Chapter 319 - 281: You Can’t Just Kill All the Beastmen Around Her
Chapter 319: Chapter 281: You Can’t Just Kill All the Beastmen Around Her
From the way he acted, Gu Ning could tell he must have frequented the rooftop over the past two days and was already familiar with it.
Gusts of cold wind blew in. Gu Ning took a deep breath of the frigid, fresh air and tightened the scarf around her neck.
She had thought Vine was going to take her out, not up to the rooftop.
"Cold?" Vine asked, looking down at her.
Gu Ning glanced at his short-sleeved shirt. "...Not cold," she said.
’Another day of envying the Beastman constitution.’
It was a brilliantly sunny day.
The afternoon sun shone brightly, casting a layer of brilliant golden light over the snow. Gu Ning stepped into the warmth, and despite the chilly wind, she could feel the sun’s gentle heat on her skin.
Seeing that no one was around except for Vine and a gleeful Cook rolling in the snow, Gu Ning couldn’t resist pulling down her mask to feel the rare sunlight on her face.
When she looked over again, Vine was standing at the very edge of the roof. Even his tall frame seemed small, swallowed by the vast space and the towering clusters of buildings.
Suddenly, Gu Ning felt the imposing presence of the Wolf Team wasn’t so intimidating after all.
She watched his back for a moment, then took out her camera and captured the scene.
At the sound of the shutter, Vine’s ears twitched almost imperceptibly.
After taking a picture of Vine, Gu Ning turned her lens on Cook and the surrounding buildings.
Taking pictures of Zone 15 from the rooftop was a completely different experience from shooting at ground level.
Remembering she had something important to do, Gu Ning quickly snapped a few more photos before walking over to the silent Vine.
The moment she drew near, Vine immediately pulled her back a few steps.
’The rooftop had no railing; it was too dangerous for her to stand so close to the edge.’
Vine glanced around, and once he was sure she was a safe distance from the edge, he released her hand.
Gu Ning glanced down at the street below, completely unfazed.
"Wolf Team." Gu Ning no longer hesitated and said what she had been preparing for a long time. "That day, I thought it was a real team application."
"A team application," Gu Ning stressed. "Not a spouse application."
"I didn’t read it carefully. I’m sorry," Gu Ning said, her breath fogging in the cold air.
Vine frowned at her apology. "Are you always like this with other people?"
"What?" Gu Ning asked.
Vine finally understood what Alex had meant when he’d said not to scare her.
He took a slow breath and turned to face her. Looking down at her face, which was flushed from the sun, he said, "You don’t have to apologize to me. You don’t ever have to apologize for something like this. It wasn’t your fault."
Gu Ning looked up at his expression. ’He really doesn’t look like the kind of person you can get away with not apologizing to...’ she thought.
"I was the one who was out of line," Vine said. "I’m sorry."
His cold, stern expression seemed to melt in the sunlight. His lowered voice sounded less severe, and even the sharp, resolute lines of his face appeared to soften in the brilliant golden glow.
The tension coiling inside Gu Ning’s chest suddenly deflated, as if pricked by a tiny needle, letting out a soft PSSST.
It seemed this wasn’t going to be as difficult to talk about as she had imagined. Vine’s sincere apology made everything much simpler.
"Here." Vine handed her a handwritten document.
Gu Ning took the document. "This is..."
Vine said, "A team application."
"Huh?" Gu Ning looked up at him, bewildered.
’Again?’
The corners of Vine’s mouth tilted up in a fleeting smile. "It’s a team application."
Gu Ning’s gaze returned to the document. She quickly scanned its contents. The title, written in large, clear letters, read: Team Application.
It even had phonetic annotations above each word, as if he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to read it. Following them, Gu Ning could understand most of the document.
Compared to the previous, densely packed spouse application full of unfamiliar words, the wording on this genuine team application had been intentionally simplified. Gu Ning could understand most of it without even needing to translate.
"If you agree to let me join your team, I’ll contact Admiral Andrew and request a mission to Zone 5," Vine said.
Gu Ning fell silent for a moment. She refolded the document and put it back in her pocket. "I’ll... go back and read it carefully."
With that, she turned to leave.
Vine caught her arm. "You’ve been out for less than ten minutes. You’re safe right now. There’s no need to hurry back, and no need to give me an answer right away."
Gu Ning sensed Vine’s desire to talk. She glanced at Cook, still rolling happily on the ground, then considered for a moment before sitting down on the edge of the roof. She started fiddling with the camera around her neck, taking pictures.
After a couple of shots, she raised her camera and panned to the right. A slender, snow-white figure with long, flowing hair appeared in her lens.
Gu Ning: "?"
’...When did Philinos get here? This bird didn’t make a single sound.’
Philinos slowly turned his head to glance at her, his wings giving a gentle flutter. Then he turned his head back and resumed his post, playing the part of the aloof Little Fairy Bird.
Vine fought the urge to pull Gu Ning back from the edge. Instead, he sat down beside her, his hand hovering protectively behind her back. After thinking of a topic, he spoke to draw her attention back to him. "Want to hear a story about Cook’s brother?"