The Guide Always Wants to Run (GL) - Chapter 6

Yan Ningjin patted the escape pod and gestured for her to come.

With a roll, Qin Xiao’s entire body curled into the pod, leaving only her short tail sticking out as she tried to minimize her presence. She watched Yan Ningjin operate the pod with practiced ease, pressing a button that revealed a second energy module, identical to the one before.

Yan Ningjin tapped another button. The pod gave a faint clicking sound, then fell completely silent.

“Looks like the energy has been drained.”

Escape pods were usually designed to come with a built-in energy reserve, relying on energy modules only when necessary. Now, it seemed even that reserve had been fully used.

Qin Xiao reached out with her paw, trying to grasp Yan Ningjin’s energy module while staring at it with longing eyes.

Yan Ningjin tentatively held out the energy module.

“…You want this?”

Qin Xiao blinked hard, joy bubbling inside her. This human might not be completely dumb after all. She quickly reached out with both paws, trying to grab it, but her body was too long and her limbs too short. She had to strain with all her might.

Yan Ningjin could not explain it. The little beast before her was hideous beyond words, yet watching its clumsy movements, she felt it was oddly adorable. She tossed the module into the pod and watched the creature place its paws on it.

In the blink of an eye, the energy module crumbled to dust.

Qin Xiao sensed a faint trace of spiritual energy inside. It was even weaker than the first module, but at this point, even scraps were valuable. In her current state, she could not afford to be picky. Content, she let out a grateful howl.

Yan Ningjin grew more curious. An energy module was made of crystals that were difficult to cut even with a particle blade, yet it had vanished under a paw.

“Awoo!!!”

Suddenly, Qin Xiao lunged in Yan Ningjin’s direction, the sharp tips of her claws flashing into view.

Yan Ningjin’s pupils contracted. She raised her particle blade.

Qin Xiao used her shoulder as a springboard and leapt into the air. With claws raised, she delivered a swift, brutal strike straight into the heart of a bird diving from above. After doing this once, it had become second nature.

Squeak—!

A sharp, wretched screech filled the air.

Yan Ningjin turned her head just in time to see a massive bird crashing down from the sky. She finally understood why the bird’s skeleton had ended up on the escape pod. So this was how it had died.

She dodged instinctively, avoiding being crushed.

With a loud thud, the already battered pod trembled under the impact.

She barely had time to confirm if the bird was dead when two more birds darted in from either side. Their sharp beaks whistled past her ear. Yan Ningjin twisted mid-air and kicked one in the chest, sending it flying. Without pausing, she gave chase, particle blade in hand.

Qin Xiao led the second bird in circles. The escape pod, her only springboard, had been flattened under the dead bird’s weight. She could not jump high enough on flat ground to land a direct hit.

Yan Ningjin beheaded the first bird with her particle blade. Turning back, she saw the little beast and the second bird locked in a game of cat and mouse.

Arms folded, she paused to watch. Her mind drifted to the bird skeleton she had seen earlier and a bold hypothesis took shape.

What if Hu Luoshan had not taken the little princess with him in the escape pod, but this creature instead? An adult male’s body could easily hide this small beast.

If Hu Luoshan’s goal was to take the princess hostage, then why would he escape mid-mission with a strange creature?

Just then, Qin Xiao changed direction and ran toward Yan Ningjin, howling as she did.

Yan Ningjin drew her blade and charged, intercepting the bird that had been toyed with to the brink of rage.

Qin Xiao executed her bait-and-switch maneuver with practiced ease. She found a safe spot, flopped onto the ground, and panted with her tongue out. Her body was both clumsy and weak. After just a short sprint, she was already drained.

It all comes down to this body. Frail from birth, then wrecked by years of poison. No wonder it’s so useless.

Tongue still lolling, she thought, If only I had my spatial pouch. I’d pop a few Qi-replenishing pills and an anti-toxin or two, and be good as new. What a pathetic state.

After dispatching the second bird, Yan Ningjin sheathed her blade.

“Little beast, bird bl00d will attract carnivores in this forest. Are you coming with me or staying here?”

Qin Xiao sprang to her feet. She even scrubbed her paws against the ground, wiping off the bl00d from gouging the bird’s chest.

Together they crossed most of the forest and returned to Aiwei’er.

As soon as it received Yan Ningjin’s command, the mech opened its hatch.

Yan Ningjin glanced back. The little beast was gazing up at the mech with dazed curiosity. She offered an invitation.

“Want to come up and have a look?”

Qin Xiao was no longer the startled creature from before. Her recovered memories had made this speaking mech far less surprising. She lifted her paws confidently and climbed aboard.

Aiwei’er’s sweet voice chimed in.

“Yan Yan, it’s your first time bringing a guest home. Welcome, welcome.”

Aiwei’er was an all-purpose mech. Beyond the battlefield, it also functioned as a household robot. Its intelligence was roughly equal to that of an eight- or nine-year-old child. Its sugary tone had earned a certain kind of ‘affection’ from Yan Ningjin.

Inside the mech, the first thing one saw was the control panel. Behind it was a compact rest area, just large enough for an adult to lie down. Qin Xiao leapt without hesitation into the space that Yan Ningjin had previously used. It had bedding on top and padding beneath. It looked very comfortable. Curling into a ball, she left only her small head resting outside.

Yan Ningjin did not mind. She simply gave Aiwei’er an order.

“Bring up the previous footage.”

Aiwei’er quickly displayed the segment recorded after they had left. It was still night. Not long after their departure, dozens of glowing red forms appeared on the screen. Some tried to attack the mech.

The screen at the control panel was massive. Qin Xiao could not ignore it even if she wanted to. She adjusted her position, sprawled on the cushion, and studied the red dots with focus.

Yan Ningjin zoomed in on one of the creatures attacking the mech. It resembled a rabbit, with gray-black fur and glowing red eyes. Its teeth on either side of its mouth were razor-sharp.

Qin Xiao had seen these creatures before, back when she crossed the forest. She had seen one snatched by a tree and devoured by a man-eating flower. Now, seeing so many clustered on screen made her skin crawl.

Yan Ningjin glanced at her.

“Do you know what those are?”

That question…

At most, she had seen one before. She had no idea what these things were. They looked like rabbits, but no rabbit should have teeth like that. Everything on this planet was weird.

Qin Xiao shrank back, burrowing into the bedding and rolling over to rest her head against the cushion. It was ridiculously comfortable.

Yan Ningjin had not expected the creature to be so fearless around strangers, especially her. With no answer, she turned back to the screen.

“Aiwei’er, has the distress signal been sent?”

Aiwei’er had already fired off two. Neither had received a response. At that moment, their energy reserve was down to eight percent.

Qin Xiao awoke from hunger. The Drunken Dream Tree’s juice did nothing to fill her stomach, and the energy module’s spiritual energy was far from enough to help her recover. Her body was weak, and her energy burned quickly. Before long, her belly was rumbling.

Yan Ningjin followed the strange noise and found Qin Xiao blinking up at her.

Woman and beast locked eyes.

Grrr—

Qin Xiao was still wondering how to communicate her hunger.

Yan Ningjin glanced at the empty bird skeleton outside.

“Little beast, I had hoped that creature outside would last us several days, but other beasts have already picked it clean. If you want to eat, you’ll have to hunt your own food.”

Qin Xiao’s stomach growled even louder. Her head drooped. She almost wanted to crawl back into the blankets and disappear.

Yan Ningjin pulled out a pack of nutrient paste from somewhere and handed it to her.

“Eat sparingly. Our food supplies are limited. Energy is low. If no one responds to the distress signal, we will have to survive on our own for a long time.”

Qin Xiao remembered this stuff. A single pack could keep someone fed for a day, but it tasted terrible. She used her claw to tear a small slit, then licked it clean with big, sweeping strokes of her tongue.

When she finished, she grabbed the empty pouch in her teeth and tossed it outside.

Yan Ningjin had been watching the little beast the whole time. The more she observed, the more human its behaviors seemed. Suddenly, her mind drifted to the intelligent species of the Beast System.