Chapter 46 FORTY-SIX

Chapter 46: Chapter FORTY-SIX

The interior design of the office screams ’wealth and ego’ as always.

Director Chen sits behind his metallic table, a holographic screen before him. His gloved hands swipes across the screen lazily. He calmly sips his tea, a relaxed smile on his face as a soft exhale of relief slips from him.

__Bam!

"Fucking hell!" The tea spills across the table.

The Director’s expression is frightening. His perfectly white suit is ruined, his table is covered in tea stains and he almost choked just now.

"Are you people allergic to knocking!?" He almost throws the cup "I need a new systematic lock."

"Director!" Kov, his assistant brushes off the murderous aura "We have a situation!"

"We always have a situation! What is it now? Xin Linhua isn’t even here, who else is causing trouble?"

"I-It’s the rift." The man fumbles with his tablet "The one you sent the newly formed team to clear. It’s not a low rank rift, it’s mid level. It’s a C-Rank."

__Crash!

The cup slips from his hand and shatters on the white marbled floor beneath him.

"What...?"

"Here." Kov passes the tablet to him "It’s been hours since they went in. I’ve been preoccupied so I missed the update. One of the back up team members sent me this a while ago."

The Director plays the short video on the tablet.

Indeed. Judging from the size and expansion rate of the rate, it’s C-Rank. The dark, gloomy vortex looks sinister through the screen. He sent his own students to a dangerous rift!

"According to the report, nothing has emerged from the rift and they can’t go in either which means the team is safe."

"For now." The Director grips the tablet "Shit! How could you not have detected this!?"

"Director, I’m not to blame." Kov is on the verge of tears "The rift is tagged as D-Rank. Even the sensor picked up the radiation and deemed it a low level rift. All of a sudden, it emerges as C-Rank instead."

"What is this...?" The Director holds his head "This...is a disaster."

"Sir..." Kov hesitates to speak.

"What is it?"

"Once is a mistake. Twice is a pattern. This happened a while back."

"What?" The man raised his head.

"You’ve forgotten. A few days after the pairing examination. Two rifts opened up on Guide Xin’s University grounds. We sent D-Ranks to deal with it, but it turned out to be a C-Rank rift. That was the day we found out about his ability to guide."

"I remember now..."

Director Chen leans back in his seat, his brows furrowed so tightly, they might squash a fly to death. His brain kicks into overdrive.

The situation back then almost cost them a few sentinels and Xin Linhua included. It began with one rift, then all of a sudden, it became two and then both rifts went from D-Ranks to C-Ranks!

Now, he has sent the most chaotic, dysfunctional and socially disastrous team into a high level rift with an emotionally detached sub leader and a crazy guide as the team leader!

"This is a catastrophe..."

"Director, what should we do now?" Kov fidgets.

"What can we do?" The man exhales "We can only pray. Pray they don’t kill each other and they come out unscathed."

"What are the odds of that actually happening?"

"Below 10%."

"That’s still something, right?"

"Yes..." The Director smiles bitterly "If Phantom doesn’t kill Gao Shi and the others actually cooperate."

"Yeah...this is a catastrophe indeed."

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"What do you mean!?"

"It’s called training for a reason, I’m not going to clear the obstacles for you."

Xin Linhua grabs the two Aeromancers by their shoulders and leaps back. He practically drags them to the cliff that overlooks the dusty canyon.

"You want us to face the Nikuras alone?" A Hydromancer grits out.

"Yes." Xin Linhua nods without hesitation "Gao Shi and Naka will take one, the rest of you will take on the remaining four."

"You’re insane!"

"Why do you think I’m in charge of this crudely formed team?"

"Stop arguing." Rong Yufei cuts in "He’s right. We’re here to train. We’re C-Ranks and if we can’t defeat monsters on the same level as us, we’re not fit to be Sentinels."

"She’s right, y’know!" Xin Linhua yells from above.

"Besides, aren’t you ashamed? Asking an F-Rank guide to save you."

"Ouch." Xin Linhua winces playfully "That hurts though."

Rong Yufei rolls her eyes. She turns towards the direction of the charging beasts, fingers flexing slightly.

There’s a slight tremor beneath their feet. Partly from the approaching herd, partly from the two Geomancers getting ready to engage in battle.

"Screw it, I guess!" Gao Shi laughs loudly "Xin Linhua! I’m counting on that incomplete technique you gave me!"

"Incomplete?" Xin Linhua’s teeth aches.

He didn’t get enough time to cuss Gao Shi out, the herd is before them now.

The two Hydromancers had been skeptical from the start, but now faced with death, it’s either them, or the Nikuras!

"Aeromancers." Xin Linhua suddenly turns to the two remaining youths.

Seeing the mischievous look in his eyes, the two swallow hard. Xin Linhua is about to drop a crazy technique again!

"Let the fight continue below, above here, I’m going to teach you how to stay airborne."

"...What?" Their eyes widens "A-Air borne? Like, stay in the air longer than ten seconds."

"I mean flying." Xin Linhua deadpans "Seriously, centuries of abilities and shit and no one came up with this? Were you all too busy tweaking with technologies, you forgot to evolve? Damn!"

"It’s not impossible, but we can’t risk corruption." One timidly says "It takes a lot to stay in the air for more than five seconds. If we try to...’fly’ like you said, our wavelength might fluctuate. We don’t have paired guides with high compatibility to help us."

"Oh...right." Xin Linhua nods "But Aeromancers are stronger than this. Hell, if you train properly, you can use your ability to stop people– monsters from breathing."

"Woah!" Anxiety left the chat "Can you teach us!?"

"Of course." Xin Linhua replies smugly "But I don’t see why I should."

The Aeromancers’ expressions fall once more.

"Why not!?"

"Please, the entire institute is after me right now." He tugs down the edge of his turtleneck to reveal his ra?ar "High level guide, remember? What if I teach you and you go against me? Wouldn’t I be shooting myself in the foot?"

"We would never!"

"Fucking hell, tryna blow my ear drums out?" Xin Linhua covers his ears.

"We’re not stupid or ungrateful." The female Hydromancer says softly "Besides, you’re strong enough to beat up a C-Rank, we’ll be digging our graves. Not to mention, your Sentinel is the one person we wouldn’t want to mess with. And your brothers too!"

Xin Linhua blinks. So, they do fear him, but not as much as they fear Rong Yizhan or his brothers.

Fair.

One is a dangerous Sentinel with a history of murdering people with just a glance. And the other two...well, it’s only a crime when you find a body. It’ll be quick, quiet and efficient.