chapter 06

Shen Lingzu woke to the faint sound of soft tapping at the door. She lazily raised herself, rubbing her eyes gently. Xiao Hong had already disappeared into her spiritual sea the moment he sensed movement at the door.

The door opened with a voice command, and Shen Lingzu found herself increasingly fond of this advanced technological world.

"Breakfast has been delivered, we hope the guest enjoys their meal."

The robotic voice, monotone yet oddly pleasant announced, as the bot retrieved an elegant tray from its sizable compartment and placed it on the small table near the bed before gliding silently out of the room.

Shen Lingzu stared at the tray. It held several small exquisitely arranged dishes, a cup of coffee exuding a rich aroma, and a dessert. She sighed softly.

These dishes looked like something out of a five-star restaurant. But since she had booked the cheapest room in this hotel, this was probably the least expensive—and worst—meal they served.

Shen Lingzu wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. She found the food here to be incredibly delicious, yet she regretted not being able to afford the more expensive meals.

"They must be a thousand times better than this," she muttered to herself, her tone tinged with regret.

Not that she hadn't eaten fine food during her week at the Ling family estate since her reincarnation, but her time there had been riddled with tension. Between dealing with that two-faced family, her awakening powers, and everything else, she hadn't had the chance to savor anything.

Now, unshackled from those chains, her gluttonous spirit had begun to awaken. No one could blame her—she had almost eaten dirt during the last two years of the apocalypse, when food became nearly nonexistent.

"Well, it's fine. There will be plenty of opportunities to taste every kind of food in this beautiful world," she said, dabbing her lips with a napkin. A radiant smile lit her face, making her appear even more beautiful and innocent.

After finishing her meal, Shen Lingzu changed into a comfortable, inconspicuous outfit suitable for strolling around. She stood before the mirror to ensure her appearance wouldn't attract undue attention.

"All right, Xiao Hong, let's head out. We have a long day ahead of us."

There was no audible response, but Shen Lingzu felt excited, happy thoughts radiating from her spiritual sea. It seemed Xiao Hong was genuinely thrilled about the outing.

She left the hotel and stepped into the bustling streets of the massive city. The dazzling lights, sleek metallic surfaces, and towering glass buildings piercing the sky still felt foreign to her.

Using the smart brain on her wrist, she located the high-speed train station. When she arrived, she boarded the train quickly. It looked ordinary enough—if you ignored the fact that it was entirely made of a transparent material resembling glass and flew on an invisible "rail" beneath it. Well, she didn't know what the rail was made of either, but it was transparent as well.

Shen Lingzu tried to hide her amazement as she distracted herself with the smart brain, reviewing the memories of the original Ling Ai. She found herself recalling Ling Ai's aunt, a gentle woman who had been a protective shield for Ling Ai during her childhood. When everyone else shunned her for lacking any guiding powers and being an ordinary person, the aunt was the only one who supported her and stood against the world for her.

"Aunt…" Shen Lingzu murmured softly, moved by such tender affection.

The aunt, Hua Ru, was the youngest sister of Ling Ai's mother, Hua Mian. But unlike her sister, Hua Ru was beautiful, kind, and extremely compassionate, particularly toward the original owner of the body.

Hua Ru had married a member of the Ouyang Marshal's secondary family. She often kept in touch with Ling Ai and occasionally visited the Ling estate.

Naturally, the opportunistic Ling family welcomed her warmly. After all, the marshal was known to treat his subordinates like family, and by extension, their families received preferential treatment. The Lings hoped to use Aunt Hua Ru to find a powerful match for Ling Xuan and climb higher in noble society.

However, a catastrophic event occurred five years ago. A surge of deadly spiritual beasts attacked, marking the first national crisis faced by the Keralis Empire in decades. The beasts directly assaulted the imperial capital planet, forcing the Emperor to deploy all four marshals to defend its borders.

The bloody battle resulted in numerous casualties among ordinary soldiers and elite guards alike. One of the victims was Marshal Ouyang, one of the most powerful Dark sentinels. While the exact cause of his downfall remained unknown, it was said that his spiritual sea had gone berserk, causing him to slaughter beasts ferociously without fear or self-defense. By the time his subordinates subdued him and brought him back for treatment, his condition was critical.

Even his wife, an A-level guide, couldn't save him. He had been in a coma ever since.

Hua Ru's husband, a subordinate of Marshal Ouyang, had also been critically injured during the battle. Although he wasn't comatose at first, his deteriorating condition and disintegrating spiritual sea during treatment led the doctors to induce a medical coma to stabilize him.

Since then, Hua Ru had ceased visiting the Ling family. Realizing she was no longer of any use, Father Ling didn't bother maintaining contact.

Hua Ru had devoted her life to caring for her injured husband over the past five years, living in isolation within the heavily fortified Marshal's estate. Shen Lingzu knew she couldn't approach the estate easily, but there was always a way. From Ling Ai's memories, she learned that Hua Ru visited her husband daily to treat him, despite her limited guiding abilities. Hua Ru's dedication to her husband was evident, and her love for him seemed boundless.

Shen Lingzu decided to try her luck at the hospital. Perhaps she could meet Aunt Hua Ru and request her help. Even with her awakened powers, she knew surviving in this world alone would be nearly impossible—at least not without connections or a stable livelihood.

Sitting by the train's window, Shen Lingzu watched the scenery outside blur past at the speed of light. The dazzling lights and modern buildings gradually gave way to more natural landscapes as the train left the city's edge. She pondered her options. Perhaps she could help Hua Ru's husband a little to repay the kindness shown to the original Ling Ai.

She considered sending Hua Ru a message first but dismissed the idea. Hua Ru had isolated herself, making it impossible to reach her through conventional means.

As countless thoughts swirled in her mind, Shen Lingzu unconsciously recalled Ling Ai's school memories. For nobles, there were prestigious schools, aside from the Guide Institute and the Guardian Academy. Ordinary nobles also had their own elite schools.

Ling Ai had been a student there until two years ago when her father withdrew her after she failed to awaken as a guide. To the outside world, noble families often hired private tutors, so no one questioned Father Ling's decision.

In this world, individuals could only differentiate as guides or guardians during adolescence, with no recorded cases of differentiation after the age of sixteen. Because guides were often delicate and physically weak, Father Ling had high hopes for his youngest daughter, a delicate and beautiful girl. He treated her well initially, but as the years passed without any sign of awakening, his disappointment turned to resentment. He directed all his frustrations toward the innocent child he once cherished.

Shen Lingzu wasn't surprised by these memories; she had already seen the Ling family's despicable nature. Yet, she felt deep pity for Ling Ai. After all, she had taken her body and was now living her life. Guilt weighed heavily on her.

"I'll live well for both of us," she vowed silently. "And if the chance arises, I'll avenge you too."

When the high-speed train, faster even than the famed "Hyperion" from Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet, came to a stop, Shen Lingzu's destination was the hospital under Marshal Ouyang's jurisdiction.

Each faction had its own headquarters and resources, and the injured from Marshal Ouyang's army were treated in this hospital. Those injured during the beast surge required specialized care in a dedicated facility equipped with advanced medical tools.

The hospital was enormous, with multiple floors, each dedicated to specific types of injuries. As Shen Lingzu stepped inside, she felt a twinge of dizziness. How would she find Aunt Hua Ru and her husband here?

Although the hospital was tightly secured, gaining entry was relatively easy with approved identification. However, asking for information about a patient without permission would raise suspicions, and she could end up detained as a spy. Shen Lingzu wanted to avoid trouble, so she decided to explore discreetly. If she didn't encounter Hua Ru today, she'd try again tomorrow. After all…

For the sentinels, guides were their light and their only salvation. However, with the scarcity of guides, scientists had sought alternative solutions—soothing treatments to replace or at least mimic the effects of natural guidance. Though these alternatives couldn't match the perfection of genuine guidance, the medications and treatments proved immensely helpful to the sentinels in need. These treatments came in the form of complex medications and injections, whose production was extremely challenging, especially in large quantities.

This was because the primary ingredient required to create these spiritual sea-soothing elixirs was none other than the spiritual energy of the guides.

Yes, the spiritual energy of guides. Collaborating with their research institute, the guides would channel their energy into specialized containers. Imperial scientists and researchers would then process this energy using drugs and other substances to produce the final product: large batches of sedatives tailored to treat the guardians.

Unfortunately, these treatments were only temporary. They didn't repair the spiritual sea damage within the guardians but merely slowed down its deterioration.

Moreover, they were ineffective for sentinels ranked S or higher. For this reason, the condition of the former Marshal Ouyang remained critical. His life hung by a fragile thread, sustained only by medication and the support of machines. One could say his survival was uncertain, and death could claim him at any moment.

Shen Lingzu stepped into one of the hallways leading to the upper floors. The atmosphere here was heavy. The sharp scent of medicine and the rhythmic beeping of life-monitoring devices filled the air, tightening her chest. She was, after all, a warrior herself—a soldier who had fought to protect people, slaying zombies and beasts. She had witnessed countless deaths of brave and strong fighters who sacrificed themselves for the weak.

Coming from a long lineage of military heroes, Shen Lingzu felt her heart ache for these courageous soldiers suffering in hospital beds.

A fleeting thought of helping them crossed her mind but was quickly suppressed.

"No. I cannot sympathize with anyone in this life. I refuse to be used and discarded again."

Her inner voice rang sharp and firm. "Impossible. I'm no longer the old Shen Lingzu. I won't be kind-hearted to anyone ever again." She repeated these words in her mind as if etching them into her soul.

The weight of betrayal bore heavily on her. Even after being reborn into this new world, the fear of trusting others lingered. She couldn't bear to experience heartbreak and betrayal again. To prevent this, she resolved to harden her heart and remain cold toward everyone around her. After all, she was just a stranger in this world, and even the original owner of this body had been utterly alone, without anyone to rely on.

"No... There is someone—Aunt Hua Rou. She had always helped Ling Ai." Shen Lingzu thought sadly.

"Well, just once. I'll meet this so-called aunt. If she proves to be as kind and genuine as the memories suggest, then I'll help her save her husband."

With this resolution, Shen Lingzu calmed her inner turmoil. She was about to turn the corner ahead when suddenly, her forehead collided with something hard and solid.

"Ouch! What the…" she muttered, rubbing her forehead in pain. Tears stung her eyes almost instantly as she cursed the sensitivity of this new body. Raising her head, she looked up to see the "thing" she had bumped into.

Her breath caught for a moment.

Before her stood a man with a tall, solid build—towering like a bamboo tree. Compared to him, she felt like an ant. His frame was massive, exuding a heavy, intimidating aura.

Sharp green eyes stared down at her from beneath a slightly tilted military cap. His black uniform was adorned with gleaming golden insignias on the shoulders, while his jet-black hair glistened under the dim lights. He was, quite simply, a devastatingly handsome man.

Snapping out of her momentary daze, Shen Lingzu quickly bowed her head and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you coming."

This man clearly wasn't someone ordinary, and the last thing she wanted was to attract attention. Wandering aimlessly in the army hospital without a valid reason would surely land her in trouble.

Cursing her luck internally, Shen Lingzu caught a glimpse of the man's expression through the corner of her eye. His sharp, piercing gaze and scrutinizing demeanor made her feel like prey under a predator's watchful eye.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

"Damn it, what do I do now?!"⁦⁠`⁠(⁠>⁠▂⁠<⁠)⁠´< p>

////////////////////////////////////////////

The author has something to say:

"Shen Lingzu, my dear, that 'rock' you just hit is none other than your lover's chest—Marshal Ouyang!"

Shen Lingzu: "Shut up, you cursed author! This is all your fault. Get over here and save me!"

////////////////////////////////////////////