Castorice, are you angry with me?

As Luo Li staggered out of Howling Wind Canyon with Lu Jingheng on his back, crossing its distinctive boundary of chaotic energy, shrill alarms and the beams of several powerful flashlights instantly engulfed them.

"Survivors spotted! Confirm their identities! It's Luo Li and an unidentified person!"

"Medical team! Hurry!"

The guild search-and-rescue team, which had been waiting anxiously at the outer cordon, immediately rushed forward.

The well-trained medical personnel swiftly took the nearly exhausted Lu Jingheng from Luo Li's back, carefully secured him to a stretcher, and began preliminary examinations and emergency treatment.

Only after watching Lu Jingheng being carried into an ambulance did Luo Li feel the tension finally leave him. Overwhelming fatigue swept over him like a tide, leaving him barely able to stand.

"Li Zi!!"

A familiar figure burst through the crowd and lunged at him. It was Yang Shan, his eyes red and his face full of anxiety.

He threw his arms around Luo Li and pounded his back, his voice trembling with lingering fear. "Holy shit! You bastard! You scared me to death! Communications went down, and command said an A-rank ambush brought your aircraft down. I thought... I thought you..."

He couldn't finish. He just hugged Luo Li tightly.

His grip made it a little hard for Luo Li to breathe, but warmth welled up in his heart. He tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Easy... I'm not dead yet..."

"Don't jinx it! What the hell are you saying?!"

Yang Shan released him and looked him over carefully. Although his clothes were in tatters and he was covered in dust and blood, he seemed to be in decent spirits. Only then did Yang Shan relax a little, before getting excited again. "Everyone at command is going crazy about it! Look at you! You solo-killed the A-rank Earl Shadowwing?! Holy shit! You're going to be famous!"

Luo Li frowned, but before he could explain, a stern-looking middle-aged man in a deacon's uniform approached. It was Deacon Wang, who had questioned him before.

"Luo Li, thank you for your hard work."

Deacon Wang looked at Luo Li with a complicated expression, his eyes holding concern and appreciation, but above all, a deep, probing scrutiny.

"What matters is that you made it back alive. We'll need a detailed report on the mission, particularly how you killed Earl Shadowwing."

His gaze swept over Lu Jingheng, who was receiving treatment nearby. "And include the circumstances concerning Researcher Lu Jingheng."

"Understood." Luo Li nodded, knowing this was a necessary procedure.

"Go with the ambulance for a comprehensive examination and recovery first. There's no rush on the report. We'll do that once your condition has stabilized."

Deacon Wang gave his instructions in a reasonably gentle tone.

Luo Li had no objections. He really did need rest now, and... he desperately wanted to see someone.

He was assigned to another ambulance and given a basic physical examination.

Aside from physical exhaustion and some superficial wounds, there was nothing seriously wrong, which once again surprised the accompanying doctor.

The convoy did not return to guild headquarters, instead heading straight for Jiangcheng Central Hospital-one of the best-equipped medical institutions under the Longxia Faction. Clearly, the guild was taking this matter very seriously.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Luo Li was placed in a private room for observation.

His combat uniform was removed, and his wounds received more professional treatment.

Only as he lay on the clean, soft hospital bed, smelling the disinfectant, did Luo Li truly feel that he was out of danger.

He took out his phone. Its battery was running dangerously low, but the screen showed dozens of missed calls and a pile of unread messages. Most were from Yang Shan and the guild liaison office, with a few teasing messages and inquiries from his older cousin, Yu Qian.

At the very top, however, the latest message was from Castorice.

Its timestamp was half an hour ago.

[Casti]: There yet

Just a brief question, without even any punctuation.

Yet Luo Li felt as though something had gently struck his heart, and a mixture of guilt and longing instantly surged within him.

He immediately called Castorice.

She answered almost instantly.

But there was only silence on the other end.

"...Castorice?"

Luo Li called her name tentatively, his voice a little hoarse with exhaustion.

"...Mm."

Several seconds passed before Castorice's voice came through. It was as ethereal as ever, but Luo Li keenly caught a trace of unusual... restraint and coldness.

There were no urgent questions as he had expected, no tearful concern, only this almost frozen silence.

"I'm fine. I'm already at the hospital. Just a little tired. They've checked me over, and I'm not really hurt."

Luo Li hurried to reassure her, trying to make his tone sound lighter.

"...Mm." Another faint response.

Luo Li's heart lurched.

This reaction... wasn't right.

She was too calm.

So calm that it made him a little uneasy.

From what he knew of Castorice, even with her cool, reserved personality, she should never have reacted with such near-indifference after learning he had been in such danger.

Could she... be angry?

Angry that he'd taken risks again? Angry that he'd almost failed to come back?

"Castorice..."

Luo Li softened his voice, with a hint of cautious coaxing.

"I made you worry... I'm sorry."

The other end remained silent.

Luo Li could even picture how she looked right now-her lips must have been pressed together slightly, her purple eyes lowered, her long lashes concealing the emotions within, an oppressive air of "I'm upset, but I won't say it" surrounding her.

This was much harder for him to handle than an outright temper tantrum.

"Well... something unexpected happened on the mission, but it's all been dealt with."

He tried to explain, but couldn't reveal too many details of the mission.

"I made it back in one piece, didn't I..."

"...Oh." Castorice finally offered another word.

Luo Li: "..."

I'm done for. Looks like she's really angry.

He scratched his head, finding this even trickier than facing Earl Shadowwing.

"Castorice..." He licked his somewhat dry lips, a hint of grievance unconsciously creeping into his voice. "The hospital's so boring... The disinfectant smells awful... I miss your noodles..."

He deployed his ultimate technique: acting spoiled.

An extremely faint, almost inaudible intake of breath seemed to come from the other end.

The silence continued for another dozen seconds.

Just as Luo Li began to think even this tactic wasn't working, his heart in turmoil, Castorice finally spoke again. Her voice was still very quiet, but that deliberate coldness seemed to have thawed a little. "...Which hospital? What room?"

Overjoyed, Luo Li hurriedly gave her the details.

"I'll... come by later."

With that, Castorice hung up before Luo Li could respond.

Listening to the busy tone from his phone, Luo Li froze for two seconds, then couldn't help chuckling softly.

Her tone was still a little cold, but being willing to visit was a good start!

His mood instantly brightened considerably, and even his physical exhaustion seemed to ease a great deal.

He plugged in his phone and lay on the hospital bed, looking at the white ceiling, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously.

Castorice was pretty cute when she was angry, too...

Still, he'd have to find a way to soothe her.

Just as he was considering how to apologize and what to do, a gentle knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, but the person who entered was neither a doctor nor a nurse. It was Lu Jingheng, already changed into clean hospital clothes and sitting in a wheelchair.

A nurse was pushing him.

He looked much better than he had in the canyon. Some color had returned to his face, and his leg had been fitted with a more professionally applied cast.

Seeing Luo Li, he gave a gentle, grateful smile.

"Mr. Luo Li, I hope I'm not disturbing your rest?"

"No." Luo Li sat up. "How are you?"

"Thanks to you, it's only a fracture and some superficial wounds. I'll need to rest for a while."

Lu Jingheng signaled for the nurse to leave first, then maneuvered his wheelchair to the bedside himself, his manner still humble and polite.

"I truly owe you so much this time. I'll never forget that you saved my life."

"It was no trouble." Luo Li waved a hand, not quite accustomed to such formal thanks.

Lu Jingheng smiled and did not dwell on the subject, instead saying, "The guild's people have already asked me some preliminary questions.

I told them what actually happened: you killed Earl Shadowwing alone, and I was merely a survivor you happened to rescue."

As he had promised, he hadn't claimed any credit.

Luo Li glanced at him and nodded. "Mm."

"Also..." Lu Jingheng paused, his tone carrying just the right touch of uncertainty.

"I reported the possibility of a spatial rift within the canyon as well. They seemed... to take it very seriously."

Something stirred in Luo Li's heart.

As expected, word of the spatial rift had drawn attention from above.

"You're the one who discovered it. It's only natural for you to report it," Luo Li said.

Lu Jingheng nodded slightly. Then, as though remembering something, he took an antique-looking peace pendant, seemingly made of wood, from the pocket of his hospital clothes and offered it to Luo Li.

"Mr. Luo Li, please... accept this."

Luo Li was taken aback. "What's this?"

"An elder in my family gave it to me. It's said to soothe the spirit, calm the mind, attract good fortune, and ward off misfortune."

Lu Jingheng sounded very sincere, with an earnestness that brooked no refusal.

"It's nothing valuable, just a small token. I hope it will bless you with safety and smooth sailing from now on. Please do accept it."

His eyes were clear and open, revealing no other intentions.

Luo Li looked at the seemingly unremarkable peace pendant and hesitated.

In the apocalypse, casually accepting things from strangers was taboo.

But Lu Jingheng's manner was far too sincere, and the pendant really didn't look as though there was anything special about it.

Perhaps this really was just his way of expressing gratitude?

If he firmly refused, he would seem overly guarded instead, potentially arousing unnecessary suspicion.

"...All right. Thank you." In the end, Luo Li accepted it. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, seemingly nothing more than ordinary wood.

"You're too kind." Seeing him accept it, Lu Jingheng smiled in relief, as though he had accomplished something important.

He chatted briefly with Luo Li for a little longer, mainly asking after his health, his manner as considerate and appropriate as ever. Then, saying he didn't want to disturb Luo Li's rest, he maneuvered his wheelchair out.

Luo Li looked at the closed door, then lowered his eyes to the warm, smooth peace pendant in his hand, his gaze sharpening slightly.

This Lu Jingheng...

Was he truly just repaying a kindness, or did he have some other agenda?

Setting the peace pendant casually on the bedside table, Luo Li lay down again, his thoughts drifting back to Castorice's impending arrival.

Compared with the mystery of Lu Jingheng, soothing his angry Castorice was clearly the more important task right now-and the one giving him more of a headache.

He sighed and began seriously reflecting on his "mistakes" and devising his "apology plan" for later.

Castorice, are you angry with me?

It looked like tonight's "noodles" wouldn't be so easy to get.