Chapter 70
"Zuo Jian, where are you, Zuo Jian...?"
She tried to get up, and that's when Laurentina noticed something heavy on her thigh.
Looking down, I saw an object, wrapped tightly in its own flesh, resembling a large rice dumpling, lying on my lap.
The other creature was also wriggling from time to time, making strange humming sounds.
"Hmm, just five more minutes... just five minutes..."
Doctor lay on Laurentina's soft thighs, intending to rub against her a little longer, a chill suddenly spread from his back throughout his body!
Laurentina then wrapped her arms around the Doctor's armpits and picked him up like a pet cat.
Why are you lying on my lap?
"Sigh... um... I remember too clearly... wasn't it Zuo Jian who said it last night—"
The Doctor stammered, but then the other person's gaze grew even colder.
"No, no, no! I... I was half asleep last night and accidentally leaned against him! It has nothing to do with Zuo Jian!"
"Ha, really? That would be perfect, otherwise..."
Laurentina leaned close to the Doctor and whispered something.
"I know you just want a bodyguard to get you out of this wilderness safely."
"Zuo Jian understands this too, and I know he will definitely try to help you. I don't care about that; after all, he's just a kind-hearted person."
"But you'd better remember that."
She leaned close to the Doctor's ear and slowly opened her mouth.
"Don't even think about pushing your luck."
Good morning, Laurentina.
[I just finished processing what I caught... um, the book says it's called Sandworm, and the legs are probably edible... What are you guys doing?]
The long dress, along with the open pupils of the Zuo Jian, emerged from beneath the lander. It raised its eyes and looked at the Doctor being held by Laurentina. The two looked at each other, their eyes almost touching.
"Wow, just thinking about how such a cute girl will be joining us on our journey will probably make it much more interesting, don't you think, Doctor?"
Instantly, she dropped her warning tone, pulled the Doctor into her arms again, and patted Doctor shoulder while speaking in a cheerful tone.
With each beat, the Doctor felt as if his heart was about to stop for half a beat.
How scary! How scary! How scary!
What's wrong with this woman?! Seriously, does she have such a strong possessiveness even towards her own Originium Arts- created companions?!
"You're right, Doctor ~ We'll be able to get along well from now on, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
As if threatened, the Doctor blinked frantically at Zuo Jian, at a rate so fast it could be used for frame interpolation.
Help me, Zuo Jian! I don't want to be with this woman!!!
However, the former, looking at Laurentina and the Doctor, did not notice anything unusual at all.
After all, considering Laurentina's previous behavior of teasing that little judge named Irene from time to time...
It's not that strange, is it?
In short, it's normal.
Thinking of this, Zuo Jian again and said...
[Then I'll continue processing the Sandworm I caught. Speaking of which, if it weren't for the Doctor, I would have almost forgotten that normal people need three meals a day.]
[I really miss... the feeling of getting up in the morning to prepare ingredients and make breakfast, even though the ingredients were very simple.]
As he spoke, he turned his head and cut off all the legs of the still-wriggling Sandworm, then strung them together and roasted them over the newly lit campfire.
"Yes, thanks to the Doctor, he even had Zuo Jian 'specially' arrange breakfast for you--"
The instant Zuo Jian turned his gaze away, Laurentina, with a dramatic change of expression, gently patted the Doctor's cheek in her arms.
"I... I... actually, you don't need to specially help me prepare breakfast or anything like that."
Seeing this, the Doctor quickly interrupted her and called out to Zuo Jian.
[Doctor, your health isn't great. I think ensuring you get three meals a day is essential, and finding food in the wilderness isn't particularly difficult.]
[By the way, Doctor, is the bruise on your leg any better?]
[You should use the one wrapped around your legs]
[I'm using the flesh and blood to change the temperature for a hot compress, Laurentina, could you please help me with adjusting the temperature?]
[Sandworm legs... it seems difficult to control the cooking time.]
Zuo Jian finished speaking, he focused his attention on the string of Sandworm legs next to him.
"Okay, a hot compress, right?"
After listening, Laurentina glanced at the Doctor again.
"I feel like my leg is completely healed! Look! I can even jump around! I don't need any heat therapy at all!"
Seeing the other person's kind expression, the latter was so frightened that he quickly tried to explain.
They also wanted to jump around to prove that their legs were 100% or even 90% healed!
However, the next moment, she felt the flesh and blood that had been wrapped around her thigh for cold compresses begin to change, eventually wrapping tightly around her joints, causing her to fall to the ground.
Then, Laurentina raised her hand and pulled the Doctor back, preventing him from having close contact with the yellow earth.
"Look, it's not healed at all."
She smiled, and pulled the Doctor back into her clutches.
At that moment, the Doctor realized that the situation seemed to be completely out of control. Without hesitation, she immediately called Zuo Jian nearby.
"Waaaaah! No, don't come any closer! Zuo Jian..."
However, the next moment...
The viscous tentacles directly blocked its mouth.
It completely eliminated any possibility of her making a sound.
A few hours later.
The land vehicle traveled across the desolate, rolling yellow sand.
Laurentina sat in the passenger seat humming Aegir song, occasionally glancing out the window at the receding scenery.
[You seem to be in a good mood?]
Zuo Jian was a little curious. Ever since they had eaten the Sandworm legs and set off, he felt that Laurentina's mood seemed to have improved a lot.
"Really?"
[Hmm, a little.]
"It's probably because there was a cute child on the street."
As Laurentina spoke, she glanced at the Doctor sitting in the driver's seat beside her.
Although the warning was quite severe, she wouldn't actually do anything cruel.
At most, it will just leave her with a slightly more memorable impression.
[Really? It seems you two get along quite well.]
Zuo Jian finished speaking, he moved closer to the Doctor, watching him mutter strange words from time to time while he was Doctor. Meanwhile, compared to Laurentina was in a cheerful mood...
The Doctor's eyes looked somber, as if they had lost their sparkle.
"So slippery... I've been touched naked... Waaah..."
[What are you saying?]
"Wow! Left, Zuo Jian? No, nothing!"
The Doctor, suddenly realizing what he had just said, quickly stopped his strange mutterings.
[Really? By the way, I didn't expect you to actually be able to drive this vehicle, or rather, this land vehicle, all by yourself?]
Zuo Jian turned his Zuo Jian, looking curiously at the various strange instruments and buttons on the driver's side.
It's completely different from any car I know.
"Really? I only learned it a short time ago too."
The Doctor answered somewhat guiltily.
She stole the car, so all she could do was figure out how to drive it.
As for those strange instruments, how would she know what they were for!
[What is this?]
"Car, in-car guide."
[What about this one?]
The tentacles on the Zuo Jian kept pointing at the various instruments on it, like curious children.
"This is the fuel display... probably..."
[Perhaps?]
"Ah, no! It's the fuel display!"
The Doctor quickly changed his tune in response.
[No, it is... so is it or isn't it?]
Zuo Jian looked at the other person and sensed that something was wrong.
However, asking directly would be somewhat impolite.
Let's change the subject.
[And this... is this a compass? There's something like this in the car?]
Zuo Jian then pointed to a dial on the side, saying that several gears on it locked the red and white pointers into the round instrument.
"Oh, right, right! This is for navigation; I use it to find my way."
It was rare to see Zuo Jian talking about something he was familiar with; the Doctor even spoke fluently.
[Really? I didn't expect the land vehicles here to be equipped with something like this.]
"It must be because of factors like crossing the wilderness!"
"Moreover, I've heard that this guide is incredibly powerful! The technology originates from Iberia, it's powered by Originium, and it can even avoid malfunctioning due to abnormal magnetic fields in Catastrophes zones!"
As the Doctor explained the guide, he marveled at his own powerful memory, recalling how he had casually glanced at a mechanical magazine on the street when he passed by a bookstore earlier.
There's a section above that happens to be an onboard guide for land vehicles.
Luckily, I wrote it down myself.
[Wow, it can actually prevent interference from the external environment? That's a really impressive method.]
He moved closer to the Zuo Jian and looked at the red and white arrows lying quietly inside the instrument panel.
"Since it's so useful..."
"Then why don't you start it?"
Just then, Laurentina, who was leaning against the window looking at the scenery outside, turned to ask the Doctor.
"Ugh... what startup..."
This time, it was the Doctor's turn to be confused.
Laurentina reached out and pressed her hand on the instrument panel, then watched as it turned on, revealing a green switch.