Every Sentinel I Dreamed of Came Looking for Me

Yun Sheng had already been unsteady on her feet, stumbling and swaying slightly.

Before she could make sense of her surroundings, she acted on pure instinct, grabbing the hand closest to her.

It was Bai Ye’s hand.

His palm was scalding hot, his knuckles firm and strong. He steadily caught her weight, instantly stabilizing her tottering body.

Feeling the warmth and weight pressing into his palm, Bai Ye looked down at the woman beside him, his gaze exceptionally intense.

Opposite them, Xing Che’s half-extended hand froze. His fingertips slowly curled inward before his arm dropped to his side. Though his face remained expressionless, a flash of unconcealed disappointment lingered in his eyes.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Bai Ye wrapped his arm around Yun Sheng, pulling her into his embrace to shield her.

“Let’s get out of here first. We’ll talk about the rest once we’re somewhere safe—”

Before he could finish, his terminal suddenly vibrated violently.

Bai Ye glanced down and quickly answered.

Si Jin’s voice immediately rang out from the other end. The chaotic background noise only made his tone sound even more tense and grave.

“An unknown, powerful wave of energy just swept through the entire building. The impact hit everywhere. What’s the situation on your end? Is Yun Sheng alright?”

“She’s fine. I’m evacuating her now. What are your plans? Are you coming to meet up with us?”

Hearing that Yun Sheng was safe, Si Jin let out a sigh of relief, though his voice remained stern.

“As long as she’s okay. You two go first; don’t wait for me. I need to deal with Lin Yueyao. I just pried a lot of clues about Dark Nest out of her. It’s a massive amount of intel; we’ll discuss the details when we regroup.”

“Understood.”

Bai Ye gave a crisp reply and hung up. When he looked up, he met Yun Sheng’s inquiring gaze.

His expression softened slightly, suppressing the solemnity in his eyes as he reassured her in a low voice, “Si Jin is fine. Let’s leave this place first.”

With that, he gripped Yun Sheng’s wrist tightly, keeping her firmly by his side as he strode quickly toward the emergency stairwell at the other end of the corridor.

The tremors rocking the building hadn’t completely stopped; they had merely lessened in intensity. The overhead lights still swayed wildly, dust rained down from the walls, and fresh cracks were visible everywhere.

The corridor had already been thrown into utter chaos.

The sudden disaster had terrified everyone. Passing medical staff and inpatients alike were panicking, keeping their heads down and sprinting frantically toward the emergency exits.

Screams, shouts, and the thundering of footsteps blurred together into a deafening cacophony.

Everyone was fleeing for their lives, leaving no time to care about anyone else as the dense crowd surged toward the exit.

Throughout it all, Bai Ye kept Yun Sheng safely tucked against his chest, using his back and arms to shield her from the shoving and collisions of the mob.

Whenever anyone got too close, he reflexively shifted to block them. His cold, overbearing aura silently repelled many of the frantically rushing people.

After they had gone some distance, the tremors intensified again. Two patients, fleeing blindly, barreled straight toward Yun Sheng’s flank.

Bai Ye’s eyes darkened. His arm tightened instantly as he turned sideways, firmly bracing against the impact and forcefully shoving the two people back.

His footsteps didn’t falter once. Most of his attention remained fixed on the woman in his arms, terrified that the crushing crowd or the shaking building might cause her to get bruised or hurt.

No matter how chaotic their surroundings became or how many people surged past, he only had eyes for Yun Sheng.

Protected in his embrace, Yun Sheng could feel his hand securely gripping her waist. His hold was neither too heavy nor too light, acting as a sturdy barrier that isolated her from the pandemonium outside.

She could hear his steady, powerful heartbeat right beside her ear. Thump, thump, thump—it was inexplicably comforting.

She turned her head to look at his profile.

His sharp features, his slightly clenched jaw, and those eyes that never strayed from her.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of his shirt. Yun Sheng didn’t say a word, simply following his pace in silence as they pressed forward.

The crowd funneled down the stairs. The lower they went, the more violent the tremors became. The cracks in the walls grew denser, and the overhead fluorescent lights flickered erratically, occasionally letting out a piercing BZZZ.

People were packed tightly in the emergency stairwell, shoving each other as they surged downward. The mixture of shrieks and footsteps was headache-inducing.

Just as they rounded the landing of the third floor, the shaking suddenly escalated. The entire building lurched violently, causing many to lose their footing and stumble about.

Amid the chaos, two people dressed in hospital gowns squeezed out of the crowd, pushing against the flow of foot traffic as they approached Yun Sheng.

Their movements weren’t fast, but their footsteps were steady. Their eyes held none of the panic seen in the other patients; instead, they carried a deliberate, calculating scrutiny.

Yun Sheng caught their abnormality from the corner of her eye. Her heart tightened, and she was just about to warn Bai Ye.

“Look out!”

Xing Che’s voice rang out from behind them, carrying a sharp, urgent warning.

The two faux patients attacked simultaneously. Lunging from the left and right, they aimed straight for Yun Sheng. Slender syringes had mysteriously appeared in their hands, the needles glinting with a cold, eerie blue light as they thrust them toward her arm.

Bai Ye reacted with lightning speed.

He didn’t even loosen his grip on Yun Sheng’s waist. He simply twisted his body and delivered a brutal kick, sending the first attacker flying.

The man smashed into the wall with a muffled groan and slumped to the floor. The surrounding crowd screamed and scattered in fright.

But there were too many people in the stairwell. With panicked medical staff and patients bumping into everything, there was barely any room to maneuver.

At that moment, the second attacker squeezed through a gap in the crowd, driving his syringe directly toward Yun Sheng’s arm.

Bai Ye’s eyes turned lethal. He tightened his hold, pulling Yun Sheng flush against his chest.

However, the attacker was too close, and the dense throng of people made it impossible to retreat. Left with no other choice, he raised his forearm and took the jab head-on.

The needle tore through his skin, but Bai Ye didn’t even furrow his brow. With a swift backhand punch, he knocked the man out cold. In the same fluid motion, he scooped Yun Sheng up and hurried forward.

Clutched tightly in his arms, Yun Sheng could feel his body tense for a split second, solid as an immovable wall.

Her heart clenched violently. She instinctively tried to check his arm, but he held her down.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Yun Sheng bit her lip. How could she not worry?

There was an eighty percent chance these people were sent by Dark Nest. How could whatever was in those syringes be anything good?

She wondered what would happen if the syringe contained an induction agent. What if it was poisonous? What if…

She stared at the small wound on his arm, her eyes suddenly stinging with tears.

It was only in this moment that Yun Sheng realized she cared about Bai Ye far more than she had thought.

It wasn’t out of guilt because he had been injured protecting her, nor was it just because he had shielded her the entire way. It was a very real, visceral panic at the thought of something terrible happening to him.

“Bai Ye, I—”

Yun Sheng was just about to speak when she saw Xing Che briskly approaching them, dragging the two unconscious attackers by their collars.

His face was dark, his eyes brimming with hostility and an indescribable agitation.

“Keep moving! Dark Nest’s people might have backup plans. It’s not safe here!”