The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139: Dual Contaminated Zone (3)

The risk of their mission had risen again.

Faced with two different paths, the group did not know how to advance and stopped before the paths.

Zeke knew that they were waiting for his decision. But he couldn’t give one immediately since there was no guarantee that the other was safer or whether they’d end up with a dead-end.

What he was concerned about the most was that if he split up his small team of six, that could mean that their forces would end up being half as well. And in the face of danger, that would be fatal.

Zeke didn’t want to split.

The idea of dividing his already thinned-out team went against every instinct he’d built over years of surviving contaminated zones. But before he could voice his objection, Galithe spoke up first, her tone brisk and businesslike, as though she’d been waiting for this exact moment.

"We should split," she said, gesturing at the two paths carved into the icy walls. "It’s more time-efficient. If we all take one route and it turns out to be a dead end, we’ll have wasted precious time we might not get back. Split into two groups, cover more ground, and report back if either team finds something."

The two other Sentinels in the squad, a lean man with a shaved head named Torrin and a stockier one named Feyd, exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. It made logical sense. Time was not a luxury they had when their missing comrades could be facing death at every passing second.

"I’ll go with the Admiral," Ares said immediately, stepping toward Zeke’s side.

Galithe’s lips curved into something resembling a helpless smile. "Lieutenant Ares, I understand your loyalty, but think about it logically. I’m a Guide. And I’m also a representative from the Federation. If something happens to me while unprotected, it won’t just be an unfortunate incident—it could strain relations between our organizations. Shouldn’t I be with someone capable of protecting me?"

Torrin rubbed the back of his neck, looking between Ares and Galithe. "She’s got a point. Besides, if the Admiral has a Guide with him, that’s one less thing we all need to worry about. If his mental pollution builds up too fast in there, she can help regulate it on the spot."

Feyd nodded along. "Yeah, it’d take some of the pressure off you too, Ares. You’re not a Guide. If the Admiral gets overwhelmed and you’re the only one with him, there’d be nothing you could do."

Ares’s jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, wanted to tell them that none of that mattered because Zeke had never once needed a Guide inside a contaminated zone, not in all the years Ares had fought beside him. He knew more things about Zeke than the rest of the squad did.

But Zeke said nothing to correct them, and he didn’t insist that Ares stay by his side.

With no order given otherwise, Ares had no choice but to yield. He shot one last glance toward Zeke, silently asking if this was really what he wanted, but Zeke’s expression remained unreadable, carved from the same cold stone as the tunnel around them.

"Fine," Ares muttered, stepping back toward Torrin and Feyd. "We’ll take the left path. Signal if you find anything."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify