Chapter 376 - 338: I’m Guessing You’ve Already Become Her Mate
Chapter 376: Chapter 338: I’m Guessing You’ve Already Become Her Mate
"Ningning and he seem very close."
Lanuo tore his gaze away from the pair to check the reaction of the alpha wolf beside him.
Alex, his expression impassive, pulled him out of the hospital room and gently closed the door.
Lanuo said, "I haven’t gone in to check on Ningning yet."
Alex replied, "You’ve done enough checks for today. And, use her full name."
Lanuo chuckled. "Weren’t you the one who rushed me over here to treat her? What, you don’t want me to take her treatment seriously? To give her the best care possible?"
Alex couldn’t be bothered to bicker with him. "Let them get some proper sleep. Barto hasn’t slept a wink in two days. You can come back and check on Gu Ning later."
Lanuo said, "I haven’t seen you sleep either. Go get some sleep. I’ll stand watch."
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off his exhaustion and leaned against the wall. "That’s not necessary. You go rest. I’ll call you if anything happens."
"You might as well go sleep in there," Lanuo said teasingly. "Miss Ningning’s bed is quite spacious. There’s room for you, too."
Alex shot him a look. "Looks like I’ll have to find Gu Ning a less talkative primary physician."
Lanuo held up his hands. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking."
Seeing he couldn’t sway him, Lanuo glanced at the door to the room and asked, "That fox belongs to the Military Department?"
Alex replied, "Sort of."
’Gu Ning is a reporter for the Military Department now. Andrew has probably recruited Barto as well. Otherwise, he would never let an uncontrollable Mixed Breed stay by Gu Ning’s side.’
’Barto isn’t as easy to keep an eye on as Cook. He’s as intelligent as any ordinary Beastman—maybe even smarter. There’s another thing: his current state is relatively stable, but no one can be sure if that’s because he consumed a King Seed Core. Even Barto himself wouldn’t dare to say for sure.’
’Because of this, regardless of whether Barto is only staying with Gu Ning for her sake, Andrew has to use certain measures to keep him in check.’
’But even though he appears stable, Barto needs the Blue Gold Inhibitor to maintain that stability long-term. That fact alone confirms he belongs to the Military Department.’
’The Blue Gold Inhibitor is supplied exclusively to the Military Department. Barto might have been able to procure some in Zone 19, but now that he’s left, he can only rely on the supply from the Military Department.’
"Sort of?" Lanuo stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Miss Ningning is also with the Military Department. I guess it makes sense that she’d be on such good terms with a Mixed Breed."
Alex stiffened. "You figured it out?"
Lanuo said, "How could I not? He’s a Mixed Breed who’s undergone a second-stage metamorphosis. Don’t mistake me for one of those unobservant types."
An almost imperceptible twitch went through Alex’s brow. ’His perceptive abilities are definitely better than the average Beastman’s, but he still hasn’t figured out Gu Ning’s identity. I’ll let him think about it for a few more days. Better that than him pestering her about it.’
"Still, there’s something strange about that fox," Lanuo said.
Alex asked, "What’s strange about him?"
Lanuo replied, "I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ve been observing him for the last two days, and I’ve noticed he’s a little... too stable."
Alex said calmly, "Stable Mixed Breeds who’ve undergone second-stage metamorphosis are rare, but they exist. He’s with the Military Department, so he has access to better Inhibitors. Naturally, he’s going to be much more stable than others who’ve gone through the same thing."
Lanuo said, "You’re not wrong, but I still feel like something isn’t right."
Alex lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes, and cut the conversation short. "Go get some rest while you can."
Lanuo glanced at the hospital room, reluctant to leave. He planned to go back in for another check-up later. It irked him that Alex had pulled him out and interrupted his work.
As a researcher and part-time doctor, he had a deep-seated, almost obsessive fascination with his research and anything that piqued his interest.
Lanuo leaned against the wall next to Alex, mentally calculating when to change her IV drip.
"Oh, right." Lanuo turned to Alex. "Have you submitted a mating application for Miss Ningning?"
"My registration is in Zone 5," Alex said, his eyes still closed. "The application has to be filed there."
Lanuo said, "I almost forgot."
"When I first got here, I could smell your scent all over her. Seeing how close you two are, I figured you were already her mate."
"You’d better hurry up," Lanuo rambled on. "Otherwise, by the time you get back to Zone 5, she might take a fancy to some other wolf..."
Alex took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and grabbed Lanuo by the scruff of his neck. With a hard push, he shoved him forward. "Scram and get some rest."
"..."
「Late at night.」
Lanuo quietly changed Gu Ning’s IV drip. After observing the sleeping pair for a moment, he went to the adjacent room to rest.
The moment he left, Gu Ning woke up.
’Maybe I’ve been sleeping too much these last two days. Or maybe it’s just that Barto’s head on my stomach is a little uncomfortable.’
Gu Ning stared at the ceiling for a moment before her gaze shifted to the little fox.
He was sleeping soundly. Not wanting to wake him, Gu Ning decided to go back to sleep.
But for some reason, she felt unusually wide awake, with no trace of sleepiness.
After she lay there for a while, the sedative in her IV drip began to take effect. Gu Ning’s eyelids started to feel heavy.
Just as Gu Ning was about to fall asleep, she felt as if someone’s fingers had brushed against her chest.
Then, the warm, slightly rough touch of fingers traveled downward, stroking toward her waist.
Gu Ning jolted awake, her eyes flying open to scan the hospital room.
The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of Barto’s steady breathing and the soft whirring of medical equipment.
Gu Ning glanced at the deeply sleeping Barto, then turned to look at the privacy curtain beside her bed.
There wasn’t a single stir.
’Strange...’
’That feeling just now... I must have been dreaming, right?’
Gu Ning placed a hand on her forehead and let out a long sigh of relief.
Just then, she felt that caress on her chest again.
Gu Ning froze, looking down at her chest.
An invisible finger caressed the spot over her heart a few times, then vanished.
Just when Gu Ning had convinced herself it was another illusion or part of a dream, the finger returned. It tapped lightly above her heart, and then an entire invisible palm pressed down, covering the spot.
Gu Ning’s eyes suddenly widened.
’This... what is this?!’
The sensation of the palm was incredibly real, as if someone had actually placed their hand over her heart and was pressing down.
Gu Ning couldn’t help but shudder, goosebumps rising on her skin. She frantically tugged down her gown, trying to see what was happening.
Barto was startled awake by her movements. He pushed himself upright on the bed, his eyes bleary with sleep. "Xiao Ning, what’s wrong? Do you need to go to the..."
Barto’s voice caught in his throat. He stared, stunned and motionless, at Gu Ning, who had pulled her gown halfway down her chest.
Gu Ning’s eyes met his for a second before she followed his gaze down to her own chest. "..."
"Barto, it’s..." Gu Ning’s face instantly flushed crimson. Just as she tried to explain, the invisible hand slid to her waist and began rubbing it. Gu Ning nearly leaped out of the bed.
"It’s—it’s on my wais... waist!"
Gu Ning couldn’t worry about modesty anymore and frantically lifted her gown.
She yanked it up. There was nothing there.