Chapter 371 - 333: Ningning? Her Name Is Ningning?
Chapter 371: Chapter 333: Ningning? Her Name Is Ningning?
When Alex heard the phrase "a mere pittance," his brow twitched. He leaned against the wall and patiently waited for Lanuo to finish.
The words were harsh, but he wasn’t wrong. The few wolves under his command were indeed no match for the sheer size of Alihot’s Wolf Pack.
Although the 12th District and Zone 5 were far apart, the train ride was less than a day after passing the transfer station in Zone 15. He had to think things through more carefully.
Lanuo leaned in closer to him and lowered his voice. "If this young lady is willing to help you, that’s great. But my fear is that she’ll bring her own people, help you halfway, and then turn around and take a liking to some other wolf pack. If that happens, you won’t stand a chance."
As he said this, Lanuo seemed to foresee a miserable future for Alex, a future he couldn’t bear to dwell on.
Alex said calmly, "The Beast Alliance explicitly forbids individuals and groups from interfering in the conflicts of other factions. The matters of Zone 5 can only be resolved by the people of Zone 5."
"That’s what the rules say," Lanuo said. "But Zone 5 is no stranger to outside intervention. Otherwise, how did Alihot rise to power? And how did you end up in Zone 19? You’re not some thick-headed wolf; you should understand this better than I do."
Alex crossed his arms, lowered his gaze, and remained silent.
Lanuo continued, "While you still have the chance, don’t take this female to Zone 5. Wait until you’ve established a foothold there and dealt with that big headache Alihot. Then go to her. That’s much better than coaxing her into going with you now."
Alex turned his head and said, "Did we just meet today?"
Lanuo’s eyes scanned him up and down, his expression clearly saying, ’As if I don’t know you.’
Alex wasn’t the type for sweet-talking, but he wasn’t as gentle and approachable as he appeared on the surface.
"I didn’t coax her," Alex said, offering a rare explanation.
Learning from past mistakes, he didn’t want Lanuo’s careless words to cause a misunderstanding between him and Gu Ning.
Lanuo seemed agitated right now, but the fatigue in his eyes and the dark circles underneath exposed his lack of rest. His mind probably wasn’t all there, either. Otherwise, with his intellect, and considering Alex had previously asked him to analyze Gu Ning’s genes, he should have realized by now that her identity wasn’t as simple as he thought.
"Whether you coaxed her or not, from what I see, this female is young and probably easily persuaded." Lanuo nudged him with his elbow. "If not, we could always..."
"Could always what?" Alex cut him off, his tone laced with a warning. "Don’t you dare try any of your shady tricks on her."
Lanuo started, "What I meant was..."
"Enough," Alex said. "I brought you here to treat Ningning’s illness. We’ll talk about everything else later."
Lanuo’s eyes lit up. "Ningning? Her name is Ningning?"
Alex said, "Her name is Gu Ning. Call her by her proper name."
"COUGH COUGH COUGH..." The young female’s coughing pierced through the closed door, reaching their ears.
Both of them froze.
"The other doctors treating Ningning are in the consultation room." Alex pointed Lanuo in the direction of the consultation room and was about to push open the door to the hospital room.
Lanuo grabbed him. "You need to listen to my advice, so I can make the proper arrangements for what comes next."
"What advice?"
"I’ll take her to another Zone for treatment. I’ll look after her for you, so you can go back to Zone 5 without any worries. Once..."
Before Lanuo could finish, Alex grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved him toward the consultation room. "Your only mission right now is to treat Ningning. Don’t even think about anything else."
"Tsk... went away for a bit and came back so possessive, have we?"
「Five minutes earlier.」
Gu Ning lay in her hospital bed, resting. She was waiting for Barto to return with her meal, and also for Alex and the doctor named Lanuo to finish their conversation and come in. She wanted to get a clear understanding of her own condition.
Although Barto had said her condition wasn’t serious, his expression didn’t seem nearly as relaxed as his tone.
Alex had even specially summoned a doctor from Zone 5. The last time she was sick, he had simply taken care of her himself and given her some medicine, and she’d gotten better. No matter how she looked at it, this was no minor illness.
Ever since she’d transmigrated to this world, her greatest fear had been getting sick. She and the Beastmen were different species, so their medicines weren’t compatible. Treatment wasn’t as easy as it was in the world she came from, and she was even more terrified of catching some unknown disease.
All sorts of chaotic thoughts drifted through Gu Ning’s groggy, aching head.
After staring for a while at the slow drip of the IV bag, Gu Ning suddenly felt an urge to see Cook.
’Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Cook in days. I wonder how he’s doing. Without me there, is he eating and sleeping properly?’
Barto had said Seth was out playing with Cook. They were probably playing in the snow.
’This is the 12th District, Cook’s hometown. He must be happy to be back here.’
Gu Ning turned her head to look at the window to her left—
She didn’t see a window. A curtain blocked her view—not a window curtain, but a privacy curtain dividing the room.
Gu Ning found this a little strange. She hadn’t noticed the curtain before. From the room’s layout, it looked like a semi-private room.
’But I should be the only patient, right? Barto and the others never mentioned anyone else being here.’
Gu Ning reached out to pull the curtain aside.
It was a little too far; she couldn’t reach.
After scooting closer to the edge of the bed, she grabbed the side of the curtain and pulled it open with a smooth slide—
Another hospital bed appeared before her.
Gu Ning froze when she saw the Beastman lying on the bed.
"Phi... Philinos?!"
The Little Fairy Bird on the bed was deathly pale. His eyes were shut tight and his breathing was shallow, as if he were merely sleeping. His naked body was just as pale and bloodless. He lay there, stiff and still, his body covered in either scars or bandages. His long, white hair fanned out across the white sheets; if not for the faint blue gradient at the tips, he would have blended in completely with the bed.
"COUGH COUGH COUGH!"
Gu Ning threw off the covers and slid out of bed, intending to go to Philinos’s side and check on him. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of her right hand.
She looked down. The IV tube wasn’t long enough, and her sudden movement had yanked it halfway out. Blood was already oozing from the back of her hand, and she quickly pressed down on the needle site.
"Ningning."
Alex pushed the door open and rushed to her side. He took her bleeding hand, swiftly pulled the needle out completely, and grabbed a cotton ball from the nearby table to press against the puncture wound and stop the bleeding.
"What’s wrong?!"
Just then, Barto returned with a food container. Seeing the scene, he hurried over.
"I’m fine," Gu Ning said, her voice hoarse. "I saw Philinos... I wasn’t paying attention..."
"He’s fine, too." Alex lifted her back onto the bed. "His recovery is very strong. He’ll wake up in a couple of days."
Gu Ning fell silent at his words. ’He’ll wake up in a couple of days... The last time Leo was run through by a Mutant Species, he was up and running around in just a few hours. But Philinos will take two or three days to wake up? That means his injuries are far from ordinary.’
Barto glanced at Philinos, then pulled the curtain closed again, blocking Gu Ning’s view.
’I told them not to put this bird in the same room as Gu Ning,’ he thought. ’But that old bird insisted on putting him here. It’s not like we’re short on rooms. How is Gu Ning supposed to rest properly with this going on?’
’If it was just that old bird, I would’ve secretly wheeled this guy into the room next door. But with an elder female keeping watch, it’s not my place to move this little bird.’
’This is exactly why I didn’t want to bring Gu Ning to the Upper District in the first place, why I didn’t want to get mixed up with these people. I hate dealing with this kind of situation.’