Chapter 258 - 234: How Can You Win the Young Female’s Affection Like That?
Chapter 258: Chapter 234: How Can You Win the Young Female’s Affection Like That?
Gu Ning said nothing, just pulled out a bandage and wrapped it around and around his wound.
’This trait of the Snake Clan is actually a great way to cover up my language problem,’ she thought. ’I’ll ask Barto about it later, do some research on the Snake Clan. It might come in handy.’
Leo stared at the little female’s fluttering eyelashes, feeling as if they were a tiny brush scratching at his heart. He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them.
When she looked up at him, he gave a guilty cough and pulled down her mask. "Don’t wear a mask in the car. Don’t you think it’s stuffy?"
"Not yet. Drive." Gu Ning pulled her mask back up and pressed down on his restless paw. "Move again, and I’ll eat you."
Leo let out an "Oh" and sniffed her scent. "You didn’t eat enough for breakfast?"
"Don’t you have emergency rations? Just eat those first." Leo held out his hand so the little female could bandage it, looking down at her tiny form, so close she was almost pressed against him. He had the unconscious urge to wrap his arms around her.
Just as Barto finished settling Cook in and pulled open the car door—
"You wanna die, you stinking mutt!"
"She’s changing my bandages! I’m warning you, don’t touch me! And don’t touch her either!"
"Changing bandages, huh? Let me change them for you!"
"Stop!!!"
Gu Ning jumped between the two, holding one back with each hand, and shouted, "No fighting!"
Leo went with her push and flopped back, clutching his wound. "Ouch, the fox clawed me."
Hearing him whining and groaning again, Barto was so angry he wanted to drag him out of the car.
Gu Ning half-pushed, half-coaxed Barto, "Wait. He’ll be fine."
"Don’t mind him!" Barto lifted her from the back seat and put her in the front passenger seat. "He’s not going to die! If he does, I’ll dig a hole and bury him myself."
’If this dog were really lying there unable to move, that would be one thing. But he’s clearly just faking it, using his injury to get on Gu Ning’s good side. Damn him!’
’If they weren’t in a hurry to get to Zone 15 to resupply, he would have thrown him out of the car right now.’
The convoy started moving again.
Windsor stood on a rooftop with Ah Mo, watching the convoy drive away into the distance.
"Aren’t you coming with us?" Philinos asked, standing beside Windsor. "I think she would have really liked for you to accompany her for part of the journey."
When the little female came out of the house, she had looked around for Windsor for quite a while, unable to hide the disappointment on her face.
Windsor turned around and said, "You all should be regrouping in Zone 15, right?"
Philinos replied, "Yes. We lost nearly half of our supplies. We’ll probably have to stay in Zone 15 for about two days to resupply and regroup."
Everyone in the convoy was injured to some degree. The King Seed had caught them completely off guard. If it weren’t for Windsor, this mission...
Philinos lowered his head in silence.
Windsor looked at the dejected little bird and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You all really need to regroup properly. Don’t be in a rush to get back on the road."
"Yes," Philinos replied.
Windsor squeezed his shoulder. "And don’t avoid her like this. Seeing you all injured doesn’t make her feel any better than you do."
’Last night, while bandaging the little pup’s wounds, the girl thought he was going to die. She shed quite a few tears.’
’But she couldn’t tell Philinos that. It would only make him more dejected.’
Ah Mo lifted a wing and patted Philinos. "Chirp!" (Stick your chest out, look like a proper bird! How are you going to win the little female’s favor like this? Look at that little pup!)
Philinos raised his head.
Windsor said, "You all go on ahead. Ah Mo and I will follow later. We’ll stay behind you until you reach Zone 5."
Philinos asked, "Can’t you travel with us?"
Ah Mo chirped, "Chirp!" (It’s because of the Beast Alliance...)
Windsor shot Ah Mo a look, silencing him.
Philinos seemed to have a rough idea of the situation. He said hesitantly, "Her identity... I’m afraid she might not be suited for the Central Green Area. I hope you can..."
He paused, then quickly explained, "That’s not what I meant. I just mean that if she can’t adapt, at least you can protect her."
Ah Mo: "Chirp!" (Silly boy.)
Windsor looked at Philinos with wise, understanding eyes. "How do you know she won’t be able to adapt? Philinos, your heart is in the right place, but don’t make decisions for others. As members of the Bird Clan, we can see farther than most, but we must also see what is right in front of us."
Philinos accepted the lesson, ashamed. "I understand."
Ah Mo shook his head. ’This kid still has a long way to go before he truly understands.’
"Go on," Windsor said, patting him. "When you get to Zone 15, tell your superiors about the damage to your convoy."
Philinos was a little confused as to why Windsor emphasized the convoy’s damage rather than the Mutant Species.
Ah Mo chirped, "Chirp!" (Something unsavory took the opportunity to raid you during the night, silly boy.)
Philinos’s expression turned serious. "We noticed something was off, but we haven’t had a chance to investigate yet."
Last night, the Mutant Species lured them away, their target being the little female. Of the vehicles they lost, aside from the one Gu Ning was in that was wrecked by the Mutant Species, the others were all burned.
Ah Mo: "Chirp!" (So don’t be in a hurry to get back on the road.)
Otherwise, there would be more suffering to come.
As noon approached, the convoy gradually neared the urban area of Zone 15.
The convoy drove along the highway, the journey smooth and uneventful.
Except for a small incident in Gu Ning’s vehicle.
Leo chattered nonstop the entire way. One moment he’d say his wound hurt, the next that he was hot, then that he was hungry and thirsty. It made Barto so angry that he wanted to throw him out onto the side of the road several times.
"I’m thirsty," Leo piped up again.
Gu Ning took a bottle of water from the glove compartment and handed it to him.
Barto cursed, "Are you a water buffalo? How can you drink so much water without bursting?"
The angrier he got, the calmer Leo became. "The dry rations are a bit chalky, and the heat in here is cranked up so high."
"Then get the hell out!" Barto snapped. "This car isn’t for you!"
Gu Ning, still holding the water, saw that Leo wasn’t taking it. She asked, "Are you drinking this or not?"
Leo said, "I’m stuffed. No energy. You feed—"
Before he could even get the word "me" out, Barto, having reached his limit, snatched the water bottle from Gu Ning’s hand and smacked it against Leo’s head.
Leo clutched his head. Seeing the little female remain indifferent, he glared. "He hit me! Aren’t you going to do something?"
Gu Ning said, "If you’re quiet, he’ll stop."
Hearing that, Leo dropped all pretense of politeness, picked up the water bottle, and threw it back at Barto’s head.
Barto picked up the bottle and threw it back even harder, and Leo retaliated—
"Stop!" Gu Ning yelled. "S-tahp! Everybody s-tahp!"
She’d had enough, too. She took a deep breath, slammed on the car horn, and turned on the in-car communicator.
"What’s wrong?" Vine’s voice came through.
「Five minutes later—」
Leo was being carried out of the car by the young wolves.
Leo clung to the car door, refusing to get out no matter what. "You ungrateful little thing! Killing the dog now that the work is done!"
Gu Ning heard the full-throated strength in his voice and knew he was recovering well. She rolled up the car window with a sense of relief.
Suddenly, the whole world was at peace.
BZZT... A burst of static came from the still-open in-car communicator, followed by the little pup’s furious voice, "You damn fox, just you wait! And you, you, yeah you, the ungrateful little..."
Gu Ning and Barto both reached out at the same time and shut off the in-car communicator.