"Quick! Restrain Admiral Kuang Ye! We absolutely cannot let him escape!"
"We can’t! The Admiral has entered his Evolutionary Stage and won’t let anyone near him! We can’t hold him down!"
"What do we do now?! Where’s the doctor? If all else fails, use the anesthetic gun!"
On the chaotic and bloody battlefield, a Mengji Snow Leopard—more than three times the size of a normal snow leopard—was fighting off everyone around him single-handedly, dripping with blood. His sky-blue eyes were filled with fury and wariness.
"ROAR!"
A nearly five-meter vacuum zone formed around him. Anyone who dared to cross the line was immediately met with a fierce, teeth-baring warning.
"What’s the situation?" After finishing his call with Liang He, Xu Yi rushed to the scene as fast as he could. Seeing a crowd surrounding the Mengji Snow Leopard, terrified that he might run off, he knew Kuang Ye had already lost control.
"Kuang Ye is just like Cedriel and the others; he’s refusing any human contact. We absolutely cannot let him leave, or the only thing waiting for him is death." As the director of the Royal Animal Reserve, and an SSS-level Beastman himself, Huo An was all too familiar with Kuang Ye’s condition.
"The problem is, if this stalemate continues, Kuang Ye’s condition might worsen, or he might just collapse from exhaustion first," Xu Yi noted. For a fierce beast, the Mengji Snow Leopard was currently feeling an extreme lack of security. Heavily injured and surrounded by so many humans glaring at him like prey, he would force himself to endure the pain, holding on to his last breath to keep from falling. However, stamina was always finite. Especially during such excessive exertion, the situation would only become more critical.
"Where is his family?" Although SSS-level Beastmen would fail to recognize even their closest relatives after transforming into beasts, there were exceptions to everything. No one could say for sure; perhaps Kuang Ye’s situation would be different. Even preparing for the worst, they had to reunite him with his family so they could see each other one last time.
"Kuang Ye’s family has already been notified. They are currently rushing to Star D139." The only person on the scene who remained calm from start to finish was Huo An. After the initial panic, everyone else was solely focused on how to soothe the Mengji Snow Leopard so the veterinarian could treat his wounds.
"What about Liang He..."
"I’ve already had someone contact headquarters to send a private jet to pick her up." Travel between planets was usually done via Starships, but the current situation was an emergency. When it was time to pull strings, no one would hesitate. Besides, as an Imperial Admiral, Kuang Ye’s safety was of utmost importance.
"Alright. Before Liang He arrives, do everything possible to ensure Kuang Ye stays alive." Otherwise, by the time Liang He reached Star D139, Kuang Ye would already be a goner.
"Understood!"
Being able to work as a veterinarian at the Royal Animal Reserve and being specially dispatched to the battlefield, Xu Yi’s abilities were beyond question. He observed Kuang Ye’s condition, made a prompt decision, and grabbed an anesthetic gun. After setting the proper dosage, with a loud BANG, he "took down" Admiral Kuang Ye. The collapsed Kuang Ye was swiftly carried into a cage exclusively designed for fierce beasts, preventing him from losing control and escaping when he woke up.
"Should we transport Kuang Ye toward Liang He’s direction and meet up at a transit station or something?" Xu Yi asked. It would take a considerable amount of time for Liang He to fly from Sky Shining Star—the closest planet to the Capital Star—all the way to the remote Star D139. If both parties headed toward each other, it might save some time.
"There’s no need. Kuang Ye is unconscious now and can receive emergency treatment," Huo An replied. To avoid unexpected complications and prevent the Rebel Army from finding an opportunity to strike another deadly blow, Huo An decided to prioritize safety. Having Liang He come to Star D139 was mainly to soothe Kuang Ye’s emotions and get him to cooperate with the treatment. Now that Kuang Ye was unconscious, he could be treated all the same. After all, before Liang He appeared, this was how they always handled such situations.
"Furthermore, before things are set in stone, we shouldn’t expose Liang He’s abilities, lest she becomes a target." Liang He’s special effect on Evolutionary Beastmen had not yet been fully verified. If they exposed her abilities prematurely and it turned out to be ineffective, others would just think she was deliberately grandstanding, which would be bad for her.
"I understand." Xu Yi nodded in strong agreement with Huo An’s cautious attitude. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, he quite admired this little girl from the Blue Star. As the Blue Star proverb went, eating someone’s food meant owing them a favor. Having enjoyed Liang He’s cooking, it was only natural for him to look out for her.
Kuang Ye was urgently rushed to the medical zone of Star D139—Xu Yi’s territory. He used a medical scanner to give Kuang Ye a full-body examination. The injuries were far from optimistic.
"He was injured by Quantum Bombs left behind by the Rebel Army. If it weren’t for the robust physique of an SSS-level Beastman, he would probably be dead by now." Looking at Kuang Ye’s medical report, Xu Yi’s face scrunched up into a tight frown, clearly indicating that the situation was dire.
"Just now, he forced himself to hold out during that standoff for a long time, causing his wounds to tear open again. Both his mental and physical exhaustion are massive. He must receive stable, long-term treatment." Anesthesia wasn’t exactly a good thing, after all; it also caused a certain degree of damage to the mind. Right now, they could only hope that Liang He could soothe Kuang Ye and make him willingly cooperate with the treatment. Otherwise, this kid probably didn’t have much time left.
"Administer the medication first," Huo An said. His complexion was clearly not looking too good either. Falling prey to the Rebel Army’s dirty trick this time, Kuang Ye was severely injured, and Huo An himself wasn’t faring much better. Fortunately, he had already passed his Evolutionary Stage. Otherwise, Xu Yi would currently be having headaches over more than just Kuang Ye.
"Alright. You should hurry and get your own injuries treated too. Don’t go collapsing on us before Kuang Ye even recovers." A veterinarian was still a doctor. Xu Yi could tell that Huo An was also in bad shape and immediately urged him to seek treatment. Afraid that the man would be stubborn, he even deliberately muttered a few words softly into his ear. "If you collapse, there’ll be no one left to protect Liang He."
Sure enough, Huo An, who originally wanted to hold out a little longer, immediately shut his mouth upon hearing Liang He’s name. He obediently went to find a doctor. It couldn’t be helped. Liang He was now a member of the Reserve. He had called her all the way from Sky Shining Star for this emergency, so he naturally had to bring her back safely.
Watching his retreating back, Xu Yi shook his head with a soft chuckle. As expected, the only one who could keep Huo An in line was Liang He. Who could blame him, considering he was also an SSS-level Beastman?
"I wonder if Liang He has boarded the private jet yet? Everyone here is counting on her." Xu Yi turned and walked toward the unconscious Mengji Snow Leopard, beginning the initial emergency treatment.
Meanwhile, the Liang He whom Xu Yi was so anxiously thinking about was currently sitting on the private jet sent by headquarters, looking utterly exhausted. Sitting beside her was Hoder, who had shamelessly insisted on tagging along.
Seeing Liang He yawning with fatigue, Hoder kindly reminded her, "Even at the jet’s top speed, it will take a full day and night to reach Star D139. You can go ahead and get some sleep." The interstellar Star Domain was vastly expansive. Sky Shining Star was located in the center, a great distance away from D139. If they were taking a Starship, factoring in the various stops along the way, it would likely take at least three days to arrive.
"Mhm... alright then. I’ll leave things to you." Liang He was never one to endure unnecessary hardship. Since Hoder insisted on following her to fulfill his duties as a bodyguard, she wasn’t going to stop him. After speaking, she peacefully closed her eyes and began to catch up on her sleep.
However, accidents always struck without warning.
"BANG!"
"What’s going on?!" The violent jolting of the private jet following a heavy impact caused Hoder to furrow his brows deeply. He immediately stood up, scanning their surroundings with high vigilance while simultaneously asking the crew for a status report.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP! An unidentified spacecraft is launching an attack! Please prepare for combat!"