Chapter 281: They All Want to Protect Her
Chapter 281: Chapter 281: They All Want to Protect Her
Just as Yun Sheng was lost in thought, two faint sounds echoed once more. TAP TAP.
Seeing no movement from inside the vehicle, Si Jin raised his hand to knock on the window once more. His gaze remained locked on the tinted glass, the coldness in his eyes deepening by a fraction.
Yun Sheng snapped back to reality. She quickly turned to Bai Ye, her voice urgent. "Bai Ye, open the door."
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes, casting a swift glance at Si Jin outside. His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t refuse. Reaching out, he pressed a button on the control panel, and the window slowly rolled down.
The glass had barely lowered halfway before Yun Sheng eagerly leaned toward the door, her gaze falling on Si Jin’s face. "Lin Mo, I’m so sorry. Too much happened earlier, and I completely forgot to call you."
To protect Si Jin’s identity, they had agreed over breakfast to solely use his alias, Lin Mo, while out in public. Moreover, with Xu Chengyuan’s men currently watching them like hawks from the shadows, Yun Sheng didn’t dare drop her guard. She was terrified that a single slip of the tongue might give them away.
Meeting her deeply apologetic eyes, Si Jin slightly relaxed his furrowed brows and let out a soft sigh. "I saw the trainees from the Tower coming out one by one, but you never appeared. You didn’t answer my calls or reply to my messages, so I was getting a little worried."
Yun Sheng’s heart gave a guilty lurch. She hurriedly looked down at her terminal. Sure enough, the screen displayed several unread messages alongside three missed calls.
Her guilt deepened as she offered a quiet explanation. "I’m so sorry. I put it on mute before the test, and with everything that happened afterward, I forgot to change it back. I completely neglected to check my terminal."
"I see," Si Jin replied softly. His tone carried a subtle weight as he added, "Next time, no matter what happens, please let me know in advance. Otherwise, I really can’t help but worry."
Yun Sheng nodded quickly. "I will. I’ll definitely remember next time."
Bai Ye also raised his eyes to look at Si Jin. His expression was completely blank, and he didn’t utter a word, but the aura radiating from him grew noticeably cooler.
Si Jin met his gaze. As their eyes locked for a brief moment, an indescribable, heavy tension instantly permeated the air.
Yun Sheng keenly sensed the bizarre atmosphere between the two men. Her fingertips curled instinctively. After a few seconds of silence, she turned to Bai Ye. "White War God, could you open the door and let Lin Mo in? I’d like him to accompany me to the research institute. Would that be alright?"
Meeting her expectant gaze, Bai Ye relented with a slight nod. "You may," he said mildly.
With that, he pressed the control panel again. HISS. The door of the hovercar slowly glided open.
Without the slightest hesitation, Si Jin ducked into the vehicle and took the seat right beside Yun Sheng. Almost the exact moment he settled in, Yun Sheng instinctively shifted closer, her shoulder lightly brushing against his.
The physical distance between them vanished, simultaneously widening the already significant gap between her and Bai Ye.
Bai Ye took in this subconscious little gesture. A faint trace of loneliness flickered in his pitch-black eyes—so fleeting it felt like an illusion—before vanishing without a trace. He didn’t say a word, nor did he display any outward displeasure. He merely pressed a button on the control panel. HISS. The hovercar’s door slid shut.
The windows rolled back up, completely sealing the cabin away from the outside world’s clamor, prying eyes, and relentless scrutiny.
Si Jin grasped Yun Sheng’s hand, his face etched with concern. "Yun Sheng, did something go wrong during the test?"
Yun Sheng nodded. "Yeah, there was a slight issue, but thankfully Bai Ye had arranged everything in advance. The retest went smoothly, and I’m officially a Tower guide now. It’s just..." She trailed off, instinctively shooting a glance at Bai Ye.
Si Jin was incredibly sharp. He instantly caught her hesitation and the heavy look in her eyes. Tightening his grip on her hand, the aura around him turned utterly freezing.
"It’s just what? Does it have to do with those people watching you from the shadows?"
His observational skills were second to none. As early as yesterday, right after leaving the hospital, he had detected several covert gazes tracking them. He just hadn’t been able to dig up their background yet. Not wanting to alert the enemy—and more importantly, not wanting to worry Yun Sheng—he had kept it to himself.
Yun Sheng stared at him in blatant surprise. "You noticed them?" she blurted out.
Si Jin nodded. His brows furrowed once more, his tone grim. "Yes. I looked into it; they’re from the Star Alliance Military Department. I just haven’t figured out exactly whose command they fall under yet. I didn’t want to dig too deeply and risk startling them."
He narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke, shifting his gaze toward Bai Ye with an inquisitive, probing look. As the current Star Alliance War God who commanded absolute military authority, Bai Ye definitely knew more about these people’s origins than he did.
Bai Ye met his gaze squarely. Refusing to mince words, he stated, "They are Xu Chengyuan’s men."
"Him?!" Si Jin’s expression darkened instantly. His aura turned piercingly cold, and undisguised murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "He actually dares to target you!"
Yun Sheng could clearly feel the hostility and bloodlust radiating from him. She hurriedly patted the back of his hand to soothe him. She had never seen Si Jin so furious before, and a pang of worry rippled through her heart.
Si Jin took a deep breath, forcing down his surging murderous intent, though the frost in his eyes didn’t thaw in the slightest.
"Back in the day, Xu Chengyuan and I competed for the title of War God. The military assigned us both missions to clear out heavily polluted zones. I had rotten luck that time; I ran into three mutated SS Level pollutants and nearly died out there.
"Fortunately, I managed to break through at the critical moment and ascend to an SSS-level Sentinel, allowing me to fight my way out and complete the mission. Meanwhile, although Xu Chengyuan successfully completed his mission, he was only an SS Level Sentinel. Since his Level was lower than mine, he lost his shot at the War God title. From then on, he constantly pulled dirty tricks in the shadows, targeting me at every turn.
"Later, when I degenerated into a Dark Sentinel, I hadn’t even fully lost my sanity before Xu Chengyuan banded together with the other Admirals in the military, demanding I be executed to eliminate any future threat."
The murderous glint in his eyes intensified at the memory, but he quickly reined it in. He looked at Bai Ye, a mocking smile touching his lips.
"Back then, I assumed that with his ambition and years of scheming, he would easily claim the War God title once I was out of the picture. But I never expected you to appear out of thin air, Bai Ye.
"You snatched the War God position right out of his hands. He must hate your guts. It’s really not surprising that he’s targeting you now—or that he’s going after Yun Sheng by association.
"The thing is, he’s the type to seek revenge for the slightest grievance. Since he can’t topple you directly, he’s absolutely going to use Yun Sheng as his weak point!"
Bai Ye scoffed coldly at that. "He doesn’t have what it takes."
He had seen through Xu Chengyuan’s schemes a long time ago, though he had never bothered to stoop to his level. But now, daring to set his sights on Yun Sheng meant Xu Chengyuan had crossed his absolute bottom line.
Si Jin met his gaze, his eyes darkening ominously. "I might as well just kill him and be done with it!"