Under the guidance of Glove, the man and the wolf swiftly arrived at the hiding place of Xiang Qimiao. The nearly vanished Glove struggled free from Högni’s mouth, stumbled over to Xiang Qimiao, and rubbed against him with sorrow and worry, letting out a few soft meows toward Tan Hao and Högni.
Högni stepped forward, shielding Xiang Qimiao from the sun and wind with his body. Tan Hao sighed and opened his communicator to contact his subordinates. It seemed this training session would end here.
But, oh well. Glancing at the disheveled, barely breathing, filthy, and exhausted Xiang Qimiao lying on the ground, Tan Hao—a man usually cold-hearted and aloof, relying on his status as a Dark Sentinel and advanced technology to remain solitary, and not particularly kind to Guides—suddenly felt that having a Guide by his side might not be such a bad thing.
As a general of the Blue Star Empire and the most competitive candidate for the marshal position, Tan Hao’s trusted subordinates were naturally elites. No sooner had Tan Hao sent the message and begun administering basic treatment to Xiang Qimiao with a medical device than his subordinates received the order and rushed over at top speed.
They had assumed their boss had abruptly ended his self-imposed training due to some emergency and hurried over in concern. To their surprise, they not only retrieved their general but also a critically injured little Guide—who, it seemed, was someone their boss had taken a liking to.
Tan Hao’s subordinates: “…Heavens! The Insectoids are coming back! Our boss actually has his eye on a Guide!”
With technological advancements, barrier devices designed for ability users to substitute certain functions of Sentinels or Guides had become highly sophisticated and mature. For a Dark Sentinel like Tan Hao, living without a Guide posed no real issue—just minor discomfort, a far cry from the severe problems of the past, such as mental confusion, breakdowns, or dissociation.
As a result, pairings between Sentinels and Sentinels, or Guides and Guides, had gradually increased, making marital arrangements more diverse. Many believed that, given Tan Hao’s cold demeanor, he might end up with an equally outstanding Sentinel or remain single forever.
But now! At this very moment! Tan Hao had brought back a sweet, soft little Guide!
Since this wasn’t a major secret, Tan Hao made no effort to hide it. His subordinates promptly leaked the bombshell news to the military forum, where the post rapidly gained traction.
It couldn’t be helped—those who had been starved for gossip couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire upon seeing such a juicy topic.
Xiang Qimiao’s older brother, the young Major General Xiang Qilin, naturally saw the post. Though surprised by the headline claiming General Tan Hao had taken in a little Guide, he had no energy to indulge in gossip. His precious brother was missing, with no leads whatsoever. As an older brother, how could he spare attention for anything else?
Xiang Qilin closed his holographic screen, rubbed his forehead, and sighed. The usually image-conscious man now had bloodshot eyes and a scruffy beard, looking utterly unlike himself.
“How could this happen? Miao Miao, where are you? Just give me a sign, okay? The whole family is worried and misses you.”
The moment he learned of his brother’s accident, he had rushed to the scene with his team. But all they found were the shattered remains of the private starship—no trace of his brother.
At first, Xiang Qilin wasn’t overly concerned about his brother’s safety. The escape pod was also missing, and outsiders didn’t know that his brother was exceptionally skilled in mecha combat. Their mother, a mecha program developer, had even asked their grandfather—a master mecha craftsman—to custom-build a mecha for Xiang Qimiao, which he always carried with him.
So even if the starship was destroyed, Xiang Qilin believed his brother had escaped. Initially, he didn’t invest much effort in the search, focusing instead on investigating the culprit behind the incident. And indeed, he uncovered a lead.
But as time passed with no sign of his brother, Xiang Qilin grew increasingly worried and distressed. Later, during the interrogation of Fei Hai, he discovered that while Fei Hai had acted against Xiang Qimiao, the true mastermind behind the starship explosion was someone else.
At that point, Xiang Qilin had no time to dig deeper and immediately redirected his efforts to searching for Xiang Qimiao. Unfortunately, he found nothing. Nearly a week had passed now.
Xiang Qilin pressed his hand to his forehead. “Miao Miao, please… don’t let anything happen to you…”
On a starship returning to a military base planet, Tan Hao stood beside the medical pod, gazing at the fair-skinned little Guide inside who, after treatment, was now peacefully asleep. His usually icy heart gradually melted into a puddle—sweetened with sugar and honey.
The medic observing Xiang Qimiao’s condition twitched at the sight: Who would have thought the aloof, expressionless general could have such a… besotted side? It was almost unsettling!
As Tan Hao stared intently at Xiang Qimiao with a blank yet profound expression, the Guide in the medical pod stirred, as if about to wake. Sensing this, Högni emerged, shrinking slightly in size before perching on the pod, waiting for his little darling to appear.
Glove—the ragdoll cat, the little darling—did not disappoint Högni’s longing and materialized. Since Xiang Qimiao’s body was now mostly healed, Glove was no longer fragile and on the verge of disappearing but appeared clear, complete, and exceptionally healthy.
Högni sniffed Glove, licked him happily, and tried to engage in mutual grooming. But Glove gently pushed Högni’s nose away and pressed against the pod, wholly focused on Xiang Qimiao.
Rebuffed, Högni let out a low whine of displeasure but persisted, only to be pushed away again—though Glove used only his soft little paw pads, not his claws, to nudge the wolf’s nose.
Even if Glove had used his claws, harming Högni wouldn’t have been easy. But the sensation of those soft little paw pads against his nose sent Högni’s heart soaring with joy, his inner wolf rolling around gleefully and chasing after imaginary pink bubbles.
Sensing Högni’s emotions, Tan Hao’s lips twitched: I refuse to acknowledge this dumb wolf as my spirit. Högni, where’s your usual noble, cold, and ferocious demeanor? Gone?
Högni happily replied: I ate it all! Aaaaaah! The kitten is so soft, so sweet, so adorable! Those little paw pads are so comfy! I just want to groom and play with him!
Tan Hao: …Tch. Unbearable to watch.
As Högni circled Glove with slightly foolish enthusiasm, Glove—now reassured about Xiang Qimiao’s condition—felt a hint of shyness: Hmph, I’m a dignified spirit. I won’t act as casually as that wolf!
Högni, with their high compatibility, seemed to sense Glove’s bashfulness and thoughts. He let out two low, happy barks, conveying: I’m not a casual wolf either, but for an adorable little darling, I can unleash 200% or even more enthusiasm!
When courting a mate, being too reserved might let them slip away! Högni declared himself a wolf who never hesitated or retreated—always bold, decisive, and brave!
Thus, the wolf and the cat began playing happily together. Though Högni was large and imposing, his fur was incredibly soft, especially around his belly—prime territory for Glove to treat him like a giant cat tree, climbing up and down with delight. Their bond grew stronger by the minute.
No matter how much Glove frolicked on Högni, the wolf remained gentle and indulgent, letting the kitten play as he pleased. The usually noble, cold, and ferocious Högni poured endless tenderness into Glove.
While Glove played happily, Xiang Qimiao gradually regained consciousness.
His first sensation was of floating in liquid, followed by a strange mix of joy, happiness, and shyness: Liquid… Am I in a medical pod? So… I was rescued? But what’s with this inexplicable feeling? Is it… Glove? What’s making Glove so happy… a Sentinel?
Through Glove, Xiang Qimiao faintly detected a Sentinel’s pheromones but couldn’t grasp the situation.
Groggily, he shifted, and the medical pod drained its fluid before opening. With effort, Xiang Qimiao fluttered his eyelids and opened his eyes.
Glove, sensing his awakening, immediately leaped off Högni’s back and rushed to his side.
Though “abandoned,” Högni swallowed his sulkiness—after all, Xiang Qimiao was Glove’s master. Suppressing his jealousy, the wolf strode over with regal grace, every inch the picture of perfection.
But Högni’s peacock-like display was wasted—Glove had eyes only for the waking Xiang Qimiao, with no attention left to admire the wolf’s majestic form.
Högni: …Awoo! [Unhappy!]
Tan Hao: …Dumb wolf. [Disdain]
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