Chapter 345: Chapter 345: She Actually Dared to Publicly Confront the Most Hot-Tempered Lu Chen

"You’ve got some skills," Lu Chen spat out the words from his thin lips. His tone remained as icy as ever, completely unsoftened, the deep-seated prejudice in his bones showing no signs of dissipating. "But just withstanding the pressure is far from enough. The Ninth Squad doesn’t accept trash. Every day, we carry out high-risk field missions, and our members constantly face the risk of a spiritual riot. Whether you can stabilize the entire team and handle the extreme pressure remains to be seen."

His gaze swept over the burly man standing nearby. The man looked completely relaxed, his mental state better than ever, confirming that Yun Sheng’s recent guidance had been remarkably effective. Yet, even knowing this full well, he still couldn’t let go of his prejudice. He had seen far too many guides who looked impressive on the surface but were actually just empty shells. He would absolutely not accept a newcomer without a spiritual body based solely on a single session of guidance.

Yun Sheng calmly met his scrutinizing gaze, her tone steady and composed. "I will do my job properly."

Lu Chen stared at her fixedly for two seconds. The hostility between his brows thickened as he issued an overbearing command.

"Since you’ve joined my squad, you must follow my rules. By the end of today, complete a basic spiritual power screening for all five members of the team. Tonight, you will conduct a group pacification session for everyone.

"If their mental states do not show obvious improvement, you can submit a transfer request tomorrow. The Ninth Squad doesn’t need a useless decoration who only knows how to put on a show."

As his voice fell, the atmosphere in the office instantly froze. The squad members held their breath, none daring to make a sound. Everyone knew that Lu Chen’s demands were not a normal arrangement; he was clearly making things deliberately difficult. They all assumed that Yun Sheng, who seemed gentle and introverted, would temporarily compromise and back down even if she was unwilling.

But in the next second, Yun Sheng outright refused. Her voice was clear, her attitude assertive and uncompromising.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, nor do I have any obligation to carry out Captain Lu’s unreasonable demands.

"If Captain Lu has a problem with me or insists on singling me out, you are more than welcome to submit a request to our superiors to have me transferred. I have done nothing wrong, and I have no reason to accept such unreasonable harassment."

The Sentinels in the squad were left dumbfounded. They all turned to look at Yun Sheng in unison, their eyes filled with shock. No one expected this seemingly frail and mild-tempered newcomer to be so bold. She actually dared to publicly confront the explosive Lu Chen, even flat-out rejecting his orders.

Lu Chen’s expression darkened at a visible rate. Hostility surged in his eyes, and his spiritual power began to leak out around him. As the captain of the Ninth Squad, he was used to controlling everything. No one in the squad had ever dared to disobey his decisions. Caught in the crossfire of his oppressive aura, the surrounding members subconsciously took a half-step back, their breathing growing tight.

Only Yun Sheng, standing right at the center of it all, remained exactly where she was. Not only was she completely unbothered, but a faint, composed smile even graced the corners of her lips. Ignoring the terrifying pressure radiating around her, she suddenly turned her head to look at Zhou Yi, who was standing to the side, looking tense and caught in the middle. Her tone was relaxed, as if she were merely asking a casual question.

"Deputy Zhou, is there anything wrong with what I said?"

The sudden question threw the hot potato straight into Zhou Yi’s lap. He froze. On one hand was his volatile, highly controlling direct captain; on the other was an exceptionally capable newcomer guide who was completely in the right. For a moment, he was caught in a serious dilemma.

However, after a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and spoke up softly. "Captain Lu, Yun Sheng is right. That is indeed the Tower’s protocol, and she has already completed all the onboarding procedures."

Saying that, he reached out and gently grabbed Lu Chen’s arm, lowering his voice to a whisper that only the two of them could hear.

"Captain Lu, calm down a bit. Guide resources across the entire Tower are already scarce, and other squads are fighting tooth and nail for them. You know better than anyone what situation our squad is in.

"You already chased away our last two guides with your temper. Now, out of the entire Tower, not a single guide is willing to voluntarily join the Ninth Squad. We finally got assigned a newcomer whose abilities far exceed the average rookie, and you really want to force her away?

"Everyone in our squad has been experiencing frequent spiritual riots lately. If we don’t have a guide to fall back on, we won’t last much longer. We won’t even be able to carry out our field missions properly!"

Rage churned within Lu Chen’s chest, and the hostile aura surrounding him lingered for a long time. He knew perfectly well that Zhou Yi was telling the absolute truth, yet he still couldn’t swallow the indignation of being publicly defied by a rookie. After a tense standoff lasting several seconds, he forcefully suppressed his agitated spiritual power. He shot Yun Sheng a deep glare, his tone incredibly sinister.

"You’d better stay this confident."

The remark was far from a reconciliation; it was more of a warning.

Yun Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. She calmly withdrew her gaze, paying absolutely no mind to his threat. Having spent so much time around Si Jin and Bai Ye, she was long accustomed to what High-level Sentinels looked like when they lost control. Lu Chen’s petty pressure and temper were not even worth mentioning to her.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled, having feared that the two would completely fall out.

By then, Lu Chen had already retreated into his private captain’s office with a cold face. He didn’t come out again, nor did he make any further demands of Yun Sheng. Seeing how things played out, the rest of the squad members didn’t dare say much either. Everyone was walking on eggshells, keeping their voices and movements light for fear of lighting the fuse.

Soon, it was time to clock out for lunch.

Yun Sheng stood up and looked over at Zhou Yi, who was organizing some files. "Deputy Zhou, I’ll be clocking out for lunch now," she said gently.

Zhou Yi looked up and hurriedly nodded. "Alright. Take a break after you eat and just come back for your regular shift this afternoon."

Yun Sheng gave a slight nod, turned around, and strode out of the office, heading across the street to meet up with Si Jin.

As soon as she stepped out of the Tower’s main entrance, she lifted her eyes and immediately spotted Si Jin standing by the side of the road not far away. The cold, detached demeanor she had maintained while facing harassment in the office vanished completely. The corners of Yun Sheng’s lips subconsciously curved upwards, a bright, sunny smile instantly blooming across her face as she walked toward him with a brisk, cheerful step.

"Have you been waiting long?" She stopped in front of Si Jin and looked up at him, her tone carrying a hint of soft sweetness.

Si Jin’s gaze fell on her face, his eyes rippling with a tenderness reserved exclusively for her. "No," he replied softly. "I timed it right when you got off work. I wasn’t waiting long."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her temple. His hand then slid down to naturally interlock with hers. His palm was warm and firm, securely enveloping her hand.

"Shall we head to that trending drink shop first?" Si Jin asked in a low voice, seeking her input.

Yun Sheng nodded. "Sure, let’s go see what’s going on."

The drink shop, which was currently going viral on the Star Network, wasn’t far from the Tower—just a ten-minute walk away.

The two of them walked slowly along the street, fingers intertwined. The streets were bustling with pedestrians. Looking at the lively scene ahead, Yun Sheng couldn’t help but marvel at the audacity of it all. If the Dark Nest was truly the mastermind behind this shop, then they were far too brazen. They had blatantly opened a drink shop—one capable of subtly influencing the spiritual power of Sentinels and guides—right under the Tower’s nose, firmly entrenching themselves in the core district where Sentinels and guides clustered together.

It was an arrogant and wildly presumptuous move, one that reeked of a much deeper conspiracy.

Before long, they arrived at the shop’s entrance. A long line had already snaked out the door. The vast majority of the customers in the queue were Sentinels, with an occasional guide accompanying them, a clear testament to just how insanely popular the shop had become lately.

A simple yet eye-catching illuminated sign hung above the storefront, while an LED screen below it scrolled through pictures and descriptions of their most popular drinks. Yun Sheng casually glanced at the screen. Objectively speaking, whether it was the color scheme or the presentation, these trendy drinks looked completely ordinary. Placed among a sea of specialty drink shops, they had absolutely no standout features. Just looking at the pictures wouldn’t whet anyone’s appetite. They simply didn’t deserve the astronomical hype they were currently receiving.

"I’ll go line up. Do you want to find a seat in the resting area over there to wait, or shall we wait together?" Si Jin asked softly.

"Let’s wait together. It’s not tiring," Yun Sheng replied casually.

Right as her words faded, an ear-piercing scream suddenly erupted from the front of the once-orderly queue, throwing the crowd into instant chaos.

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