Chapter 329 - 291: I Don’t Know How You Can Stand It
Chapter 329: Chapter 291: I Don’t Know How You Can Stand It
Spouse?
The word left Gu Ning stunned.
’Didn’t Vine say all I needed to do was add Kaper to my household registration?’
Andrew, on the other end of the terminal, seemed to know what she was thinking. "You and Kaper have no history together. It only makes sense for him to be added to your registration as your spouse."
Gu Ning understood what Andrew meant. She had already reviewed Kaper’s personal file, which contained his basic identification, academic records, and work history.
He and Cook both grew up in the 12th District. Unlike Cook, whose degenerative genes manifested early and prevented him from staying in school, leaving him with virtually no academic record, Kaper had completed his studies normally. His grades were quite good—more than half of his one-page transcript was filled with ’Excellent’ marks, and he had even been accepted into the Officer program.
Judging by his transcript, which showed a slight imbalance in subjects but a persistent effort, Kaper’s goal was clear: he wanted to be an Officer.
However, he didn’t become an Officer as he’d hoped after graduation. Instead, he joined the 12th District’s Security Department as a regular security guard. He later joined the Special Security Team, but after less than two years in total, he left the 12th District for the Third Military District. There, he once again started as a common soldier but was promoted to squad leader within a year.
This time, however, he left the Third Military District in less than half a year.
After that, Kaper spent short periods in several other Middle Lower Districts. His last few checkpoint records showed him traveling back and forth between Zone 19 and the No Man’s Land, meaning that after arriving in Zone 19, he never went to any other district.
Following that were various records from the Second Military Zone for training, salary disbursements, and benefit claims. The last update to his personal file was over four months ago.
His salary was still being paid out as usual every month, but the benefits that required him to register and collect in person had stopped.
With such a clear personal history, suddenly adding him to a female’s household registration as a relative would indeed be too abrupt. It was only plausible if he was registered as her chosen spouse.
As Gu Ning sorted through the complex implications, her fingers traced the rough screen of the Kaper Terminal, and she mulled over how to proceed.
Barto could still pass for a normal Beastman in his current state, so she didn’t need to worry about him. If any issues arose, Barto and Alex would tell her. But Cook was a different story. One look was enough to tell he was a Mixed Breed—an unstable one who had undergone a secondary mutation.
Andrew patiently waited for the little female’s reply, neither rushing her nor saying anything else.
"Okay."
Before long, the little female’s firm reply came through the terminal.
Andrew plucked the last leaf from the potted plant, crushed it, and asked in a light tone, "You don’t need to think it over some more?"
Gu Ning: "No need."
’No amount of consideration will bring Kaper back to life. What I need to do is use this opportunity to take care of Cook. No matter how I look at it, there are only upsides and no downsides.’
Andrew clapped his hands and sat back down at his desk. "I’ll use my authority to alter some of Kaper’s records. You’ll need to make some preparations as well."
Nearby, Cyril, who was sorting through documents, glanced up at Andrew without a change in expression.
"Preparations? What kind?" Gu Ning asked.
Andrew picked up his cold teacup and took a sip. "He’s your spouse. You’re a journalist who enjoys photography. It’s impossible that you two don’t have a single intimate photo together."
Gu Ning was silent for a moment before saying, "...I understand."
A slight smile touched Andrew’s lips. "I’m confident you can handle this."
Gu Ning: "I can."
’Photoshopping a picture wouldn’t be too hard for me. The only question is whether there are any photos on the Kaper Terminal.’
With that thought, she opened the Kaper Terminal and began searching his photo gallery.
She had only looked at Kaper’s personal file yesterday and hadn’t checked anything else.
Even though Kaper was gone, the terminal was still his private property. She didn’t want to rummage through his things without a good reason. If Cook ever had the chance to return to his former self, she would have to give the Kaper Terminal back to him. It was one of the few belongings his brother had left behind.
There weren’t many photos in the gallery. Gu Ning did a quick scroll; most were landscape shots, seemingly taken casually along the way. Occasionally, other Beastman passersby were in the frame, but she couldn’t find any selfies.
The call hadn’t ended yet, so it wasn’t a good time for her to search photo by photo. She had no choice but to ask Andrew for one.
"Cyril will send one to you in a bit." Andrew glanced at the time. He still had two minutes to chat with his little journalist.
"Vine didn’t leave with you?" he asked.
Gu Ning: "No."
Then, Gu Ning added, "Wolf Team... a... dutiful soldier."
Andrew could tell the little female was speaking up for Vine. "And what about Leo?" he said.
Gu Ning: "Very lively."
Andrew: "And Philinos?"
Gu Ning: "Very quiet."
Andrew chuckled. "What about Alex?"
Gu Ning fell silent.
Andrew praised her nonchalantly, "Your spoken language has improved a lot these past few days. You were speaking very smoothly last night." He casually steered the conversation toward his subordinates. "How have you been getting along with them? Tell me about it."
Gu Ning felt as if her head were on fire, her face burning hot.
"Last night... last night the signal... was bad. Sorry, General." Gu Ning played dumb, keeping her voice very low. "I didn’t mean... to hang up on you."
Andrew chuckled. "Oh, so it was a bad signal. And here I was, thinking my communicator was broken."
Before Gu Ning could say anything, he said, "I have a meeting to get to."
Gu Ning: "Okay! Goodbye."
Andrew’s eyes narrowed slightly. He said slowly, "Drink plenty of water."
Gu Ning quickly agreed and hung up.
She slumped in her seat for a while before her mind turned to Andrew’s last words.
’Drink plenty of water? What does that mean?’
The more Gu Ning thought about it, the hotter her face became. ’No, it’s definitely not what I’m thinking.’
She immediately banished the thought from her mind, adjusted her posture in the seat, and stretched her arms and legs.
Her muscles were a little sore, especially a certain spot on her thigh.
Thankfully, the space in the vehicle and the seats were large enough for her to move around; she could even lie down to sleep without any issue. Otherwise, after what happened last night, she really wouldn’t have been able to take it.
The moment Gu Ning moved, she felt someone staring at her. She turned her head and saw Leighton driving properly. The little blondie was craning his neck, watching her without blinking. Mingxi, next to him, was sitting upright, but his eyes were also sparkling as he looked at her.
"Miss Female, are you very familiar with the General?" Belial asked curiously.
Gu Ning asked in surprise, "How did you know..."
She stopped mid-sentence. She was wearing an earpiece; perhaps the little blondie was just asking casually.
Just then, Mingxi produced a bottle of water from somewhere, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her. "Miss Gu Ning, please have some water."
Gu Ning: "..."
She hesitantly took off her earpiece to check if it was leaking sound.
"That damn Alex." Seeing that Gu Ning had ended her call, Leighton pulled out a tissue and blew his nose. "He covered you in such a strong scent. I have no idea how you can stand it."
Mingxi and Belial also discreetly rubbed their noses. Their upbringing in Zone 3 didn’t permit them to be impolite in front of a female.
But the wolf scent on Gu Ning was just too strong. It was mixed with a mating scent that was naturally repulsive to other males, a harsh assault on their sense of smell.
Gu Ning raised her hand and sniffed. She didn’t smell anything particularly unpleasant; in fact, there was a nice fragrance. It was the scented balm Alex had applied to her hands and face before they left to prevent her skin from chapping.
’Seems like having a poor sense of smell is a good thing.’
With that thought, Gu Ning lay down on her side with her back to Leighton, deciding to ignore them and get some proper sleep.
She had just closed her eyes when she heard Leighton say, "You’re tougher than I thought."
Gu Ning didn’t feel like dealing with him and pulled her scarf over her head.
Leighton glanced over at her and helped lower her seat. "Didn’t that little fox tell you to sleep after you’ve had breakfast?"
"You must be tired from last night, huh? Not hungry?"
"I mean, you’re so small... I thought Alex had more self-control."
Gu Ning wrapped the scarf tighter around herself and mumbled, "You’re so annoying. Be quiet."
Leighton’s lips curled into a smirk. "Alright, I won’t bother you."