Chapter 299 - 267: Joining the Team
Chapter 299: Chapter 267: Joining the Team
Gu Ning didn’t understand what Vine meant.
One moment he was saying she needed him, the next he was telling her to call Andrew.
She was still holding a document she hadn’t finished reading.
"Call Admiral Andrew?" Gu Ning looked at Vine, completely bewildered. "What am I supposed to say?"
"You know what to say," Vine said.
Gu Ning did not.
Normally, the Wolf Team was direct and never beat around the bush. Why couldn’t she understand what he was saying now?
’Is this related to his mission? Does he need my cooperation?’
From the way Vine and the others had taken care of and protected her on this journey, she had already vaguely guessed that escorting her to Zone 15 must be their mission, or at least part of it.
’And Andrew told me I’d be getting a new team. This document in Vine’s hand must be about their mission with me being complete, something that needs my confirmation?’
"You don’t want to talk to the Admiral about this?" Vine interpreted Gu Ning’s confusion as deliberate avoidance. After a moment’s thought, the familiar, serious expression appeared on his face. "Is it because of Alex?"
’How did this get back to Alex again?’
’Oh, right. Andrew did say Alex was also a member of the new team.’
Vine’s gaze was now scorching and severe, as if he were about to scold her for some wrongdoing, making it impossible for her to look him in the eye. After a single glance, she averted her gaze and looked down at the document in her hands.
To Vine, this behavior only confirmed his suspicions.
Gu Ning was using her terminal’s translator to scan the paper, but before she could read more than a few lines, Vine took the application form away from her.
"It’s because of Alex that you’re unwilling to approve my application."
"Application for what?" Gu Ning’s mind raced, and then it suddenly clicked. "Captain, you also want to..."
Vine’s eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her to finish.
Gu Ning’s mouth hung open. She thought for a moment before finding the right word. "You also want to... join the team?"
’These captains have a new mission in Zone 15. Does Vine want to join the new team Andrew mentioned and go to Zone 5 with us?’
’He’s a Wolf Clan Beastman, and Zone 5 is home to most wolves. Maybe Vine is from Zone 5 too and wants to visit home while he’s at it.’
’This document must be his application to join the team.’
She glanced at the document, which was filled front and back with text. ’This team application seems pretty complicated,’ she thought, ’having to write so many words.’
’Oh, and I have to tell Andrew about it, too.’
When Vine heard her say the words "join the team," a strange look came into his eyes. He said slowly, "You call this... joining the team?"
’Was that the wrong phrase?’
’Then it’s...’
"Your mission?" she offered, trying to correct herself.
’He’s a team captain and an alpha wolf. He probably wouldn’t like joining someone else’s team.’
"Mission?" Vine frowned as a thought occurred to him. "This is not my mission, and it’s certainly not yours. Did Alex tell you this was a mission?"
Gu Ning thought about it carefully, then nodded.
’Whether Alex joining the team is a mission or not, I have to say it is.’
’Vine is a good wolf, but he’s Andrew’s subordinate and he’s always at odds with Alex. I have to be careful not to give him any leverage against Alex, or they’ll end up clashing.’
However, after she said that, Vine’s expression soured even more.
"Is that how he’s been deceiving you?" Vine said in a low voice, his opinion of Alex hitting rock bottom.
’If Alex were here right now, I’d beat the hell out of him.’
He’d known Alex was a huge problem ever since he used Gu Ning’s scent to attract the King Seed.
He not only used Gu Ning, he deceived her.
Philinos was right. He should be brought before a military tribunal!
"He didn’t deceive me." Gu Ning didn’t understand why he was suddenly so angry. She just wanted to get this over with, so she snatched the document from his hand and asked, "Does this... need a signature?"
Vine gripped Gu Ning’s shoulders and said gravely, "I need you to approve my application to ’join the team.’ But I’m not like Alex. If you just want to use me to get through your heat, then don’t sign it."
Gu Ning was lost again. What did joining the team have to do with her "heat"?
She thought it over and quickly understood. Vine thought her relationship with Alex was special, and that she was just using him to gain his protection.
She did, in fact, have that idea. Vine was very reliable, and with him on the road, their safety increased exponentially.
But Andrew had already told her the captains had a mission in Zone 15, so she wouldn’t have asked Vine if she could travel with them again.
Now that Vine was offering to join the team himself, it didn’t matter what his objective was. As long as he could travel with them, it was fine.
"It’s not like that, Captain."
Thinking quickly, Gu Ning looked up at Vine and smiled. "You joining the team... is great. It has nothing to do... with Alex. And it has nothing to do... with my heat."
Seeing her smile, Vine’s expression softened. "So you approve of me ’joining the team’? You want me to be with you always?"
’With him always?’
Gu Ning felt something was off. Seeing that Vine was still waiting for her answer, she thought for a moment and said, "You can leave the team... whenever... you want."
Vine took hold of the hand she was using to hold the application, his gaze frighteningly resolute. "Once I ’join the team,’ I will never leave. Unless you want to kick me out."
’As if I would dare.’
"I won’t, I won’t," Gu Ning said. She grabbed a pen from the bedside table, pointed at the application form, and asked, "Where... do I sign?"
"Here." Vine studied her expression, confirming that she really wanted him to "join the team." He pointed to the signature line. "Write your name, and then write ’approved’."
Gu Ning did as he said, carefully signing her full name stroke by stroke.
Vine watched her every move, not missing a single detail.
"Done." After writing the last stroke, Gu Ning handed the team application form to Vine.
Vine took the application form and stared silently at her name for a long moment. An unprecedented, surging emotion welled up inside him, and he leaned down, unable to stop himself, and kissed her on the cheek.
Gu Ning froze at his action, and then her face turned bright red.
’The Captain... he... why did he suddenly kiss me?!’
Watching the little female’s face turn impossibly red, Vine’s tone was gentler than ever before. "Once Admiral Andrew helps me submit the application, I’ll have him transfer my household registration to your name."
Gu Ning: "Huh?"
’Wait, just for a team application, you have to transfer household registration?’
Vine suddenly asked, "By the way, do you have a household registration?"
He knew Gu Ning wasn’t a female from the Beast Alliance. ’Has she not been registered yet?’
Gu Ning snapped back to her senses and said, "I do."
’I definitely have to say yes. Otherwise, it’s the same as telling Vine directly that I’m not a female from the Beast Alliance.’
Hearing this, Vine thought, ’It seems Admiral Andrew helped her get registered. But given her situation, the Beast Alliance probably doesn’t know about it. At the very least, the Admiral didn’t handle it publicly.’
’So, if she needed to be registered secretly, her registration must be with the Military Department.’
’The only person who could arrange a classified identity like that is Andrew.’
’This is perfect. His household registration can be transferred directly to her name without going through the troublesome application channels.’
With that thought, Vine patted the little female’s increasingly warm cheek. "Don’t worry. First, let’s talk to the Admiral."
"...Okay."
Gu Ning dodged his hand, scooted to the side, and placed a call to Andrew.