Help! I Do Not Want to Guide a Disaster

Chapter 144: The Sovereign (1)

The underground city that the Sovereign Faction had been building was located on the outskirts of Yanjing City. It was a massive expanse of towering, futuristic buildings. A project that had progressed rapidly thanks to the collaboration and curiosity of the other factions.

Although the giant corruption filter dome had not been fully set over the city yet, heavy construction was actively buzzing around its perimeter and across numerous buildings. Looking at the scale of the structure, the city had already come a remarkably long way.

A large, heavy metal plating grinded open to the dark sky as their airship lowered itself into the subterranean gulf. It began moving smoothly through the sprawling underground city, which was already fully lit up, casting a hard, high-tech glow over everything.

Dozens of other small airships and jets cut through the airspace, moving between the structures. Their airship drove all the way to one of the largest buildings in the city, where the doors of a massive hangar split open, allowing them to glide inside and park immediately.

The moment the main hatch hissed open, Yuzhen was the first to jump out onto the landing pad, followed closely by the others. They were immediately met by Chenxi, Gu Luhan, and Elder Suisui, who had quickly appeared to intercept the arriving group.

"She’s not back yet?" Kaiwen was the one who asked Chenxi this time, throwing the question out the second his boots hit the floor.

Chenxi shook his head grimly. "No." His eyes briefly drifted past Kaiwen to look at Su Zheng and Pei Luo with a flicker of surprise, even though he had been kept completely in the loop about everything that had happened during the ambush and meeting.

"Elder Suisui," Wenzhi said, stepping forward past the others to address the older woman directly. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Um, hearing that you are safe and well brings me great relief, but yes... something is wrong," Elder Suisui replied softly. Wenzhi didn’t need to be told twice; he took her heavy tone as an instant cue for a private briefing.

As they walked out of the hangar, the group naturally went their separate ways into the massive complex. Duan Ze decided to volunteer to give Su Zheng and Pei Luo a detailed tour of the main headquarters building, helping them get comfortable with the heart of the Sovereign faction.

Xinyuan, on the other hand, stayed glued to Wenzhi’s side. Together, they walked through the sleek, gleaming halls of the building, eventually entering a private elevator with Elder Suisui leading the way.

Inside the enclosed space, Wenzhi leaned his back flat against the wall, pressing himself comfortably against Xinyuan’s solid frame as they both watched the back of the Elder, waiting for her to break the ice.

Xinyuan caught his eye and gave her a look, silently mouthing, "What do you think she wants to talk about?"

Wenzhi mouthed back, a slight tension in his shoulders, "I wish I knew. It’s making me nervous."

A small, reassuring smile touched Xinyuan’s lips. "You do know you can tell her to come back later. You are the Faction Leader, after all."

Wenzhi leaned back, pressing a bit firmer against him. "I think hearing her out first and dealing with Zhaohe’s disappearance second is better than the latter."

Xinyuan thought about it for a split second before nodding in silent agreement. Deciding to put an end to the agonizing suspense, he called out bluntly, "Elder Suisui, your silence is unsettling."

The woman stopped her quiet contemplation and immediately turned around to face them, a gentle, apologetic smile smoothing over her aged features.

"I’m sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts for a second there, trying to calculate how to say this," she said softly. Her defensive, hesitant posture only served to make Wenzhi and Xinyuan even more curious than they already were.

"Is this about the explosion?" Wenzhi asked immediately. "We did lose so many of the Bureau Espers and Guides in that blast."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, we did. But this is actually about me. It’s just that... a very close friend of mine, who happens to be the Faction Leader of the Eclipse Faction, approached me quite recently. He told me that his people were among the international investigators stationed at the Red Zone Rift borders recently, back when everyone thought the world was going to end, when those massive energy signatures pointed to Xinyuan being in a full berserk state."

She paused, taking a breath as the elevator gave a soft hum. "He approached me completely privately after everything settled down. He said his scientists had managed to extract a breakthrough data pattern from those exact signatures. They are claiming that Xinyuan has the functional ability to permanently close the Rifts."

Not again, Wenzhi wanted to scream. A cold wave of dread washed over him. Was this just another trap? Another meticulously wrapped Old Blood scheme disguised as a miracle?

"No. No, Elder Suisui, we aren’t—"

"No one will get hurt," Elder Suisui quickly interrupted, her voice rising with an earnest, desperate plea. "He explicitly stated there wouldn’t be any damage or death. You do not have to be forced into a broken state, Xinyuan. Just a controlled berserk state, and Wenzhi will be right there with you the entire time to guide you."

Both Wenzhi and Xinyuan froze, completely stunned. They stared at her before slowly turning their heads to look at each other, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the small space.

"I just have to be in a berserk state, and I can..." Xinyuan repeated her words aloud, trying to process the concept. Then, he shook his head, looking back at Elder Suisui with deep skepticism. "Is that even theoretically possible? Because I do not fix things when I lose control. When I am in a berserk state, I can barely even think for myself."

"But you have shown greater restraint than any Esper in history. I am entirely certain you can handle it," Elder Suisui explained, a powerful glimmer of hope lighting up her eyes. And looking at her, Wenzhi realized it was way more than just simple hope.

If this was true, Wenzhi didn’t have to die.