Volume Two: Life and Death in the Northern Realm, Chapter 155: In the Hospital Room

"Huh? The entire Abidal Beauties Team is seriously injured? They all have broken arms and legs? Is that true?"

At the Noxar Team's rest area, Lewis spat out the milk he had just drunk.

"Of course it's true. I wouldn't joke about something like this. Here's today's breaking news, take a look."

As he spoke, Luo Huan tossed him a newspaper. Lewis quickly unfolded it, and a line of large characters immediately caught his eye—

"Live from the front lines of the Northern Realm Rally —the popular team Abidar suffers serious injuries to all four members, rendering them unable to continue?"

"What the hell?! I was hoping to redeem myself in this fourth stage! Losing to those bastards Vino Lions, in the third stage was bad enough, but now they've done it too... Ugh, everything's going wrong!"

Lewis tossed the newspaper aside, quickly dressed, and headed outside.

Where are you going?

"Of course it's the hospital! How dare she disappoint me! I'll teach that red-haired brat a lesson!"

Looking at Lewis like this, Luo Huan was speechless.

"Why don't you just say you're worried about them? A man's pride doesn't really count."

"Shut up!" Lewis yelled like a cat with its fur standing on end, then turned and walked away without looking back.

"Tsk tsk, where does such a temper come from... huh?"

Luo Huan looked around and realized that she was the only one left in the resting area.

"Strange... Where did Alba go?"

In the ward...

"Come on, Xiang-chan, open your mouth—ah~~~"

"... ah--"

"Mmm, so good, so good~"

Givinia held a spoon and fed him spoonful after spoonful like she was coaxing a child. Although Tani Hana Hibiki looked impatient, she had no choice but to cooperate obediently.

After all, she lost both arms.

This is a devastating blow to a physical combat-oriented ability user. Although they can use Spirit Artifact, they can only engage in simple combat at most, and it's impossible to return to their previous state.

To put it bluntly, her time as a combatant has come to an end.

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for your great help, we wouldn't have made it back alive."

On the other bed was Messiah, who thanked us with her usual warm smile, but there was an unconcealable gloom in her eyes. If you looked closely, you would find that her figure under the covers was more than half the length of an average person, and the bulge disappeared below her waist.

Her battle with the organization resulted in the loss of both her legs.

One person lost both arms, and the other lost both legs. This was absolutely devastating for the Abidal Beauties Team. One has to admire their spirit; even after suffering the pain of amputation, they suppressed their bitterness and resentment and showed us their strongest side.

As for the other bed...

"Waaah... Emilia..."

Emilia, her body wrapped in bandages, sat half-upright on the bed. Ally lay beside her, sobbing, holding a fruit knife and a half-peeled apple. Emilia looked at her with a helpless expression, her face a complex mix of emotions.

"Don't cry, you Ally, this... it couldn't be helped, could it? Although we suffered..." Emilia's face twitched violently at this point, "... quite heavy, but your arrival still prevented the worst outcome, didn't it?"

"But... but I was hoping to compete against you in the final stage... but now..."

"You... you really want to compete with me that badly? I really can't do anything with you, you idiot!"

"Don't call me an idiot, you moron, Amy... Waaah..."

"Huh? You just called me... Amy?"

"Ah! No, no, you've misunderstood! I'm not calling you by that nickname because we're close!" (blushing)

"Tch! I'm not happy at all because you called me Amy! Like an idiot, ba~kaba~ka!" (blushing)

Click!

An ear-piercing sound rang out at an inopportune moment. Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see Ailin's hands trembling slightly, with a shattered glass at her feet.

"... Ailin? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Ailin stood up with a slightly gloomy expression to get the broom and dustpan, not forgetting to give Emilia a cold look.

"My sister and Emilia's relationship has become so good..."

"So-and-so has become friends with this idiot!"

"Don't talk nonsense, Ailin! Even if you're my sister, I can't forgive you!"

"Sister... huh? Ha, yes, I'm just a 'sister' after all."

After saying that, Ailin began silently picking up the broken glass, no longer making a sound. The atmosphere in the once cheerful ward became somewhat oppressive.

Just then--

"Hey, sir! This is putting us in a difficult position—"

"Stop talking nonsense! Where is that red-haired girl? Is it here?"

"Please don't panic! They are all seriously injured."

"Get out of the way!"

A commotion could be heard coming from the corridor. A few seconds later, the ward door was pushed open forcefully, and several nurses with troubled expressions and a disgruntled young man entered.

Lewis, driver for the Noxar Team.

"Hey, you red-haired girl! What happened to you all that you've gotten into this mess?!"

"Lewis? You just barged into a girls' hospital room like that? Are you an idiot?" Emilia was genuinely taken aback.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Lewis watched her anxiously, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Hey, that's disgusting.

"Can't you see these four people are recovering from their injuries? You're seriously disrupting the hospital environment!" Ally made no attempt to hide her disgust; she had absolutely no liking for Lewis, who was on the same team as Alba.

"Tch--wait, no way, it really is a severed limb? Which bastard did this? I'll kill him!"

""""""...""""""

"Ah..."

Realizing that what he had said was a bit inappropriate, Lewis immediately covered his mouth and shook his head vigorously.

"Don't get me wrong! I'm not here to avenge you! It's just that not being able to get revenge in the fourth stage is really bothering me, and I just want to vent my anger on someone!"

"Let's be frank, Lewis... aren't you just concerned about him?"

A heavily made-up, mature woman named Luo Huan suddenly appeared from behind him.

"Luo Huan? What brings you here?"

"Of course, I'm afraid some idiot will make a big deal out of it." Luo Huan shrugged, looking like it was none of his business.

But Ally was not happy.

"Hey you guys... this is Amy and our rest area, okay?! What's with you Noxar just barging in like that?!"

"Oh my, isn't this Ferruggio's little Princess? It really is—"

"Shut up! I have nothing to talk to you about!"

"Such a temper, no wonder Alba..."

The door was pushed open again, interrupting Luo Huan's words.

"I heard our little Ally ran off here? Ha, this hospital room is really shabby."

Ta-da! The four members in gold make their dazzling entrance.

"The Vino Lions Team? What are you doing here now?"

"Can't we come?"

Kilga licked his lips with a flippant expression, his gaze sweeping over Ally's entire body like a tongue, deepening Ally's disgust.

"If you, as stage champions, are only here to see our miserable state, then I'm sorry, you might as well get lost!"

Emilia was also very unhappy; she had absolutely no liking for Noxar Team rife with sex scandals.

"We're so unpopular! The nurses outside were practically begging us for autographs, crying and practically begging!"

Since you're all so resistant, I'll leave— Kilga shrugged and walked towards the door.

"But,"

Just before leaving, he suddenly stopped and turned his head slightly.

"We've tried using the car fleet's network to do some investigation, but we still have no clue about the killer's background. I advise you guys to be careful in the future, or you might lose your lives."

After saying that, he led his team out of the ward with great strides, slamming the door shut behind them. A series of excited screams echoed down the corridor.

""""..."""

What is this all about...?

"Hey, could it be...?"

Givinia broke the silence.

"Could it be that Kilga came here to... offer a friendly reminder?"

"No, no, absolutely not. With his character, have you forgotten how he tried to steal our bonus points?" Ally immediately denied it expressionlessly.

"However, the act of forcibly seizing bonus points is quite common in this competition, at least they didn't just launch a sneak attack without saying a word."

"Why are you guys suddenly starting to speak up for those rich suckers?!"

I have a feeling the conversation is starting to take a strange turn.

I looked around the ward with a hint of helplessness, my gaze finally settling on the window.

"Um?"

Why do I feel like there's a pair of blue eyes peering through the gap in the curtains?

However, two people reacted faster than I did.

"Alba? What are you doing out there?" Lewis suddenly asked, looking out the window.

"Tsk, what an idiot!"

A glimpse of a eye through the curtains vanished instantly. At the same time, a loud bang came from the hospital room door as Ally threw down the half-peeled apple she was holding and slammed the door shut as she stormed out.

"Look, it's Ally Cena!"

"Were you just looking after Emilia and the others?"

"Are their injuries really that serious? Fan groups all over the world are eager to know the truth!"

When did your relationship start to become so good?

What exactly happened to you in the third stage? Why did your results drop so much? Can you share some information?

Honestly! The moment he heard that bastard Alba was outside, he went crazy and chased after him. And now look what happened...

Ally scratched her head in frustration. As soon as she left the hospital, she was surrounded by hundreds of reporters who were waiting outside. They bombarded her with cameras and microphones, and the flashes were so bright that she couldn't open her eyes.

"You, you guys, make way! I have urgent business to attend to!" Ally shouted, raising her hands, but this only had the opposite effect.

"Is it urgent? Is it related to Abidar?"

Can you provide further details?

The reporters immediately erupted into a cacophony of questions, leaving Ally increasingly overwhelmed.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

Just then, two more people came out of the hospital: Lewis and Luo Huan.

"It's Mr. Lewis and Ms. Luo Huan!"

"They're here too?"

"Excuse me, what exactly happened? Aren't you and Abidar longtime rivals?"

"Could it be that some deal has been reached or a cooperative relationship has been established?"

"Please be sure to grant us an interview--"

"Hey, Ally..."

Amidst the chaos, Luo Huan patted Ally on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"He probably went to the left. If you want to chase him, now's the time!"

"Ah... uh, thank you."

Suddenly receiving a friendly offer from the opposing team, Ally was a little confused, but she still thanked them and, taking advantage of the reporters' attention being drawn to Lewis and Luo Huan, chased after them to the left.