Chapter 304 - 271: Did You Miss Me?
Chapter 304: Chapter 271: Did You Miss Me?
It wasn’t just his chest; his arms and legs were also covered in wounds.
Seeing all the injuries, big and small, Gu Ning froze.
’How did he get all these injuries?’
Alex pointed to the first-aid kit on the living room table and said to Philinos, "There’s a Healing Agent inside."
With that, he patted Gu Ning’s head and quickly entered the bedroom.
Philinos opened the first-aid kit, took out a Healing Agent, and injected it into his arm. He then took off his torn combat jacket and the off-the-shoulder short-sleeved shirt underneath, revealing three gruesome gashes running diagonally from his shoulder to his abdomen, the flesh split open.
As he moved, the blood that had already stopped flowing from the wounds started to well up again, trickling down the lines of his muscles. It was a terrifying sight.
Philinos looked down at the wounds on his body, then took the short-sleeved shirt he’d removed and wiped away the blood.
The sight of his injuries snapped Gu Ning back to her senses. She hurried to his side and rummaged through the medical kit for gauze and antiseptic.
"I don’t need all that," Philinos said. "I’ll just go wash up."
’Wash up? How could he possibly get such a severe open wound wet?’
Gu Ning felt this bird was far too careless with his own body. Even with a strong constitution and a Healing Agent, the wounds still needed to be properly treated to heal faster.
"Sit still."
She pushed a chair behind Philinos, looking at him with a serious expression as she held the gauze and antiseptic.
Philinos met her gaze for a moment before sitting down as if in surrender.
Gu Ning first used a cotton ball soaked in antiseptic to wipe away the bloodstains around the wounds. Then, she applied a hemostatic ointment before finally wrapping them in gauze.
Philinos watched her, his eyes lowered, without saying a word.
In that moment, his attention was no longer on the sweet, alluring scent she carried, but on the focused way she was treating his wounds.
"I’m sorry," he said.
Hearing his sudden apology, Gu Ning glanced at him, her hands never ceasing their work. "What are you sorry for?"
Philinos said, "For what happened last time."
Gu Ning paused. She realized he was probably talking about the incident at the high wall of Zone 19, where he’d almost captured her, mistaking her for a Mimic Mixed Species.
"I know," Gu Ning said after a moment of silence, indicating she accepted his apology.
Although the incident had left her with some lingering resentment toward him, after spending this time together, that feeling had mostly faded. She knew he hadn’t done it on purpose. Any other Beastman would likely have mistaken her for a Mimic Mixed Species. Hadn’t she encountered plenty of things like this since coming to the Beastman World?
’Looked at another way, he had actually helped her, in a strange twist of fate.’
Philinos said, "Logically speaking, I don’t need to apologize. The place and time you appeared were both highly suspicious."
"..." Gu Ning pursed her lips and shot him a sidelong glance, not really wanting to talk to him anymore.
Philinos continued, "I’ve been trained to identify Mimic Mixed Species. The situation was urgent, but thankfully, I didn’t make a mistake."
His voice grew softer as he spoke. Though the words sounded like a boast, his tone carried a hint of relief.
He had always believed in his own abilities, never relying on chance or sudden luck. But with Gu Ning’s appearance, he was beginning to understand the meaning of the word "lucky."
"Well then, thank you," Gu Ning said with a helpless smile.
"You’re welcome," Philinos said.
Gu Ning: "..."
’Whatever. Why argue with a bird?’
"This one," she said, pointing to a scar on his abdomen and changing the subject. "When did you get this?"
The wound had scabbed over, but based on her understanding of a Beastman’s constitution, the injury couldn’t be more than a few days old.
"A Mutant Species got me a few days ago," Philinos said flatly.
Gu Ning: "You never mentioned it."
Philinos: "What’s there to say? I’m not that dog, making a huge fuss over a little injury."
Gu Ning: ’Talking to him is exhausting.’
Gu Ning sighed and stopped trying to talk to him, efficiently treating the wound on his wing as well.
"There. Don’t get the wounds wet," she instructed, taking the opportunity to sneak a little pat of his smooth feathers.
Philinos’s wing twitched slightly. He spread it a little to brush against her arm and said, "If you want to touch them, just do it."
A soft cough interrupted them. "Need my help?"
Gu Ning followed the sound and saw Alex, who had come out of the bedroom at some point, leaning against the wall and watching them.
"Not needed." Philinos stood up and said to Gu Ning, "I’m going to go check on the situation. I’ll bring some food back for you."
Before Gu Ning could reply, he strode out of the house.
SLAM—
The door shut, and the room fell silent for a moment. Alex walked quickly to Gu Ning’s side.
He wanted to embrace the female he’d been longing for, but when he saw her standing there awkwardly picking at the back of her hands, the arm he had halfway raised fell back to his side.