Chapter 8: The Fourth Member, Yun Zhou: How is this not like meeting the in-laws…

As the final notes of “Happy cooperating” faded, the atmosphere in the conference room gradually grew more amicable.

“No matter what, we’re all companions from now on!”

Yun Zhou let out a sigh, tossing his thoughts out with a sense of self-abandonment. He didn’t care if Liu Ming would continue to mock him; after all, he was the captain now.

Pointing at Liu Ming, Yun Zhou said, “Especially you! No more sarcasm. Don’t go causing team disharmony!”

Liu Ming, of course, had no intention of listening. He was just about to deliver a few more character-appropriate barbs when a soft knock sounded at the conference room door.

“Pardon the intrusion,” a gentle, clear male voice called out.

The door pushed open, and a smiling youth walked in. He wore a short, grey-green techwear jacket, his tactical straps hung with numerous small vials of reagents.

Soft, light chestnut hair fell across his chest in a medium-length cut. His eyes were a gentle green, and a breeze-like smile played on his lips. His soft temperament seemed entirely out of place among the three people sitting in this room, each harboring their own secrets.

At least, on the surface.

“Hello, everyone. I am Ying Huo, a fire-attribute Sentinel. By order of the Council Chairman, I am joining the ‘Salvation’ project as the fourth member.”

His gaze swept across the three of them in turn, lingering for a fraction of a second on Liu Ming’s face as his smile seemed to deepen. “Captain Yun Zhou, Miss Du Shui, Young Master Liu Ming… I’m terribly sorry for interrupting your chat. I look forward to your guidance and hope for your forbearance in the days to come.”

Liu Ming looked up, easily catching the meaningful undertone in the youth’s smile.

In this conference room, not a single member handpicked by the Council Chairman, Black Swan, was simple.

【Wow! The final piece of the Salvation Team trio puzzle!】

【One of Yun Zhou’s two best friends, sob sob! Seeing the three old friends reunited like this is just heartbreaking!】

【Ying Huo… a firefly that only seeks a moment of brilliance. ‘Decaying grass turns into fireflies¹‘—it sounds like he’s destined for a tragic end.】

【Actually, his end really wasn’t great.】

【Hey, you people from the Second Cycle, no spoilers!】

【So what’s the deal with this Liu Ming who suddenly popped up? I remember the team only had three people in the First Cycle. Random cannon fodder should stay away!】

【Don’t know. All I know is that Ying Huo’s temperament is a sharp contrast to Young Master Liu’s sinister craftiness.】

Liu Ming’s lip twitched. Why was this damn bullet chat still playing favorites and putting him down?

“Ah! You’re finally here! Ying Huo! I’ve been waiting for you for so long!” Seeing his new teammate, Yun Zhou instantly forgot his annoyance at being mocked by Liu Ming.

Black Swan had mentioned that the fourth person would be the most suitable candidate for Yun Zhou, but he hadn’t expected it to be Ying Huo! One of his two best friends from Tree Tower Academy!

When Yun Zhou first entered Tree Tower Academy to study, he had endured plenty of cold shoulders due to his title as the “Son of the Devil from the Seventh District.” Only Du Shui and Ying Huo had stepped up to help him. The three of them always acted together, taking on missions, which the Liu Ming of the previous Plot Strings had mocked as “unweaned conjoined triplets.”

Seeing his old friend, Yun Zhou greeted him enthusiastically, his tail wagging in a friendly manner. “I really didn’t expect the fourth person the Council Chairman mentioned to be you! Welcome, welcome! Welcome to the team!”

Liu Ming gave a faint click of his tongue: He looks even more like a dog now.

Du Shui also stood up, a beaming smile on her face. “I don’t suppose I need to introduce myself? Student Ying Huo, I didn’t expect that even in the Salvation Team, it would still be the three of us.”

Her voice was as clear as ever, but Liu Ming keenly captured something flashing deep in her eyes… a desperately suppressed discomfort?

Discomfort?

Liu Ming was certain it wasn’t an illusion. He didn’t stand up, merely leaning back against his chair. His blood-red eyes flickered like a venomous snake waiting for its moment.

He scrutinized this new member without the slightest reservation, while simultaneously catching stray bits of information from the bullet chat:

【This is hilarious. The protagonist trio were as close as could be, and only Liu Ming is the outsider from the opposing side. I suspect Sister Black Swan did this on purpose.】

【Don’t start cliques! Don’t start cliques!】

【Speaking of which, Ying Huo is also a Sentinel. Is it really okay for a four-person team to be all high-attack with no healer or support?】

【Does nobody care about Liu Ming? Isn’t he a mental-type Sentinel?】

【He’s a mental-type Guide! Just because this guy has a poisonous tongue and is super aggressive, don’t go thinking he’s a Sentinel! Did you all forget that when facing the Scorching Ghost, this young master could only be carried away on Yun Zhou’s back?! He’s as weak as a kitten!】

Liu Ming frowned. Why did this bullet chat always love to exaggerate? As a top-tier mental Guide, he could surely kill a kitten with ease.

【Sob sob, my little angel Ying Huo! Finally, you’re here! Wait! I remember now, Ying Huo is also a healer-type!】

【But isn’t he a Sentinel?】

【I remember that even though he’s a Sentinel, because of the special circumstances in the Sixth District, his flames have the power to assist in wound recovery and suppress Anomalies. It only treats the symptoms rather than the root cause, but it’s definitely rare.】

【A healer Sentinel? Is that even possible? Usually, only Guides are… just how special is the Sixth District…】

【By the way, there’s one more thing. In the First Cycle memories, he didn’t seem this… uh, ‘tea-like²‘? Is it just me?】

Liu Ming raised an eyebrow. It definitely wasn’t the bullet chat’s imagination, because he had noticed it too. That greeting just now had been loaded with subtext.

He was indeed very “tea-like,” and it was aimed right at him, the only “outsider.”

“Is Student Ying Huo wearing tea-scented cologne?” While Yun Zhou was introducing the “Salvation” project to Ying Huo, Liu Ming suddenly spoke up. His voice carried a playful tone that shattered the harmonious atmosphere.

The smile on Ying Huo’s face didn’t change in the slightest; if anything, it grew softer. “Young Master Liu must be joking. I’ve never had a habit of using cologne. However, to receive such a ‘gentle’ evaluation from Young Master Liu is my honor.”

Liu Ming raised an eyebrow. Hah, his level is actually quite high.

Yun Zhou shot Liu Ming a glare before explaining to Ying Huo, “Ignore him. This guy just loves being sarcastic and cryptic. Ying Huo, you’ve come at the perfect time. We were just about to organize the materials the Council Chairman sent over…”

While Yun Zhou was busy pulling Ying Huo aside to brief him on the mission background, Du Shui stood up slowly, her movements sluggish and her frame swaying slightly.

She looked to be in poor condition, so much so that she didn’t even notice Liu Ming’s constant gaze fixed upon her.

Du Shui gave Ying Huo a barely perceptible wink, then spoke softly to Yun Zhou. “Captain, I’m going to step out for some fresh air.”

“Huh? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Yun Zhou immediately looked at her with concern.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bit stuffy. I’ll be back soon.” Du Shui waved her hand dismissively and quickly left the meeting room.

A worried expression appeared on Ying Huo’s face. “Du Shui doesn’t look well. I’ll go check on her. Even though I’m a Sentinel…” He turned naturally toward Yun Zhou. “But as you know, my fire-type mental power has a slight healing effect due to its mutation. I should be able to help.”

Yun Zhou’s expression turned serious. “Then let’s go together. Seeing Du Shui like that, I’m actually a bit worried.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got this. Besides…” Ying Huo looked considerately at the documents Yun Zhou hadn’t finished organizing. “Captain, you still have work to do, don’t you?”

Ying Huo gave Yun Zhou a knowing blink.

“…Alright then, you go check on her first, Ying Huo.” Yun Zhou felt a sense of pride at being called “Captain.” After a moment’s hesitation, he agreed. “I’ll head over as soon as I put these things away.”

Ying Huo gave Liu Ming a polite nod and left the meeting room.

Liu Ming’s blood-red eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn’t missed the discomfort Du Shui was desperately trying to suppress. Now, with Ying Huo’s perfectly timed “concern” and initiative, things were becoming interesting.

Liu Ming stood up. Meeting Yun Zhou’s “what are you doing now” stare, he smiled. “I’ve been sitting too long, so I’m going for a walk. Surely the great Captain won’t try to control that too?”

“Go wherever you want!” Yun Zhou turned away crossly. He shouldn’t have bothered caring about this guy.

Liu Ming let out a soft chuckle. He pulled open the meeting room door and his figure quickly melted into the shadows of the corridor. At the same time, his mental power spread out, tracking the two auras that had just departed.

He moved through the building, finally stopping outside a secluded storage room filled with discarded mental power testing equipment. From within came extremely faint fluctuations of mental power, carrying a sense of… forcibly suppressed chaos and pain.

Someone’s emotions were bleeding out; she was in agony.

The storage room door wasn’t fully closed, leaving a narrow crack. Liu Ming approached silently and peered inside.

He saw Du Shui with her back to the door, her body trembling slightly as she pressed her hands tightly over her eyes. Ying Huo stood before her, the gentle smile long gone from his face, replaced by a look of almost cold concentration.

His right palm was turned upward, cradling a quietly burning orb of bright yellow flame. The fire wasn’t scorching; it was warm enough to be intoxicating.

Liu Ming narrowed his eyes. That was definitely not something a simple mental power mutation could achieve. Sentinels couldn’t possess healing abilities, and within that bright yellow flame, he sensed the aura of an Anomaly.

The protagonist’s group really was a den of hidden talents; not a single one of them was simple.

Inside the storage room, Ying Huo reached out a finger, catching a spark of the yellow flame. With a gentle but irresistible motion, he pulled Du Shui’s hands away from her eyes.

“You overused your mental power when facing the Scorching Ghost… things are looking a bit bad. But don’t move, don’t be afraid. Leave it to me.” His voice remained clear, yet it carried a heavy gravity.

Du Shui tilted her head back and tremblingly moved her hands, revealing her eyes. One of her eyes, which should have been clear as water, had turned into a beast-like, blood-red vertical slit! Around the slit, threads of ominous blue patterns were spreading, as if something terrifying was waking up.

That was a sign of mental power anomalization³. One of the hallmarks of an Anomaly was the blood-red vertical pupil. At this moment, Du Shui’s body had already begun to lean toward becoming an Anomaly.

Ying Huo gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, used his flame-like mental power to envelop Du Shui’s abnormal eye.

“Ugh!” Du Shui let out a muffled groan of pain, her body shaking violently as she seemed to be desperately resisting something.

【Holy crap! Du Shui’s eye!】

【What’s going on?! Why is Du Shui starting to turn into an Anomaly? Wait, wasn’t the team just formed?! Damn these plot twists! Damn the author!】

【Doesn’t Ying Huo only have simple healing effects? How can he actually reverse and suppress anomalization?!】

【Isn’t it obvious? Everyone has their own secrets.】

【But even that isn’t enough. From what we can see, Ying Huo’s flames can only resolve the physical side of anomalization. But the source of a Corrector’s anomalization is their Mental Landscape…】

Liu Ming realized something. No longer hesitating, he pushed open the storage room door.

Du Shui and Ying Huo both flinched, snapping their heads toward the doorway.

“I see.” Liu Ming’s voice rang out calmly. “So you and Ying Huo have a secret you’re keeping from Yun Zhou. Miss Du Shui, I thought the three of you were the best of friends.”

Du Shui’s face turned pale instantly, and she instinctively tried to cover her eye.

Ying Huo’s gaze became sharp as a blade. The mask of gentleness was completely torn away, and a cold, Sentinel-like killing intent flashed deep within his amber pupils.

“Young Master Liu, eavesdropping isn’t a good habit.”

The bright yellow flame flared up, blocking Liu Ming’s path.

Liu Ming acted as if he didn’t see the dangerous fire. His gaze landed on Du Shui’s blood-red vertical pupil, which she was struggling to suppress but was still visible. A knowing curve touched the corner of his mouth.

“Heh… even if you have to borrow a Sentinel’s flame, which only treats the symptoms and not the cause, you’re still forcing it down…” Liu Ming walked closer, his blood-red eyes locked onto Du Shui. “Why don’t you find a Guide? There may not be many elite Guides in the academy, but any of them would be better than this ‘drinking poison to quench thirst⁴‘ method.”

Du Shui calmed down. She stopped struggling and instead let out a weary sigh. “Because there isn’t one.”

She needed a Guide powerful enough to suppress the terrifying force within her—a force that made her far more prone to anomalization than an ordinary Sentinel. At the same time, she could not bring herself to expose this fatal weakness to a stranger.

Guides who met both these conditions were practically non-existent in the Tree Tower. Consequently, Ying Huo’s “suppression”—conducted through his special ability despite the obvious pain and side effects it caused—had become her only option.

Hearing this, Liu Ming suddenly let out a soft chuckle. The sound was exceptionally sharp in the quiet environment.

“Isn’t that a coincidence?” He stopped laughing, his gaze locking firmly onto Du Shui’s vertical pupils.

“As it happens, I am a Guide,” Liu Ming said, his voice clear and calm.

“And when it comes to the path of Mental-type Guides…” He arched an eyebrow, the arrogance inherent to a Liu Family heir manifesting completely in that moment. “No one has gone further than the Liu Family.”

Du Shui froze where she stood. Even the pain from the fire’s side effects seemed temporarily suppressed by a surge of shock. Ying Huo’s pupils constricted abruptly as he spoke in disbelief, “You’re willing to keep the secret?”

The friction between this guy and Yun Zhou was something the entire Tree Tower Academy knew about. Moreover, the members of the Liu Family were notorious for being driven solely by profit. Would Liu Ming really be willing to help keep a secret?

It sounded like a total fairy tale.

The habitual, mocking curve returned to the corners of Liu Ming’s mouth. “Of course,” he added in a leisurely tone. “But I’m no saint. I’m not like those two friends of yours, Miss Du Shui. Don’t put too much trust in me.”

“However,” Liu Ming lowered his voice, lending it a magnetic, persuasive power, “that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies. Especially since we might be operating together for a long time under the ‘Salvation’ project… You can make a deal with me.”

He reached a hand out toward Du Shui, palm turned upward. There was no ripple of mental power, just a simple, suggestive gesture.

“In exchange for one favor from you, I will keep your secret and provide… truly effective suppression. How about it?”

Liu Ming tilted his head slightly. “Not a bad bargain, is it?”

Translator’s Notes