Strongest Soldier King

A week had passed, and Luo Zheng was still in a coma, but he could now be seen up close. Lan Xue, who had not left his side for even a moment, would rest her head on the edge of the bed and steal a few moments of sleep when fatigue overcame her. Those unaware of the circumstances thought her love ran deep, but those in the know understood that Lan Xue cared not only about Luo Zheng but was also sending a warning to the Song family, as well as ensuring Luo Zheng's safety.

That morning, the team captain drove over in a hurry and ran into his other cousin, the quirky Lan Xing, at the entrance. He was initially taken aback, but then he sighed in relief, pulled Lan Xing to the side, and asked in a low voice, "How did you find your way here?"

"Big cousin?" Lan Xing exclaimed in surprise.

"Shh!" The team captain hurriedly signaled Lan Xing to keep it down and not shout in alarm, then happily said, "I don't care how you got here, just that you're here. Your sister hasn't had a good night sleep in seven days, do you have any ideas?"

"Ah?" Lan Xing looked at the team captain in surprise. Upon seeing that the team captain didn't seem to be lying, she became worried and thought for a moment. Then her eyes lit up, and she said, "Leave it to me." With those words, she hurried off.

The team captain was immune to Lan Xing's eccentric behavior and entered the hospital room without fuss. There, he saw Lan Xue staring blankly at the unconscious Luo Zheng, her face gaunt, her spirit worn thin, and her eyes full of concern, looking as though she had aged ten years. He sighed inwardly, envying Luo Zheng and wondering what virtues and abilities this young man possessed to make his proud and powerful cousin so devoted.

"You're here. You should go and take care of your own business. I'm here," Lan Xue said mechanically upon noticing someone entering and recognizing it was her cousin.

"The competition results will be announced in two hours, so I came over to check on things," the team captain explained.

"Oh? The results are coming out that soon?" Lan Xue asked.

"It's about time. The team has been back for a week, and everyone has submitted detailed reports, explaining their own experiences separately, written without prior communication. Everything has been verified once over, and I've heard that we have a mole in the East Yiyun territory. After consolidating information from all sides, there's no chance of error in these results," the team captain explained, glanced at Luo Zheng, sighed quietly to himself, and asked, "Any response yet?"

"It won't be long," Lan Xue said with certainty.

"Hmm, didn't the doctor say you should talk to him more, to awaken his will to survive? You'll have to work a bit harder then. If there's anything, just call me. Remember, he's still my soldier. Why don't you take a two-hour break? I'm not in a rush to leave, I can stay here in your place," the team captain said with concern.

"Big sis, I'm here." A pleasant voice sounded from outside, and in came a beautiful girl wearing jeans and a casual shirt, with a snug T-shirt underneath and her hair tied back in a ponytail, radiating youthful vibes. Upon entering and seeing Lan Xue, her expression changed dramatically, and she said with heartache, "Big sis, how have you become so worn out? You look like an old woman."

"You're talking nonsense again," the team captain scolded with dissatisfaction.

"Okay, my great cousin, you're wise and valiant, everyone knows that. Now, right away, please excuse yourself so we sisters can have a little private chat. It's not appropriate for a big man like you to be here, okay?" Lan Xing said, dismissing his concern with a smile.

The team captain looked at Luo Zheng lying on the hospital bed, wanting to point out that another man was present, but considering Luo Zheng was still in a coma, he hoped Luo Zheng could hear them. He shook his head with a bitter smile and slowly walked out.

Lan Xing followed to the door and saw the captain head to a leisure bench not far away. She quickly closed the door, came to the hospital bed, and curiously looked at the comatose Luo Zheng, saying, "This bastard isn't much to look at, sis, how come you're so hopelessly devoted? You have no idea, your bold pursuit of happiness has become the talk of the town in Beijing."

"What's the Song family's reaction?" Lan Xue asked indifferently.

"The Song family hasn't reacted much, but given their freakish style of covering for their own, they're sure to do something against you. I've already asked Grandpa to keep an eye on this matter, and oh, I've checked into the thing you asked about," Lan Xing said rapidly.

"And the conclusion is?" Lan Xue's cold eyes flashed with a hint of anticipation.

"The conclusion is?" Lan Xing hesitated for a moment, then seeing Lan Xue's disappointed face, he sighed helplessly and explained, "Sis, it's not that I'm not helping you, but I really can't find anything. I secretly checked the recent month's call records of everyone from the Song family, and not a single one was made to a foreign country."

"If you can't find clues from the Song family, didn't you start with the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group?" Lan Xue countered.

"Of course I did that too. I checked all the phone numbers of the known members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group and found a suspicious number. Tracing that number, it was from a public phone on the street, the kind you can use with a phone card. I checked the phone card too, bought from a roadside newsstand. I checked with the newsstand owner as well, but he can't remember who bought it. There's no surveillance around, the lead has gone cold," Lan Xing said awkwardly.

"Where is the newsstand?" Lan Xue asked calmly.

"It's in the development area of the neighboring city, which is an industrial zone with a dense population of migrants. It's impossible to track down, but don't worry, I'll keep looking into this for you," Lan Xing promised, a bit annoyed.

"That's enough, no need to look any further," Lan Xue said coldly.

"Eh? Why?" Lan Xing asked in amazement.

"Because they've prepared in advance. Their counter-surveillance ability is very strong; it's impossible for you to find anything. Continuing the search would only drag you into this," Lan Xue said coldly, looking at Luo Zheng but swearing to herself that this wasn't over.

"Alright," Lan Xing agreed but resolved to continue investigating on his own. His gaze fell on Luo Zheng, and he asked with concern, "Sis, what kind of injury did he sustain? How is he doing?"

"High fever, internal bleeding, two fractured ribs on the left chest, two-thirds blood loss, plus a gunshot wound to the leg - it's a miracle he didn't die on the spot. Now it's uncertain whether he'll live or die. I dare not even inform his family. The doctor said whether he can survive depends on his own will to live; he advised me to keep talking to him. Go on, I should talk to him for a while," Lan Xue said, her icy eyes filled with a trace of warmth.

"It's that serious?" Lan Xing hadn't expected Luo Zheng's injuries to be so severe and for him to still be alive; it really was a miracle. He said, "A good man is protected by heaven; if he can pull through this, it's not a big problem – it's just a matter of time. Don't worry, here, drink some water. Your lips are cracked, like the desert. If you keep pushing yourself, he'll have to take care of you when he wakes up."

Lan Xue didn't respond but took the water and drank a few sips, then put it aside, unaware of Lan Xing's smug smile. It wasn't long before she felt her eyelids growing heavy. Shocked, she looked at Lan Xing as an overwhelming sense of drowsiness came over her, slowly closing her eyes and slipping into unconsciousness.