Chapter 131: Sentinel & Guide (VIII)

Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter

Chapter 131: Sentinel & Guide (VIII)

After the guards announced his arrival, Yonis strode into the Prime Minister’s residence with the force of a storm.

“Prime Minister, perhaps you could explain something to me,” Yonis demanded without preamble. “What exactly does ‘national property’ mean? And what does ‘the possibility of being assigned to two or more Dark Sentinels cannot be ruled out’ mean?”

Prime Minister Nibel sat calmly behind his desk, seemingly having expected Yonis to come. “The proposal was only introduced today. Nothing has been finalized yet.”

“And how exactly do you intend to finalize it?” A dangerous light appeared in Yonis’s eyes. “By treating Shang Ke as communal property belonging to every Dark Sentinel and forcibly assigning him among us?”

“Yonis, don’t get this backward.” Nibel’s expression turned serious. “Compulsory assignment has always been a privilege enjoyed by you high-ranking Sentinels. Yet somehow, the Guide Association is always the one that gets blamed for it.”

Before becoming Prime Minister, Nibel had served as president of the Guide Association and was himself a Rank-A Guide. The Association generally had a poor public reputation because it restricted many of the rights and freedoms of Guides. In reality, however, most Guides willingly chose Sentinels as their spouses. The higher their compatibility, the easier it was for them to achieve psychic resonance and develop genuine feelings for one another. More than eighty-seven percent of Sentinel-Guide pairs freely chose and bonded with each other, while the Association merely provided the necessary testing and protection. It only intervened when a high-ranking Sentinel applied for compulsory bonding with a Guide.

Even if a Guide firmly refused, there was still a way out: return the government-provided housing, give up all preferential benefits granted by the state, erase all records from the Association, and become a Rogue Guide. The more rights one enjoyed, the more obligations one was expected to fulfill. There had never been such a thing as a free lunch.

The outside world saw only the misfortune of Guides subjected to compulsory assignment, while overlooking the many Rogue Guides who gave up everything for love only to meet miserable ends. Human feelings could easily change, but the psychic bond between a Sentinel and a Guide was a symbiotic covenant of equal benefit and absolute fidelity.

Ordinary people made up the majority of Ta’s population, and many of them also hoped to have a Guide as a spouse. But because of factors such as physiological compatibility and the genetics of future offspring, ordinary people had virtually no competitive advantage. As a result, they fiercely criticized the Guide Association and tried to obtain assignment rights equal to those enjoyed by Sentinels.

“In that case, as a Rank-A Dark Sentinel, I should have the right to become Shang Ke’s only spouse.” Yonis placed particular emphasis on the word only.

“Yonis, I think you’ve misunderstood.” Under the pressure radiating from him, the Prime Minister sat a little straighter. “The person this proposal constrains isn’t Shang Ke. It’s every Dark Sentinel.”

“What do you mean?”

The Prime Minister tossed him a document. “Read it yourself.”

Yonis opened the document. It was a draft proposal defining Shang Ke’s legal status, and the very first sentence read: “As Ta’s only current Rank-S Guide with universal Dark Sentinel compatibility, Shang Ke is a precious national asset and shall be granted the highest degree of protection and rights.”

—Guide Shang Ke is national property. No individual may claim him as private property.

—Guide Shang Ke may not leave the country without authorization.

—When necessary, Guide Shang Ke shall comply with state arrangements to assist and treat Dark Sentinels suffering from psychic instability.

—Guide Shang Ke may terminate any existing provisional partnership at any time and choose new Dark Sentinels with whom to bond, with no limit on number…

Yonis could still understand the first few clauses, but what the hell did “may terminate any existing provisional partnership at any time” and “no limit on number” mean? His entire face turned black.

“Yonis, what you need to worry about isn’t who we might assign Shang Ke to, but whom Shang Ke himself might choose,” Nibel said calmly. “Considering the issue of future generations, naturally we hope Shang Ke will form as many suitable matches as possible and produce more exceptional Sentinels and Guides for the country. But we won’t enforce it. The choice will remain with Shang Ke. After all, he possesses Rank-S psychic power. If he isn’t willing, forcing a bond would only backfire.”

“But Yonis, there’s no need to worry. Although you can’t formally register an exclusive bond with Shang Ke, you’re still the person most likely to become the father of his first child.”

What the hell did he mean by “the father of his first child” ? No matter how many children Shang Ke had, their father would only ever be him, okay?

“Prime Minister, what exactly are you scheming?” Yonis barely suppressed the urge to tear the proposal to pieces, his icy gaze boring directly into Nibel.

“Nothing. The Guide Association has taken the blame often enough already. This time, we’d rather not.” Nibel leaned comfortably back in his chair and reminded him, “Yonis, instead of sitting here arguing with me over whom Shang Ke belongs to, you might want to spend your time figuring out how to get rid of your competitors. For example… Mitchell?”

Yonis stared murderously at Nibel for a long moment, then let out a cold snort and stormed away.

When Yonis returned home, he found Shang Ke strolling through the garden with his back toward him. Bathed in sunlight, his slender figure looked especially warm. Yonis strode over and wrapped both arms tightly around him from behind.

“You’re back? How did it go?” Shang Ke turned his head toward him.

Yonis’s expression remained cold as he said nothing, his psychic power fluctuating unevenly. The rustling wind and trees, together with the cries of birds and insects all around them, grated unbearably on his senses.

Shang Ke released his psychic power and created a soundproof barrier around him, shutting out the surrounding noise while soothing his agitation.

Yonis rested his chin on Shang Ke’s shoulder. His tense expression gradually eased until he was completely relaxed, eyes half-closed like a lion hovering between sleep and wakefulness. Whenever Shang Ke was beside him, Yonis always felt utterly at peace.

The two sat together beneath a tree, and only then did Yonis tell Shang Ke what he had learned from the Prime Minister. The moment he thought about that infuriating proposal again, the calm Shang Ke had painstakingly restored immediately began to crumble. Shang Ke was clearly his Guide, yet the government had forcibly stamped him with the label “national”—and the worst part was that the designation benefited Shang Ke so greatly that Yonis could not even find a legitimate reason to oppose it.

Shang Ke was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Ta to grant him such extraordinary privileges.

“Shang Ke.” Yonis cupped his face, staring at him intensely. “You are not allowed to choose anyone besides me. Otherwise, I don’t know what I might do. You’re my Guide. Mine alone.” He declared it in a tone that sounded almost like a child terrified of losing his favorite toy.

“Mm. I’m yours alone.” Shang Ke hugged him and smiled. “Soothing you is exhausting enough already. I have no desire to add another one.”

A glint flashed through Yonis’s eyes. “Exactly. I’ll make sure you don’t have any energy left to think about anyone else.”

With that, he scooped Shang Ke into his arms and rushed into the bedroom like the wind, immediately putting his “wear-him-out-in-bed” strategy into action…

Several days later, the first Dark Guide Bill was officially released to the public, and countless Dark Sentinels celebrated. Although they knew that Dark Sentinels below Rank B had virtually no chance of bonding with Shang Ke, his ability to provide Guide support and mental healing to Dark Sentinels was still extraordinarily valuable.

Dark Sentinels possessed formidable self-control, but even they could not prevent every accident. In the past, when they suffered psychic instability or sensory disorientation, they could only forcibly suppress it through sheer willpower. Now, however, they could receive a Guide’s best treatment just like ordinary Sentinels.

But Shang Ke’s special privileges also left many Guides feeling resentful. Most registered Guides had grown up under the protection of the government and Sentinels. They took the conveniences of that privileged status for granted while simultaneously harboring many complaints about their own position and responsibilities. Ordinary people had the freedom to fall in love with whomever they chose, while Guides were confined to a much smaller circle.

Other Guides did not have that freedom of choice, so why should this Dark Guide who had suddenly appeared get to have it?

Of course, these opinions were not what concerned Shang Ke most. His attention was currently focused on the Anti-Government Alliance’s movements.

Only one final assassination attempt remained in the Main Mission. As Shang Ke’s fame continued to grow, the Anti-Government Alliance’s desire to eliminate him should only become stronger—especially now that they knew he was actually a Guide.

There were no Sentinels or Guides within the Anti-Government Alliance. It was a terrorist organization made up of technical specialists from various fields and underground armed forces, originally founded with the goal of overthrowing the privileged rule dominated by Sentinels and Guides.

The conflict between gene-optimized individuals and ordinary humans had never disappeared throughout history. Talented ordinary people resented being ruled by a small number of genetically optimized elites, yet lacked the power to confront them directly. As a result, some resorted to extreme measures and spread chaos everywhere. No one knew how many innocent people had died because of their ambition and madness.

Ta’s leadership had fought them for centuries. No matter how devastating the blows they suffered, after a period of time they always managed to make a comeback.

Given their capabilities, after remaining silent for more than half a year, they should have made some move by now—even with Sky Ring Estate’s formidable defenses.

Before Shang Ke could encounter the third assassination attempt, however, he first received a psychic-treatment assignment. Three Dark Sentinels who had gone out together had suffered an incident: one Rank C and two Rank D. Ordinarily, Sentinels of such low rank would never require a Rank-S Guide like Shang Ke to personally intervene. But Dark Sentinels were different. They rarely suffered psychic instability at all, much less three of them at the same time. Ta’s leadership found the situation suspicious and therefore assigned Shang Ke to treat them.

Under Yonis’s protection, Shang Ke therefore went to the hospital’s soundproof ward where the three Dark Sentinels were being kept.

The treatment proceeded smoothly. Under Shang Ke’s mental guidance, the Sentinels’ suffering quickly subsided and their minds returned to a peaceful state.

While Yonis was away, the Rank-C Sentinel secretly said to Shang Ke, “Sir Shang Ke, my name is Lin Chuan. Remember it. One day, I’ll definitely become a Rank-A Dark Sentinel, defeat Yonis, and apply to be matched with you.”

Before Shang Ke could reply, the Sentinel’s eyes suddenly rolled back and he collapsed unconscious onto the bed.

A golden blur flashed past Shang Ke and flew behind him. He turned his head and saw Yonis standing emotionlessly in the doorway, casually sweeping his gaze across the three Sentinels on the beds. Two muffled thuds immediately followed, and the other two Sentinels also “happily” passed out.

“They need rest,” Yonis said.

Shang Ke: “…”

After they left the hospital, Yonis noticed Shang Ke looking thoughtful and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Mm… nothing.” Shang Ke did not quite know how to explain it. While treating the three Sentinels just now, he had noticed that their psychic states were remarkably similar. Logically, different Sentinels should display different psychic reactions after being exposed to outside stimulation. Unless their psychic powers had somehow entered resonance, their frequencies should not have been identical.

Was it simply because he had dealt with too few Sentinels and lacked experience using his psychic power?

Shang Ke shook his head and temporarily suppressed his doubts.

Over the next several days, Sentinels throughout Ta began suffering similar incidents one after another, most of them ordinary Sentinels. However, the numbers still fell within a statistically normal range, so the pattern did not attract much attention.

It was not until half a month later, when a Sentinel displaying a truly abnormal psychic condition appeared, that the matter finally caused an uproar among Ta’s leadership.

Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter