Chapter 25: If He Doesn’t Come…

Chapter 25 - If He Doesn't Come...

Huo Lanjing stared at the mecha that had seemingly materialized out of thin air, pausing for a moment.

He never would have imagined that Luo Le would one day stand in front of him like this.

But he knew that Luo Le stood no chance against them.

He held onto Luo Le's hand and spoke in a hushed tone, "You can't defeat them. Run, get help. Don't worry, they won't kill me that easily."

Huo Lanjing's voice was unusually devoid of its usual coldness.

Luo Le pushed away his hand. "At this point, you should save your strength for when you escape later."

Without another glance at him, Luo Le climbed into the mecha.

The insectoids regained their wits and began spewing venom.

Luo Le maneuvered the mecha to dodge, but still got stuck with some, resulting in several corroded holes.

But now was not the time to be grieving over the mecha.

With his agility, he could only dodge the insects' attacks with all his might. For now, the insects were cautious due to their uncertainty about the situation.

If she had discovered that he was all show and no substance, she wouldn't be holding back as she is now.

At that time, he would have even less chance of winning.

What should be done in this situation?

Luo Le's mind raced, and a sudden insight struck him.

The insectoids... They had a drug that could temporarily paralyze them!

He seemed to have brought it with him.

Looking at Huo Lanjing lying on the screen, Luo Le poured the vial of medicine into the mecha's mouth.

Then, he pressed the spray button, and instantly, a white mist enveloped the forest.

He released enough gas to take down two hundred Zerg, but due to its gaseous state, its potency was significantly reduced.

The effect wasn't immediate, so he could only evade while hoping the drug would kick in sooner.

Suddenly, a centipede struck with lightning speed, stomping heavily on his chest and roaring at Luo Le.

From this angle, he could clearly see its drooling mouth.

A wave of putrid odor hit him.

Pilots controlled their mechas through mental power. Luo Le's mental strength was already weak, and his mecha wasn't top-notch either.

After this encounter, the mecha cracked in a few fine lines.

Luo Le felt as if his head had been struck violently; his body jolted uncomfortably.

Holding onto the handrail, he vomited, retching until there was nothing left, yet still feeling nauseous.

Despite so much time passing, the drug's effects were disappointingly slow to manifest.

Have they evolved to be immune to these drugs already?

That was terrifying. It had only been six months since they discovered the effectiveness of these medications against the insectoids.

Luo Le felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the lifeless state of the insectoids on the screen.

They couldn't possibly fall here today, could they?

The centipede slapped Luo Le's mech away, and a lizard caught it, delivering another tail strike.

After several exchanges, Luo Le was bounced around like a rubber ball.

Just as another tail swipe was about to hit him, Luo Le stabilized his mech and somersaulted backward to dodge.

Before he could regain his footing, another lizard behind him kicked him to the ground.

"Fun, isn't it?"

It was the same lizard that had just conversed with Huo Lanjing.

Luo Le didn't respond, instead turning his gaze toward the diminutive lizard clad in a white lab coat.

It was the only insectoid not participating in the revelry.

Staring into its dark brown eyes, something about the lizard's demeanor struck Luo Le as off.

Not receiving a reply from Luo Le, the lizard's foot pressed down heavily, followed by a stream of dark blue liquid reaching up to its chest.

A scorching, caramel-scented venom ate through the armor on the mech's chest, leaving a large hole behind.

In the meantime, Luo Le felt his chest consumed by scorching flames, an excruciating pain spreading throughout his body.

"Ahh..."

He couldn't stop clutching at his chest, digging into his flesh until it was mangled, yet he didn't cease.

A pained cry echoed from within the mecha, resonating through the entire forest.

Huo Lanjing struggled to his feet, staggering forward, "Luo Le." He held on with all his might.

Luo Le was in such agony that he couldn't hear anything around him; it felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.

Just as he thought they were all done for, the weight pressing down on him vanished.

With a few heavy exhales, Luo Le pushed himself up and looked at the light screen.

The lizard that had been trampling them was now lying unconscious beside him.

On the screen, one by one, the insects were falling into a slumber.

Luo Le wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and, with a stumble, regained control of his mecha.

The main circuit board seemed to be fried, sparks shooting out uncontrollably.

Retracting the mecha, Luo Le held onto the bracelet with one hand and, with incredible speed, flew towards Huo Lanjing, seizing his wrist and lifting it upward.

The bracelet shot back in the direction from which Luo Le had come.

Nervous or not, Luo Le's hand was slick with moisture.

Heat from Luo Le's wrist transmitted into Huo Lanjing's hand.

With his eyes fixed ahead, Luo Le remained vigilant of their surroundings.

Looking at the sweat-drenched face above him, something stirred in Huo Lanjing's heart, prompting him to wipe away the beads of perspiration on Luo Le's forehead.

Luo Le's collar was also damp, whether from sweat or something else was unclear.

If someone had told Huo Lanjing in the past that one day Luo Le would save him from the battlefield, he would have scoffed and ridiculed the notion.

Yet, today, it had indeed come true.

Dark shadows swirled in Huo Lanjing's deep eyes, concealing his thoughts.

His gaze trailed downward, from the jawline to the shoulder, then to the wrist, ultimately resting on the point where their skins met.

Luo Le's nerves were taut, and before long, the pull ring's energy was depleted.

He, too, had reached his limit.

Both of them tumbled down from mid-air. Luo Le let out a startled cry as she fell.

It wasn't as painful as she had imagined; her palms even felt somewhat soft upon impact.

Huo Lanjing!

Luo Le propped herself up halfway.

"Husband, are you alright?"

Upon looking down, she found Huo Lanjing unconscious with his eyes closed.

Luo Le panicked and shook his shoulders. "Husband, are you okay? Don't scare me like this. Husband? Huo Lanjing? Huo Lanjing! Wake up."

She slapped his face gently, but the person beneath her showed no signs of stirring.

They had landed in an open area. They were still within the sight range of the insectoids and could easily be discovered.

Luo Le took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around Huo Lanjing's neck, holding one of his hands with his own while the other encircled his waist.

Huo Lanjing towered over him by half a head, his upper body leaning heavily on him. Already heavier in stature, he felt even more cumbersome now that he was unconscious.

Luo Le advanced with measured steps, taking twenty minutes to cover a mere fifty meters.

After a great effort, he finally managed to support Huo Lanjing and lay him gently inside the tree hollow.

Luo Le retrieved two vials of nutrient solution from his ring. He hastily downed one and then dripped several drops of medicine into the other.

Gently gripping his jaw, Luo Le compelled Huo Lanjing to open his mouth.

With patience, Luo Le administered the nutrient solution drop by drop into his mouth.

When the vial was emptied, Luo Le tenderly wiped the moisture from the corners of Huo Lanjing's lips with the sleeve of their garment.

After these actions, Luo Le propped their chin up and traced a path with their hand from Huo Lanjing's forehead, down to his nose, then his lips, throat, collarbone, and finally rested it upon his chest.

The crimson flow from the wound had ceased, but the sight of the flesh seemingly carved out, leaving an empty cavity, was haunting.

Luo Le's nose stung with emotion; if he hadn't come today, Huo Lanjing would have perished there.

To hell with invincibility – he was human, not a deity.

Rising to his feet, Luo Le tore off several strips of cloth and awkwardly began bandaging Huo Lanjing.

Though the bleeding had already stopped, the binding would only suffocate the wound.

But an eerie scent lingered in the air; who knew what unclean elements it might harbor.

After attending to all these matters, Luo Le had no energy left for himself.

Luo Le flipped over to lie on the uninjured side of Huo Lanjing, resting his head on his chest and listening to his faint heartbeat.

Huo Lanjing's scent brought a sense of comfort to Luo Le. The worries and fears of the past few days had prevented him from getting proper sleep.

Whether it was due to exhaustion or pain, Luo Le drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, the sky was gloomy. He stood before an imposing building, with people around him smiling and greeting him warmly.

In the next instant, he was shoved forward, barely managing to regain his balance by the door when it slammed shut. The atmosphere inside was solemn, and he was dragged along by his father with force.

How eerily familiar this scene felt...

Just as he was about to break free, he saw Huo Lanjing approach expressionlessly, standing firmly by his side.

"Mr. Luo Le, would you do me the honor of marrying Admiral Huo Lanjing, to be his partner for life..."

His heart skipped a few beats.

Luo Le instinctively turned to look at the person beside him, only to find Huo Lanjing's expression becoming increasingly indistinct.

Slowly, darkness veiled his face, and his skin began to rot, blood dripping onto the cuffs of his pristine white suit.

"Huo Lanjing!"

Startled, Luo Le sat up in bed, his heart still racing from the nightmare.

beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, sliding along his jawline, leaving him feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Where was he? No, where was Huo Lanjing?

Luo Le hastily threw off the covers and propped himself up to get out of bed. The moment his feet touched the ground and he tried to stand, his legs gave way, causing him to collapse.

Grasping the edge of the bed, he managed to prevent himself from falling flat on his face.

"You're awake?"

Luo Le looked up to see a young man, dressed in blue, standing before him, his body wrapped snugly.

But that face was familiar.

"It's you?"

It was the young man whose face had been injured by the insectoids. The scars on his face had significantly faded.

"It's me. Lie back down quickly, your body is still weak. You can't catch a cold."

With those words, he set down the tray he was holding and stepped forward to help Luo Le back into bed.

But Luo Le waved him off. "What about the person who was with me?"

The young man smiled. "He's in another room. Don't worry, he's doing fine."

Luo Le frowned at him. "I want to see him."

The youth paused. "Don't worry, Admiral. His injuries were severe, but he's in good health. He's mostly recovered by now."

Still gazing at the young man, Luo Le persisted. "I said I want to see him."

The young man sighed. Why was this person so stubborn?

"I'll go get him then."

In no time, the young man returned, followed by Huo Lanjing. He was wearing a loose white casual outfit and a pair of flowing white pants.

Completely different from his usual attire – no trace of the maturity he exuded in suits or military uniforms.

As soon as Huo Lanjing entered, he saw Luo Le leaning against the headboard in a light blue loose-fitting shirt, his face pale and colorless. Even before Huo Lanjing stepped in, their eyes met.

With a few unruly strands of hair sticking up from his head, his eyebrows hidden beneath the mess, he looked surprisingly obedient.

Huo Lanjing took a seat by Luo Le's bedside. They had been here for two weeks now. Huo Lanjing had woken up a week earlier than Luo Le, and he visited him every day during that week.

Luo Le glanced at the young man standing behind Huo Lanjing and, after some consideration, decided against using the familiar term of address. "Are you alright?"

Huo Lanjing's face remained as cold as usual, a mere soft "Mm" escaping his lips in response.