Chapter 91: Squirrel

An unexpected greeting sounded without warning, making Bunny almost trip over the chair leg.

Turning around, she saw San leaning face-down over another chair at some unknown moment, his chin resting on his crossed hands, staring at her with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

"How on earth did you get in here?!"

San flashed his sharp canine teeth at her. "You didn’t lock the door."

Bunny practically wanted to leap up and whack him over the head with a club. "Don’t you know how to knock?!"

San answered shamelessly, "If I knocked, you definitely wouldn’t have let me in."

"Get out!"

He blinked his eyes. "Nope."

He remained slumped over the back of the chair, his long legs spread wide beneath his tactical cargo pants, his tight black T-shirt stretched taut over his defined muscles.

"If you don’t have a real reason to be here, scram."

San tilted his head, his fiery red hair catching the overhead lights with a brilliant shine.

"Don’t be so fierce."

"The Captain had his reasons for doing what he did."

Bunny cut in, "I don’t want to hear his name right now, and I don’t need you trying to comfort me."

San let out a chuckle. "Turns out you hate him too."

It was as if he had just found a kindred spirit; once his mouth opened, the words poured out uncontrollably:

"I hate him too—he’s a total poser."

Yet Cyrus’s raw strength didn’t allow him to lie low. Although they had never clashed head-on, Cyrus had once told Bunny that even if every single Sentinel in the base lined up against him, none of them would be his match.

That was no boast.

San despised his arrogant front, but he undeniably had the power to back it up.

Bunny was speechless. Did you come all the way here just to find a rant buddy, kid?

He pulled his chair closer to hers, fished a strawberry-flavored lollipop out of his pocket, and held it out to her.

"I don’t want it!"

The moment Bunny turned her head away, San peeled off the wrapper and shoved the lollipop right into her mouth.

"Are you insane?"

San acted completely dense. "When you’re down, eat something sweet."

He was obsessed with lollipops. Every time he submitted a supply requisition to headquarters, he had Sunny add a whole jar of lollipops to his list.

In reality, it was a lingering sign of unsatisfied oral fixation from his past.

Bunny did enjoy sweet treats, but what she truly missed was the genuine taste of real strawberries. That fruit was nearly impossible to cultivate through genetic modification now, and it certainly didn’t exist on Terra.

She looked at San, who was staring intently at her. "Have you ever eaten a real strawberry?"

San shook his head. "Have you?"

He didn’t even know what a strawberry looked like.

Bunny replied, "I have, and it tastes a hundred times better than your artificial candy."

No matter how accurately a flavor was simulated, it was still just a pale imitation.

San studied her face closely for a few seconds before shooting back, "You’re lying."

That fruit had gone extinct long ago.

Bunny rolled her eyes at him. "Believe what you want."

Snapping her Guide Manual shut, she began driving him out: "If you’ve got nothing else to say, get out. Stop loitering around my room."

San hesitated for a moment before finally laying out the truth:

"Military Command issued an order requiring us to intercept a massive wave of aberrations heading straight for the Eastern Sector. Every Sentinel and Guide must deploy. The Captain and Vice-Captain are torn."

"Because with your current combat abilities, you can’t survive on a real battlefield. But defying military orders carries a death penalty."

San didn’t need to elaborate further. Why they had put her through that brutal training, why they were pushing her so hard—Bunny understood it all now.

Bunny fell silent for a few seconds before asking in a low voice, "Are you guys worried I’ll drag you down?"

San shook his head. "If we fail to protect you, we’re the ones who will suffer the guilt and agony."

Three Guides had already died in this tower. Their squad refused to let that curse claim another, especially when Bunny treated them so well.

Bunny lapsed into silence again. She realized she had never truly paused to reflect on whether she might actually die out there.

Safe inside the walls of the Tower, the constant protection of the Sentinels had lulled her into a false sense of security, causing her to build an unconscious reliance on them.

Yet no matter how fragile a fledgling bird was, the day would come when it had to spread its own wings and take flight.

"Alright, I understand. You can go now."

San leaned in until his face was practically touching her nose, completely oblivious to personal space. "You’re not mad anymore?"

"I wasn’t mad."

San clearly didn’t buy it. "For real?"

"For real."

He pushed himself up from the chair and took his leave. "Alright then, get some sleep early, Little Squirrel."

Bunny glared at him. "It’s Bunny! My name is BUNNY!"

San flashed his signature grin. "Got it, Squirrel."

In the very next second, he snatched the lollipop right out of her mouth and slipped it into his own.

The damp, soft tip of his tongue even grazed her lips in the process.

He truly never missed a single chance to take advantage.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

San strolled toward the exit with the lollipop hanging from his mouth, his tone lazy, playful, and thoroughly unbothered:

"Just tasting what real strawberries are supposed to taste like."

Rogue! They were all absolute rogues!

Bunny decided that next time, she was going to slather hot pepper all over her lips. If they insisted on launching sneaky surprise attacks, she’d make sure to burn their mouths off!

Once her flare of temper passed, though, Bunny gradually calmed down.

Good medicine tastes bitter, and honest advice sounds harsh.

She knew deep down that relying indefinitely on the Sentinels for protection was impossible—and she certainly didn’t want to remain entirely defenseless whenever she ran into danger.

Yet from what San had let slip, Xander and Cyrus didn’t seem to have any intention of letting her deploy. Defying military orders was a severe offense, though.

Besides, the aberrations were humanity’s mortal enemies—the direct culprits responsible for turning her homeworld into this desolate state.

Bunny rubbed her temples with a long sigh. Whatever, I’ll go talk things over with Cyrus.

She recalled how Cyrus’s tone had turned remarkably cold earlier today when mentioning the shape-shifting Prime Aberrations—there was even a faint, barely perceptible trace of lingering hatred in his voice.

It sounded as if he had been deceived by one in the past.

Could it just be her imagination?

Under the pale moonlight, the pool’s surface rippled softly, scattering crushed silver light with every expanding wave.

Xander glided effortlessly through the water like a fish. His cool, ivory skin seemed to blend seamlessly with the bright moonlight. Breaking the surface, he looked toward Cyrus, who stood by the terrace gazing thoughtfully into the distance.

Come to think of it, even though this pretentious guy had been at the base for so long, Xander still had no idea what crime had gotten him exiled to 616 in the first place.

He got a life sentence, too.

Cyrus remained tight-lipped about his past, leaving his backstory an absolute mystery—a black hole to the rest of the team.

Xander swam over to the edge. "Are you really going to let her deploy?"

Cyrus lifted his eyes slightly, their depths as dark as pitch.

"To send her to her death?"

Honestly, with their squad’s formidable strength, protecting Bunny wasn’t an impossible feat—especially for Cyrus.

However, this wasn’t some routine, small-scale outbreak. Better safe than sorry.

Furthermore, he found it completely baffling why Military Command insisted on mandating a Guide’s presence in this particular operation. Since 616 hadn’t hosted a Guide previously, he couldn’t tell if this was standard procedure or an unusual mandate.

After all, Guides weren’t like Sentinels. Even after incubating a hundred Sentinels in the Terra gestation vats, there was no guarantee a single Guide would emerge.

Xander asked, "Then how do we report back to Command?"

Naturally, Xander didn’t want Bunny going anywhere near the frontlines either.

Cyrus let out a dry, mocking laugh. "How else? We tell them as it is."

He pulled a cigarette from his trousers pocket, loosely balancing it between his index and middle fingers.

Just as he popped it into his mouth and flicked the lighter open in his palm, something seemed to cross his mind. He snapped the lid shut, discarded the unlit cigarette, and tossed it aside.

His head throbbed viciously—a searing pain so intense it made him want to die.

The tall figure of the man melted into the thick darkness of the night. Xander blinked his striking, gemstone-like eyes, feeling a twinge of frustration at Cyrus’s detached attitude.

Cyrus had powerful connections behind him, which was why he could afford not to care. Even while serving a life sentence, as long as he carried the Reid surname, High Command wouldn’t dare move against him in earnest.

In the past, Xander had thoroughly despised privileged insiders like him. But now, with their shared interest in keeping Bunny safe, Xander experienced—for the very first time—the true advantages that raw power brought to the table.

He dived back into the deep end of the pool, leaving barely a ripple behind.

Bunny wandered around the entire base in circles without catching a single glimpse of Cyrus.

That man was always ghosting in and out without a trace.

She went to his quarters and knocked repeatedly on the door, but nobody answered.

Strange, where could he have gone so late at night?

Just as Bunny was on the verge of giving up her search, Chopper suddenly bounded over, wagging its tail furiously as it circled her feet.

Bunny’s eyes lit up. They always said a canine’s nose was unmatched! She patted the dog’s fluffy head:

"Chopper, take me to Cyrus."

Chopper’s dog face visibly slumped on the spot.

Ever since Cyrus had tossed it out of Bunny’s arms last time, Chopper had been holding a grudge against him.

It refused to budge—until Bunny gently tugged its furry ears. "How about I play frisbee with you next time?"

Frisbee?! That was its absolute favorite!

Only then did Chopper perk its tail right back up, sniffing the air attentively with its wet black nose.