The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 12

Aboard a starship, a group of people used the star network at their disposal to scan outward from Shepherd Star, activating the engine search again and again. They had swept the area more than ten times already, yet found no trace of the escape pod or any remnants of the mech.

Sometimes, having no news was the best news.

The Xiao Corps soon expanded their search range. This time, it covered several other planets, even reaching the outermost edge of the system.

General Yan had piloted Aiwei’er alone while pursuing the interstellar pirate Hu Luoshan, only to be caught in a black hole. News of the incident had already swept across the Capital Star like a violent hurricane. For days now, rumors had exploded about how the pirates had hijacked the starship in order to kidnap the Empire’s heir. The civilians who had been held hostage aboard the hijacked ship had testified that the entire operation was to abduct the royal heir. Princess Yuzhu, who had been visiting General Aige on Sunstar at the time, had become the center of public debate, and waves of pointed accusations were being hurled at the Imperial family.

Everyone knew that although Her Highness Princess Yuzhu was a female Sentinel, she had long been recognized by the public as the sole heir to the throne. Now, with the sudden appearance of another mysterious “royal heir,” people began to question the bloodline of the royal family. Even more crucial was the fact that General Yan, who had rendered countless services to the Empire, had vanished while trying to intercept the escape pod carrying the kidnapped heir. Her fate remained unknown.

If the royal family did not give a proper explanation, this would not end well.

The Xiao Corps, however, had no time to care about the uproar on the Capital Star. Everyone was working day and night, continuing the search for the distress signal. For three days straight, Yan Ningjin had seemingly vanished into the cosmos.

“If we keep searching like this, it’s no different than fishing a needle out of the ocean. We need another strategy.”

“The General left in Aiwei’er. Among all mechs in the Empire, Aiwei’er ranks among the best. As long as it can still power on, it will definitely send out a distress signal.”

“But it’s already been three days—”

Four people were seated around a table, their eyes locked on the person sitting cross-legged with a contemplative look. “Strategist, is there any other solution? The longer we delay, the more danger the General is in.”

The person referred to as the strategist leaned forward slightly, uncrossed her legs, and tapped the table. “There are three possible reasons why we haven’t found any sign of the General. The first possibility is the one none of you want to face. Aiwei’er was destroyed in the black hole, and the General is in grave danger.”

The room fell silent. Everyone looked at one another, grim expressions painting their faces. Someone urged, “Strategist Bai, don’t leave us hanging. What are the second and third possibilities?”

Bai Xuan let out a soft laugh. “The second possibility is that Aiwei’er suffered heavy damage while protecting the General, causing a complete energy drain. But the General wouldn’t sit around waiting for death. She would definitely find a way to replenish the energy supply. Personally, I hope it’s this one.”

“And the third?”

“Aiwei’er did send out a signal, but because the region or the planet she landed on is too unfamiliar, it hasn’t reached us. Open the full sector. Begin a complete carpet-style search. The moment you intercept any signal, decode it immediately.”

With a new direction, morale surged. The team widened the search range, which made the task even more complex, but just two hours later, someone intercepted a distress signal from Aiwei’er. When they attempted to trace it, the signal vanished completely. They could only confirm a general area.

The officers clustered around the screen.

“Where is this?”

Bai Xuan took over the nearby operator’s console and marked the signal zone. “Just as I suspected. The General’s mech must have run out of energy, so she resorted to this bait tactic to catch our attention. We have the location. Mobilize now and bring her back by tomorrow!”

“Understood.”

“Keep watching this zone. If there’s any movement, inform me at once.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

On a remote planet, Qin Xiao and Yan Ningjin were completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world. Naturally, they had no idea the Imperial family was facing a political storm on Capital Star because of the appearance of a second “royal heir.”

Yan Ningjin had only one priority, which was to contact her team and return to the Capital Star. The one small relief was that the distress signal had finally been sent. All that remained was to wait patiently.

As for Qin Xiao, ever since she discovered the rainbow crystal contained no spiritual energy, she had become listless. She lay curled up in Yan Ningjin’s resting area, unmoving, her gloomy mood spreading through the mech like a haze.

Yan Ningjin examined the crystal again and again. “Those creatures chasing us were after this. If you don’t want it, why not just return it to them?”

The moment she heard that, Qin Xiao tensed and perked up. Her eyes locked onto the rainbow crystal in Yan Ningjin’s hand.

“Awoo!”

Under Qin Xiao’s fierce gaze, Yan Ningjin reluctantly returned the crystal to its spot. The little beast immediately pawed at it and tucked it beneath her belly.

Even though Qin Xiao was frustrated beyond belief, there was no way she would return the thing she had risked her life to steal from those ice-sculpture creatures.

Seeing how filthy the little beast had become, Yan Ningjin offered, “Do you want to wash up by the river? Your wounds need treatment.”

Qin Xiao had seen her reflection in the water the first time they visited the river. That grotesque appearance had haunted her so much she never wanted to look again. After days of rolling around, getting dragged for labor by those creatures, and crawling through cave tunnels, she only had to look at her claws to know how grimy she was.

Then she remembered the terrifying fish monster that lurked in the river, which made her hesitate.

She curled into a tighter ball and tugged the bedding over her head, cocooning herself in protest.

Yan Ningjin blinked. She moved on.

She rolled a large rock outside and, with a gentle wave of her laser sword, shattered it to reveal a massive energy crystal within. She hauled it back inside, only to discover it was too large to fit into the mech’s energy module.

She tried slicing it with the laser sword, but no matter how many attempts she made, the surface of the crystal remained unmarked. Her eyes flicked toward the little beast and recalled how it had once shredded an energy box with a single swipe. She set the crystal in front of Qin Xiao.

“Do me a favor. Cut it into a size that will fit the energy box.”

Qin Xiao’s eyes sparkled the moment she saw the energy crystal. She rubbed her claws against the little blanket, the angel and devil in her mind engaged in fierce battle. After a moment of hesitation, she gave one swift slice. The crystal split in two.

Yan Ningjin had been watching closely and saw everything. The little beast had sliced through the crystal without using any external force. She did not have time to question it. She took the piece that fit and rushed over to work on Aiwei’er.

Energy modules usually followed a standard manufacturing process, although Yan Ningjin was now using makeshift methods commonly applied in field operations.

Meanwhile, Qin Xiao stared at the remaining half of the crystal. Her heart waged war once more. She reached for it, pulled back, and reached again. She longed to absorb it, to soothe her wounded soul.

If she had known the rainbow crystal was useless, she would have just stayed in that cave and absorbed all the energy crystals she could.

She thought she had snatched a treasure. In the end, it was just a pretty rock.

Feeling utterly dejected, Qin Xiao pulled out the rainbow crystal from beneath her belly. She tapped it a few times with her paw, unwilling to give up. She focused once more, trying to sense any lingering energy.

To her surprise, the faint bit of spiritual power left in her body began to ebb away. A flash of red flickered across the crystal.

Startled, Qin Xiao yanked her paw back. The red light vanished instantly.

At that moment, Aiwei’er’s sweet voice rang out in alarm.

“Alert, Yan Yan. Enemy attack detected. Unknown creatures are launching an assault on Aiwei’er! Enemy attack detected. Unknown creatures are launching an assault on Aiwei’er!”

Yan Ningjin froze. On the display screen, countless eyes stared back at them. Leading the charge were the very same ice-sculpture creatures they had encountered earlier. Beside them was a red-glowing mutant rabbit, and even the green-skinned monsters from the forest had appeared. All of them were gathered outside, layer upon layer, encircling Aiwei’er.

“Strange. Weren’t those creatures unable to enter the forest before? Why now—”

She paused. A memory flashed.

They had escaped during daylight. Now, it was the dead of night.

Qin Xiao, upon seeing the dense crowd of monsters on the screen, leapt up and stuffed the rainbow crystal into her mouth. Her eyes stayed fixed on the creatures swarming outside the mech.

She was suddenly excited.

It might not be an energy crystal, but it was definitely a treasure.

Otherwise, why would these creatures pursue it so relentlessly?

She would protect her treasure with her life.

“Grr!”

Yan Ningjin looked down and continued tinkering with the energy box. “Aiwei’er, how long can you hold out?”

The display listed a string of data. Aiwei’er replied,

“Alert, Yan Yan. Energy reserves are below three percent. Estimated time remaining is fifteen minutes. Estimated time remaining is fifteen minutes.”

Yan Ningjin slammed the energy crystal into the module and glanced back at Qin Xiao.

“The energy box needs another hour to be ready. Even if I work quickly, it’s at least forty-five minutes. Little beast, you heard her. Aiwei’er can last fifteen minutes. I need you to hold them off for thirty.”

Qin Xiao: !!!