Ying Li didn’t know what Xiang Ye was thinking, though it was true that a Guide’s teeth were far less durable than a Sentinel’s.
He took out a knife, cleaned it thoroughly with a disinfectant wipe, then took the bird leg from Xiang Ye’s hand and used the knife to slice off thin pieces of meat. “I’ll cut it thinner for you. That way, you can chew it.”
Xiang Ye wanted to eat the meat Ying Li personally sliced for him, and he also wanted Ying Li to eat more meat. He hesitated, caught in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Ying Li urged him on, “Hurry up and eat. Don’t be picky.”
Xiang Ye took the slice of meat and put it in his mouth, feeling a little indignant.
He was not a picky eater! In the Upper City District, picky people starved to death long ago.
Ying Li sliced off most of the meat from the bird leg for Xiang Ye. The last few bits that were hard to slice, he gnawed off himself.
After eating Mutant Beast meat, Ying Li realized that everything he’d eaten before had been low-quality food.
To keep animals in the Ecological Zone healthy and growing, they were fed antibiotics and other drugs, which he, as a Sentinel with heightened senses, could taste.
But the Mutant Beast meat had none of that; it was nothing but pure, rich flavor. Before the Great Cataclysm, this world had been heavily polluted.
However, the Great Cataclysm killed off more than half of humanity. The survivors retreated to the Underground Cities, and the various pollutions humanity had left on the planet were slowly purified by nature.
Today, the greatest pollution on this planet was Corrosive Energy.
And that was only from humanity’s perspective. The mutated flora and fauna had long since adapted to the existence of Corrosive Energy and were reproducing wildly. Beast Tides occurred precisely because of this overpopulation.
If a true Beast Tide came, even the Underground City’s firearms would be hard-pressed to stop it. When the tide was far away, it often went unnoticed. Once it got close… sure, the powerful weapons could kill vast numbers of beasts, but they would also damage the city itself.
The shockwaves from the firearms could damage the Underground City’s main structures. If that happened, the ordinary people and Guides living inside would be in grave danger!
Besides, Starlight City didn’t have that many firearms to begin with. Its total population was about six million, large for an existing Underground City, but before the Great Cataclysm, that was just the population of a prefecture-level city. Weapons production required immense resources, and a single city like Starlight City couldn’t support it alone.
And a coalition of multiple Underground Cities? Communication was so poor that each city acted independently, making that incredibly difficult.
Furthermore, the current rulers of the Underground Cities were Sentinels. To maintain their own status, they were more than happy for firearms to be less effective. Modern movies and TV dramas often featured plots where weapons failed to harm Mutant Beasts, leaving hunting teams in dire straits, only to be saved by a single, powerful Sentinel.
But the consequences of a real Beast Tide were beyond anything they ever imagined.
After they finished the bird leg, the Mutant Beast eggs were ready to eat. The eggs were very substantial, and even Ying Li found two to be a bit too much for one meal. But a Sentinel’s digestive system was astonishing; if he ate slowly, he could finish them.
As for Xiang Ye… he was still growing, had an insatiable craving for energy, and his digestive ability surpassed that of an average Sentinel. The two ate and chatted for two hours, polishing off all four eggs completely.
Their conversation was mostly about food. Ying Li recounted his childhood, how furious he’d get when his older siblings stole his share of the food, until he finally started going to get it himself and eating it immediately. Xiang Ye shared that his food was also constantly stolen, though thankfully the orphanage staff would intervene a bit.
The resources an orphanage received depended on how many children it housed. If a child died without cause, the staff were reprimanded. So, they would always intervene, at least a little.
As they talked, Xiang Ye couldn’t help but sigh: Compared to their childhoods, they were so incredibly happy now!
After they finished eating, Ying Li asked Xiang Ye, “Want to come with me to collect some bird eggs?”
“I can go too?” Xiang Ye was astonished.
Ying Li smiled. “I’ll strap you to my back, and then you can go.” The Mutant Beasts in this valley were low-level, so he was confident he could protect Xiang Ye.
“I want to go!” Xiang Ye didn’t hesitate for a second.
Ying Li pulled several straps from his Combat Suit and secured Xiang Ye to his back. Then he said, “Hold on tight to my neck. Don’t fall.”
“Okay,” Xiang Ye replied.
And so, Ying Li carried Xiang Ye on his back, stole three eggs from an Mutant Beast’s nest, and killed two beasts that tried to attack him. He put the eggs in a sealed bag and tied it to his waist, then grabbed the two beast carcasses. “When we get back, I’ll tell them we ate one of the eggs. Tomorrow, I’ll find another chance to bring you back some more meat.”
The beasts he’d caught today weren’t suitable for eating, so he hadn’t brought any back. Next time, he could use a sealed bag to bring some meat back. The eggs were delicious, but the meat was even better.
“Okay.” Xiang Ye, clinging to Ying Li’s back, agreed. He held Ying Li’s neck tightly, struggling to control his racing heart. He also had to stop himself from kissing Ying Li’s neck.
When Ying Li brought him climbing up the cliff face, he’d actually been very scared. Having lived his entire life in the Underground City, he’d never experienced such danger. But he was on Ying Li’s back! The moment he thought that even if an accident happened, he would die together with Ying Li, his fear suddenly vanished.
By the time they returned to the camp, Xiang Ye was in an incredibly good mood. He’d had a private meal with Ying Li and gone egg-hunting together. Wasn’t that a date?! During their date, they’d even had intimate contact—Ying Li had carried him on his back! It didn’t get more intimate than that!
And Ying Li had fed him, slicing the meat into thin pieces for him right there! Xiang Ye wished he could burst into song to express his emotions.
Luo Qiming and the others, having finished their hunt, saw Xiang Ye practically skipping as he walked. They exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes—Captain Ying and Xiang Ye had absolutely gone on a date! Captain Ying was amazing. He’d hunted a B-rank beast, a C-rank beast, and several D-rank beasts today, and he still had the energy to take his Guide out to play. His stamina was incredible!
Unaware of their thoughts, Ying Li only noticed how bold Xiang Ye was. He truly was a Dark Guide who had torn the Shen Family apart.
Over the next few days, Ying Li’s schedule was much the same. Before dawn, he would ride his motorcycle out to hunt. He’d be busy until one or two in the afternoon, then wrap up and return to camp. He generally arrived back around three or four, the perfect time to take Xiang Ye out for a picnic.
On these outings, he would bring back some Mutant Beast meat, packed in a sealed container for Xiang Ye. That way, they had meat to eat at night.
This hunting trip outside the city lasted ten days again, as they usually did. On the tenth day, the group packed up and headed back.
In his past life, Ying Li always lost a few jin whenever he left the city. After all, he ate and slept poorly. But this time, not only had he not lost weight, he’d actually put some on. Who knew hunting could be this comfortable? He almost didn’t want to go back.
But they had to return. The water they’d brought was completely gone. Luo Qiming and the others, having been exposed to the Corrosive Energy environment for so long, had somewhat unstable mental states and their physical condition wasn’t great either.
Ying Li told them to rest for a couple of days once they were back, get a good night’s sleep, and then spend some money to have a Guide comb their Mental Seas.
Hearing them talk about Mental Combing, Xiang Ye asked Luo Qiming, “When you go to the Calming Center to have a Guide comb your Mental Sea, can I come with you? I never attended the Guide Academy, so I don’t really know how to comb a Sentinel’s Mental Sea.”
He’d seen instructional videos on the process, but video guides and real-world practice were completely different. He wanted to see how other Guides helped Sentinels comb their Mental Seas. Once he learned, he could comb Ying Li’s Mental Sea!
“Of course. I’ll send you a message when the time comes; you can just come with me,” Luo Qiming agreed readily.
The others also chimed in, saying that if Xiang Ye needed, he could go to the Calming Center with any of them.
Hu Xiangyang even added with a grin, “Xiang Ye, once you learn to comb Mental Seas, we’ll just come to you. Don’t let the profits flow into outsiders’ fields!”
For a D-rank Guide to comb a C-rank Sentinel’s Mental Sea was actually quite difficult. It required mutual trust and even synergy to proceed smoothly. They trusted Xiang Ye, but his rank was D-, so even if he helped them, the effect would likely be minor.
But they had a good relationship with Xiang Ye, and they didn’t mind using this as an excuse to slip him some pocket money.
Xiang Ye nodded in agreement. “Okay.” He was happy to practice on these few people. Once he was skilled enough, he’d help Ying Li. Ying Li didn’t object either. Learning to comb Mental Seas would be beneficial for Xiang Ye.
When they got near the Surface Exchange, the group first went for a quick wash, using, of course, surface water tainted with Corrosive Energy. After cleaning up, they sent their Nutrient Paste containers and other used items to the recycling point. These items could all be recycled and reused, fetching a bit of money. High-level Sentinels didn’t care about such small change, but Luo Qiming and the others certainly did.
