Chapter 45 Visitor from the Capital

Chapter 45: A Visitor from the Capital

A few hours later, at the military district central hospital,

"How is the Major General? What did the doctor say?" the young alpha asked anxiously.

"The shrapnel from the grenade was removed on the spot. The doctor said he's fine and just needs some time to rest," Fu Cheng said. "He was asleep when I left. He told me to hurry and submit the report."

"Xiao Yuan, the report?" Fu Cheng held out his hand. "Is it finished?"

The young alpha scratched his head. He had been worried about Zhu Shinian the whole time and hadn't really focused on writing the report.

"Halfway done... not finished yet..."

Fu Cheng took the unfinished report and glanced at it. "Not bad. Come on, I'll drive us back to headquarters, and you can keep writing."

"...Then doesn't the Major General need someone to stay with him?"

"Do you think you can take better care of him than the nurses?" Fu Cheng asked in a knowing tone. "Let's go. Back to base to find the Governor."

Hearing this, the young alpha relaxed a little and followed Fu Cheng closely to the car.

This Xiao Yuan had been a student at the Second Imperial Military Academy before the war. He fled to the Resistance zone just before the war broke out. He was far better at paperwork than Fu Cheng, who had been out of school for years. Once he focused, he wrote the entire way and had nearly finished it by the time they reached the base.

"...This operation had an extremely low casualty rate. The task force had a total of 260 people, with 23 minor injuries, and we successfully seized the target oil field. Fu-ge, is this good enough?"

"Good enough? More than good enough." Fu Cheng, who had always dreaded writing reports, praised him generously. "You've really got a knack for this. The report is excellent, and you performed well on the mission too. Just think, you just joined the Resistance and you're already following the Major General—you've got a bright future ahead."

Xiao Yuan was immediately flustered by the praise.

Back at the Second Military Academy, senior students often said that senior officers in the military liked to bully and put down newcomers, which had made him terrified of his future in the army.

He never expected that after joining the Resistance, not only was the Major General handsome and gentle, but his direct superior was also so cheerful and quick to praise.

"You were a student at the Second Military Academy. What made you decide to join the Resistance?" Fu Cheng casually chatted with Xiao Yuan.

Tao Juan's office door was tightly shut. Before they came, Zhu Shinian had reminded Fu Cheng that this meant Tao Juan was handling other matters and they needed to wait. If the door was cracked, they could knock and go in.

"I'm from District 26. A few of us from school who were from the same region came back together."

"That's great. Your first mission was such a success; your future will only get better."

The dialect in the northern part of the Empire was similar. Fu Cheng was from District 24, and since they happened to be gossiping about someone, he quickly switched to dialect to whisper quietly.

"This time we've won big. When we get back, we'll make that Han guy kneel down and bark like a dog."

The remark Han Zhandong had made during the meeting had spread quickly.

He had been so absolute in his words that everyone except his few close buddies was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

"I don't think the Major General is the type to rub it in..." Xiao Yuan whispered in dialect. "The Major General's such a nice guy. Would he really make him bark like a dog?"

The office door opened, and an unfamiliar-looking alpha walked out of Tao Juan's office. He must've caught the tail end of Xiao Yuan's remark and couldn't help smiling.

"Who's going to bark like a dog?" the alpha asked curiously, with a smile.

The alpha wore a gray overcoat, was tall and lean, with an elegant bearing, and was wearing half-rim glasses. He looked quite refined, probably someone from logistics or strategic planning.

Fu Cheng thought he looked familiar but couldn't place where he had seen him before. Since he hadn't been with the Resistance long, there were plenty of people he found familiar but hadn't formally met.

........

The wound hurt so much.

Despite promising his subordinates that he would rest, Zhu Shinian tossed and turned in pain, unable to fall asleep.

Cold sweat seeped from his skin, dampening the hair on his forehead, and his skin was as pale as snow.

It wasn't even that bad a wound. Compared to the massive output of that oil field, it was almost a no-brainer.

If this had been back in the Empire, with a wound like this, Zhu Shinian could have taken painkillers and continued on with his mission right away.

Painkillers.

He wanted painkillers... or, or an anesthetic, like the one the medic had given him earlier—something that would let him fall asleep immediately.

But the Resistance was short on supplies. Non-essential medications like painkillers were prioritized for the severely wounded unless someone specifically requested them.

Zhu Shinian's injury wasn't really unbearable, and he knew that if he were truly badly hurt, the doctor would have given him painkillers without him even asking.

But his abdomen really hurt, and he was so tired. He wanted to take something and sleep comfortably, not pass out from the pain only to wake up again after who knows how long.

After wrestling with himself for a long time, Zhu Shinian finally grabbed for the communicator on his nightstand.

The wound throbbed again with the movement, and his face turned even paler. He took a moment to recover, then dialed Fu Cheng's number.

"I'm fine. You don't need to come back to take care of me. My wound's just a bit sore. Can you go to the clinic and see if you can get me some painkillers? Just one pill is enough..."

Fu Cheng seemed to be in a hurry on the other end, speaking a mile a minute. Zhu Shinian was in so much pain his mind was a little fuzzy, and he could barely hear what Fu Cheng was saying.

"I'm okay, it's not that painful..." Zhu Shinian said softly. "Don't tell them it's for me. Just tell the medics how I'm doing. If they won't give it, don't worry about it."

........

The whole Han Zhandong bark-like-a-dog thing had spread throughout the Resistance and wasn't exactly a secret.

Since the unfamiliar alpha was curious, Fu Cheng figured he might as well tell him—after all, even if he didn't, he could just ask around and find out.

He mimicked Han Zhandong's arrogant, smug demeanor perfectly, even including the incident of him gossiping in the break room. It made not only the unfamiliar alpha laugh, but also Xiao Yuan, who had heard the story from others before, couldn't help laughing.

"This guy is really something. This Han Zhandong—what does he look like? If I run into him next time, should I prod him into barking?" the alpha asked with a smile after listening.

Fu Cheng quickly waved his hand. "This guy's really petty. Don't actually tease him, or he'll hold a grudge against you."

"But I can find a picture of him for you..."

Fu Cheng's communicator rang at just the right moment. Seeing the name on the screen, he immediately stepped aside to take the call.

Meanwhile, young Xiao Yuan managed to download a group photo and enthusiastically pointed out which one was Han Zhandong to the alpha.

"Are you a fellow countryman too?" Xiao Yuan, being young and noticing that the alpha understood the dialect but didn't use it to talk to them, asked curiously. "You understood everything we said in dialect just now."

"No, I'm from the Capital," the unfamiliar alpha gave a faint smile and said. "The dialect's easy enough to understand. It's just standard Imperial dialect with an accent."

"You're from the Capital? Then what are you doing here?" Xiao Yuan immediately became wary, having no love for the Capital's nobility.

"I'm already here, what else would I be doing? Do people from the Capital have to be loyal to the Empire?"

Picking up on Xiao Yuan's hostility, the alpha's tone turned cold.

"...No, that's not what he meant." Fu Cheng hung up the call and felt the atmosphere turn icy. He quickly stepped in to defuse the tension.

Xiao Yuan sure had a nerve. Tao Juan already met this guy and thought he was okay, so they had no reason to question him.

"Just asking. The war won't reach the capital anytime soon, and even if it does, it doesn't concern ordinary people. He might just be curious why you'd come all this way."

"Naturally, Tao Juan invited me," the alpha said calmly. "He said you're short on supplies—gasoline, medicine, cotton—and asked if I could help. I said yes."

Fu Cheng was taken aback. Tao Juan's honored guest, someone who could procure so many of the supplies they desperately needed—this alpha, even though he had been in the capital, was certainly no ordinary man.

Vague images of a few high-profile figures he'd occasionally seen flickered through Fu Cheng's mind. He felt he should recognize this person, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't place who it was.

"...Sorry about that," Fu Cheng said, forcing a stiff smile as he attempted flattery for the first time. "Well, all men are brothers. We're honored to have you in the resistance."

The alpha glanced at him, seemingly still upset by Xiao Yuan's earlier comment.

"This friend of mine is young and speaks without thinking. Please don't hold it against him. Yuan Shuyi, come apologize to him now."

Xiao Yuan looked confused. Though he knew his tone had been a bit off, he didn't think it warranted a full apology.

But being young and obedient, when he heard Fu Cheng speak in such a serious tone, he dutifully apologized.

"It's nothing," the alpha said, his expression softening after Xiao Yuan's apology. "I said it was just a kid talking. I didn't take it to heart."

Seeing the man in a better mood, Fu Cheng spoke again, this time with even more flattery.

"Among the medicines you brought, are there any painkillers? The hospital here doesn't have any. A friend of mine is in severe pain and just has to tough it out."

"...I don't suppose you could spare a few boxes of painkillers? I'll make sure to register them later—I won't cause you any trouble."

Fu Cheng was terrible at being a sycophant. After just a brief attempt at flattery, his face was already stiff from smiling. He secretly regretted having to grovel in front of this man. If he'd just gone in directly to find Tao Juan and told him that Zhu Shinian was in pain, Tao Juan would definitely have gotten him painkillers.

Forget it, forget it—waste of time. Give them or not, I don't care, Fu Cheng thought to himself.

If the alpha didn't give them, he'd just go inside and ask Tao Juan later.

"Your friend is at the military hospital?" To Fu Cheng's surprise, the alpha asked without hesitation.

"You two go find Tao Juan. I happen to be heading to the military hospital, so I'll deliver the painkillers to your friend myself."

Author's note: