Chapter 78: “I’ve Got This” (3200+)

Chapter 78: "I've Got This" (3200+)

With two diverging paths ahead, he couldn't bear to part ways.

Huo Lanjing instructed, "Sit to the left."

The moment his voice faded, Uncle Wang and another person promptly moved to the left side.

Just as Huo Lanjing was about to drive forward, a car suddenly rushed ahead of them, cutting them off.

The car swerved to block the other path in a desperate maneuver.

It was a nerve-wracking scene that made Huo Lanjing's heart skip a beat.

The trapped vehicle came to a halt.

Three men then emerged from the car, with one holding Chen Chen in his arms. They pressed a laser dagger against the child's neck.

Luo Le and Huo Lanjing alighted from their cars almost simultaneously, their eyes inevitably meeting.

They both turned their gazes toward the three individuals in unison.

Huo Lanjing stood slightly ahead.

Luo Le said, "Let the child go. What do you want?"

The first kidnapper exchanged a glance and replied, "You come with us to a place."

Huo Lanjing said, "No way."

Luo Le responded, "Alright."

Both spoke almost simultaneously.

Huo Lanjing looked at Luo Le disapprovingly.

The first kidnapper's dagger inched closer to its target.

Luo Le quickly interjected, "Stop, I agree. Let him go."

Chen Chen glanced at his father, his tiny face as pale as a sheet.

The first bandit sized them up and suddenly chuckled. "I've changed my mind. Both of you are coming with us."

Luo Le frowned. They were nothing but a bunch of thugs.

But he had no choice.

He summoned a dagger from his spatial ring and concealed it in his sleeve.

"Alright, I agree," Luo Le said.

The first bandit replied, "Then come here, and you two, step back."

Pointing to Huo Lanjing's group not far away, the bandit continued his instructions.

Luo Le walked forward step by step. Huo Lanjing's heart hung in the balance, unable to divert his gaze from them.

Luo Le's pace was unhurried, yet it didn't take long for him to stand before the knife-wielding bandit.

The dagger suddenly shifted its trajectory toward him.

Luo Le took a step back, "What do you want?"

The bandit waved the dagger, "What's in your hand?"

It seemed they were more alert than he expected.

Luo Le gritted his teeth, retracting the dagger back into the space.

Then, he extended his empty hand.

The bandit glared at him fiercely, "Don't try anything funny. My dagger isn't just for show."

Luo Le nodded without responding.

He reached out to embrace Chen Chen.

But his hand was suddenly swatted away by the bandit.

Before the culprit could utter a word, a searing pain shot through his hand, causing him to loosen his grip involuntarily.

"Brat, dare to bite me?" he growled, advancing menacingly toward Chen Chen with bulging veins on his arm, ready to strike.

The moment Chen Chen fell, Luo Le swiftly caught him and darted to the side.

Despite this, Luo Le's hand was still slashed, revealing a dark wound from which a crimson streak oozed out.

"What are you waiting for? Go catch him!" someone shouted.

The two men, now realizing the situation, rushed forward only to be repelled by Huo Lanjing, who had already arrived at the scene.

Another assailant joined the fray, engaging the knife-wielding criminal in a fierce battle.

Luo Le hastily retreated with Chen Chen towards Uncle Wang.

Still uneasy, he pulled open the car door and nestled Chen Chen inside.

He then caressed his head and said, "You were really great, darling. Stay here quietly, don't come out."

By the time Luo Le began to focus on the commotion, the three individuals were already crouching with their hands over their heads.

Huo Lanjing turned to look in that direction, about to say something.

But suddenly, he saw Luo Le shout anxiously, "Be careful!"

In the next instant, a tearing pain surged from his side, causing the other person to abandon the crouching suspect and rush over.

However, the attacker was like a madman, plunging a dagger into Huo Lanjing's arm.

The other man quickly pulled the attacker away and caught the one clutching his stomach.

"Master! I'll take you to the hospital right now."

Huo Lanjing pushed him aside. "Don't worry about me, catch them."

A young master's command is not to be disobeyed.

The man hesitated for a while before turning back, only to find that nobody was behind him anymore.

"I'm sorry, Young Master, they... have fled."

Before Huo Lanjing could unleash his anger, he was supported by another pair of hands.

Luo Le said, "Let's go to the hospital first."

Due to excessive blood loss, Huo Lanjing's face appeared rather pale.

Huo Lanjing slightly turned his head and saw Luo Le, whose expression was filled with concern. A small smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of his lips.

Luo Le still cared about him.

"What are you smiling about?"

Huo Lanjing paused, his eyes growing hazy as if he were about to faint at any moment.

Luo Le sighed. "Never mind, don't talk anymore. Uncle Wang, take him to the hospital."

Huo Lanjing leaned heavily against him. "It's fine, don't worry about me..."

How could they ignore that? After all, Huo Lanjing was injured because of them.

Luo Le pondered and decided to send him to the hospital first.

Both of them helped Ho Lanjing into the car.

To prevent Chen Chen from being frightened by Huo Lanjing's blood-covered state, Luo Le asked Uncle Wang and the other person to sit in the other vehicle.

In the car, Luo Le saw Huo Lanjing with his eyes closed, his lips pale.

A sense of urgency flickered in Luo Le's heart, and she promptly retrieved a tourniquet from her space.

She then moved sideways, tightening the tourniquet around Huo Lanjing's arm. Just as she did, he suddenly opened his eyes and leaned forward, their noses almost touching due to their already close proximity.

Their breaths intertwined, the scent of cold pine mixed with the fragrance of pomelo, raising the temperature inside the car.

Luo Le pressed her hand against his chest, gently pushing him back onto the cushion.

The air of intimacy vanished instantly.

Continuing her task, Luo Le said, "I'm stopping your bleeding. Don't move."

Huo Lanjing acknowledged her and lifted his gaze to meet her focused expression as she tied the bandage around his wound.

The bandage wrapped around the injury in concentric circles before being securely knotted.

Luo Le glanced at the crimson seeping through, a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

Unexpectedly, Huo Lanjing suddenly grabbed Luo Le's hand and asked, "Do you have another bandage?"

Luo Le assumed he needed one for his hand.

She reached into her spatial pocket and retrieved another bundle, saying, "Here."

Can't he bandage his own hand?

Huo Lanjing reached out to take it, then firmly held onto Luo Le's hand.

Luo Le struggled, "What are you doing?"

Huo Lanjing replied, "Don't move."

Then, with one hand, he took the bandage to wrap around Luo Le's hand.

Luo Le saw this and said, "I'll do it myself."

Huo Lanjing ignored him, grasping one end of the bandage and offering it, "Hold this."

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Le reached out to take it.

Once the bandaging was done, Huo Lanjing lay back down.

Luo Le glanced sideways at Huo Lanjing, whose head was resting against the car window. Perhaps due to blood loss and weakness, he now appeared somewhat docile.

The compartment fell silent all of a sudden.

After a moment, Huo Lanjing suddenly spoke up, "Qin Chen from Wind City..."

Luo Le replied, "What about him?"

"Oh..."

Huo Lanjing drew out his vowels and continued, "Qin Chen is back."

Luo Le asked, "Who's Qin Chen?"

Huo Lanjing explained, "The Second Prince. Qin Chen is his assistant in Wind City."

Luo Le paused, suddenly recalling the four suitcases in the trunk of Wind City's car.

"And what about it?"

"The Emperor has intentions to abdicate. Qin Chen is back for that reason."

Luo Le understood now. As Qin Chen was Wind City's assistant, if there was a struggle for power, they would need his assistance.

With Wind City on the horizon, work would ensue once more.

"Hoping for my agreement, perhaps?"

Huo Lanjing replied, "Mm-hmm."

Luo Le lowered his gaze. Their mentor's return was unpredictable. If Wind City didn't come back, those individuals would surely return. Moreover, he was still at risk of exile.

After this incident, Huo Lanjing was determined to assign someone to follow Luo Le. It was better to be disliked than to risk anything happening to him.

Receiving no response, Huo Lanjing remained silent. The group arrived at the hospital in a grand procession, proceeding to the exclusive floor designated for the Huo family.

The doctor had been waiting and Luo Le helped Huo Lanjing into the examination room to sit down.

After the doctor took his seat, he looked at the three people standing in the room and pointed outside. "You can step out for now."

All three of them left, with Uncle Wang even kindly closing the door behind them.

The hospital had been constructed with top-notch materials. The sound insulation in the rooms was excellent; even standing by the door, Luo Le couldn't hear anything from inside.

He decided to take a seat on one of the waiting chairs.

Uncle Wang approached and said, "Madam, please don't worry."

Luo Le lifted her head. "Please stop calling me that. I'm no longer Mrs. Huo of your family."

Uncle Wang shook his head, unsure if he would ever get the chance to address her with that title again in front of her.

Chen Chen looked at Luo Le with confusion from the side.

Luo Le gently rubbed his head and asked softly, "Are you tired? Do you want to sleep?"

Chen Chen shook his head, but Luo Le still picked him up.

After a while, the door opened.

Huo Lanjing followed the doctor in, with his arm suspended in a sling and his abdomen wrapped in thick bandages.

Luo Le stood up and glanced at him, asking, "Didn't you use a healing chamber?"

His question was directed at Huo Lanjing.

But the doctor stepped forward to explain, "The laser dagger that injured the Admiral contained a special substance. Not only was it poisonous, but it also interfered with the healing chamber. Therefore, the Admiral's wounds can only be treated with medication. The ointment has already been applied, and we'll change it in two days."

Poisonous?

Luo Le inquired, "Will his hand recover to its previous condition?"

Huo Lanjing would still need to operate mechas in the future. If his hand's dexterity was compromised, it would significantly decrease his compatibility with the machine.

A nation's supreme general would bear tremendous guilt if he were incapable of operating a mecha.

The doctor replied, "As long as the recovery goes well, there shouldn't be any major issues."

Luo Le heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Doctor."

"It's my duty."

Huo Lanjing pointed at Luo Le. "Help him with the medication."

After that, Luo Le went in and the doctor applied the medicine for him.

After bidding farewell to the doctor, Luo Le carried Chen Chen and walked alongside Huo Lanjing.

When they reached the parking lot and were about to part ways, Luo Le called out to Huo Lanjing.

Huo Lanjing turned back. "Hmm?"

Luo Le placed Chen Chen in the car and said to him, "Sweetheart, Daddy needs to have a talk with Uncle. Can you wait for Daddy in the car for a bit, okay?"

Chen Chen nods in agreement. "Okay."

Gazing at the obedient Chen Chen, Luo Le feels a sense of guilt toward him.

After entrusting the two to look after Chen Chen, Luo Le slides into Huo Lanjing's car.

Huo Lanjing follows suit, shutting the car door behind him.

Now, they are alone in the vehicle.

With a serious expression, Luo Le deliberated on his words, not rushing to speak.

Huo Lanjing inquired, "What's the matter?"

Luo Le said, "My ID has been canceled by Gu Heting."

Huo Lanjing's brows faintly knitted. An ID was unique to an individual; it shouldn't be falsifiable.

The previous sovereign was quite warlike, promptly dispatching troops to aid any planet that sought assistance.

Over the years, the national coffers had been depleted.

Upon this sovereign's ascension, troops would still be dispatched for support.

The demand for IDs was substantial, and the profits they generated were considerable.

To replenish the treasury, His Majesty had turned a blind eye to this matter.

But now, it seemed intervention was necessary.

Huo Lanjing asked, "Are you willing to be Luo Le again?"

Luo Le hesitated. Of course he wanted to, but...

He said, "But Chen Chen...he..."

Huo Lanjing knew what he was going to say and interrupted, "I'll find a way, as long as you're willing."

Luo Le replied, "Then...thank you."

Huo Lanjing disliked Luo Le's formal demeanor towards him.

"There's no need for such formalities between us. Take Chen Chen back and make sure he gets some rest. Don't worry about anything else; I've got it covered."