Chapter 42: No Need

Chapter 42 - No Need

Yu Bing was interrupted by Captain Lin before he could finish his sentence. "Those using the healing pods now are severely injured. They're only used for those who can't breathe on their own."

"But he is..."

"Teacher Yu, the military doctors are highly skilled. Please trust their assessment."

Yu Bing paused, thinking about Luo Le's fair skin.

"If there's no healing pod, he might have scars. It wouldn't be good for an omega to have scars."

Captain Lin's expression turned grave. "It's just a scar. Chen Fu is also an omega, and he has many scars. Once you join the military, it's not just about scars – being able to keep your life is already fortunate."

"But...but..."

"What's all the commotion?" Huo Lanjing suddenly appeared, his gaze stern as he looked at Yu Bing.

Lieutenant Lin stepped back and explained, "Teacher Yu wants to try and secure a treatment pod for his friend."

Huo Lanjing glanced coolly at Yu Bing. "That's up to the doctor's discretion."

Yu Bing opened his mouth, ready to argue further, but sensing Huo Lanjing's pheromones, he instinctively lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

Yu Bing went back down to wait by the operating room door.

Without a treatment pod... there might be an unsightly scar left behind.

Luo Le was under his command, a vulnerable omega. If he had been more forceful back then...

"Yu Bing, is your friend... inside?"

Yu Bing looked up and saw the man in a white coat. He hurried over. "Doctor Wang, do you have any available treatment pods?"

"That's quite a rare commodity..."

"He did trigger the defense system, so he technically contributed. Could you possibly inquire about it for me?"

Dr. Wang paused, glanced at the operating room, and sighed. "A treatment pod... I don't have one, but I do have medical skills."

With that, he entered an adjacent sterile room for disinfection.

Yu Bing felt a slight relief. With Dr. Wang around, at least her friend would be treated.

Suddenly, a doctor emerged from the operating room, and Yu Bing hurriedly approached.

Doctor: "Are you a family member of the patient?"

Yu Bing looked at him and shook her head. "No, but he's my friend."

"What's your blood type?"

"B positive."

"Great, come with me."

Yu Bing followed the doctor as they walked away.

The doctor said, "The patient has lost too much blood and needs a transfusion. We don't have a treatment chamber now. Can you see if you can find a few more people with B-type blood?"

Yu Bing nodded and followed him. As they reached the end of the corridor, he suddenly spotted Huo Lanjing stepping out of the elevator.

Despite the blood on his body and the disarray of his clothes, he didn't appear disheveled; rather, he seemed like an elegant nobleman.

Yu Bing greeted, "General, how are you?"

Huo Lanjing barely gave him a glance as he continued walking straight out.

Yu Bing felt somewhat uneasy at this.

Lieutenant Lin looked at Yu Bing and asked, "How's your friend? Did you manage to get the treatment chamber?"

"Over there, why aren't you following? Hurry up."

The doctor, realizing Yu Bing wasn't behind him, turned back to call out.

Yu Bing smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I'll leave first."

As he walked, he glanced at Huo Lanjing's back, thinking that Chen Fu was truly fortunate. It seemed that since the General had become acquainted with him, he hadn't been assigned any extremely perilous missions. Even when he did go on them, he always had access to top-notch treatment pods for his injuries.

Yu Bing couldn't help but think of Luo Le, who was still lying in surgery, and shook his head.

After the examination, Yu Bing, freshly sanitized, followed the doctor into the ward.

The tiny, ten-square-meter room was a pristine white. On the bed, Luo Le's eyes were shut tight, his face pale as he was hooked up to outdated medical equipment, appearing as if he could stop breathing at any moment.

With a frown, Yu Bing lay down as directed by the doctor, watching his own blood flow into the other bedside.

He had to be alright.

...

In the solemn conference room, silence reigned supreme. The dozen or so people present sat nervously.

Huo Lanjing tapped his ring-adorned finger lightly on the solid wood table, seemingly casually sweeping his gaze over them all. No one dared to speak, exchanging wary looks instead.

They realized their negligence. The admiral had given them ample time to rebuild the defense system, yet it was so easily defeated. If news of today's incident spread, they would become the laughingstock of other military regions.

Huo Lanjing paused his actions. "A dozen people, one defense system, and a hundred personnel in a military academy – this is what you've presented to me?"

The crowd was startled, lowering their heads, afraid to be called out.

"You call this how you operate?"

The academy leader stood up. "Reporting, Admiral."

Huo Lanjing's gaze lingered, casting a glance at him, prompting him to speak.

"The academy was indeed unprepared. As the head of this institution, I should take responsibility."

The meeting transformed into a self-reflection session. However, Huo Lanjing also understood that it wasn't entirely their fault. He assigned each department leader to write a 10,000-character self-critique.

With that, the matter could be considered temporarily settled.

In the vast conference room, only Huo Lanjing and Captain Lin remained.

"Was it him who activated the defense system this time?"

Captain Lin was in the midst of organizing documents when he heard this unexpected question.

He paused to recollect his thoughts before responding, "Ah, yes, it was Madam who activated it."

Huo Lanjing stroked the ring on his finger. "Bring him here."

Captain Lin was taken aback for a moment before acknowledging and leaving the room.

After the attack, numerous matters required attention.

Once Huo Lanjing returned to his office, he became engrossed in work, pushing the incident to the back of his mind.

It wasn't until midday when Captain Lin knocked and entered that Huo Lanjing's memory was jogged.

Huo Lanjing glanced at Lin Xiaooyu's empty back and asked, "Where is he?"

Lin Xioayu's expression was somewhat uneasy as he struggled to find the right words, "Milady... she..."

Huo Lanjing's sharp gaze locked onto him, "Doesn't want to come over?"

What trick was Luo Le playing now?

Could it be because he didn't attend to her at that time, she was throwing a tantrum again?

But at that moment, he was saving lives. Didn't Luo Le understand the urgency of the situation?

Lin Xioayu quickly shook his head. Recalling the person lying on the bed, unable to even use a treatment pod, and then seeing the tone of his superior officer, he felt a pang of distress, "No, it's just that Milady... she's injured and hasn't regained consciousness."

"Injured," Huo Lanjing echoed, his voice blank.

"Yes, it's a bit severe. She lost a lot of blood and was poisoned. Although she's stable now, the doctors said she might not wake up until tomorrow."

Huo Lanjing's brows knitted slightly. "Where's the treatment pod?"

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Lin's face paled instantly.

"There isn't one... General, do you still remember the officer who came to us yesterday asking for a treatment pod?"

Huo Lanjing paused at the mention of this. Could it be that... Luo Le was downstairs being rescued at that time?

Lieutenant Lin, seeing Huo Lanjing's darkened expression, didn't dare to speak.

Why hadn't he asked Yu Bing yesterday what his friend's name was? Would the General blame him for stopping Yu Bing?

With this thought in mind, Lieutenant Lin lowered his head, sensing the oppressive atmosphere.

After a while, Huo Lanjing stood up and walked straight out.

Lieutenant Lin heaved a sigh of relief and followed suit.

Half an hour later, on the first floor of the military academy.

They entered the elevator, the compact space containing only the two of them.

Lieutenant Lin tried to minimize his presence, and once the elevator doors closed, he sensed Huo Lanjing's gaze.

He pressed the button for the floor and said, "Room C404."

The door to Room C404 was ajar. Being considerate, Lieutenant Lin knocked on it gently.

Inside the room, Wind City, Yu Bing, and Yang Liqing all turned their heads simultaneously. Upon seeing them at the door, everyone but Wind City was taken aback.

Yu Bing stood up, puzzled. "General, have you mistaken the floor? It seems Chen Fu is on the fifth floor."

A visible darkening of Huo Lanjing's face ensued.

Lieutenant Lin quickly stepped forward, pointing at Luo Le on the hospital bed.

"No mistake. We're here to see him."

Without Huo Lanjing's permission, he dared not disclose their connection on his own accord.

When Wind City saw Luo Le connected to numerous tubes, he was utterly stunned.

Initially, he assumed Huo Lanjing was preoccupied, but upon learning from Yu Bing that Huo Lanjing had attended to someone else, his anger knew no bounds.

That person's injuries were less severe than Brother Le's, yet they were in the finest healing chamber.

Brother Le, on the other hand, couldn't even use the most basic one.

Most importantly, Brother Le was Huo Lanjing's legitimate spouse.

Advancing forward, Wind City blocked Huo Lanjing's path, mocking, "Oh? What connection does General have with my Brother Le? What merits does my Brother Le possess to warrant a visit from the esteemed General?"

Huo Lanjing lifted his gaze coolly, expressionless, "Who are you?"

Wind City beamed radiantly, "I am Brother Le's most trusted younger brother."

Huo Lanjing straightened his posture, staring directly at him, "Is that so? I've never heard him mention you."

Yang Liqing was momentarily perplexed. He couldn't quite grasp Wind City's situation; had he lost his mind to argue with the General?

He quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "The child doesn't understand, General, please don't take offense."

He rapped Wind City on the head and whispered reprimandingly, "What are you doing? Do you want to leave?"

Wind City was about to retort, but Yang Liqing covered his mouth, leaving him only able to make muffled noises.

Yu Bing, who had been observing from the side, suddenly realized something, recalling the events of the previous day. His expression darkened as he stepped forward and asked, "In what capacity is the General here to see him?"

As Huo Lanjing's status didn't necessitate an answer, he could have easily avoided it.

Yet, he still replied, "As family."

A ridiculous answer flashed through Yu Bing's mind. If that were true, it would indeed be outrageous.

Lieutenant Lin, seeing the situation, approached and said, "The General is here to visit the lady."

Thinking back to how he had humbly pleaded with Huo Lanjing yesterday, only to be dismissed with a casual remark, Yu Bing's anger flared up.

He couldn't comprehend how, after seeing Luo Le's state yesterday, Huo Lanjing could simply leave him there and not even inquire about him later.

If he hadn't found Luo Le due to his curiosity, would she have bled out and died there?

Upon this thought, Yu Bing smiled. "So Lady Luo Le is actually the General's wife? I truly couldn't tell."

Speaking up to this point, Yu Bing wore a regretful expression. "The General should've visited yesterday. Perhaps you could've donated blood or something. Oh, General, you didn't know, did you? Luo Le was lying in the small operating room on the first floor yesterday, and you passed right by her."

With each word Yu Bing spoke, Huo Lanjing's face darkened further, involuntarily recalling Luo Le's appearance that day.

That day, she seemed to be covered in blood...

But since Luo Le was able to run and talk, there shouldn't have been anything wrong. So how had this happened?

Huo Lanjing instructed, "Apply for a treatment chamber for the lady."

"No need."

A hoarse and weak voice rang out from behind the group.

They all turned to look, only to see Luo Le pushing herself up from the hospital bed with one hand.

Wind City, being the nearest, was the first to approach and steady the trembling hands.

"Brother Le, you're awake."

"Huo Lanjing, is Luo Le alright? Does anything hurt?"

"Luo Le, you're finally awake."

Luo Le's neck and upper body were swathed in bandages, with his face also partially covered. His lips held a translucent shade of purple.

He shook his head at the three people before him and then directed his gaze towards the entrance.

There, he saw Huo Lanjing with his usual cold expression, emanating an aura of hostility.

Luo Le attempted a smile but found it impossible to curve his lips. He decided to give up.

Huo Lanjing, with a puzzled yet determined look, stepped forward, "Why?"