CH 14

Among the remaining people, apart from Jian Ning and the five students, there were only Zong Ye, his deputy, and another soldier. Surprisingly, Alan was also present.

Originally, Alan was annoyed about being at the back of the line, but he didn't expect to have the opportunity to return with the Marshal. He happily walked up to Zong Ye, stood straight, and respectfully introduced himself, mentioning his parents' names.

"Oh, you're the child of the Lake family," the deputy recognized Alan's parents and smiled.

Zong Ye gave him a brief glance, and instantly, Alan straightened his back even more.

After leaving the plantation, it was already afternoon, and the recent ordeal had taken quite some time. The sky was getting dark. Jian Ning looked up at the sky, feeling concerned. "Shouldn't we find a sheltered place? The weather seems a bit unfavorable."

Before anyone else could respond, Zong Ye checked his wrist communicator and said, "No need, a flying craft will arrive in half an hour to pick us up."

He also looked up at the sky; indeed, the weather wasn't great. However, he seemed unconcerned and remarked, "It won't rain that much."

No sooner had he finished speaking, a drop of water splashed onto Jian Ning's face.

"It's raining," Jian Ning wiped off the water and turned to look at Zong Ye.

Zong Ye: ...

"It's just a light rain," the deputy coughed lightly, tapped his arm guard a few times, and a shallow circular halo appeared, covering his entire body. Raindrops fell on the halo and slid off, not touching the person inside.

Each halo could accommodate up to two people, meaning one student had to stand with Zong Ye. Alan and the other four students were eagerly looking at Zong Ye. His gaze swept over them and settled on Jian Ning, narrowed his eyes, and said, "That student, please come over."

Jian Ning hadn't reacted yet, and the deputy already pushed him, saying, "The Marshal is calling you."

He had already noticed that this student seemed to have a slight dislike for the Marshal, and the Marshal, for some reason, also seemed to have a conflict with this student. Although he felt that the Marshal was somewhat bullying the student, after all, he was his immediate superior, so he had to satisfy him.

Thinking like this, the deputy pulled the other four students and pushed two of them towards the other soldier, leaving two with himself. Then, he candidly said, "Look, there's no more space. You can go to the Marshal's side."

Jian Ning: …

Annoyed, Jian Ning glared at the deputy before reluctantly walking over to Zong Ye.

Feeling guilty, the deputy rubbed his nose and couldn't help but give Jian Ning another glance, feeling that the way he glared at him seemed oddly familiar.

Outside the halo, raindrops quickly soaked the fallen leaves on the ground. Jian Ning couldn't help but ask Zong Ye, "How much longer until the flying craft arrives? The rain seems to be getting heavier."

"Twenty minutes," Zong Ye looked down at the communicator and reassured, "Don't worry; the rain won't get heavier for a while."

However, just two minutes later, the previously fine drizzle suddenly intensified, and the sky seemed to have been torn open, pouring heavy rain.

"The rain got heavier," Jian Ning turned to look at Zong Ye, sighing softly.

Zong Ye: ...

Being proven wrong twice in such a short span, the deputy felt somewhat embarrassed for his Marshal. He quickly said, "The school bus was left nearby; let's go there to take shelter from the rain."

The soldier led the way, and Jian Ning and Zong Ye walked at the back. The heavy rain had darkened the sky, and they all took out their lamps to illuminate the path.

The jungle floor was covered with soaked fallen leaves, making it difficult to walk. The halo couldn't block such heavy rain, and raindrops seeped in, wetting their clothes.

As Jian Ning stepped forward, the soft leaves beneath his foot revealed a hidden stone, nearly causing him to slip. Zong Ye held onto his arm, saying, "Be careful."

Once Jian Ning regained his balance, Zong Ye let go and loudly reminded the others ahead, "Be cautious while walking; there might be insects in the forest during rainy nights. Pay attention."

He checked his communicator; they still had ten minutes left to reach the location where the school bus was abandoned. They had already walked for five minutes, so nothing should happen in the remaining five minutes.

"Ah, something just bit me," a classmate's voice came from the front.

"Hiss, I got bitten too."

Jian Ning felt a bite on his calf as well, itchy and painful. He didn't say anything and simply bent down to rub the affected area before continuing to walk.

"...You got bitten too?" Zong Ye saw his actions and asked.

Jian Ning nodded and realized that the bitten area not only hurt and itched but was also somewhat numb. He lost sensation in his lower leg. Panicking, he stood still and looked at Zong Ye, "I've lost feeling."

Zong Ye met his gaze, stopped, and furrowed his brows, "Where?"

"Right leg," Jian Ning quickly replied.

Without hesitation, Zong Ye crouched down, rolling up Jian Ning's pants. Under the light, a large red and swollen area appeared on his fair calf.

"Get on," Zong Ye turned around immediately, allowing Jian Ning to climb onto his back.

Jian Ning, in his current state, didn't mind and quickly clung to Zong Ye's neck.

Zong Ye carried Jian Ning on his back, striding past the others, quickly moving forward.

In the light, they could already see the abandoned school bus. Jian Ning felt that he had lost all sensation in his right leg, and the bitten area was beginning to feel hot. His head also started to feel dizzy. Clinging tightly to Zong Ye's neck, he anxiously whimpered, "I can't feel my leg."

"My leg, I can't feel my leg," Jian Ning clutched at Zong Ye's collar and called out while wriggling on his back.

What's wrong with this kid? Zong Ye kicked open the bus door, headed straight for the driver's seat, although the bus was damaged and couldn't be driven. The lighting system, however, was still functional.

He turned on the lights inside the bus and carefully placed the fidgeting Jian Ning on one of the seats. When he touched Jian Ning's forehead, it was scorching hot.

Zong Ye rolled up Jian Ning's pants again, and the red and swollen wound had turned black.

Oh no, he was bitten by a string worm. Zong Ye furrowed his brows. The string worm was a highly poisonous creature in the forest. Those bitten would quickly fall into a coma and experience alternating chills and fever. They were usually found in damp and humid areas, rare on Planet Emperor.

This kid was really unlucky.

Helplessly, Zong Ye watched Jian Ning lying on the seat, still wriggling. Suddenly, he started trembling, his eyelashes fluttering intensely, and his lips turned pale. Zong Ye hurriedly took off his military uniform and wrapped it around him, holding him tightly in his arms.

In a daze, Jian Ning felt like he had fallen into an icy pit, shivering from the cold. Suddenly, he was embraced in a warm hug with a familiar scent. Unable to help himself, he snuggled closer, feeling his nose tingling, and mumbled something incoherent.

Curiously, Zong Ye leaned closer to his mouth and only heard the words "bad guy."

Zong Ye couldn't help but shake his head. He had no idea which "bad guy" Jian Ning was referring to, but even in this state, he still remembered to curse someone who had done something excessive to him.

Jian Ning woke up and found himself lying in a soft bed, surrounded by whiteness.

Terry was sitting on the nearby sofa, playing a game. When he heard movement, he looked up and saw Jian Ning awake. He quickly dropped the game and ran over, happily saying, "Ning, you're awake!"

"Where is this?" Jian Ning recalled the events in the forest earlier and quickly lifted the blanket to check his right leg. Thankfully, the sensation had returned.

"This is the academy's medical room," Terry handed him a glass of water and said, "Last night, the Marshal brought you back. You were unconscious, and I was really worried."

"I was bitten by bugs in the forest," Jian Ning took a sip from the glass, then examined his wound. The red swelling had gone down, leaving only a slight mark that still hurt a bit, but it was much better.

He remembered and asked, "What about the other students? I recall they were also bitten."

"They are fine, just bitten by ordinary mosquitoes. You're different; you were bitten by a very rare poisonous insect in our Emperor Star," Terry replied.

Jian Ning was stunned, "Am I really that unlucky?"

"Unlucky? No, you're super lucky!" Terry exaggerated, "The Marshal carried you back, and now everyone in the academy is jealous of you."

"The whole academy?" Jian Ning was puzzled, "The whole academy knows about it?"

"Not exactly. You didn't return until nearly ten o'clock last night, and the Marshal directly brought you to the medical room without causing much commotion," Terry shook his head, looking displeased, "It was Alan who spread the news."

Alan had been bragging about how the Marshal carried Jian Ning back last night. He even twisted the situation, making it seem like Jian Ning deliberately sought the Marshal's attention.

Jian Ning's face darkened; he knew Alan's words couldn't be anything good. He then noticed that Terry had a cut on the corner of his mouth and asked, "What happened to your mouth?"

"Nothing," Terry lowered his head, "I just got into a fight with Alan."

"Because of me?" Jian Ning asked.

"... He said some really nasty things," Terry scratched his head, not denying it.

A warm feeling surged within Jian Ning. Terry had never dared to provoke Alan before, but now he fought with him for Jian Ning's sake.

"Who won?" Jian Ning asked, smiling.

"I won! Don't be fooled by Alan's usual arrogance; he's no match in a fight. If it weren't for Teacher Kelly's arrival, I would have made him cry," Terry said excitedly.

Jian Ning couldn't help but laugh, "Did Teacher Kelly punish you guys?"

Terry's expression turned glum, "Yes, she did. She punished Alan to weed the field for the whole class for a week, and me to water the plants."

"I'll help you," Jian Ning offered.

"No need," Terry shrugged, "It's my punishment; I can handle it myself. But this time, Alan lost face in front of our classmates. He definitely hates both of us now, so we should be on guard for any sneaky tricks he might use to cause trouble in the future."

Jian Ning nodded, and checking the time, he realized it was already afternoon. Feeling that his body was mostly recovered, he said, "I'm fine now. Let's go back to our dormitory."

"Change your clothes," Terry handed him a set of clean clothes he brought from the dormitory and considerately pulled the curtain.

Jian Ning changed into the fresh clothes, and as they were about to leave, the door of the ward was pushed open, revealing a blond, handsome boy standing at the entrance.