Chapter 257 - 233: Which One Are You Asking About?
Chapter 257: Chapter 233: Which One Are You Asking About?
"Are you okay?"
Gu Ning hurried over to check Leo’s wounds.
The young man had quite a few injuries; his shoulder, arm, and abdomen were all wrapped in bandages. The most serious was the blow to his stomach.
Just then, a trickle of blood stained the bandage on his abdomen. The wound must have reopened.
"Don’t move." Gu Ning cupped Leo’s head, which was nudging restlessly against her.
Leo whimpered, pressing his head into her arms. "I’m not moving. They’re the ones who insisted on moving me. They’re definitely trying to get revenge while I’m hurt. You have to protect me."
"..." After hearing this, Gu Ning’s gaze swept across the room.
She was still in Windsor’s camp, but Windsor and Ah Mo were gone. Barto and the others had come over at some point and were now watching her and Leo with unfriendly expressions.
"We’re fine," Barto said, his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. "We’re perfectly fine."
"Woof." Cook sat beside him looking aggrieved, staring resentfully at the dog who had taken his spot.
Gu Ning saw that Cook’s left arm was wrapped in gauze and held in a sling, and Barto had a medicated patch on his forehead. She immediately let go of the dog’s head in her hands and went to check on the injuries of Cook, the puppy, and Barto, the little fox.
Leo: "..."
"Cook, your arm?" Gu Ning gently held Cook’s injured arm, her eyes questioning Barto about their injuries.
Barto sighed. "It’s just a minor fracture. Nothing serious."
Gu Ning comfortingly hugged Cook’s head and gave it a pat, then pointed to the wound on Barto’s forehead.
Barto: "Just a scratch. We’re not like a certain dog who acts like he’s dying from a small injury."
Gu Ning: "His wound... is very serious."
Yesterday, she and Windsor had treated Leo’s wounds together. A Mutant Species had pierced straight through his stomach. Windsor had given him a Healing Agent and then stitched up the wound to stop the bleeding.
Compared to the injury on his stomach, all the others were minor.
However, his regenerative ability was truly astonishing. Despite such a severe injury, he was already up and about, full of energy, after just a few hours.
The dog, who had just sat up, ready to argue with Barto, heard the little female’s words, rubbed his belly, and lay back down contentedly.
’He knew she was on his side this time.’
’She wasn’t so bad after all.’
Barto secretly rolled his eyes. For the sake of how desperately Leo had protected Gu Ning last night, he would tolerate him for now.
Seeing that only Barto and Cook were there, Gu Ning asked:
"How is... everyone else?"
Barto pursed his lips. "Which ’everyone’ are you asking about?"
Gu Ning: "All of them."
Seeing her serious expression, Barto knew she wanted to know the convoy’s status. He reined in his temper and said, "We only lost a few vehicles. Vine is outside organizing the teams. We can leave now."
"Now?" Gu Ning turned her head to look at Leo.
The young man had his hands pillowed under his head. When he saw her looking, he clutched his wound and furrowed his brow, feigning agony.
Gu Ning: "...Can you... manage?"
Leo whined, "I can manage. But I want to be in the same vehicle as you, so they don’t take the chance to finish me off."
With that, he "painfully" propped himself up. "Come give me a hand."
Just as Gu Ning was about to step forward, Barto shot out a long arm to pull her back, shielding her with his body.
The next moment, Vine entered the room with two Beastman soldiers. Without a word, they hauled Leo up and started carrying him outside.
"Hey, hey, hey, don’t touch me!"
"Dog Team, save your strength. If we hurry, we can still make it to Zone 15 for lunch."
"..."
As Leo was carried away, still cursing, Gu Ning’s gaze fell on Vine, who had walked up to her.
He didn’t speak either. After giving her a once-over with a grim expression, he turned and left.
’Why does Vine seem a little off?’
’He’s not usually the quiet, reserved type. Is he worried about the Mutant Species, or is he injured?’
Barto handed Gu Ning the clothes in his hands. "Don’t mind him. Get dressed, we’re moving out."
Gu Ning took the clothes and looked down. She was still wearing Windsor’s white outer robe.
She wanted to ask Barto about Windsor and Ah Mo, but she worried they might have left early to avoid revealing their identities, so she swallowed her words.
’It was so rare to meet another female, and a powerful, gentle elder at that. I wanted to spend more time with Windsor, but I didn’t expect her to leave so quickly. I wonder if I’ll ever see her again.’
After changing her clothes, Gu Ning had a simple breakfast with Barto and the others, then prepared to set off with the convoy.
Outside, the sky was bright. The weather was good today, with no snow. Gu Ning felt the temperature was significantly higher than in Zone 19. She opened her terminal to check: -15°C.
The convoy had been reorganized. Although they had lost a few vehicles, there was still enough room for everyone if they squeezed in a bit.
The vehicle Gu Ning had been riding in was definitely gone, so she was moved to another SUV.
She had just settled into the passenger seat when a dog’s head popped up from the back seat. "Come sit in the back."
Gu Ning jumped in fright. She whipped her head around to look at Leo. "You... what are you... doing here?"
"Me? Why can’t I... be here?" Leo mimicked her halting speech, resting his head on top of her seat. "I told you, I have to be in the same vehicle as you. You have to guarantee my safety."
Remembering that he’d been injured for her sake, Gu Ning showed a little more patience. She turned away. "...Then... sit properly."
Leo patted her shoulder. "Come sit in the back."
Gu Ning pushed his paw away. "Sit properly."
Leo patted her again and handed her a roll of bandages. "Help me re-wrap this. I can’t use my arm properly."
Gu Ning glanced at his wound and saw that the bloodstain on his abdominal bandage had spread a little more. She took the bandages and was about to open the door to get out.
"You can just come over through here." Leo simply pulled her over through the gap between the front seats.
Gu Ning: ’...Doesn’t he seem to have plenty of strength?’
Leo met her gaze for a second, then flopped back onto the rear seat. "Oof, nope. It hurts so much."
Gu Ning looked at all the wounds covering his body, holding the bandages helplessly. "Where does it hurt?"
Leo: "My arm hurts, my stomach hurts, my head hurts. Everywhere hurts."
Upon hearing this, Gu Ning moved to get out of the car again.
Leo grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
Gu Ning: "To get you... medicine."
Leo pulled her down to sit beside him. "What medicine? I already got the shot. It doesn’t even stop the pain. Just changing to a clean bandage is fine."
Gu Ning had no choice but to start unwrapping the bandage around his waist.
Leo stared at the little female’s face, his attention completely off his own wound.
This wasn’t the first time he had looked at her face so closely. He always felt a sense of familiarity.
Especially with her wearing a mask, revealing only her eyes, he felt even more certain he had seen her somewhere before.
’Where have I seen her?’
He sat up and moved closer to the little female, carefully examining her eyes and brows.
Gu Ning had just finished unwrapping the bandage from his waist. Seeing him lean in so close, she leaned back. "What are you doing?"
Looking into her eyes, Leo said, "Making it more convenient for you to wrap the bandage."
Gu Ning placed a finger on his forehead and pushed him away. "If you want... my help... then sit still... and behave."
Hearing her mangled, awkward tone in the common tongue, Leo laughed. "I always say you Snake Clan people don’t like to talk so much that your language skills are starting to devolve."