Chapter 392: Treatment
Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Treatment
Held in Ning Xuan’s arms, Lan Xin was watched with concern by Zhou Shi and the others. Lan Xin waved a hand. "Zhou Shi, take your men and clean up the battlefield. Collect the gene samples from the Starry Sky Beast as quickly as possible and send them to the Alien Beast Gene Research Institute for analysis. Xie Hui, lead the Mechanical Armor Camp and maintain our defenses. For the next few days, all garrison affairs will be jointly managed by you, Zhao Peng, and Xie Hui. If there are any disagreements, my Contractor, Ning Xuan, will have the final say." Lan Xin instructed his trusted generals.
Lan Xin could only force himself to stay alert because of the spiritual power Ning Xuan had just injected into his Sea of Consciousness. However, it wouldn’t last long. Soon, he would struggle to remain conscious.
"As you command." Zhou Shi and the other two bowed their heads and accepted the orders.
During this time, all of them had been in the medical bay and received treatment from Ning Xuan. If she hadn’t developed the contamination-clearing medicine, there was no telling how many would have died. Moreover, General Lan had been locked in a stalemate with the Starry Sky Beast just now. If Ning Xuan hadn’t stepped forward at the critical moment, General Lan might not have won.
In the military, the strong have always been revered. The advantage of a female Spirit Controller typically lay in spiritual power soothing, but Ning Xuan’s comprehensive combat abilities were likely no less than their own. This point alone had already earned the admiration of Zhou Shi and the others. Not to mention, she had not only saved their lives but was also General Lan’s Contractor. Even without Lan Xin’s command, they were wholeheartedly convinced of her authority.
"To have implicated you in such danger, Lord Contract Master... my crime is unforgivable." Lan Xin said to Ning Xuan, his voice low and weak.
Lan Xin looked up at Ning Xuan, a lingering fear in his heart. That Starry Sky Beast was SSS-level, and a massive Starry Sky Beast of that size was even more powerful than a typical SSS-level one. Even he hadn’t dared to face it alone, instead choosing to pin it down under the cover of long-range fire. And yet, just a moment ago, Ning Xuan had nearly ended up in its mouth.
The reason Ning Xuan had done that was because the Exotic Beast had locked onto him. To protect him, she had willingly put herself in harm’s way to draw its attention.
Ning Xuan’s actions filled his heart with an indescribable feeling, full and swelling. ’I’m just a lowly, flawed Half-beastman. Why would Master risk her life to save me? If she were harmed in the slightest, even dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough to atone for my failure.’
After turning 18, Half-beastmen must rely on the soothing of a High-level Female Spirit Controller to survive. Most Half-beastmen, despite their great martial strength, can only become playthings for female Spirit Controllers. A rare, lucky few receive their master’s permission to serve in the military.
Lan Xin felt his own luck was already good enough. He couldn’t dare to ask for more.
"I was the one who ran out there, so how is that your fault? Do you just feel uneasy if you don’t find some way to blame yourself? You fought that Starry Sky Beast for eight days. You’re seriously injured. If I hadn’t just lent you my spiritual power, I’m afraid you really wouldn’t have made it this time." Hurrying along, Ning Xuan finally carried Lan Xin back to the medical bay.
Lan Xin felt a profound spiritual exhaustion. His body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out. Intense pain washed over him, and his eyelids were too heavy to lift, yet his consciousness remained unnaturally clear.
This clarity felt like a curse.
Lan Xin’s vision began to blur. His perception of color was fading, the world gradually turning into varying shades of black. He could hear his own heart pounding like thunder, the blood surging through his transforming vessels.
He could clearly perceive every nerve screaming, every muscle twisting and deforming. His spine felt as if it were being disassembled and reassembled, vertebra by vertebra, by an invisible hand. Something writhed beneath his skin, trying to break free. His nails began to harden and lengthen, becoming sharp claws.
His mind was clear, his senses sharp. He knew he was about to shift into his beast form. The pain was excruciating, yet he couldn’t move. It was as if he were trapped in a blazing fire, being burned over and over. The agony was so intense he wanted to scream for help, to curl up and sob, but he couldn’t move or make a sound. He could only endure it.
Just as he was enduring this agony in despair, several Golden Needles pierced the acupoints on his body. A spiritual power connection channel was activated, and a gentle, bright spiritual power flowed through it into his Sea of Consciousness.
Lan Xin’s pain lessened significantly. Immediately after, Ning Xuan’s soft lips pressed against his, and a cool, sweet medicine was fed into his mouth.
Lan Xin felt the parched and depleted blood, meridians, and flesh within his body gradually revive, slowly filling with vitality once more.
His consciousness gradually faded. He felt an overwhelming drowsiness, and his body seemed to be floating in warm water, gentle and soothing, the torment of the blazing fire gone.
Ning Xuan watched Lan Xin’s deep brainwaves slowly stabilize, and his scorched black scales began to regain a moist luster. She finally relaxed.
Ning Xuan stretched and rubbed her stiff neck. Lan Xin had fought for eight days, and she had been saving people for eight days. She had just expended a great deal of her spiritual power to save him, and now she felt drowsy and exhausted as well. So, she simply lay down on the adjacent treatment bed to get some rest.
She didn’t know how long she had slept before she was awakened by a commotion outside.
She thought she heard Yu Mingche’s voice.
"Get out of my way," Yu Mingche said, his voice grim as he looked at the officer blocking his path.
"I can’t do that, Lord Yu. Miss Ning is inside treating our General Lan. You can’t just barge in." That was Zhou Shi’s voice.
"Your General Lan? Hah! What is he? How dare he let Ning Xuan get hurt for him! Ying Yaoshi, are these the men you command? Ning Xuan’s spiritual power is unstable right now; she’s in danger! If anything happens to Ning Xuan because of Lan Xin, I won’t let you off the hook!" Yu Mingche roared at the Light Computer on his wrist.
After Yu Mingche finished shouting, the Light Computer projected a human figure. It was Ying Yaoshi, dressed in a military uniform with an anxious expression on his face.
When Zhou Shi saw Ying Yaoshi, he immediately sucked in his stomach, puffed out his chest, raised his head, and stood at attention, giving a prim and solemn military salute. "Marshal."
"Let him go in and see for himself," Ying Yaoshi said without further comment, giving a direct order.
"Yes, sir." Seeing Ying Yaoshi intervene, Zhou Shi didn’t dare to block the way any longer. He acknowledged the order and stepped aside.
"Hmph." Yu Mingche forcefully flung his sleeve and pushed the door open to enter.
Ning Xuan had already woken up when she heard Yu Mingche’s voice. She sat up abruptly on the bed, but as she did, she felt a wave of dizziness. The world spun before her eyes, and her body swayed, toppling toward the floor.
Just then, Yu Mingche burst through the door and saw the scene. Panicked, he did a sliding kneel, lunging to the foot of the bed and catching Ning Xuan as she fell.
Ning Xuan’s vision went black, and she couldn’t see Yu Mingche’s face clearly, but she recognized his scent—the gardenia fragrance she loved.
Ning Xuan buried her head in Yu Mingche’s chest and nuzzled him. "Ming Che, you smell so nice."