Chapter 54: His Blood...

Suddenly, an aggressive kiss landed, sealing Luo Le's soft lips.

It was like a gentle silk caressing and chasing another tenderness within.

Luo Le hurriedly opened his eyes, only to find himself trapped in Huo Lanjing's lustful gaze, staring at him fiercely as if he intended to devour him whole.

The impending event was predictable even without much thought.

Recalling the nascent life growing inside him, Luo Le pushed the person on top of him away.

However, that person only retreated for a moment before pressing back down, holding his wrists with one hand and pinning his legs to prevent any movement.

Just as their lips met, a familiar sensation erupted in Luo Le's chest.

With a swift kick to a certain intimate spot, Luo Le struck a vulnerable area, causing Huo Lanjing to wince and pull away.

As the weight on him lifted, Luo Le scrambled to his feet and rushed to a trash can, vomiting out the foulness in his chest.

Huo Lanjing observed the bulging veins in the arms supporting his weight on either side, and the slight tremble of the back facing him.

He paused, then stepped forward with a grim expression.

After composing himself, Luo Le wiped his mouth with a tissue and, upon setting the trash can down, found Huo Lanjing looking down at him from above.

"My kiss is that repulsive? To make you react like this?"

Two questions in a row, and Huo Lanjing's face darkened to the point of dripping water.

Luo Le lowered his head, offering no explanation.

Seeing Luo Le's demeanor, Huo Lanjing's anger reached its peak.

"Very well, I won't kiss you again in the future."

He didn't bother seeking further annoyance and turned to leave. At the staircase, he glanced back at Luo Le.

"From now on, come home quietly. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to have Captain Lin fetch you."

With those words, Huo Lanjing left for the upper floor, leaving Luo Le in a daze.

Luo Le couldn't defy Huo Lanjing's request and could only resort to a one-sided cold war as a form of protest, albeit with minimal effect.

The oppressive days stretched on for an entire week.

With Wind City's training temporarily concluded, he earned a brief respite and mentioned his intention to visit Luo Le.

Luo Le didn't decline and submitted a request, which was promptly approved due to Luo Le's status.

Over the next few days, Luo Le took Wind City to the most notable spots in the Empire.

They returned home rather late each day.

Upon seeing Huo Lanjing's sullen expression but unable to voice any complaints, Luo Le found a strange sense of relief.

It was uncertain when Huo Lanjing would return to the military district.

Morning sickness was unbearable, and he had been caught several times.

Fortunately, Huo Lanjing didn't suspect anything.

But... in another month, his pregnancy would start to show...

In reality, he could have terminated it, but he couldn't bear to do so.

After all, this was a child he had longed for four years.

Luo Le had much to ponder over these days and eventually decided to keep the baby.

He didn't want Huo Lanjing or the Huo family to know about the child's existence.

If Huo Lanjing didn't leave, he would.

Yesterday, the Empire issued exit permits.

The mentor mentioned that the application was already in progress, and now they were just awaiting approval.

Things would be smoother from there on.

*

As twilight descended, a sleek black hovercar cruised along the road.

Given the marital alliance between the Li and Zhang families, the Huo family, as allies of the Li, received an invitation to the event.

Huo Fei happened to be away from the empire, so it fell upon Huo Lanjing and Luo Le to represent the family.

Luo Le had been coerced into attending; shortly after entering the banquet hall, the noise inside his head became unbearable.

Huo Lanjing noticed his distress. After the newlyweds had completed their rounds of toasting, he took Luo Le away.

"Still having a headache?"

Observing Luo Le massage his temples from time to time, Huo Lanjing retrieved painkillers from a cabinet and offered them.

Luo Le shook his head. "No, it's fine."

Now he couldn't take medication recklessly.

Luo Le refused him again.

Huo Lanjing silently retrieved the medicine.

The silence returned to the car interior.

Only the sound of wind brushing against the glass could be heard.

Feeling stuffy, Luo Le reached out to roll down the window, allowing the breeze to enter.

He leaned back on the seat, gazing outside with half-lidded eyes, seemingly enjoying the wind.

Huo Lanjing glanced at him, straightened up, and pretended to doze off with his eyes closed.

After a while, the car stopped in front of their home.

Luo Le opened the left door, propping it open with one hand while stepping out with the other foot.

Huo Lanjing shifted, following Luo Le's lead, intending to exit from the same side of the vehicle.

Just as Luo Le's right foot was about to touch the ground, a sudden red dot appeared before his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to discern what it could be.

Before he could figure it out, something pierced into his left chest, an indistinguishable sensation of pain or heat.

The entire world seemed to come to a standstill, plunging into an eerie silence.

Unaware, Huo Lanjing noticed Luo Le's rigid posture and leaned in, "What's the matter...?"

His words trailed off as he witnessed a blood-red rose burst onto Luo Le's white suit on his left chest.

Huo Lanjing's mind went blank in an instant. His heart was violently yanked by an external force, tearing apart piece by piece.

Luo Le's body seemed to have severed its tether, tilting and sliding downward.

Huo Lanjing, without time to think, hurriedly reached out to catch the falling figure.

"Luo, Luo Le, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

The emptiness in his heart grew, and Huo Lanjing hastily set him down, pressing a hand to his chest.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, disappearing into the folds of his clothing.

Luo Le's eyes were tightly shut, and the blood from his chest seemed endless, spreading down to his abdomen.

This couldn't go on.

Huo Lanjing activated his smart brain, ready to send a message when a red dot suddenly appeared on the screen.

He cursed under his breath, swiftly rolling with Luo Le to take cover behind the vehicle.

The clank of metal against metal sparked a tiny flame.

Just then, Captain Lin's communication connected.

"General, what's happened?"

"Prepare the finest healing chamber in the military district. I'll be there in ten minutes."

Without waiting for a response, Huo Lanjing promptly terminated the call.

He tore open his shirt's hem and used it to tightly bind Luo Le's wound.

As another hovercar pulled up behind them, he gently placed Luo Le in the back seat, fastened the safety harness, disabled the autopilot, and stepped on the accelerator with force.

The hovercar shot out like a train off its tracks, soaring through the prohibited high altitude without hindrance.

Unbeknownst to him, a string of patrol officers had begun tailing them.

Huo Lanjing couldn't spare the attention to worry about the situation. He took shortcuts while intermittently checking the rearview mirror to monitor Luo Le in the back seat.

Luo Le's complexion grew increasingly pale as life drained from him.

Ten minutes later, the car came to a stop at the entrance of the military hospital.

Huo Lanjing, not daring to waste any time, quickly got out of the vehicle to retrieve the person from the backseat.

The moment his hands touched Luo Le's, Huo Lanjing felt a sudden jolt in his chest.

There was no pulse.

How could this be...

In a state of panic, Huo Lanjing lifted the man by his waist and rushed inside with a grim expression.

Lieutenant Lin watched as the two figures bypassed him at the entrance, a shock coursing through him.

Huo Lanjing was covered in blood, making it impossible to tell if it was his or the person he was carrying.

And the person in his arms... their face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.

He hurriedly ran after them, barely managing to keep up.

Huo Lanjing turned to look at the person who had caught up, "Which room?"

Lieutenant Lin replied hastily, "The first one."

Huo Lanjing dashed into the first room without looking back.

Breathless, Lieutenant Lin entered to find Luo Le already inside the treatment pod, while Huo Lanjing leaned against it, intently observing the person within.

"Lieutenant General... should we tend to your injuries? I can keep watch here."

Huo Lanjing's gaze never wavered from the pod. "It's... all his blood."

Lieutenant Lin was taken aback. So much blood?

Although the treatment pods were incredibly potent, capable of regenerating flesh and bones, they couldn't revive the dead.

The amount of blood loss... didn't bode well.

A string of words appeared on the pod's interface.

Huo Lanjing could only see red – indicating failure – and yellow – suggesting a restart.

The gaping wound in his chest had been sealed, but he was yet to regain consciousness.

Each time the healing pod flashed red, Huo Lanjing's heart clenched tighter.

As the minutes ticked by, the pod continued to alternate between red and yellow lights.

A veil of gloom settled over Huo Lanjing's eyes. He lifted his hand to examine the blood on it, then slightly curled his fist.

Luo Le... had been injured so severely right under his nose... and now hovered between life and death.

When had his vigilance become so lax?

Huo Lanjing struck his thigh and kept his right hand gripping the healing pod, knuckles turning white.

"Leave."

Captain Lin acknowledged the order and left silently, pulling the door closed behind him.

After a moment of thought, he exited the room as well.

Until dawn, the healing pod emitted a gentle green glow.

Not until Luo Le's vital signs returned to normal did a hint of clarity return to Huo Lanjing's eyes.

Thankfully, thankfully.

Within the group in the treatment pods, their lips still held a pale hue, but their cheeks regained a touch of color.

Huo Lanjing exhaled in relief.

Considering the ambush awaiting at his doorstep tonight, Huo Lanjing clenched his fist so tightly that his nails pierced into his flesh without him noticing the pain.

"Rest assured, he won't escape."

With Luo Le's vital signs returning to normal, the weight on Huo Lanjing's heart lifted. He instructed two soldiers to guard the entrance before departing.

In the office restroom, the man reflected in the mirror bore several bloody trails across his face, extending down from his neck to a dark red stain that covered his body.

The faucet water gushed continuously as the hands placed beneath it scrubbed persistently, maintaining their initial motion.

With an earnest expression, Huo Lanjing fixated on his hands under the sink, washing them for a long while. There was still blood on them.

Later on, he simply resigned himself to the water's deluge.

The blazing sun poured in through the window, casting its rays upon the tabletop.

The healing pod was cooler in the areas not bathed in light.

In the Wind City, someone sat by the bedside, holding a book and keeping watch over the person inside the healing pod.

Yesterday, he had dialed Luo Le's number nearly thirty times with no response. On the final attempt, a cold voice informed him that Luo Le had been hospitalized.

That was why he rushed to Wind City.

Actually, Huo Lanjing didn't particularly like Wind City and didn't want him to come. However, he was, after all, Luo Le's friend.

If he didn't inform Wind City, he was afraid Luo Le would become upset again.

Luo Le had been in a deep slumber for a day and two nights, showing no signs of waking up.

The next day, once Luo Le's vital signs stabilized, Huo Lanjing took him to the hospital, aware that Luo Le disliked overly oppressive environments.

Feeling somewhat fatigued from sitting, Wind City suddenly heard a piercing alarm. Being unfamiliar with the treatment pod, he quickly pressed the bell by the window.

Within minutes, a doctor in a white coat entered from outside the door, summoning Wind City out of the room.

Luo Le felt his body suspended in mid-air, a sensation he was quite accustomed to.

Gradually, his body descended back to the ground, and as it touched down, something seemed to be drained away from him.

Horrible, claw-bearing insects suddenly appeared before him, prompting him to scramble to his feet and flee. But his legs seemed frozen, rendering him immobile.

The bugs were just one meter away, about to grab him.

With a jolt, Luo Le opened his eyes to see four or five people in white coats standing before him.

Pausing in surprise, he surveyed his surroundings. This was the Huo family's hospital.