Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"Could it be... you secretly found some high-quality Soothing Liquid?"

A Jin’s voice was certain, laced with fury. "This is a big deal! You found something good and didn’t tell me."

Roland shot him a look as if he were an idiot.

How could such a thing exist?

Truth be told, Roland was slightly surprised by the numbers himself. He usually paid little attention to his physical condition, only remembering to drink Soothing Liquid when his levels dropped excessively, causing unpleasant symptoms like dizziness and vomiting.

Now that he thought about it, he should have taken Soothing Liquid after returning from the S-class Gate. But since he hadn’t felt any discomfort, he’d completely forgotten.

Yet, his levels were still so stable—it was indeed a bit strange...

But this minor oddity didn’t bother Roland much. After all, he rarely concerned himself with such things. Once he entered the meeting room, he dismissed the thought entirely.

Though the S-class Gate had been conquered, the related intelligence still needed to be organized and analyzed.

Generally, Gates were classified from A to F, with varying deterioration rates. Once a Gate fully deteriorated, the monsters inside would pour out, so it was crucial to clear the monsters and close the Gate before that happened. Gates below A-class were relatively common, and each major guild had its own assigned territories, implicitly responsible for managing the Gates within their areas.

However, this S-class Gate was peculiar. Not only was it a rare Sentient Gate, but it also had no deterioration rate. After three guilds failed to conquer it, it closed, only to reappear seven years later.

No one knew if more S-class Gates like this would emerge in the future.

Thus, both Tansapa and the outside world placed significant importance on intelligence regarding the S-class Gate.

...

For the Arctic Hare cub from the world beyond the Gate, his daily task was simply to eat and drink, growing plump and healthy.

But while his weight had increased, his appearance remained unchanged—still a tiny, snow-white ball no bigger than a fist.

In the vast, open-plan space, he most frequently saw Roland and A Jin.

After finishing his daily patrol and handling city affairs, A Jin would immediately scoop up the cub for hugs and kisses, claiming he simply wanted to bond with him.

A Jin cradled the little furball in his arms, bouncing him gently, his face etched with worry. "Why isn’t our little one gaining weight? He’s still so tiny."

Luo Ci reluctantly opened his eyelids, his vision filled with swaying furniture. The intricate patterns on the blanket seemed to spin around him, and A Jin’s movements made him nauseous, eliciting a low whimper.

A Jin froze in alarm. "What’s wrong with the little one?"

"He caught a chill," Roland said, seizing the opportunity to take the little snowball into his own arms, his expression a mix of concern and tenderness. "This morning, he kicked off his blanket."

Luo Ci curled his tail into a mochi-like ball, resting his chin on his front paws as he lay weakly in Roland’s palm, breathing shallowly.

He had been feeling unwell all day, his head foggy and dizzy.

A Jin, a natural Sentinel, had never experienced illness in his life. Seeing the little snowball lying limply in Roland’s hand—like a melted mochi, his eyelids half-closed, his pink tongue peeking out as he panted weakly—terrified him.

He was so scared he didn’t dare touch the cub. "D-did you contact a doctor?"

Roland’s fingers deftly manipulated a virtual tablet. "One came this morning. I’ll have the doctor come again soon."

Seeing this, A Jin decided to skip his afternoon patrol, opting to wait with Roland in the living room for the doctor.

Tansapa had a dedicated medical department, located in the building right behind them.

The living room was quite spacious, with a floor-to-ceiling window offering a clear view of the entire guild.

As the doctor hurried over, the impatient A Jin grew antsy, pacing by the window and grumbling incessantly about the doctor’s slowness—how could a ten-second walk take half an hour?

Fortunately, the doctor arrived just before A Jin’s patience completely ran out.

This time, Roland had contacted a doctor with more expertise in small animals. Having heard how the S-class Sentinels of the core division treasured this Arctic Hare cub, the doctor was extra cautious, fearing he might enter upright but leave horizontally.

Despite the room being equipped with the most advanced temperature, humidity, and purification control systems, the doctor was sweating profusely under the intense gazes of the two S-class Sentinels. His B-rank hands trembled as he checked the cub's temperature.

After a moment, the doctor pointed to the data on the device. "He has a fever and a slight case of pneumonia. We’ll bring the fever down first, then give him some medicine. That should resolve the issue."

Cubs were naturally more fragile than adults and more susceptible to illness—especially Luo Ci, who had been raised in a lab. Adapting to the outside environment required an adjustment period, and kicking off his blanket had only worsened things, causing him to fall ill rapidly and burn up like a little fireball.

Luo Ci listlessly buried his face in his belly, his tiny paws clutching his head as his whole body curled into a small snowball. He felt so hot, his head dizzy, his stomach and head aching all over...

He was so miserable he couldn’t tell if he was conscious or not, only vaguely aware of Roland’s gentle hand continuously stroking his back. Then he felt a quick pinch in his paw and barely managed to open his eyes, seeing the doctor with a stethoscope around his neck.

After an injection, Luo Ci gradually felt his temperature drop. Unlike the earlier burning, dizzy sensation, at least his body wasn’t scalding hot anymore.

But he still had a slight low-grade fever.

A Jin crouched by the sofa, checking the cub’s temperature every two minutes, his face full of worry as he soothed him. "Hang in there, little one. You’ll feel better soon."

Luo Ci twitched his tiny tail.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Sha Ni Lu stepped out, casually scanning the room. "Where’s Zhong Shijin?"

A Jin replied, "The chairman hasn’t come out of isolation yet. Zhong Shijin went to some seminar in his place."

Sha Ni Lu said nothing more.

Grabbing a bottle from the liquor cabinet, he walked into the living room and immediately noticed the white ball in Roland’s arms—just as tiny as when he’d last seen it in the lab, now listless with drooping ears and a small cooling patch on its forehead.

His feet, originally headed for the training room, changed course toward the sofa. "What’s wrong with the little one? Sick?"

Roland kept his head down, expressionless, muttering to himself, "It’s all my fault. I should’ve set the bedroom temperature higher..."

Sha Ni Lu crossed his arms and sprawled on the sofa, laughing heartily. "Seems like it’s not just the little one who’s sick—someone here’s lost his mind too."

A Jin glared at him. "If you’re not helping, what are you doing here?"

Noticing the bloodstains on Sha Ni Lu’s muscular arms, he smirked. "You got hurt?"

"Not my blood," Sha Ni Lu said, pouring himself a drink and shrugging after a sip.

Like A Jin, he often went on field missions, but while A Jin handled patrols, Sha Ni Lu dealt with emergencies—like probes from other guilds or sudden Gates.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Roland’s palm. The sick little snowball curled up even smaller, its fluffy back forming a round, plump curve, like a perfectly kneaded tangyuan. Under Roland’s coaxing, the little tangyuan dreamily lifted its head and began sipping from a nutrient tube, its cute pink tongue peeking out.

"What a delicate little thing," Sha Ni Lu murmured as the bitter, icy liquor slid down his throat.

Then he got up and headed to the training room.

...

After his fever broke, Luo Ci felt much better. The doctor had prescribed some pills.

Roland carefully broke the pills, ground them into powder, and mixed them into his usual canned snacks. As the inflammation subsided, Luo Ci gradually regained his spirits.

That day, both A Jin and Roland were away. Roland had been accompanying him almost all day recently, except during nap time.

Once the cub curled up and dozed off, Roland would always leave promptly.

What was he going to do?

Luo Ci was mildly curious, but not overly so. Usually, Roland would reappear shortly after he woke from his nap.

But today, his sleep was restless. He scrunched his little nose, feeling as if something was constantly watching him.

He raised his little paws and rubbed his face.

Peeking through barely opened eyelids, the first thing that caught his sight was a pair of sharp, tawny, hooked claws that resembled both an eagle’s and a cat’s.

Beneath the thick paw pads were sturdy claws, appearing cold and sharp even bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight.

For an Arctic Hare, fearing eagle talons was almost instinctive. But having already experienced the sheer size difference with a giant wolf, Luo Ci worked up his nerve and looked up.

This creature was only slightly larger than him. Its face and body resembled a miniature lion. Luo Ci didn’t sense any familiar aura—it probably wasn’t Fariel.

A fluffy mane adorned its chest, and two tufts of fur sprouted perkily atop its head. Strangely enough, the little lion had a pair of tawny wings on its back, resembling those of a fierce raptor like an eagle or hawk, neatly folded against its sides. Combined with its plump physique, at first glance, it looked like a roly-poly little bird, also eyeing him curiously.

How… how did this roly-poly little bird get in here?

Luo Ci was both confused and afraid. Confused because the security in this building was so tight—even entering or exiting the elevator required iris recognition—so how did this little bird manage to get in?

Though afraid, Luo Ci didn’t feel threatened by the little bird. If it had truly wanted to harm him, it would have struck when he was spread out like a melted snow pancake in his sleep.

The little bird lazily licked its paw, then padded over with feline grace. As it moved, its left front and hind paws lifted together—it even had an adorably clumsy walk.

Luo Ci poked his tummy… hungry.

With well-practiced moves, he grabbed the small blanket on the bed, slid down to the floor, and trotted off to the kitchen, where A Jin had prepared his afternoon snack.

A cherry pudding so wobbly it went 'duang'.

Reportedly, it was a newly launched dessert from a trendy hotspot in Ether City, with online reservations requiring a half-month waiting list.

The cherry pudding had already been sliced and was covered by a beautiful glass dome.

Luo Ci skillfully pushed the glass dome aside. Seeing that the little bird had followed him, unsure if it was also interested, he used his tiny paw to push half of the pudding onto another empty plate and slid it toward the bird.

As he happily munched, he glanced up and saw the little bird eating too.

Sharing food was, for any beast, a way to build rapport. The little bird devoured the pudding like a tiny tornado, licking the plate clean before affectionately nuzzling against the little snowball. Its lazy posture was cat-like again, and Luo Ci’s carefully groomed fur was completely ruffled by the enthusiastic rubbing. His front paws kept pushing uselessly.

He barely managed to finish his own portion of pudding.

"Chirp?" The little bird leaned in again, sniffing around him with a joyful, intoxicated expression.

The cub had assumed it was only interested in the pudding, but even after finishing it, the bird remained enthusiastically rubbing against him.

Just then, the elevator chimed, signaling its arrival. He pricked one ear up—could it be Roland finally returning?

Turning his head, he realized the little bird had silently vanished.

Luo Ci tilted his head but didn’t think twice, scampering toward the elevator with a patter of tiny steps.

Freshly recovered from his illness, the little snowball was bursting with energy, rolling toward the door in a palm-sized bundle.

Still a bit stuffy from his cold, his nose wasn’t sharp enough to detect who was in the elevator. But usually, at this time, it was Roland returning, so he didn’t consider any other possibility.

He dashed forward eagerly, but instead of landing in Roland’s embrace, his forehead bonked into something unyielding, the impact sending him tumbling onto his fluffy rump.

"Eep!" Dazed, he looked up.

He had seen this face before—back in the lab. The man wore his uniform jacket draped over his shoulders, his body almost entirely wrapped in leather. Compared to their last encounter, the strands of hair on his forehead were slightly disheveled, radiating a fierce and dangerous aura.

Luo Ci’s heart suddenly pounded. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw the man’s eyes flash molten gold, like flames stirring in a bonfire. But in the blink of an eye, they returned to their usual deep black, as if it had been an illusion.

Just as he wondered if he’d imagined it, the man’s gaze swept over him before he stepped around him and walked away.

Though Luo Ci had been the one to bump into him, the man’s cold reaction, plus the growing ache in his bottom, made the little snowball’s eyes well up with tears.

"……"

The footsteps that had already faded suddenly returned.

The little snowball felt himself lifted into the air, cradled in a gloved palm. The tears threatening to spill receded instantly. He raised his front paws, curiously testing the hardness of the leather glove, then instinctively tried to climb up the arm and nestle into the man’s embrace.

But before he could act, he was placed on the sofa.

"Eep?"

Though the man had at least remembered to put a cushion beneath him, Luo Ci stared at his tall, indifferent back in confusion.

Bewildered, he looked down at his stubby little paws.

He couldn’t even be bothered to hold him.

…Was he not cute enough?