Chapter 70 — ILK Chapter 70

The Underground Guide and Jiang Sili "Where is she?" Lin Changli stared at the dejected Phoenix before him, his face devoid of any smile.

The Phoenix had reverted to its original form. Beside it lay the remains of a giant octopus, torn into jagged pieces. Its disgusting tentacles, suckers, eyeballs, and the brain hidden within the limbs had been reduced to a heap of charred sludge, covered in scorch marks.

The surrounding area was a wreck. The young underwater forest had been ravaged by a mental storm and Phoenix flames that even seawater could not extinguish. Blackened debris floated everywhere.

Lin Changli knew he was asking a question he already knew the answer to. He had shared his vision with the Phoenix the moment the little Parasol Tree cried for help. He had seen exactly how it happened—he had seen the moment Sang Ye was swept away by the swarm, vanishing into the open sea.

A spiritual form without its master's direct presence cannot exert its full strength. The Phoenix had been ensnared by the octopus, and in that split second of distraction, Sang Ye was gone.

Lin Changli was too late.

Blaming the spiritual form was meaningless. Lilibet was covered in bloody scratches, clutching Sang Ye’s detached terminal. She had tried to grab Sang Ye from the fish swarm but failed; only the device had slipped into her hand. This made Sang Ye’s situation fatal. The terminal was the instrument that decomposed water to provide oxygen and served as a locator.

She had disappeared into the vast Tide Sea, her life hanging by a thread.

However... inside Lin Changli’s mental landscape, the little Parasol Tree shouted at the top of its lungs: “I’m still alive! She’s not dead! Go find her, go, go!” …

It had happened so fast. When the mucus-covered tentacle lashed out, Sang Ye had sensed it, but she underestimated how much her mental energy had been drained. Her swimming speed was sluggish.

She was swept away by a frenzied swarm of fish. Their rapid movement consumed the limited oxygen in the space. When Lilibet lunged to save her, the terminal was ripped away. Cold seawater flooded Sang Ye's lungs. The swarm carried her like a silver arrow toward the unknown horizon.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, a kaleidoscope of her life flashed before her eyes. She never dreamed she would die in such an undignified, hurried way. Compared to her previous death—destroying invaders and withering alongside the spirit vein—this was just pathetic. Where do people go when they die in the Interstellar era? Is there a Heaven, a Hell, or an Underworld? When she opened her eyes, she scanned her surroundings. There were no mountains of knives or angels with halos. Instead, yellow sand swirled in the air, surrounded by thick but withered yellow trees.

Beside her, the Sea Goddess was beached, letting out a wet burp. Seeing Sang Ye wake up, the creature licked her excitedly.

"Did you save me?" Sang Ye touched its damp, sand-covered head. Noticing its skin was becoming dry and wrinkled, she immediately pushed it back into the water. Upon entering the sea, the Sea Goddess let out a loud retch, vomiting up all the fish it had just eaten. They were radioactive; the beast would only eat them as a last resort.

Sang Ye looked around. She was in a U-shaped valley between two mountain ranges where the sea flowed in—a fjord landscape, but a desert version. The mountains stretched inland without an end in sight. Suddenly, the hum of a warship sounded overhead.

It wasn't a standard base warship. It was coated in matte black paint designed to absorb light and sound, and the hull bore a totem Sang Ye didn't recognize. Realizing the danger, she signaled the Sea Goddess to submerge while she hid in the yellow woods. Her heart sank when she touched her wrist; without the terminal, she was completely cut off from the base.

She couldn't jump back into the sea; she couldn't breathe underwater. She focused on the ship. It was light, designed for stealth rather than combat. To her surprise, the ship landed quietly in the water right where the Sea Goddess was hiding.

A hand patted Sang Ye’s shoulder, accompanied by a gentle female voice and a mental intrusion: "What are you waiting for?"

The Sea Goddess had saved her, but it had also exposed her. The newcomers knew the beast’s habits—they knew it only appeared in shallow water when following the Tide Sea people.

"How did you end up hiding here?" The Guide behind her wasn't malicious, but she held Sang Ye firmly. Two Sentinels joined them.

"I'm a Guide from the base. I was swept here by an undercurrent," Sang Ye stated her affiliation but didn't tell the whole truth.

"Liar." The Guide had long black hair and a gentle face, but her tone turned sharp. She grabbed Sang Ye’s wrist, revealing the claw marks left by Lilibet. "That’s a mark from a Tide Sea merman. The base and the Tide Sea are allies; there wouldn't be such a conflict. Who are you really?"

The sweet mask dropped. "If you don't tell the truth, I'll take you away right now. No one knows we’re here, and no one will know you vanished. Sea Goddesses can't talk..."

"I've placed a Mental Mark on someone," Sang Ye interrupted, pulling her hand back with a cold expression. "He will know."

Inside her mind, the Parasol Tree was struggling to connect with the other side. She only had a vague sense that Lin Changli was still "alive." She knew the mark wasn't developed enough for thought-sharing yet, but these strangers didn't.

"You've guessed enough; now it's my turn," Sang Ye reclaimed the initiative. "You came in a stealth ship, shielding your signal to bypass Black Tower's monitors. You're a Guide with two Sentinels for protection. Imperial Guides don't need to sneak around. You're an Underground Guide, invited by a tribe for money. If you're caught, you face prison or 'forced conscription.' That’s why you're so desperate to silence me."

The woman’s expression hardened. Sang Ye knew she was right.

"I've already sent this info to my partner," Sang Ye bluffed. "He'll follow the mental link to find me. Are you sure you want to kidnap me?"

"We can act like we never met," Sang Ye proposed, betting they wouldn't risk it. "He and I won't tell."

The black-haired woman stared at Sang Ye like a predator unwilling to give up its prey. Just then, a familiar voice came from behind. A hovering car stopped, and a black-haired man stepped out.

"Big sister, I’ve told you many times not to risk coming to these restricted planets..."

As the Sentinels stepped aside, Sang Ye locked eyes with a stunned Jiang Sili.

"Why are you here?"

"You know them?"

The questions rang out simultaneously. In a flash, Sang Ye understood why Underground Guides could visit so frequently. They had an "inside man" at the base.

…

The silence in the hovering car was suffocating. Finally, Sang Ye asked: "Does the Executive Officer know about this?"

Jiang Sili kept his eyes on the road and nodded.

"So you've all tacitly allowed this? Letting outsiders trade with the natives?"

"Brigadier General, once you take over Black Tower, you'll understand," Jiang Sili replied calmly. "Water that is too pure holds no fish. You've seen the underwater palace; you know what I mean. Black Tower is a closed mining planet, exploited for wealth. It's a dangerous exile for Sentinels. The Empire provides for its own, but what do the natives get? If they weren't allowed to trade and grow, they would be in a much worse state."

Sang Ye had no ground to argue. The "accounts" of this planet were a mess. The Royals paid, the tribes signed, and the old Royals walked away with the money. No one was "wrong," but the planet was destined to be discarded.

"We cannot strip them of their will to survive. Managing a planet isn't just about sticking to the rules," Jiang Sili glanced at her. "Not just me and the Executive Officer—the Prince knows too. But Guides are rare; the base can't even provide enough for itself. We have to turn a blind eye to the Underground Guides."

"So you let your own family make the money?" Sang Ye caught the point.

"On that, I have no defense," Jiang Sili admitted frankly. "That woman is my distant cousin; I call her Big Sister. Better my family than a stranger—at least if they get caught, I can bail them out."

He drove her toward the center of the Loda Plains—the settlement of the Loda Clan.