Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hope Reborn in the Ruins

"Oh, I see. Then thank you so much, Admiral. And you, too, Wen Er, thank you for your hard work!"

Lu Meng’s tone was filled with gratitude.

Wen Er watched the smile on her face, took a silent sip of water, and said nothing.

A thought suddenly struck Lu Meng, and her eyes lit up. "Does that mean you'll be staying with me for the next few days?"

Wen Er nodded. "More or less."

"That’s wonderful!"

Lu Meng excitedly slapped the table, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "Then let me perform a mental stabilization for you!"

Hearing this, Wen Er nearly dropped the cup in his hand.

"Huh?"

He instinctively thought he had misheard her.

Lu Meng smiled like a kitten that had just stolen some cream. "It’s still early, so let me do it! I have another sentinel scheduled for a session this afternoon; would you mind letting me practice on you?"

Afraid that Wen Er might doubt her, she quickly added, "It should be fine. I stabilized the sentinel from this morning, and he said it felt quite good!"

Wen Er, confirming he hadn't misheard, couldn't help but ask, "Do you still have the energy to perform another mental stabilization?"

Lu Meng looked puzzled. "Why wouldn't I have the energy?"

Did guides usually run out of energy after stabilizing just one sentinel?

Wen Er didn't press the matter further, simply saying, "Alright."

As an ultra-S-class sentinel, he usually required an A-class guide for mental stabilization; ordinary guides were unable to establish a mental link with him. However, since she wanted to try, he didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Great! You’re the best, Wen Er!"

Lu Meng gripped his hand in excitement.

Wen Er’s body stiffened abruptly, but before he could say anything, she had already pulled him up.

Lu Meng led him to the bed and had him sit down. "Quick, lie down. I’ll stabilize you!"

Wen Er complied and lay down.

Lu Meng sat beside him, recalling the steps for mental stabilization in her mind. The first step was to establish a mental link. Since she hadn't utilized any mental power that morning, she decided to skip that part.

Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly met Wen Er’s gaze. She quickly placed her hand gently over his eyelids. "Close your eyes first; let me think."

Feeling her soft, warm touch, Wen Er felt his heart skip a beat and obediently closed his eyes.

Lu Meng pulled her hand away. Seeing that he had complied, she breathed a sigh of relief. The way he had been looking at her just a moment ago had made her feel rather guilty.

Once she was certain his eyes were truly closed, she placed her hand gently on his forehead.

As she closed her own eyes, a faint green light flickered from the vines on her wrist. Obeying her summons, three slender vines entered the sentinel's mental sea at lightning speed.

Her senses followed the vines into a desolate ruin—the scarred remains of a war-torn landscape. The sky was choked with black smoke, the air was heavy with the acrid stench of gunpowder, and debris lay scattered everywhere.

The vines nimbly navigated through the streets under fire and reached a filthy, cluttered corner. Beside the severed arm of a destroyed mech, a small, gray wolf lay curled up, shivering as if in great terror.

The three vines looked at one another, seemingly puzzled by the creature before them.

Subconsciously, Lu Meng issued a command: "Stop staring, get to it!"

The vines paused as if processing the instruction, then moved forward to entwine themselves around the small wolf.

The wolf seemed trapped in a nightmare; even as it was coiled, it only let out a soft whimper without waking. The vines lifted the wolf, intending to carry it away from the ruins, but some unseen barrier prevented them from leaving.

Instead, they wrapped tightly around the wolf, creating a sanctuary of safety amidst the flames of war.

The little wolf finally stopped shivering and drifted into a deep sleep. A green glow radiated from the vines, and wherever they touched, tiny green buds sprouted—like new hope emerging from the ruins.