The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 15

“All personnel of the Xiao Corps, follow my command. Lock down all exits on the ship immediately. No one is allowed to leave, not even me.” Only after issuing a string of orders did Yan Ningjin turn back around. “You have thirty seconds to explain yourself.”

Bai Xuan shrugged helplessly. Could she really say she had been playing with the little beast, got caught, and let her guilt distract her? “Boss, I’m sorry. This was my mistake. I’ll accept any punishment, but the most urgent matter is to catch the imposter who pretended to be you.”

Yan Ningjin turned and walked straight toward the ship’s main exit. “She most likely left through the front entrance.”

The only thing Bai Xuan could think of was to provoke her. “General, what is so special about that little beast?”

The imposter’s target had been very clear. From the beginning, it had always been the little clown creature. In a flash, Bai Xuan quickly connected all the recent incidents and came to a rather terrifying conclusion. “Could this little beast be connected to the Princess’s disappearance?”

Yan Ningjin paused slightly in her stride and gave Bai Xuan a meaningful glance. “Your current mission is to bring that little beast back to me.”

Bai Xuan responded, “Yes, General.”

When the two arrived at the main entrance, the guards looked as if they had seen a ghost. “General, didn’t you just say you were heading out on an emergency mission? You had already—”

Bai Xuan barked angrily, “Useless. This is the real General. You’ve all been fooled.”

Yan Ningjin cast a cold glance at the guard. “What exactly did the imposter pretending to be me say?”

The guard immediately stood at attention and repeated the message word for word. “Open the door. I have an emergency mission related to the royal heir. There can be no delay.”

Yan Ningjin pressed the spatial button on her chest. “Open the door. Bai Xuan, stay on the ship. Search the nearby area for any anomalies. No, recall all our personnel. Any mechs or aircraft that remain outside are now tracking targets.”

With that, Yan Ningjin leapt out of the ship.

In midair, Aiwei’er caught her with flawless timing. “Yan Yan, what are we doing next?”

Yan Ningjin’s brow furrowed deeply. “Track the intruder.”

Bai Xuan immediately ordered all patrolling personnel to return to the ship. On the screen, she quickly noticed two red dots. One dot remained still in the ship’s southwestern sector, while the other was moving fast and would soon leave their surveillance range. She informed Yan Ningjin right away.

Yan Ningjin accepted the shared interface and pointed at the moving red dot. “Aiwei’er, track it.”

Bai Xuan brought reinforcements to check the stationary red dot’s location. “General, I’ll take Xiao Wu and investigate that small ship in the southwest.”

Yan Ningjin replied, “Be careful.”

Speeding forward through the air with Aiwei’er, she soon spotted the silhouette of a dark mech ahead. Its surface was completely black. At first, Yan Ningjin thought it was due to poor lighting, but quickly realized otherwise. “Aiwei’er, engage sniper mode.”

Aiwei’er fired a series of shots toward the black mech. All three missed as the opponent dodged them, seemingly by luck. Excited, Aiwei’er muttered, “Wow, that guy is fast. Faster than Uncle Jack. Yan Yan, can I play with him a little?”

Yan Ningjin had no interest in humoring her mech. “If we don’t retrieve the little beast today, I’m handing you over to Jack.”

Aiwei’er began fake crying dramatically, but her speed suddenly surged, leaping to a whole new level. They were only about a hundred meters from closing in when Yan Ningjin felt a pulse in her palm. She opened a projection.

In it, a face identical to her own appeared. “Greetings, General.”

The woman in the projection held a blanket, and from the edge of it, the little beast’s head peeked out. Yan Ningjin’s voice turned cold. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled. “Who I am doesn’t matter. I’ve come to thank the General for taking care of her. As a token of our appreciation, we’ve left a gift on another small vessel. We hope you’ll open it personally. Otherwise—”

A wave of unease struck Yan Ningjin.

The woman continued, “You have three minutes. You can either keep chasing me or watch your people vanish with the gift I’ve left behind on Lion Star.”

The projection ended.

Without hesitation, Yan Ningjin contacted Bai Xuan.

Bai Xuan and Xiao Wu were scanning the small ship. They had detected one active life sign aboard, but the hatch was locked and required a fingerprint or forceful entry. Bai Xuan was preparing to pry it open when the message came.

Yan Ningjin ordered, “Nobody move. Wait for me.”

In just the blink of an eye, the dark mech was gone from sight.

Aiwei’er broke down entirely. “Wuuu, Yan Yan, I don’t want to play with Uncle Jack. I really don’t.”

Yan Ningjin rubbed her forehead and slammed the control panel. “Aiwei’er, turn around.”

Two minutes and thirty seconds later, she arrived. The small ship’s alarm blared loudly. She placed her fingerprint on the scanner. After three beeps, the door slid open.

“General, there could be a trap.”

“It’s the Little Prince.”

Bai Xuan blinked, then rushed inside. A delicate little boy was tied to a seat, crying with a red face. Next to him was a trembling, fluffy gray bundle. Bai Xuan carried them out. “General, the Little Prince has awakened his sentinel traits.”

Yan Ningjin’s face darkened. She looked at the small gray creature curled tightly in the boy’s arms like a hedgehog. Quantum beasts resonate with their partners’ emotions. Clearly, the Little Prince was in turmoil. “Find a medic to examine him. Make sure there are no other issues.”

Bai Xuan took the boy back to the ship.

Yan Ningjin looked out toward the pale sky where dawn was just breaking, her emotions tangled. Strictly speaking, this really was a gift of thanks that had been exchanged for the little beast.

Behind her, the golden Tuan Tuan suddenly appeared and nuzzled her lower back, offering silent comfort.

Qin Xiao stared blankly with her hideous face at the figure before her.

The woman smiled with the signature “gentle” expression unique to Yan Ningjin, then removed her disguise. Beneath was a figure of pure temptation with jet-black hair cascading to her waist and a slender frame that seemed so fragile it could break in two.

What annoyed Qin Xiao most was that this woman didn’t just have a perfect body but also had an angelic face.

Faced with such a stark contrast, Qin Xiao once again felt life wasn’t worth living. Her current body was truly hideous. So hideous she wanted to smash her face into tofu and die. Maybe if her soul slipped free, she could find a new body that was at least easy on the eyes.

“Oh, my dear Aya, what’s wrong?”

The woman scooped Qin Xiao off the floor with ease. She had already noticed the glittering, multicolored crystal in Qin Xiao’s mouth and reached out to take it. Qin Xiao bit down harder and gave her a fierce glare.

The two stared at each other in silence.

The woman affectionately ruffled her hair. “Aya, you’ve become stingy. You used to share all your treasures with us.”

Qin Xiao ignored her. From this body’s memories, she had gathered only scraps about this woman who was known to everyone as Lady Luo. She was second-in-command in the organization, held immense power, and her word was law.

The original body had been weak since birth, spending most of her time in a treatment pod to stay alive. Her mother, Eva, had studied medicine to treat her and became a well-respected doctor in the organization. Thanks to Eva’s status, the girl had unexpectedly become well-liked despite being seen as a pitiful child.

Qin Xiao sighed heavily. She had taken over this body, so she owed its debts. Still, she felt like she had lost big time.

Lady Luo made a few quick turns through the streets, making sure they weren’t being followed, then entered a private house. She pressed her hand to the panel and opened the door.

Smiling, she called out, “Eva, come see who I brought back.”

Suddenly, Qin Xiao’s dark world brightened. She blinked and saw a white figure rushing over. Her body grew light as she was lifted from one warm embrace to another cooler one. Something warm touched her forehead as a kiss was placed there.

“Oh, my Aya. Mama was so worried. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone in the escape pod.” Eva’s voice trembled with guilt. She rambled apologies, as if trying to pour her heart out.

Lady Luo looked on with gentle amusement and reminded her, “It looks like Aya has passed the beast transformation period. Eva, shouldn’t you help her return to human form before catching up?”

Eva laughed through tears. “Right, I almost forgot. My darling, I’m just so happy you’re home safe.”

Qin Xiao twitched her mouth, not really feeling the joy. She had just remembered her previous agreement to stall for thirty minutes in exchange for a batch of energy crystals.

Ah, her precious energy crystals.

Unaware of her thoughts, Eva placed Qin Xiao into a rest pod and kissed her forehead again. “Aya, sleep for a bit. Everything will be better when you wake up.”

Qin Xiao sank into the silvery liquid. Her whole body felt wrapped in softness. She quickly drifted off.

In her dreams, her hands and feet wouldn’t stop moving, as if they were scrambling to escape her body.

With gritted teeth, she made a sudden effort. A sharp crack. Pain shot through her lip.

She jolted awake.