The next day, the bat came again.

This time there was no fruit. Gu Nanfeng was wondering whether to ask the neighbor for a banana when his animal spirit, the Cougar brought a chicken from the camp kitchen and nudged it toward the bat.

The poor chicken trembled in fear.

The bat raised its wings and swatted the chicken off the table.

Gu Nanfeng wasn’t happy: “Look, even if you don’t eat chicken, my baby likes you and brought it for you. How could you not appreciate that? Whose quantum beast are you, with such bad manners?”

After being scolded, the bat flapped its wings and flew away.

A few days later, while playing cards in his comrade’s room, Gu Nanfeng noticed a bowl of grapes on the table. He casually took two and asked, “Where did you get these?”

The comrade hesitated and said he stole them because he was craving fruit. Gu Nanfeng didn’t think much of it at the time.

A few days later, he saw his comrade washing a cantaloupe, acting as secretive as a thief and choosing a time when everyone had gone to take a bath.

Curious, he asked, “Are you flirting with the girl at the commissary? How’d you get a cantaloupe?”

The comrade replied nervously, “Shh—keep it a secret, don’t tell anyone.”

Gu Nanfeng continued, “What’s with you and fruit? You didn’t used to be this obsessed.”

At that moment, the familiar bat flew in, hanging upside down by the comrade’s bed, staring eagerly at the fruit in his hand.

Gu Nanfeng exclaimed, “Whoa, it’s this guy again!”

The comrade shushed him, “Quiet, keep it down!”

Gu Nanfeng asked, “Whose bat is this, sneaking in to steal food?”

The comrade awkwardly replied, “Don’t worry about it.”

For the past few days, Gu Nanfeng had been frustrated, feeling that everyone was laughing at him for being knocked around by a guide like a ball. In his annoyance, he pressed his comrade for answers about whose little guide was involved, but the comrade remained tight-lipped, saying it was a secret.

The bat, upset that the argument was delaying its snack, swooped in and bit Gu Nanfeng on the hand.

He grabbed the bat by the neck, and his Cougar jumped onto the table.

“Be gentle!” the comrade pleaded. “That’s Lieutenant Qiao’s quantum beast! Don’t hurt it.”

Lieutenant Qiao was the guide and also the Qiao Si Yu.

Suddenly, he understood. Pointing at his comrade, he exclaimed, “You’re trying to get with him, aren’t you?!”

Embarrassed, the comrade admitted, “I saw his bat resting on the windowsill one day, so I gave it some food. It likes fruit… so I… well, I thought… maybe if the bat likes me, that means Lieutenant Qiao might like me too…”

Gu Nanfeng scoffed, “Just because someone likes ribs, doesn’t mean they like the one selling it!”

“Shut up,” the comrade muttered.

Gu Nanfeng asked, “How do you even know that bat is his quantum beast? I’ve never seen him let it out before.”

The comrade explained, “During an operation, Lieutenant Qiao guided me, and we had a high compatibility score. I saw his quantum beast through his mental link. He told me not to tell anyone. Now let it go, you’re hurting it.”

As soon as Gu Nanfeng released the bat, it angrily flapped its wings and slapped him in the head. Its mouth, full of sharp teeth, opened in a silent scream.

Ordinary bats use echolocation, but a quantum bat’s ultrasonic waves are strong enough to shatter an unprepared sentry’s mental barriers.

Gu Nanfeng blacked out and collapsed.

When he woke up, he found himself lying in a medical bed.

His body felt light, like a weight had been lifted. No headaches, no blurry vision, no ringing in his ears, and his limbs felt full of strength. The mental black spots and cracks in his mental wall were gone, smooth like a boiled egg. There was even a familiar scent of guiding pheromones lingering.

All signs pointed to the aftermath of a mental bond.

Terrified, Gu Nanfeng thought, What the hell?

A crunching sound interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and saw the bat hanging upside down from the curtain rod, happily munching on an apple.

Gu Nanfeng reached out and yanked the bat down.

The bat clung to its apple with its tiny wing claws, refusing to let go.

Pulling at its squishy little face, he scolded, “How dare you eat like a pig!”

The bat blinked its beady eyes and offered the apple to him with a flattering look.

Enraged, Gu Nanfeng shouted, “Stop that!”

The door to the medical room opened, and the guide walked in, with the Cougar rubbing affectionately against his legs, purring loudly.

He growled, “Get over here!”

The Cougar ignored him, continuing to nuzzle the guide’s legs.

Gu Nanfeng shouted at the guide, “What have you been teaching your bat? It’s been attacking people in the camp!”

The Cougar continued to purr and meow.

“Enough! Get over here! Stop pretending to be a cat!” Gu Nanfeng yelled.

The Cougar acted as if it didn’t hear, even going so far as to flop on the ground and paw at Si Yu’s pants, shamelessly begging for attention.

Si Yu calmly picked up the bat, placing it on his shoulder, and looked at Gu Nanfeng with a neutral expression. “I’m sorry. Your mental wall was too damaged, so I—”

“Stop!” Gu Nanfeng interrupted. “I’ll pretend I was bitten by a dog. It was just a kiss…”

Si Yu replied, “And I gave you a shot of guiding pheromones.”

Gu Nanfeng was speechless.

Si Yu added, “You should get ready; we have a mission soon.”

Si Yu was so calm that Gu Nanfeng began to feel like establishing a mental mark wasn’t such a big deal.

The Cougar, meanwhile, continued to cling to Si Yu’s legs. Eventually, the guide gave in and scratched its head, gently scratching behind its ears. Gu Nanfeng felt as though Si Yu had just scratched his head, sending a shiver down his spine.

His body reacted instantly.

His emotions were so obvious that Si Yu awkwardly withdrew his hand. “I’ll wait for you outside,” he said.

As Si Yu left the room, Gu Nanfeng crouched on the floor, clutching his head, feeling like he wanted to die.

When a sentry is injected with guiding pheromones, it creates a temporary mental bond with the guide. Although it doesn’t last long and isn’t deeply connected, it does enhance both parties’ combat abilities for a short time.

The higher-ups had decided to take advantage of this bond to launch a surprise attack on the rebel camp, aiming to break through the enemy’s mental barrier, which was making it impossible for the sentries to advance.