After Faking a Disability, I Married the New Chief Sentinel 70

Chapter 70: Staying Behind

When a leader was emotionless, a dead subordinate was more useful than a living one.
A dead body had no senses and would not feel tired. There was no need to worry about whether the frequency of use would affect their loyalty. All one had to do was control them to fight for themselves, until even the walking dead could no longer support themselves, and the long-dead could welcome a true death and a long sleep.
If one fell, another corpse would take its place. What a cataclysm zone did not lack was corpses.
The enemy’s real weakness was Lan, and the most important brain was also Lan.
Zhu Hui had drawn his weapon before the truth was revealed. He had originally been preparing to go over and launch a surprise attack on Lan, but he had been pulled to Xu Xunyue’s side.

[Don’t look him in the eye. After all, his body is a Guide’s.]
At that time, while confronting Lan, Xu Xunyue had conveyed his meaning to Zhu Hui through their mental link.
[He has four Sentinels by his side. If you go over now, he will definitely control one of them to block the blade, and the remaining three will surround you. And his ability is quite similar to mine.]
[Just fight by my side.]

Then, the shadows that had been lurking underground shot up into the sky.
And the four Sentinels standing by Lan’s side, expressionless and silent, also began to move.
They were very fast, but still within the range that Xu Xunyue could capture with his naked eye—which meant that their physical stats were not as high as Zhu Hui’s.
This was to be expected. The Empire only produced a Chief Sentinel every few years or even a dozen years. If these people had the same physical fitness as Zhu Hui, they would not have been just ordinary soldiers of the Royal Guard before.
However, although their physical stats were not high, they had one advantage: no emotions.
No emotions, no feelings, no thoughts, not afraid of anything. How they acted depended entirely on the commands of the leader above. They were the best attacking machines and the most loyal human shields.
Xu Xunyue could not read their thoughts and combat intentions, nor could he attack their brains as he would with other intelligent creatures, because a mental attack only had an effect on living things with spiritual power and a spiritual landscape.
He had lost the advantage of an Offensive Guide against a Sentinel.
“Do you really have to make it so stiff?” The four Sentinels moved, but Lan stood where he was. “I don’t think I’ve done anything detrimental to you, have I? Your Sentinel, I haven’t hurt him either.”
His expression was twisted, but he forced a peaceful tone.
“We are compatriots. I came out personally this time just to guide you and welcome you to join us. After joining us, you will know how fragile humans are. You can also bring your Sentinel with you. He wouldn’t dare to disobey you, and we wouldn’t shut him out—see, don’t I have so many obedient Sentinels with me?”
“After becoming my companion, you can raise as many of these guys as you want.”
When these words came out, even Zhu Hui, who had already drawn his dagger, couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
However, he didn’t say anything and slashed at the other side with his sharp blade.
While Lan was speaking, the four Royal Guard Sentinels had not stopped. Three of them rushed toward Zhu Hui, and one rushed toward Xu Xunyue.
The three who rushed toward Zhu Hui did not show any signs of a desperate fight, but used grappling moves to surround him, faintly forming an encirclement.
It was clear that they wanted to separate the Sentinel and deal with the Guide, who was not good at close combat, alone.
Lan’s target was also Xu Xunyue. He knew that if anything happened to Xu Xunyue, the Sentinel would be in a mess.
Since he had gained consciousness, Lan had been wandering in the depths of a cataclysm zone. There were too many corpses in a cataclysm zone. The closer he got, the more convenient it was for him to completely control them.
He had led those walking dead to develop the scale of the cataclysm zone, slowly expanding the boundary line outward. In the process, he had destroyed many squads that had entered the cataclysm zone, and had also seen many human Guides.
Their bodies were too fragile, and their strength and reaction speed could not be compared to a Sentinel’s. They were easy to kill when they were alive, and when they were dead, they were the kind of corpse that Lan despised the most.
Of course, Lan knew that the one before him was not a simple human Guide, and his strength might be different.
But the other party had not entered that state. The other party was not yet completely like him, and could only be said to be a potential compatriot.
If he didn’t enter that state, he couldn’t bring out his body’s potential, and he would still be in the category of a human Guide, not to be feared…
Wait?
Then Lan saw that the Sentinel who had rushed toward Xu Xunyue had fallen. The shadows that had been entangling its body had dissipated, and raging flames had ignited on its body.
The Guide with ice-blue eyes was holding a silenced gun that had been loaded at some point. He had delivered a fatal blow to the enemy in a flash, and a single bullet had hit a vital point.
It was a high-combustion, high-explosive bullet!
…His marksmanship is actually so accurate, and his reaction speed is also extraordinary.
The silenced gun was not put away. Xu Xunyue pulled the trigger again at Lan, and by the way, he said that it was good to have one Sentinel.
Zhu Hui, who had just dealt with the other three enemies, couldn’t help but glance at him.
He shouldn’t have been distracted at a time like this, but what his brother had said was too…
“Hey, you just destroyed my things?”
A black mist rose in front of Lan. Lan stood where he was, not dodging.
A strange phenomenon occurred. As soon as the high-speed bullet came into contact with the black mist, it seemed to have endured some pressure and slowed down, finally grazing his cheek and falling to the ground.
Xu Xunyue looked at the substantial black mist and frowned slightly.
—The other party had mastered the materialization of spiritual power.
Lan let the blood from the gash on his face slowly overflow and said:
“I just wanted to recruit you early. Do you think your city is safe? It’s not anymore. It’s about to become the territory and home of our new species.”
“The humans of today call us cataclysmic creatures, but at that time, humans will be the slaves and livestock we raise.”
The corpses of the four Sentinels lay on the ground, unable to stand up again. But he didn’t even glance at them, still smiling at Xu Xunyue, “You can’t leave.”
“Is that so? Then tell me, how is the Imperial Capital?”
Xu Xunyue was not angered by Lan’s performance, but calmly continued to ask, like a rational observer seeking proof.
Zhu Hui stood by Xu Xunyue’s side again. He did not join the conversation, but vigilantly looked around.
It seemed… he heard the sound of faint footsteps.
“Isn’t the blood relative of this body there? According to human terms, we were all ‘contaminated’ back then. He and I were the two most successful individuals, but he actually still has some of his own consciousness! If I could have controlled this body back then, he would have been killed by me long ago.”
Lan raised his arms and waved them in the air, as if he were greeting someone.
Countless ‘people’ in either fashionable or old-fashioned clothes appeared at the edge of Zhu Hui’s vision.
There were residents of Ghost Town, and also Imperial soldiers who had come here to search for supplies and seek the truth. There were ordinary people, and also Guides and Sentinels.
However, no matter who they were, they were all like those four Sentinels, without expression, without a voice. Even the frequency of their steps and hand swings when they walked was almost the same, as if they were disposable consumables made in the same factory.
Countless such walking dead gathered around, the effect of the scene no less than a classic horror film of the Empire.
“But he went back smoothly—what’s the use of going back smoothly?” Lan looked at Xu Xunyue, then at the cataclysmic beings that had been summoned by him, and once again showed a confident smile. “He was originally in a state of confusion, sometimes normal and sometimes not. It’s already good that he can control himself from killing people indiscriminately. Besides, after so much time, he probably can’t hold on anymore, right?”
“When he can’t hold on, the Imperial Capital will permeate outward with him as the center. He will nurture a ‘core’ like me, and it’s only a matter of time before that place falls.”
“Oh, the ‘core’ is the thing you’ve been trying so hard to find. I still remember you destroyed my second ‘core’… I was originally planning to build a second base there and expand the boundary line, but you destroyed it all!”
As Lan spoke, he became a little annoyed, but he quickly changed his expression again and said with a smile:
“It’s okay. I won’t kill you, and I don’t need you to compensate me for the ‘core’. You just need to stay here.”
“…”
Xu Xunyue glanced at him with a strange look.
Do all completely contaminated but thinking creatures become like this?
Compared to Lan, the Emperor had been behaving normally for the past four years.
The reason Lan dared to say so much was simply because he was confident of taking them down. From the current number of enemies, the situation was indeed so.
Xu Xunyue held Zhu Hui’s wrist again—this time, he pulled him behind him.
Zhu Hui was confused, but he did not resist. He obediently stood there, following his strength, while observing his surroundings and his expression.
“Is it that important for me to stay?” Xu Xunyue said.
“Your talent is so high, and your spiritual power is so strong. The ‘core’ you nurture in the future will definitely be just as powerful. The ‘core’ can help us expand our territory and control these animals with fragile brains. That’s enough. So, don’t hesitate anymore…”
“Okay.”
“I… huh? What?”
Lan was stunned. The words he was about to say turned in his mouth and became meaningless nonsense.
He agreed just like that?
I thought we were going to fight until we were exhausted. But this is also good. It saves me a lot of effort.
This Guide before him was not easy to deal with even in his normal state.
“I’m not finished,” Xu Xunyue said lightly. “Since I’m the important one, then let my Sentinel go.”
“This…”
“No,” Zhu Hui had tensed up the moment Xu Xunyue had said okay, and said anxiously, “I don’t agree—”
“No room for discussion.”
“Brother…”
“Pleading is useless.”
“? I’m not—”
Xu Xunyue released his grip on his wrist.
As if receiving some kind of signal, Zhu Hui fell silent.
“You should know that if I were to stop you, you wouldn’t be able to trap him here.”
Xu Xunyue glanced at Lan lightly and turned to look at his Sentinel.
From the beginning of the Cataclysm fourteen years ago until now, he had challenged many of the limits of the Empire’s Guide records and had faced countless life-or-death moments. The number of times he had safely evacuated from a cataclysm zone was almost a thousand.
The more difficult and rare the situation, the calmer he became, and the faster he could analyze the pros and cons and think of the best countermeasure.
He knew very well in his heart that none of the “people” who had gathered around had been able to last half a minute against Zhu Hui when they were alive.
But now, they had become corpses that were not afraid of pain or death, with a continuous supply of reinforcements.
They could very well trade injuries for injuries, and even lives for injuries, just to deplete a little of the living’s energy.
Accumulating like this, it could also lead to a very terrifying result.
The person Lan wanted to assimilate was him. Zhu Hui had been an afterthought from beginning to end.
Xu Xunyue didn’t believe Lan’s nonsense about “being able to raise a Sentinel” at all. Here, he could still rely on his own constitution and special nature to deal with it, but Zhu Hui was in real danger.
Because “unimportant” in a certain sense meant “it doesn’t matter if he’s accidentally killed.”
The terminals in a cataclysm zone had no signal and could not be used for communication. Qiu Ye’s situation was unknown, and the matters in the Imperial Capital needed to be dealt with.
Besides him, Zhu Hui was the one who knew the most about the whole story. It was most appropriate for him to go to the Imperial Capital.
His own friends would also trust the news brought by his Sentinel.
Now, he had not yet used his trump card, had not yet used the ability of that state.
Once Zhu Hui left, he would not have to consider the problem of accidental injury and could use it at will.
“Oh—I see. You want your Sentinel to go back and report?” Lan suddenly realized. “But you’re right. If it’s just letting him go, I really don’t have to stop you.”
He waved his hand at the surroundings, and the approaching cataclysmic beings all stopped in their tracks.
“It’s too late. It’s too late for both you and him… go.”
Xu Xunyue pushed the stiff Sentinel, turned him around, and faced the way they had come.
“I will watch you go and ensure your safety,” he said. “The hair tie I gave you also has the function of live broadcasting to the highest system. Don’t forget to use it then.”
“I…”
“I understand how you feel, but the Imperial Capital can’t be ignored. Now, only you can do this for me—and please, my Sentinel, trust me.”
Xu Xunyue briefly hugged his shoulder and said with a smile:
“Go. I believe my Sentinel can do all of this.”