Chapter 2

Being able to perform the rescue at close range made things much easier.

A cluster of monitoring instruments was connected to the Sentinel, and after the senior doctors debated and decided on the treatment plan, everyone left the sealing chamber. The cryo-chamber was opened, and the medications flowed through the instruments into the Sentinel's cerulean veins, rapidly repairing and suppressing most of the injuries within his body.

Shen Shu watched from the observation room as the medications flowed through the tubes: water-red, pale green, and orange-yellow.

Potent Pollution Cleaner, Growth Hormone, and Potent Stabilizer.

As the medications entered his body, the Sentinel's body twitched violently, then began struggling unconsciously. His lean abdomen and waist were exposed, and the meticulously sculpted muscles spasmed uncontrollably. Veins bulged, and beads of cold sweat broke through, quickly soaking the bedsheets.

Everyone watched the Sentinel intently through the observation wall, their eyes fixed on the data scrolling rapidly across the screens. Suddenly, the line representing the Contamination Value spiked sharply. The doctors, including Shen Shu, grew solemn, their gazes locked onto the rising line.

One minute, two minutes... The line continued to climb, and the Contamination Value surged alongside it.

89.75%, 89.78%, 89.82%...

Shen Shu stepped forward, pulling the Guide with 72% compatibility to the sealing chamber. His eyes remained fixed on the screen. "When it reaches 89.95%, go in immediately. Level 3 Guidance..."

Suddenly, Shen Shu changed his tone and shouted, "Teacher! Add another SG21! One isn't enough!"

The others turned to look. The Old Man glanced back at him, then without hesitation pressed the button for the Potent Pollution Cleaner. The crimson liquid surged into the chamber once more.

In less than a second, black fluid oozed from the Sentinel's nose and mouth. The fluid writhed and crawled as if alive, but the Old Man paid them no mind—contaminants couldn't survive in the air, and the chamber was already filled with gaseous cleaner. They would die quickly.

The Contamination Value stopped rising and began to fall.

89.82% → 89.3% → 88.7%... Ten minutes later, the value stabilized at 78.2%.

Success!

The crowd watched the data drop like a diver, and a collective sigh of relief swept through them. Some even cheered softly. In these times, when Contaminated Zones were rampant, devouring land and slaughtering people, almost all S-rank Sentinels were on the front lines, except for a few specially enhanced ones.

One S-rank Sentinel could suppress an S-class Contamination Zone, and three could completely eradicate it. If they could save him, every resource and privilege should be used.

The Old Man also broke into a rare smile, nodding repeatedly at the fluctuating numbers. He knew that Jiang Muye's steadily rising Contamination Value must have another cause—not just mental contamination, but a massive buildup of contaminants within his body.

Those around Shen Shu crowded around him, the Guide he was holding even grabbed his arm and bounced up and down with joy. "Dr. Shen, you're amazing! You actually lowered the Contamination Value!"

"Dr. Shen, you're the best!" Other doctors gave him thumbs-ups.

The Old Man turned to the still cheering and applauding crowd. "Still celebrating? What about the patient?!"

Silence fell instantly.

Shen Shu immediately hurried to the Old Man's side, his face beaming as he steadied the elder's arm. "Teacher, with such a dangerous situation, your presence is the only thing that could keep it under control! You must be exhausted. Please sit down and rest. We'll need you to oversee things later. We'll handle the cleanup now and ensure the mission is completed."

"How did you think of adding the SG21?" the Old Man asked sternly.

"Didn't you teach me that?" Shen Shu replied with exaggerated modesty. "You said Sentinel Pollution originates from both the Mental Body and the physical body. While the body usually expels most physical contamination, there's still a chance it can linger. Moreover, this type of contamination is far more dangerous and insidious than typical mental pollution. You must have thought of this too, Teacher? You just happened to be a step behind me."

Normally, having been given face and not taking credit, most people would have gracefully stepped down. But the Old Man's expression grew colder. "From now on, don't speak rashly about things you're unsure of! This is extremely dangerous!"

Shen Shu nodded. "Then I'll go in and handle the cleanup first!"

"Hmm." The Old Man acknowledged him, then waved away the other doctors and Guides, allowing Shen Shu to enter. At this point, normal personnel were no longer permitted.

The Sentinel was in a deep sleep, his body functions severely damaged. If a non-Guide were to enter at this time, it could trigger an instinctive attack—the person might be unable to move, but their brain would sound an alarm, releasing their Mental Body to bite.

Guides could enter, but Shen Shu was the only one present with professional training.

Shen Shu put on the high-tech, explosion-proof isolation suit again, even strapping on a helmet—to avoid being beheaded by the Mental Body.

The moment he entered, he heard a furious snarl from behind the bed. A leopard materialized out of thin air, its body low and coiled, baring its teeth at Shen Shu in a threatening posture, as if it would kill him if he moved an inch closer.

Shen Shu slowly released his Guiding Substance. His Guiding Substance was highly compatible with most Sentinels, rarely causing rejection. Jiang Muye's Mental Body detected the Guiding Substance even before his physical body. The half-snarling mouth suddenly yawned, then he stretched lazily as if he had just woken up. He approached Shen Shu, rubbed against his leg, and then trotted away, as if he had only come out for a yawn and a stroll.

"What attack? Nothing happened! Don't spread rumors!"

Seeing that the leopard cat had abandoned its aggressive stance, Shen Shu also relaxed. He removed his helmet and approached Jiang Muye.

Jiang Muye's bedsheets were beyond saving, a messy blend of contaminants and bodily fluids. Shen Shu, however, was a professional at this. Despite his refined appearance, he quickly changed all four sets of bedding, disconnected the various instruments and IV lines, and thoroughly disinfected and wiped down Jiang Muye's body to remove all contaminants. He then incinerated everything that might have been contaminated with high-concentration substances and reconnected fresh, sterile equipment.

He sprayed the entire room with a decontamination agent, disinfecting everything—including himself—to prevent any lingering contamination.

By the time he finished, sweat was pouring down Shen Shu's face.

This kid looked slender, but his body was packed with muscle, and his bone density must be extremely high. It felt like he'd been luging around two hundred pounds of rice.

The leopard cat, which had been so ferocious just moments ago, watched him from the corner with wide, round eyes. When he finally finished, it came over and rubbed against his leg. Shen Shu looked down at it, casually ruffled its thick, muscular head, and wiped his sweaty hands on its fur.

The rest of the mission went smoothly. There was nothing left for them to do. With the Old Man in charge, overseeing everything, they left behind a few Guides with high compatibility and sent the rest of the mission participants home.

Shen Shu was among them. He slumped into the car, lacking any enthusiasm. The chocolate he'd eaten earlier felt like it had been fed to the dogs, leaving his stomach burning. Just as he was about to order delivery on his phone, the Old Man's call suddenly came through.

Seeing "Old Man" on the screen made Shen Shu's scalp tingle, but he couldn't ignore it. "Hello?"

"Shen Shu, you've gotten too cocky, haven't you!" As expected, the Old Man launched into a tirade, his voice so loud it echoed through the car even without speakerphone. Shen Shu pulled the phone away slightly, waiting for the Old Man to catch his breath before saying, "Teacher, I only spoke up because I saw how tense the situation was."

The Old Man took a deep breath, his voice still seething with fury. "Even if it was tense, you had no business speaking! I'm not dead yet! That bastard Jiang's family has so much power! If you kill him, what will you use to cover your tracks? You wouldn't even be enough to pay for his life!"

"I've killed countless patients in my life! If I can't cure them, I can't cure them! Who dares touch me! What about you? What do you have to offer to save your skin? Don't end up dying without even knowing how!"

The Old Man was different from Shen Shu. The Old Man was a leading authority in Sentinel and Guide diseases, and with his age and reputation, even if a medical accident occurred, families would assume it was the patient's fate and that the Old Man had done his best. Shen Shu, on the other hand, was a resident physician who had been at the hospital for less than three years and hadn't even become an attending physician. Even if a patient was truly beyond saving, people would still suspect that Shen Shu's lack of skill had caused their death.

Shen Shu rubbed his temples. "Fine, fine. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. If I speak again at a time like this, I'll be a dog."

The Old Man grunted, "That's more like it," and hung up. Shen Shu let out a long sigh, opened a food delivery app, and casually placed an order. Just as he was about to put his phone down, a message popped up:

2046-01-01 21:45 - 500,000 yuan has been deposited into your bank account. Click here for details...

Shen Shu counted the numbers several times to make sure he hadn't misread. Five hundred thousand! That was five hundred thousand! He wouldn't earn that much in three years of work, even if he didn't eat or sleep! Suddenly, his headache vanished, and his fatigue disappeared. Just as he was about to tell the driver to change course and take him to a hot pot restaurant for a celebratory meal, another message popped up on his phone.

2046 1-1 21:46, your bank account has been debited 499,750 yuan. Your debt has been fully repaid. Click here for details...

Shen Shu: "......"

Rounding up, he'd made a profit of 250 yuan.

...He'd celebrated too soon, forgetting about this detail.

Well, forget the hot pot. I'll just eat the takeout I already ordered. Wouldn't want to waste it, would I?

Shen Shu rested his chin in his hand, gazing out the window at the passing scenery. Hmm, but this is still a good thing, right? Paying off debt is a good thing.

Shen Shu was a transmigrator. He had arrived just before the original body's awakening, inheriting it and becoming a Guide. He inherited some of the body's memories, knowing that the previous owner had been reckless, racking up nearly 500,000 yuan in online loans. However, because he had awakened as a Guide, the state had activated a protective mechanism: as long as his savings didn't exceed the amount of the loan, his money wouldn't be deducted.

It had been nearly ten years since he transmigrated, and he had almost forgotten about this. Back then, he had even scoffed at the idea: How could a fifteen-year-old child owe five hundred thousand in online loans? Were these loan companies so reckless they'd lend to orphans?

The child's immediate family had all perished in an S-class Contamination Zone incident. He had only survived because he was traveling abroad at the time. Wait, didn't he have some distant relatives still alive? The kind you only hear about from your parents, people you've never actually met?

The child himself didn't know how to contact them, and Shen Shu, being a transmigrator, certainly wouldn't initiate contact. If he accidentally revealed his origins, he might be dragged to the Research Institute for a "guaranteed job"—and a life of scientific experimentation.

Since then, he had been getting by comfortably on the Guide's subsidy. He had food, shelter, and no worries about rent. He just went to school, then to work, and kept at it until now.

Shen Shu tapped his phone screen, carefully reviewing the debt information. Once he confirmed it was all settled, he happily told the driver, "Hey, take me to Haidilao!"

Why order takeout when we can celebrate properly?!

Takeout... I'll pack lunch for work tomorrow! Not a waste!