Chapter 340: Chapter 302: She Must Be His Yuanbao

"They have their own mission."

Alex cut off Flynn’s probing question, standing up and pulling Gu Ning close. He patted her on the shoulder and gave Flynn an ambiguous answer, "As for anything else, we don’t know."

Gu Ning pressed her lips together and looked at Flynn, saying nothing.

’The cat minister’s question is too personal,’ she thought. ’And from the way he’s talking, it sounds like he knows quite a bit about our team.’

If he hadn’t been so friendly toward them, a remark like that would have put them on high alert.

She truly didn’t know what Vine’s mission in Zone 15 was. Even the talkative Leo hadn’t revealed a single detail to her, so of course she couldn’t tell a stranger anything about them.

Flynn noticed the little female had become guarded and silently cursed himself. ’I talked too much again.’

"Haha, just asking! I was just asking casually, I didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t get the wrong idea," Flynn said, trying to laugh it off.

After speaking, he noticed the camera hanging around the little female’s neck and couldn’t help but ask, "Miss Reporter, are you from the Rabbit Clan? Do you like to go online?"

Gu Ning’s guard went up the moment she heard him mention going online. "No, I’m not. And I don’t."

Flynn was about to say more, but Alex interrupted him. "Minister, it’s time for you to go back."

"No rush, Brooke can handle it," Flynn said. "I’ll just see you off here. I’ll feel better once I’ve seen you leave."

"It’s my duty as the head of the Security Department," Flynn said, his expression turning serious.

Alex said no more. He deftly stripped off his clothes, handed them to Gu Ning, and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Keep these safe for me. I’ll need them again later."

Gu Ning hugged his clothes, still warm from his body. Her eyes couldn’t help but dart downward, and her cheeks burned. "Okay," she mumbled.

’Beastmen have to get completely naked every time they transform,’ she thought. ’I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.’

Watching the intimate display, Flynn felt a pang of jealousy.

His eyes kept lingering on the little female, trying to get a better look. Even though her face was completely hidden by a hat, a mask, and windproof goggles, the more he stared, the more her figure seemed to merge with the image of Yuanbao in his mind.

He still had many doubts about this reporter’s identity, but asking any more questions would be crossing a line.

As Flynn watched the little female grab a handful of wolf fur and scramble onto the wolf’s back, he took a deep breath and clutched his chest.

’This feeling! It’s like my heart’s been shot!’

She! Has! To! Be! My! Yuanbao!

"Miss Reporter!"

Gu Ning had just settled onto Alex’s back when she heard Flynn call out. She turned her head—

And a giant cat head was thrust right in front of her face.

"Meow~" The grayish-white cat head dipped down, nuzzling toward her as if begging to be petted.

Who could resist petting a giant, fluffy cat who was actively nuzzling up for affection?

Besides, this was the second time the cat had asked to be petted.

Back in the car, Leighton and the others had interrupted before Gu Ning had the chance. Now, seeing the cat waiting obediently with its head bowed for her touch, she didn’t hesitate to reach out and stroke its fur.

It felt like stroking a fluffy cloud of cotton, only softer.

Gu Ning wanted to stroke him a few more times, but the wolf beneath her broke into a trot. She quickly ducked down, tightening her grip on his fur.

"Meow..."

The big cat began to run alongside them, keeping pace with Alex, its eyes fixed on Gu Ning with excitement.

Gu Ning was speechless. ’...Huh? Is the cat minister coming with us?’

Alex: "..."

He picked up the pace.

Flynn picked up the pace too.

Alex veered through the ruins.

Flynn veered too.

Alex leaped high, clearing an obstacle.

Flynn also leaped high... and slammed headfirst into the obstacle in front of him.

’Whoops, didn’t see that wall.’

Gu Ning heard a loud "OW!" The round cat minister crashed through the wall and tumbled into the snow. After a few rolls, he quickly righted himself, sat up straight, and gave her a solemn wave with a sturdy paw, as if to say, ’I’m fine! Nothing to see here!’

"Pfft." He was so adorable that Gu Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

Alex shot a cold glance back at the Pallas’s cat, then silently accelerated, giving him no chance to catch up again.

Flynn didn’t give chase. He sat on the ground, pinning his own tail, and watched them disappear into the distance. Only when they were completely out of sight did he turn to go back into the burrow, but he forgot to transform back into his human form and got his body stuck in the entrance.

’Good thing the reporter didn’t see that, that would have been so embarrassing,’ Flynn thought with relief after changing back to his human form.

***

The Black Wolf carried the little female, racing across the vast, snowy landscape. Not long after they left the ruins, a set of train tracks came into view.

Beside the tracks lay a few overturned, rust-covered train cars.

It was the first time she had seen anything resembling a train in this world. She’d learned from Barto that due to the deep divisions between clans and the constant threat of Mutant Species, transportation options were severely limited.

Land-based Mutant Species attacked trains, sea-based ones capsized ships, and airborne ones shot down anything that flew.

For the Beastmen, the most dangerous threat was the winged Mutant Species. There was always a chance they could break through defenses and traps, soaring over high walls and oceans to reach the places they treasured and protected.

Every zone had anti-air defenses to deal with flying Mutant Species and Beastmen attempting to sneak in by air.

The higher the rank of a city’s zone, the stricter its defenses and inspections.

Alex followed the tracks, running until just before nightfall, when he carried the drowsy little female on his back into a cluster of abandoned buildings.

He found a spot sheltered from the wind and lowered his body. Gu Ning slid stiffly from his back.

After riding on his wolf form for nearly an entire day, her legs felt weak the moment she touched the ground. She reached out to steady herself on the wolf beside her, but her hand grasped a bare, muscular arm instead.

Alex scooped her up and carried her into the building.

A few minutes later, a fire flickered to life inside.

Gu Ning sat before a portable stove, warming her cold hands over the flame.

Alex found some wooden furniture in the building, broke it apart with his bare hands, and used it to build a proper fire.

The temperature inside rose significantly, and Gu Ning began to feel warm again.

"It won’t be this cold once we reach Zone 5," Alex said. He took a small packet of ready-to-eat food from Gu Ning’s bag, tore it open, poured the frozen meat into the pot, and tossed the wrapper into the fire.

"How... much farther?"

Gu Ning opened her terminal, trying to contact Barto’s group, but seeing she still had no signal, she looked up and asked.

Alex sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap, taking her still-chilly hands in his to warm them. "Tomorrow, we’ll reach the transfer station between the 12th District and Zone 15. We can take a train directly to Zone 5 from there. No more freezing in the wind."

Gu Ning asked in surprise, "We can... take a train?"

Alex gently nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. "Of course. The Upper Middle Districts all have train service. The tracks in Zone 15 were damaged by Mutant Species a while back, and only half of them have been repaired. We just have to travel a bit farther to get to a working station."

Trains run between the Central and Upper Districts; only the Lower District is cut off.

Gu Ning smiled. "I thought I was going to have to ride you all the way to Zone 5."

The corners of Alex’s mouth lifted. He lowered his head and said, "If that’s what you want, you can ride me all the way."

Gu Ning looked up at him for a moment, then answered honestly, "Let’s take the train."

’That way, I’ll be warmer, and Alex can get some rest too,’ she thought.

"I’m not tired," Alex said, kissing her forehead.

Gu Ning’s face flushed, and she slipped out of his embrace. "Time to eat."

The soup was already boiling.

After they finished their meal, Gu Ning lay down by the fire, ready to sleep.

She only had one backpack, which mostly contained food aside from a few simple toiletries. She took the only blanket from her bag and spread it on the ground, resigning herself to making do for the night.

Alex’s tall frame lay down beside her.

Gu Ning scooted over. The blanket was just big enough for her, but it was a tight squeeze with someone Alex’s size.

Alex pressed his body against hers, his arm wrapping around her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Gu Ning lay on her side, her body curled slightly as she stared at the fire—

POP—a spark flew from the crackling wood.

The source of heat behind her pressed in tighter.

"Want to get a little warmer?" Alex whispered, his lips brushing her ear.

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