Strongest Soldier King

Luo Zheng woke up, which also alerted the head of the Special Warfare Team standing by the door. The head immediately called the dean, who hadn't expected Luo Zheng to wake up so soon and was very pleased. After a thorough examination, he was completely reassured and said to the worried-looking head of the Special Warfare Team and Lan Xue, "Don't worry, I have never seen anyone with such good constitution; he's recovering much better than expected. But he must rest, must not get out of bed, and should not talk too much. We'll observe for a couple more days before deciding anything further."

"Thank you," Lan Xue said, surprised.

After the dean left, the head of the Special Warfare Team looked deeply at Luo Zheng and said with a wry smile, "You really know how to stir things up. Okay, I guess I'm just a third wheel here, unwelcome, so I won't disturb you two any longer. Call me if you need anything and take care of yourself." He recalled this last sentence to remind Lan Xue.

Lan Xue nodded gratefully at the head of the Special Warfare Team, understanding his concern. Once he had left, Lan Xue smiled, a very relaxed smile. Luo Zheng's awakening had settled her nerves completely. She spoke affectionately, "Just rest, stay put, don't talk, just listen—that's all you need to do now. I know what you want to hear."

"Mm," Luo Zheng grunted in agreement.

The two laughed together in understanding. Lan Xue then detailed all recent events— the competition results, the murderer, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, the visitors, and so on. Observing Lan Xue's haggard face, cracked lips, and deeply sunken eye bags, Luo Zheng felt deeply moved. After she had finished, he urged impatiently, "I'm fine now; you should go rest."

"I'm fine, really; seeing you awake is all I need," Lan Xue said nonchalantly.

"No," Luo Zheng said earnestly.

"Huh?" Lan Xue looked at Luo Zheng's serious expression, felt touched by his concern, and satisfied, she smiled, "Okay, I'll listen to you. You too should get some good sleep and call me if you need anything." Saying this, she got up, greeted the head outside, and then slipped into the bed next to Luo Zheng's and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The head of the Special Warfare Team watched this scene and smiled wryly. He had just sat down when Luo Zheng said, "Head of the Team, I know what's going on, I..."

"Enough, don't say anything more. You did well in the contest, don't blame yourself. Focus on healing now; we can talk about everything else once you're back in the team. We have plenty of time ahead," the head of the Special Warfare Team interrupted firmly.

"Mm," Luo Zheng gratefully agreed, closed his eyes, but struggled to fall asleep. Instead, images began to surface in his mind, a chilling face laughing sinisterly on a cliff. Luo Zheng didn't know the man was the Fox Wolf, second in command of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, but he silently vowed to avenge this wrong.

Anger and hatred provided Luo Zheng some strength. Imagery toggled in his mind, including Song Yang's face. From Lan Xue's description, Luo Zheng could already sense the murderous intent of the Song family. His hatred for the Song family deepened. Thinking about the competition's outcome, fourth place wasn't too bad; at least he wasn't last and had hunted down several members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group during the contest, which somewhat calmed his nerves. After musing aimlessly for a while, Luo Zheng eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Two hours later, Elder Liu and Elder Chang arrived with gifts. After the Special Warfare Team's head gave them detailed instructions, he left. Although these two might not be the strongest in terms of combat capability, their experience was undoubtedly the most substantial within the team. With them as guards, the team's head was very assured, as he could not afford to stay in the hospital given the multitude of responsibilities back with the team.

The next morning, Luo Zheng and Lan Xue woke up almost simultaneously. Recognizing Elder Liu and Elder Chang, Lan Xue saw no room for misunderstanding and thanked them. After a glance from Luo Zheng, which she tacitly understood, Lan Xue walked out and returned ten minutes later with a light breakfast. She helped Luo Zheng sit up and began to feed him personally.

"Bang!" The door was pushed open forcefully, startling everyone in the room. Elder Liu and Elder Chang quickly dashed forward, obstructing the newcomers and forming a human wall with a menacing look. Had they sensed any hostility, they would have attacked immediately. Seeing the newcomers, Lan Xue's expression changed, she put down the unfinished congee and coldly went to meet them.

"Isn't it embarrassing enough? Come back with me," a middle-aged man said displeasedly as he glanced at Elder Liu and Elder Chang. Perhaps intimidated by their menacing appearance, or because he did not want to start a fight, he angrily addressed the approaching Lan Xue.

"Who lost face? Whose face have I lost?" Lan Xue demanded coldly, giving no quarter to the other party.

"You?" The middle-aged man glared at Lan Xue, then immediately turned to Elder Liu and Elder Chang and barked, "Get out of here."

"And who are you?" Elder Liu asked unflinchingly, not clear on the situation and thus not moving to expel anyone.

"I'm her father, get out of the way," the middle-aged man barked angrily.

Elder Liu and Elder Chang looked at Lan Xue. Seeing that she did not deny it, they hesitated slightly before stepping aside. It was difficult to judge family matters. Since it was a father seeking his daughter, they felt it inappropriate to intervene, but they stayed close to the bedside, protecting Luo Zheng, just in case. The middle-aged man moved forward aggressively, but Lan Xue blocked him, looking dissatisfiedly at Luo Zheng on the bed, fury in his eyes.

"Oh, so this is Luo Zheng? Doesn't look much to me," a well-dressed woman sneered from the side, clicking her tongue as if she'd seen something revolting.

"How he is is none of your business to comment on," Lan Xue said coldly, her face deadly serious, her eyes shining with a frosty chill.

"How dare you speak to your mother like that?" the middle-aged man demanded angrily.

"She's my stepmother," Lan Xue retorted coldly. Seeing the middle-aged man's fury mounting, as if he was about to resort to violence, she unabashedly continued, "She's not even qualified to be a stepmother."

"You?" the middle-aged man erupted, pointing at Lan Xue and turning livid, "Come back with me. Have you not embarrassed the Lan family enough?"

"Really? If that's the case, why not disown me?" Lan Xue shot back defiantly.

The middle-aged man was so angry he was practically steaming, but he couldn't do anything to Lan Xue. He shot her a deep look, pulled the woman whose ego had been deflated and left. Luo Zheng watched the middle-aged man storm off, noting the glance he had given Lan Xue before leaving, which was surprisingly full of tenderness, and wondered greatly. He signalled to Elder Liu and Elder Chang, who then closed the door and went outside to stand guard.

"Your dad, he …?" Luo Zheng asked caringly.

"Yeah," Lan Xue nodded, pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "My dad still loves me. It's just hard for him being caught between my stepmother and me. Let's talk about this later. For now, just rest and eat something."

"Thank you," Luo Zheng said, moved. Seeing that Lan Xue did not wish to elaborate, he did not press further. Overwhelmed by Lan Xue's sacrifices, he felt utterly undeserving. He doubted he could ever repay her in this lifetime.

Lan Xue felt the deep love emanating from Luo Zheng, said nothing further, and scooped up some rice porridge to hand to him. She was like a devoted wife caring for her husband, their hearts silently merging into one.