This is a wondrous world where technology has advanced to such an extent that humanity’s presence has long expanded from a single planet, a single star system, to countless planets across the vast sea of stars. Under the oppression of the Zerg—the common enemy of all races in the boundless cosmos—humans gradually diverged into two distinct groups: the Sentinels and the Guides.
Sentinels possess heightened senses and combat abilities far surpassing those of ordinary humans, but their mental stability is fragile, often leading them into dissociative states. Guides, on the other hand, wield strong empathic and psychic abilities, capable of pulling Sentinels out of their dissociative episodes and soothing the volatile emotions caused by their hyper-sensitive senses. Both Sentinels and Guides manifest their own unique spiritual entities.
As time progressed, the Zerg gradually faded into obscurity, and a balance was established between those with abilities and ordinary humans. The world slowly returned to peace, though territorial disputes among the three great empires remained a persistent source of conflict.
In a remote corner of a desolate planet within an obscure star system, Xiang Qimiao lay amidst a pile of rubble, battered and bruised, his vision blurred, his breathing labored, his vital signs steadily declining.
Xiang Qimiao wanted to sneer, but he no longer had the strength. Still, it was almost laughable—Fei Hai was truly an idiot to think that with him gone, that useless waste who relied solely on his family’s influence could ever rise to power. What a joke!
Not long ago, he had just developed a series of groundbreaking new systems, and the higher-ups were placing great importance on him. The rescue efforts would undoubtedly be substantial, and those responsible for his predicament wouldn’t escape unscathed. Even if the Fei family had influence, so what? The Xiang family was no pushover either. The Fei family was nowhere near capable of competing with the Xiangs!
Fei Hai’s attack on him would ensure that the Xiang family made the Fei family pay dearly.
But dwelling on these thoughts was pointless now. Xiang Qimiao could feel his breathing growing more difficult, his life slipping away. If the rescue team only found his corpse, his father, mother, elder brother, grandfather, and maternal grandfather—they would all be devastated…
Xiang Qimiao slowly closed his eyes. Beside him, translucent specks of light began to coalesce, gradually forming the shape of a large blue-eyed Ragdoll cat. This was Xiang Qimiao’s spiritual entity—Gloves. Yet the once-majestic and elegant Gloves now flickered in and out of existence, a far cry from the radiant spiritual entity of Xiang Qimiao, the prodigious Guide who had risen to the rank of Vice-Chief at such a young age.
Gloves circled anxiously around Xiang Qimiao, licking him repeatedly, hoping he would wake up and pull him into his arms as usual, gently stroking his fur and kneading his soft paw pads.
But Xiang Qimiao’s vital signs were fading fast. The only reason he had held on this long was because he was an exceptional Guide with remarkable resilience. During the pursuit, he had been careful to avoid fatal injuries and had even used a medical device to perform emergency treatment. As Xiang Qimiao’s spiritual entity, Gloves could sense his condition most acutely.
Just as Gloves was frantically pacing, unsure of what to do, a peculiar scent suddenly caught his attention. Though it seemed distant, the unique aroma was so alluring that Gloves instinctively wanted to rush toward it, to nuzzle and embrace its source.
His instincts urged him to follow the scent, but he couldn’t bear to leave Xiang Qimiao unprotected. After much internal struggle, Gloves finally managed to hide Xiang Qimiao in a small cave, shielding him from the sun and wind, before setting off in search of the scent.
It wasn’t that Gloves had any particular plan—he simply hoped to find someone who could help Xiang Qimiao. In his weakened, flickering state, saving Xiang Qimiao alone was an impossible task.
Gloves raced forward with all his might, desperate to find aid for Xiang Qimiao. The faster he moved, the more his speed increased.
Meanwhile, in the desert, a tall, strikingly handsome man in military uniform stood before a giant sand scorpion, his expression utterly unfazed. “Hegni,” he called.
A massive, ferocious Arctic wolf emerged from behind the man, its eyes filled with disdain and predatory hunger as it regarded the scorpion. Moments later, Hegni lunged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The scorpion? Hegni didn’t even consider it a challenge.
The man—Tan Hao—was unsurprised by Hegni’s victory. A mere sand scorpion was nothing compared to the far more dangerous prey his spiritual entity had hunted before. Checking the time, Tan Hao decided it was time to rest and recuperate.
Though Tan Hao had complete confidence in his own abilities and those of his spiritual entity, he was not so arrogant as to believe no creature in the world could threaten him. Confidence was one thing, but overconfidence was a path to self-destruction. Tan Hao was no fool blinded by pride.
Suddenly, Hegni, who had been lazily flicking his tail on the ground, snapped his eyes open and stared intently in a particular direction. Following his spiritual entity’s gaze, Tan Hao sensed an unusual pheromone—the scent of a Guide. Judging by how strongly it attracted Hegni, their compatibility was likely high.
Though the balance between ability-users and ordinary humans had stabilized, major families and factions still favored ability-users due to their innate superiority. Compatibility between Sentinels and Guides remained a traditional metric used by conservative factions to determine suitability for partnership.
Generally, ability-users preferred partners with high compatibility, as it ensured a smoother and more harmonious bond.
Ability-users had one door opened for them, but another closed.
Sentinels, with their hyper-sensitive senses, were constantly tormented by the overwhelming influx of sensory information. Guides, with their powerful psychic abilities, were perpetually bombarded by the thoughts and emotions of those around them. Thus, Sentinels and Guides naturally sought each other out, as they could shield one another from these relentless burdens.
Higher compatibility meant better shielding, which was why the concept remained relevant even today.
Tan Hao was an exceptionally rare Dark Sentinel—one who didn’t need a Guide to establish mental barriers. But this didn’t mean he suffered any less; he simply never showed it. To him, the torment was a minor inconvenience, not something severe enough to require a Guide’s intervention.
Yet the fact that there was a Guide with such high compatibility intrigued him. As a Dark Sentinel, Tan Hao’s compatibility with most Guides was abysmally low. Apart from his father’s Guide, he rejected all others, making it impossible for any Guide to establish a mental connection with him.
Feeling Hegni’s overwhelming urge to rush toward the Guide and lavish them with affection, Tan Hao decided not to restrain him. “Go ahead,” he said, trusting Hegni to exercise restraint.
However, instead of returning with a person, Hegni brought back a fragile, nearly dissipated spiritual entity—a cat. Tan Hao frowned.
What was this? Had the Guide already reached the brink of death? Was he truly so unlucky with Guides that the first one with high compatibility was on the verge of dying?
Watching the cat being licked and cuddled by Hegni, Tan Hao admitted he was now genuinely curious about this Guide.
After a while in Hegni’s embrace, Gloves—revitalized slightly by the high-compatibility Sentinel’s pheromones—slipped free and approached Tan Hao, tugging at his pant leg with his teeth, trying to lead him back to Xiang Qimiao.
Tan Hao looked down at the tiny cat attempting to drag him away and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. With such feeble strength, did it really think it could move him? If not for Hegni’s gentle hold, the cat wouldn’t have even escaped his embrace, let alone managed to pull Tan Hao anywhere.
When Tan Hao didn’t budge, Gloves gazed up at him with pleading blue eyes and let out a soft, pitiful mewl. “Meow~” He rubbed his head against Tan Hao’s leg, tears welling in his eyes.
Gloves knew this was his last chance. If this human refused to help, Xiang Qimiao would surely…
Overcome with grief, Gloves collapsed to the ground, sobbing weakly. The frantic run had drained him completely. Just making it to Tan Hao’s feet had been his limit. Without Hegni carrying him part of the way, he wouldn’t have even reached Tan Hao.
But what about Xiang Qimiao? What would happen to him?
Hegni, heartbroken by the kitten’s distress, nuzzled and licked Gloves with unprecedented tenderness, silently urging Tan Hao to follow.
Finally, Tan Hao sighed. “Fine, fine. You’re my spiritual entity, after all.”
If Hegni wanted to impress the little cat, what could Tan Hao do? Abandon his own spiritual entity?
Hegni picked up Gloves and let him lead the way, racing toward Xiang Qimiao’s location.
As for Tan Hao? With triple-S-grade physical and mental abilities, keeping up with Hegni was child’s play.
Gloves relaxed slightly. *Good. Miao Miao will be okay. He has to be okay…*
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