The newcomer wore a white mask, her long black hair flying in the wind. Her cloak snapped loudly in the strong night wind, yet she stood silently atop the military flyer like a ghost.

Hearing the emotionless voice, Bai Zhen looked up in a fluster.

Hua Mu, however, was overjoyed. She turned to the faceless person and cried out, her voice choked with tears, “Masky! You came to save me!”

She called her Masky because she wore a mask—a child’s way of naming things was simple and easy to understand.

The faceless person strode with leisurely steps from the flyer into the elevator, effortlessly lifting Hua Mu out of Bai Zhen’s arms with one hand.

Her tone seemed to soften a little. As she pulled Hua Mu into her arms, she chuckled, “Sweetheart, didn’t I tell you not to call me that? Your aunt will get angry.”

“Wuwuwu, Masky, I was so scared!”

Hua Mu clung to her, crying, her grievances finally finding an outlet.

The faceless person wrapped Hua Mu in her cloak, holding her with one arm, and then scooped up Bai Zhen with the other.

“For two children running away from home to cause such a huge commotion… the younger generation is truly formidable.”

“Leader…”

Bai Zhen had only seen the Leader from a distance once or twice before; this was the first time she had been so close. The Leader’s movements weren’t gentle, but they made her feel incredibly at ease. From the first moment she saw the Leader, Bai Zhen knew her power was unfathomable.

“I was curious to see how long you’d hold out before coming back. I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn.” The faceless person looked down at her and sneered. “This time, your merits will offset your faults. You’d best keep your mouth shut in front of the Queen.”

“Yes…”

Hua Mu leaned against her, asking between sobs, “Masky, are my aunt and dad here too?”

“They’re here, right across from us. Your aunt said she’s going to spank you when she finds you.”

Hua Mu felt terribly wronged and whimpered, “Wuwuwu, don’t let her spank me. I’ve already had it so rough…”

Although her aunt was very gentle, she could also be very strict. She was more afraid of her aunt than her father.

“Even if you’ve had it rough, you deserve it. Who gave you the nerve to run away from home?”

With a child in each arm, the faceless person stepped back onto the flyer. The military flyer, an agile and convenient single-person vehicle, was officially named the Hummingbird F25. Its load capacity was just over a hundred kilograms, barely enough for one person to stand on.

Hua Mu was small, but Bai Zhen had the build of an adult woman. When the faceless person stepped onto the flyer with both of them, it immediately dipped.

“Waaah, Masky, we’re going to fall again!”

Hua Mu had been frightened enough for one day and had developed a physiological fear of heights. But Bai Zhen didn’t feel very scared. Her blurry vision was filled with a world of brilliant light. The night wind was chilly, the starlight sparse. She saw a scene completely different from the place she had lived in for over a decade.

Here, there were towering skyscrapers, endless traffic, a night as bright as day, and dazzling lights.

What hadn’t changed, however, was that this was still a place where the strong preyed on the weak, perhaps even more cruelly than the rainforest. Only by becoming stronger could she protect herself, and protect the people important to her.

Amidst Hua Mu’s cries, the three of them finally landed unsteadily on the rooftop of another building. Waiting for them were a fully armed guard detachment, and the anxious Queen and Grand Duke.

When the faceless person set Hua Mu on the ground, she was dizzy and seeing stars.

“Mumu!” The Queen rushed over, pulling her small body into her arms and checking her frantically. “How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? Why are you so cold?”

“Waaah, Auntie, Auntie…” Held in a familiar, warm embrace, Hua Mu’s heart relaxed, and she hugged her aunt and began to cry her eyes out.

The Grand Duke, holding a blanket, was a step too slow.

“Sis, wrap Mumu in this first.”

Hua Cu took the blanket, wrapped Hua Mu in it, and then personally picked her up.

“We’re going to the hospital.”

The two of them showed no interest in the extra child. Bai Zhen stayed obediently behind the faceless person, trying her best to hide her presence. Although she wanted to look at Mumu again, she didn’t dare be presumptuous in front of the Queen.

“Wait, wait, Sister Bai Zhen should come with me too…”

After a good cry, Hua Mu finally remembered her little companion and turned to look for her.

“Sister Bai Zhen?” Hua Cu frowned, looking at the person behind the Leader.

“Sister Bai Zhen…” Hua Mu called out anxiously from her aunt’s arms.

Bai Zhen didn’t dare remain silent any longer. Just as she was about to step forward to ask for instructions, the Leader took a step and blocked her again.

“She’s the child mentioned in the earlier report, the one with Mumu. She’s a Sentinel from my Tower. She was on leave today and ran into the Young Lady. All things considered, she has performed a meritorious service.”

Hua Cu looked suspiciously at the person behind her, seeming not to believe her words. But she had given Hua Zheng full authority over the Tower’s affairs and rarely argued or clashed with her over them.

“Since she’s one of your people, I’ll leave it to you to decide whether to reward or punish her.”

“Yes.”

Hua Mu didn’t know why Bai Zhen wouldn’t come out and continued to call out with teary eyes, “Sister, Sister Bai Zhen.”

Hua Cu pressed her head into her embrace and soothed her softly, “Mumu, you have a fever. Let’s go to the hospital first.”

“But Sister Bai Zhen is hurt too. She was protecting me…”

“She’s a Sentinel. She has to go to a special hospital, not with us. You don’t need to worry.”

Hua Cu held Hua Mu and prepared to leave, but Hua Mu was draped over her shoulder, still looking toward Bai Zhen.

“Sister Bai Zhen, we made a promise! You have to remember to come find me!”

“Mumu…”

Bai Zhen could no longer pretend to be indifferent and responded softly.

“Sister Bai Zhen!”

“Mumu!” She wanted to step out from behind the Leader to get another look at the little girl from today’s strange encounter.

Just one day, and she was already so unforgettable, so hard to part with?

Hua Cu stopped, wanting to see just what kind of person this girl was. But when she turned, she saw her guard picking up a tall girl who seemed to have fainted.

The Queen frowned and asked with a modicum of concern.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Just mental power exhaustion. You needn’t worry.”

She had saved Hua Mu, after all. Even if she was one of Hua Zheng’s people, Hua Cu felt she should show some consideration.

“Does she need me to…”

“How could we trouble you? She’ll be fine after resting at the Tower for a while.”

It sounded respectful, but the tone was decidedly sarcastic. Hua Cu grew annoyed, staring fixedly at the faceless person’s mask as she said coldly, “Oh, is that so?”

“Sis,” Hua Jian tugged her hand and said softly, “Let’s go.”

Only then did Hua Mu finally remember her father, her large, green eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him.

“Dad, can you let Sister Bai Zhen be my guard?”

The Grand Duke’s handsome face was filled with the gentle, doting smile of a loving father. “Alright, Mumu. We’ll go to the hospital first. Your Sister Bai Zhen needs to recover from her injuries. When she’s better, Dad will have her come to our home.”

“Mhm, okay~”

No matter how energetic a child was, she was bound to be exhausted after experiencing so much in one day. Having received an affirmative answer, the great weight in Hua Mu’s heart was finally lifted, and she could no longer hold on, falling into a deep sleep.

A long, long time ago?

Hearing Bai Zhen’s words, Hua Mu’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

Could it be that she still remembered what happened back then?

But if that were the case, Bai Zhen’s acting was too good, wasn’t it? How many times had she tried to probe her?

“How long ago is ‘a long, long time ago’? Six years ago?”

Six years ago—or rather, the point in time when Hua Mu was twelve—was not the first time Bai Zhen had heard her mention it. For Bai Zhen, the most profound memory of that year was the Fall of the Tower. Combining this with her previous speculations, she was basically certain of the reason Hua Mu was so fixated on that year.

“Young Lady, may I be so bold as to ask if the ‘Fall of the Tower’ incident six years ago had something to do with you?”

“The Fall of the Tower?” Hua Mu wasn’t aware of the aftermath of that incident; that name only circulated within Sentinel and Guide circles.

Bai Zhen hesitated, unsure if she should tell Hua Mu about it. After all, it wasn’t a pleasant matter.

“Six years ago, there was a Sentinel riot in the Tower…”

Hua Mu finally understood what she was talking about—Bai Zhen remembered after all!

“You remember this?”

If she remembered, why did she act like she didn’t know her when she became her guard the following year? It had only been a year. How much could she have changed?

Bai Zhen nodded. “That incident had a huge impact in Sentinel circles and led to many reforms. Although I happened to be away on a mission at the time, I often heard my colleagues mention it…”

Wait, what did she mean she was away on a mission? Even if her memory was faulty, this was too much of a discrepancy, wasn’t it? Or was she saved by a ghost?

“You’re saying you weren’t in the Tower at the time?”

Hua Mu rolled over to face Bai Zhen.

This was so wrong! She hadn’t expected her incident to cause such a huge stir, so she had assumed Bai Zhen didn’t remember because she had probably just treated it as another mission. But now it seemed that wasn’t the case at all. Their memories didn’t even match up!

Bai Zhen nodded. “That’s right. The Leader had assigned me a mission at the time.”

Impossible, impossible, impossible!

Hua Mu simply refused to believe she had misremembered. How could she possibly be wrong about something so important? When Bai Zhen knelt before her and said those words, she had already carved the memory deep into her mind.

“I was on… uh, I was on…” Bai Zhen suddenly couldn’t recall what mission she had been on. This was highly unusual; she remembered every single mission she had ever undertaken with perfect clarity.

“You don’t remember?”

“It… was a secret mission from the Leader.”

Yes, it was a very important mission, which made it even more impossible for her to forget.

Hua Mu’s brow furrowed. No longer caring about her so-called pride, she asked anxiously, “You really don’t remember? I was sent to the Tower because of my Awakening, and then… then that incident happened. You were the one who saved me!”

Bai Zhen’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t comprehend her words for a moment.

“Have you forgotten? You said you were a Sentinel of the Inner Tower! You said you would never offend me!”

Even now, the scene from that time was still vivid in her mind.