After the Cyberpunk Apocalypse, the Savior Insists on Being My Dog

College student Xie Xingzhou lost his parents when he was young. The few kind words and gestures he received came from his gentle, warmhearted neighbor, Mr. Qi.

After Mr. Qi died unexpectedly, he became the unrequited love of Xie Xingzhou's youth.

One day, Xie Xingzhou discovered that Mr. Qi had left him a prophetic letter that read like science fiction: Within three years, a meteorite would strike, artificial intelligence would develop consciousness, humans would evolve into Sentinels and Guides, a war between humans and intelligent machines would break out, and humanity would face extinction.

In his last letter, Mr. Qi asked Xie Xingzhou to do something for him.

To fulfill the last wish of the person he loved, Xie Xingzhou willingly gave up everything he had. He didn't care if people thought he was an idiot or a madman. He guarded the meteorite crater in the snowy mountains for three whole years.

Three years later, the resurrected Mr. Qi crawled out of the crater and tore apart the robotic police officers who had come to capture Xie Xingzhou with his bare hands.

Only then did the stunned Xie Xingzhou learn that the man had a bizarre past: he was the world's only Dark Sentinel after the cyber-apocalypse. He had already lived through the apocalypse once. After being reborn, he had laid out an elaborate plan and staged his own death.

In the future, people would call him Qi Xian, the "Savior."

Just as Xie Xingzhou was sincerely happy for the person he'd loved from afar, the newly awakened Mr. Qi lit a cigarette and turned around, seemingly only then noticing him.

"Thank you for your contribution to humanity... What was your name again?"

After offering a perfunctory word of thanks, the Savior left with the subordinates who had come to retrieve him.

Xie Xingzhou, his nose red from the cold, was left behind in the snow. At last, he understood: he had been the Savior's plan B, C, and D, just a disposable pawn picked at random.

All that warmth and care had been fake. There was no such person as the neighborly big brother "Mr. Qi." It was just a persona Qi Xian had casually put on.

Qi Xian himself was a self-important egomaniac: obsessive, arrogant, convinced he was the only one who mattered, and always putting his own interests first.

Xie Xingzhou's heart died along with his unrequited love. He could only accept his bad luck and tell himself that for those three years, he'd simply looked after his neighbor's dog while the neighbor was away.

24 hours later, Qi Xian clutched the lower half of his face as blood poured nonstop from his nose. On the verge of losing it, he grabbed his subordinate by the collar and glared. "You have one hour to find that Guide."

His subordinate pointed at himself. "Who? Me?"

48 hours later, at the central tower of Moonmaking City.

Xie Xingzhou, a rare, unbonded wild Guide, was being forced to attend a matchmaking session.

The world-famous Dark Sentinel Qi Xian suddenly stormed into the tower with his armed unit, the Black Swan's Spear. With a cigarette between his teeth, he kicked the tower's doors open, wearing an ingratiating smile.

Qi Xian: "Darling, I'm late!"

Xie Xingzhou: "Who are you?"

Qi Xian: ...

As the world's only Dark Sentinel, Qi Xian hadn't needed a Guide before.

All he needed to calm himself down was a cigarette. Nicotine was his best friend... at least, that was true in his previous life.

But after being reborn, he discovered that the little Guide who had guarded him for three years had become the only mental stabilizer compatible with him.

For the sake of saving the world, Qi Xian could only swallow his pride and use sweet talk to reclaim and reuse this pawn.

Qi Xian: "Come with me. Be my Guide."

Xie Xingzhou: "Is that how you ask someone for help?"

Qi Xian: ...

Qi Xian: When did this Guide get so bad-tempered? I remember he used to be pretty nice.

Xie Xingzhou weighed the pros and cons. For the sake of all humanity, and because the Savior had the face of his unrequited love, he decided to agree to work with him and become his temporary mental-bond partner.

168 hours later, on the day they brought the Federation prime minister in for negotiations.

The basement was tense with confrontation. Qi Xian wore a black, high-collared trench coat, a line of subordinates behind him. He sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, a cigarette between his fingers.

Qi Xian: Light my cigarette.

Behind the sofa, Xie Xingzhou took the cigarette from his hand and put an apple in its place.

Qi Xian: ...

The great leader of humanity and Dark Sentinel Comrade Qi Xian shrugged and took a bite of the apple under everyone's gaze.

His subordinates nearby, the prime minister opposite him, and the enemies watching in secret were all left wide-eyed with shock.

Subordinates: Holy crap, the boss's wife is incredible!

Enemies: Is this an act?

Prime Minister: ? Where's the dignity of the invincible Dark Sentinel?

Only Qi Xian thought they were making a fuss over nothing.

Heh. What good is dignity? Can dignity win back the Guide I treated like trash? A Sentinel's role model is someone who promptly admits fault and makes it up to his spouse.

...The great leader of humanity and Dark Sentinel Comrade Qi Xian seemed to be turning into a devoted lapdog, and he was loving every minute of it.

One day, on the eve of a battle with the villain.

Qi Xian: How do you get through other people's mental barriers so easily?

Xie Xingzhou: What's a mental barrier?

Qi Xian: ?

Qi Xian was overjoyed: His little charging station was not only growing more pleasing to the eye, he might even be a Dark Guide.

Xie Xingzhou was overjoyed: Saving the world? Way more fun than pining after a jerk.

Qi Xian was strong-willed and willing to sacrifice even himself to save humanity. But he never imagined that one day he would spend so long regretting how he'd brushed off someone who'd sincerely cared for him.

Xie Xingzhou always kept an escape route ready. Their relationship, built on mutual use, was fragile, and they could lose each other at any moment. It was as if the times themselves were trying to keep them apart.

By the time Xie Xingzhou finally realized something was wrong, it was too late.

The Savior had put a collar around his own neck and tied the other end of the leash to Xie Xingzhou's hand.

He couldn't run even if he wanted to.

Qi Xian: "Don't leave me. Do it for all of humanity, okay?"

Xie Xingzhou: ...

Is this guy's spirit animal really a wolf from the northwest? Could it actually be a shameless, clingy stray dog?

[Obsessive, arrogant Savior, possessive old rogue Sentinel x seemingly harmless but actually courageous and fearless, herbivore-type Guide who flirts without realizing it]

[Please read before starting:]

1. Shou protagonist, Sentinel x Guide, one-on-one.

2. Both leads are strong. It's really a story about two powerful people saving the world and falling in love along the way.

3. The shou has a golden finger, but it takes a while to activate. Slight harem-protagonist tendencies, so steer clear if that's not your thing.

4. The gong is reborn and has laid a huge game. The romance is slow-burn, but the more he focuses on his career early on, the more he has to grovel to win his wife back later. :P

5. Cyberpunk setting and nontraditional Sentinel-Guide dynamics, with lots of author-invented details. Not affiliated with any real-world group or organization; any similarities are purely coincidental.

Theme: Dear Prometheus, civilization will find its own way forward.