after all—it could bend this much.
Ning Li’s gaze met the Captain’s in the air.
Both of them were expressionless.
Once the Captain and his men left, giving the field back to the Guides, Yuan Zi ran over to Ning Li and hugged her tightly, “I was really scared just now!”
Ning Li patted her back, her tone sincere, “Thank you just now, Yuan Zi.”
If Yuan Zi hadn’t had her Spirit Entity release Rose Fragrance to calm everyone down, the other Guides wouldn’t have reacted so quickly or fought back in time.
Yuan Zi smiled, “No need for thanks between us.”
Ning Li responded, “I won’t say it next time. I’ll keep it in my heart.”
After the serious stuff, Yuan Zi started sharing gossip, “Do you know who that guy is?”
Ning Li, the “country bumpkin” who hadn’t even seen the famous cosmic rose-blooming scene: ……
“No idea.”
Yuan Zi grinned mischievously, looking as if she’d expected that answer, “I knew you wouldn’t know.”
She didn’t keep them guessing, and said directly, “He’s the current Commander’s brother-in-law, the Commander’s Wife’s younger brother!”
So that’s it.
A second-generation official.
No wonder the jellyfish Captain was so polite to him, even to the point of groveling.
A large part of the reason was probably out of respect for Qi Sigui, and a small part for the young man’s own abilities.
A Guide who could suppress an Abnormal Species—no wonder everyone surrounded him like stars around the moon.
Ning Li just glanced over casually and then looked away.
Other Guides started gathering around her, and the injured Sentinels were suddenly left unattended.
The Sentinels felt bitter.
But there was no one to complain to.
The Patrol Team Sentinels had messed with the Guides, but what did that have to do with the injured Sentinels?
Ning Li’s classmates surrounded her, chattering away.
“Ning Li, were you scared just now?”
“Don’t be afraid, did you see how cool I was just now?”
“Is it because your Overlord Flower is so special that it kept chasing you?”
“You have to be careful from now on.”
“Pfft, pfft, pfft, there won’t be a next time!”
The exhausted faces of the Guides were still lit up with brilliant smiles.
Affected by their mood, Ning Li smiled too.
A small dimple appeared on her right cheek, faint in the night but still visible if you looked closely.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“No need to thank us.”
“From now on, we’re friends for life!”
“Who isn’t, right?”
The clear voices of the Guides scattered into the night, making it a little livelier.
Ning Li thought, no matter what happens in the future, at least, she would never forget this day.
They are nice, I like them