Chapter 330 - 292: She Is So Adorable
Chapter 330: Chapter 292: She Is So Adorable
Several off-road vehicles flying the Military Department’s flag drove steadily through the morning mist and darkness.
In winter, Zone 15 was just as silent as Zone 19. At this hour, the streets were practically deserted, save for the patrolling security teams.
Leighton’s gaze shifted from a security team back to the little one curled up and fast asleep in the passenger seat.
She must have felt too stuffy, as she’d stopped covering her head with her scarf, revealing a small, flushed face.
The last time he had seen her was back when he led the little lions to capture a fugitive in Zone 19.
He hadn’t seen her in several days, and her face had gotten a bit rounder.
’Looks like those guys from the Military Department took good care of her,’ Leighton thought to himself. Glancing back, he saw the two little lions in the backseat, craning their necks to stare at Gu Ning.
They had been holding that position ever since she fell asleep.
"Have you two stared enough?"
"Nope." Belial leaned forward against the back of the seat, watching the little female sleep without blinking. He sighed in satisfaction. "She’s just so cute."
Mingxi gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Leighton scoffed. "Aren’t you two from the Upper District? You act like you’ve never seen a female before."
Belial shot him a look. "What does finding her cute have to do with whether I’ve seen other females?"
Mingxi tugged on his arm and said softly, "Keep it down. Don’t wake her up."
Belial’s gaze returned to the little female. After a moment, he asked, "Mingxi, do you think Miss Gu Ning has forgiven us?"
"No," Mingxi said without any hesitation.
If Miss Gu Ning was truly on an undercover mission, then their actions had not only sabotaged it but were also extremely offensive. How could she possibly forgive them after just a few words of apology?
Belial sighed again, worrying that he had failed to make a good impression on the young female.
Gazing at the little female’s cute, flushed face, Belial asked, "Can I take a picture of Miss Gu Ning?"
"No," Mingxi and Leighton said in unison.
"Oh." Belial said, "I was just thinking about it."
Leighton saw right through his little scheme and warned, "And taking a photo secretly is definitely not allowed."
Belial said, "I wouldn’t do that. I’ll ask her for a photo together when she wakes up."
Leighton said, "You can dream. You’re lucky she hasn’t kicked you out of the car already."
Belial huffed. "If she’s kicking anyone out, it’ll be you. She looks like she wants to run the moment she sees you. Did you do something bad to her in the past?"
Mingxi’s gaze shifted to Leighton. He had a few suspicions of his own.
Miss Gu Ning had said she was an undercover reporter, disguised as a Mixed Breed and living among them. She would have inevitably had dealings with Leighton. Judging by her attitude toward him, something unpleasant must have happened between them.
’And her identity... He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.’
A vibration on Mingxi’s wrist pulled him from his thoughts. He opened his terminal.
There were messages from Ming Ze and his teacher, Eric.
He opened Eric’s chat window first:
[Did you get the blood sample from that Mimic Mixed Species for testing? Any results?]
Mingxi thought for a moment before replying: [Admiral Andrew arranged for us to leave the zone with his subordinates. The Mimic Mixed Species is being watched closely by the Military Department personnel. We couldn’t get near it.]
Eric:
[Leaving the zone? At a time like this?]
Eric, who had woken up early, saw the message, and his drowsy eyes immediately sharpened.
He put down his coffee and frowned as he typed: [Didn’t I tell you to come back at the end of winter? I even had Kevin put in a word with the Military Department.]
The roads weren’t safe in winter, especially in the Middle Lower District where encounters with Mutant Species were common. Mingxi’s team had fewer than ten people. It would be dangerous if they ran into a horde of Mutant Species.
Even if they were traveling with the military, the Upper District wasn’t stable either. Over in Zone 5, the Wolf Pack was trying to seize more territory and control before spring. Under the guise of security patrols, they organized large numbers of Special Security Teams to set up roadblocks on the roads around the cities. They drove out whoever they wanted, recruited whoever they could, and used various means to detain any who put up a fight.
The Zone 5 Wolf Pack was no longer satisfied with just Zone 5; they wanted to extend their reach into the Beast Alliance’s territory.
Young public officials like Mingxi and his team were their prime targets.
After sending the message, Eric decided to call Mingxi directly.
The little lions hadn’t been responding to his messages for the past few days, and his calls wouldn’t go through. To think they had actually left with people from the Military Department.
The call connected, but it was hung up less than two seconds later.
[Teacher, it’s not convenient for me to talk right now. Please message me if you need anything.]
Eric’s brow furrowed even deeper. He replied: [Why didn’t you follow my orders? You aren’t part of the Military Department. Forget an admiral; not even a marshal has the authority to bypass me and assign you a mission.]
Mingxi glanced at the sleeping female and replied:
[Teacher, the situation in Zone 19 is complicated. I’ll explain everything in detail when I get back.]
Eric: [Are you hiding something from me?]
He knew these little lions too well, especially Mingxi, who had been a terrible liar since he was a cub.
Meanwhile, Belial, the loudest of the bunch, had been unusually quiet. Ever since the Mutant Species cleanup in Zone 19, he’d barely said a peep to him. Something was definitely wrong.
Mingxi was the team leader. If he wasn’t talking, there was no getting anything out of the other little lions.
[Yes, there is.]
Mingxi didn’t want to lie to Eric, but Admiral Andrew had instructed him that they were on a confidential mission. They couldn’t reveal anything to anyone until it was complete. Otherwise, not only would they be kicked off the team, but they would also be punished for dereliction of duty.
Eric: [What is it? A confidential mission for the military?]
Mingxi: [I’m sorry, Teacher. I’ll tell you when I get back. I’m sure you’ll understand.]
From his reply, Eric guessed it had to be a confidential mission, and a high-level one at that.
Although the Beast Alliance’s administration and the Military Department each managed their own affairs, in a chaotic place like Zone 19, the Military Department held immense power. Some things were simply too much for young lions like Mingxi and his team to handle.
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand; he was worried they would be screwed over by that lion, Andrew.
That guy was no pushover. In just a few years, he had practically brought Zone 19 entirely under his control, making him just as formidable as the powers in Zone 5, if not more so.
Although Zone 5 was already considered the Wolf Pack’s territory, the Beast Alliance could still exert some influence there. Besides, the Wolf Pack’s intense internal strife kept them from becoming a unified threat.
Andrew controlled the two largest military districts and a portion of the Crystal Stone Mines in the No Man’s Land. Zone 19 seemed insignificant on the surface; the recurring scourge of Mutant Species made any construction or development difficult, leaving it to exist merely as a fortress.
But Zone 19 was a major industrial hub. Its proximity to the No Man’s Land made it dangerous but also convenient for acquiring Crystal Stones. The annual tide of Mutant Species was like a great harvest; the production of Inhibitors alone was enough to prop up Zone 19’s entire economy. This was why so many Beastmen were fighting tooth and nail for a government position there.
Zone 19 was far from the Central District, making it difficult for the Beast Alliance to govern—not that they really wanted to. Anyone with enough nerve could go there and make a fortune in just a few years. After working for a while, they could use Zone 19 as a stepping stone to secure a post in the Upper Middle District, which in turn made it easy to meet females.
However, after Andrew took over, using Zone 19 to get rich or as a career stepping stone became much harder.
This lion was standing in other people’s way, and now many wanted to take him down. By following him, the little lions could easily become shields to take the fall for him, or worse, be used as pawns.
He had hired a mercenary for the little lions instead of seeking help from the Military Department precisely because he didn’t want them getting mixed up in all this. But in the end, Andrew had gotten his claws into them anyway.