Chapter 22: I Am an A-Grade Guide, After All

The woman appeared slightly older than her, yet still quite young. She wore a deep V-neck, A-line dress with a cinched waist, and her hair was styled in a soft updo. Her features were neither striking nor unattractive; she was somewhat plump with a round face. To Lu Meng, however, these details were inconsequential. As a woman herself, she appreciated beauty and believed that every girl possessed her own unique charm. Beauty, she felt, was not a singular standard but manifested in countless different ways. She had always viewed other women with admiration and goodwill.

However, when the woman turned her gaze toward her, and particularly after she swept her eyes over Lu Meng, Lu Meng clearly sensed a flicker of hostility. She was bewildered; she had never met this person before, had she?

Chief Martha looked toward Lu Meng, the gloom on her face giving way to a smile. "You're here?"

She then turned her attention to the other woman, her tone sharpening. "Lucy, while my office serves as a resource for guides, it is not here to resolve your personal sentinel-guide disputes. I will say this again: if you have issues, take them to the department responsible for sentinel-guide relations!" She waved a hand dismissively, clearly wanting the woman gone. "That's enough. I have work to attend to; you should leave."

Lucy frowned, clearly dissatisfied. "I am an A-grade guide. How can you treat me like this..."

"Out!" Chief Martha commanded coldly.

An A-grade guide? She had the nerve to bring that up? Because of her status, the military district had spent far too much time cleaning up her messes. One day she was infatuated with this sentinel, the next she was attacking that one; she had even violated regulations to run off and fool around with sentinels from outside the base. She had even bullied other guides. Martha was well aware of all of it, but she had tolerated it time and again simply because of Lucy's A-grade rating. She had never expected the woman to become even more insufferable.

She had actually demanded that the military district issue an order forcing Ace, the Captain of the Shadow Unit, to become her exclusive sentinel. If Ace had been willing, that might have been one thing, but he had explicitly stated he would never be her sentinel. The fact that she wanted the military to force an S-grade sentinel into such an arrangement was pure madness. Not to mention her, even if she took this to the higher-ups or the Admiral himself, no one would ever agree to it. If the Admiral found out, he would surely be furious, and there was no telling how he would choose to deal with her then.

Lucy shut her mouth, though she remained resentful. Finally, she shot Lu Meng a glare and stomped out in a huff.

Lu Meng stood there, confused. "Excuse me?" She felt entirely innocent. She hadn't done a single thing; what was wrong with this person, and why glare at her?

Martha massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. Lucy was the bane of her existence. Seeing her distress, Lu Meng couldn't help but step a little closer. "Chief, are you alright?"

Martha looked up into Lu Meng’s concerned eyes, paused for a moment, and then offered a faint smile. "I'm fine, just a bit frustrated. You haven't met the other guides yet, so you don't know—we may have few guides in this military district, but the trouble they cause is endless. Dealing with these matters every day is giving me a migraine."

As a trainee guide in the military district, Lu Meng didn't quite know how to respond to that. Fortunately, Martha didn't seem to mind.

"Here for the examination, are you?"

"Yes!" Lu Meng replied quickly.

Martha stood up. "Very well. I have a set of questions here. You can complete them right here at my desk. I'll give you forty minutes, and then I will grade them. If you pass, I will consider you qualified." She pulled a sheet of paper and a pen from her drawer and handed them to Lu Meng.

Lu Meng accepted the paper. "All right, I will do my best!"

Martha chuckled softly. "Don't feel pressured. Even if you don't do perfectly, you're so cute that I might just add a few bonus points at my discretion." As she spoke, she reached out and lightly scratched Lu Meng’s chin.

Lu Meng couldn't help but feel that Chief Martha was treating her like a pet. It was the same gesture she liked to use on cats and dogs, but she didn't find it unpleasant.