Chapter Seven: You Are Quite Remarkable Too.

"I heard from the director that you’re the strongest squad leader? That’s amazing!"

Wen Er kept his eyes fixed on driving the hovercar, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. "Not exactly."

Lu Meng was momentarily taken aback. "Not really?"

Wen Er clarified, "One of the strongest squads."

Lu Meng suddenly recalled. "Right, right, one of the strongest squads."

Curious, she asked, "How many strongest squads are there?"

Wen Er answered, "Nine in total."

"How many people in each squad?" she continued.

"About twenty," Wen Er replied.

Hearing this, Lu Meng couldn’t help but admire sincerely, "That’s incredible. With so many sentinels in the Empire, the competition must be intense."

Wen Er felt his neck and ears flush with warmth. "It’s alright. You’re impressive too."

"Me?" Lu Meng looked puzzled. "What’s so impressive about me?"

Wen Er sincerely said, "You’re a guide. That alone is impressive."

Lu Meng fell silent for a moment.

Your kind of impressive and mine seem different.

Wen Er thought he had unintentionally struck a sensitive chord and quickly apologized, "Sorry about that."

She looked a bit confused. "Why are you sorry?"

Wen Er glanced at her. "I misspoke."

Lu Meng was even more puzzled. "No, you didn’t say anything wrong."

Seeing her unaffected expression, Wen Er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Never mind."

He changed the subject, "Why are you holding that bouquet so tightly?"

Lu Meng hugged the flowers a little closer, her eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile. "Because they’re beautiful."

She paused, then added, "These were a discharge gift from Director Elt. It’s the first time anyone’s ever given me flowers! I’m really happy."

Wen Er looked at her. Just a bouquet of flowers could bring such joy—her past must have been very difficult.

A strange, bittersweet feeling stirred deep within him.

Lu Meng’s gaze was drawn to the scenery outside the window. While admiring it, she asked, "Where are we headed now?"

Wen Er replied, "To the guide’s apartment. I’ll help you settle in first, then take you to register."

"Okay," she said.

The hovercar didn’t travel far before stopping in a scenic residential area.

Wen Er opened the door, and Lu Meng stepped out.

Looking at the unfamiliar buildings, she clung closely behind Wen Er. As they entered the elevator, she stumbled and instinctively grabbed the hem of his coat.

Wen Er glanced down at the girl tightly following him, his eyes flickering slightly.

The elevator ascended slowly and stopped on the twelfth floor.

Lu Meng followed Wen Er out and took in her surroundings.

Beyond the elevator was a transparent door requiring a key card to open.

Wen Er swiped his card and looked at Lu Meng. "Let’s go."

Obediently, she followed him through the door into a semi-circular reception area.

Sensing their approach, an intelligent robot automatically scanned their identities. "Captain Wen Er of the Wt squad, Guide Lu Meng, greetings! Welcome to the twelfth floor. Please initiate psychic power registration."

Wen Er glanced at Lu Meng and said, "Not for now."

The robot accepted the command and updated its display. "Understood. Lu Meng’s room number is 1203, the third door straight ahead. Wishing you a pleasant stay!"

After speaking, the panel went dark.

Wen Er led Lu Meng forward, explaining as they walked, "That’s a residential robot. If you ever need anything or have any requests, just tell it."

"Got it," Lu Meng replied.

Suddenly remembering something, she quickly said, "I don’t have a neural interface yet."

"I’ve prepared one for you," Wen Er responded, opening the door to 1203 with the key card. Lu Meng followed him inside.

The apartment was a cozy one-bedroom unit with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, roughly seventy to eighty square meters. It was equipped with all kinds of advanced appliances and thoughtfully stocked with various snacks.

Lu Meng placed the bouquet on the entry cabinet, marveling as she toured the space.

When she entered the bedroom, her excitement exploded into a joyful scream, "Ah!!!"

Wen Er had been standing at the door, knowing the distinction between guides and sentinels meant he shouldn’t enter the bedroom. But hearing her cry out, he hurried in, worried something had happened—only to find Lu Meng staring at a closet full of beautiful dresses, her mouth agape in astonishment.