Chapter 268: Forgetting

The light in the tent gradually brightened, sunlight through the cracks in the canvas

casting fine spots of light on the ground. Lu Ran sat beside the ice coffin, gripping the seed ring in his hand, his gaze falling on A Nian. A Nian leaned on the cold-proof mat,

her eyelashes trembling lightly, her breathing gradually becoming steady and powerful, obviously about to wake up.

Lu Ran stood up, walked to A Nian's side, crouched down, and carefully observed her complexion.

Her complexion had recovered a bit of ruddiness, no longer as pale as before,

and her lips also had a trace of blood color. Lu Ran's heart eased slightly; he reached out, wanting to gently stroke A Nian's forehead, but stopped in mid-air, instead withdrawing his hand.

Not long after, A Nian's eyes slowly opened. She blinked,

her eyes carrying a trace of confusion, looking at the top of the tent, then turning to look at Lu Ran, her brows slightly furrowed, as if recalling something.

"Captain Lu." A Nian's voice was still a bit hoarse, carrying a trace of weakness,

"I... how am I here?"

Lu Ran looked at her, his heart skipping a beat. He knew A Nian might have forgotten some things.

He steadied himself, trying to make his voice sound steady: "You fainted before, and I brought you back."

A Nian nodded. She lowered her head, looked at her lower leg, where the wound had already healed, leaving only a shallow scar. A trace of confusion flashed in her eyes, then, as if remembering something,

her eyes lit up: "I remember, Sister Chu Yao used very warm light to save me."

Lu Ran's heart felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, the pain making him nearly unable to breathe.

He looked at A Nian's ignorant eyes, and the truth that reached his lips

was swallowed back down. He couldn't tell A Nian that Chu Yao had used her life

to trade for her survival. He couldn't let A Nian carry such a heavy burden in her heart.

Lu Ran nodded, his voice low: "Yes, Chu Yao saved you."

A Nian smiled, her eyes full of gratitude: "Sister Chu Yao is so good; when she comes back, I must thank her properly."

Lu Ran did not speak, just turned around, with his back to A Nian, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, tears would fall. A Nian looked at Lu Ran's back,

a trace of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she didn't ask more. She knew Captain Lu must have many things on his mind.

Just then, the tent flap was lifted abruptly, and several men in black clothes broke in.

They held machetes in their hands, their eyes fierce, their faces wearing hideous smiles. The leading man looked at Lu Ran and sneered: "Lu Ran, you have today too."

Lu Ran turned around abruptly, his eyes instantly turning cold. He recognized these people;

they were the remnants of the Black Scorpion organization. Before, the Starfire Group had wiped out their stronghold, and they had been holding a grudge, never expecting they would chase them here.

"What do you want to do?

" Lu Ran's voice carried a trace of killing intent. He protected A Nian behind him, his body tense, ready to fight at any time.

The leading man spat and cursed, pointing at Lu Ran's nose: "What do we want to do? Of course, it's to avenge our dead brothers. You killed so many of our people; today I want you to pay with your life."

As soon as the words fell, several men waved their machetes and pounced toward Lu Ran.

Lu Ran's legs hadn't fully recovered, and his movements were somewhat inconvenient, but he still relied on his enhancement ability to tangle with these people.

He smashed a punch into a man's face; the man screamed and flew backward, hitting the tent canvas and fainting.

But the other side had many people, and Lu Ran soon fell into a disadvantage. A man took the opportunity to sneak attack from behind,

slashing a machete onto Lu Ran's arm, blood instantly gushing out. Lu Ran groaned,

his body swaying, nearly collapsing to the ground. The leading man saw this, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes; he raised his machete and slashed heavily toward Lu Ran's head.

Lu Ran closed his eyes, a trace of despair flashing in his heart. He knew he might really be finished here today.

Just then, the tent flap was lifted again, and Lin Chen's figure appeared at the door.

He saw the scene in the tent, his eyes instantly turning cold, and a wave of extreme coldness surged from his body, sweeping through the entire tent.

"You are looking for death." Lin Chen's voice was not loud, but carried an unquestionable majesty.

The leading man was stunned, turned to look at Lin Chen, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He recognized Lin Chen; that was the leader of the Starfire Group, a powerhouse capable of manipulating absolute zero. He wanted to turn and run, but found his legs had already been frozen by frost, unable to move.

Lin Chen walked into the tent step by step, his gaze sweeping over those few men,

his right hand lifting gently. A wave of coldness even more intense than before surged out, and the bodies of those men were instantly covered by thick frost, turning into ice sculptures one after another.

Lin Chen walked to the leading man, his eyes cold. He raised his fist and, without the slightest hesitation, smashed it into the ice sculpture of that man.

With a "crack," the ice sculpture instantly shattered, turning into countless ice dregs, scattering all over the ground.

The other ice sculptures also shattered one after another under the impact of the coldness, turning into piles of broken ice.

Lin Chen walked to Lu Ran's side, looking at the wound on his arm, his brows furrowing: "Are you okay?"

Lu Ran shook his head. He looked at the broken ice on the ground, then looked at Lin Chen, not saying a word.

A Nian hid behind Lu Ran, looking at the scene before her, scared pale, not daring to say a word.

The tent returned to silence, only sunlight through the cracks, falling on the broken ice on the ground,

reflecting cold light. Lu Ran looked at those broken ice pieces, then thought of Chu Yao's ice coffin, and the sadness in his heart surged up again.

Lin Chen looked at Lu Ran's appearance and patted him on the shoulder, not saying much. He knew that saying anything now was useless; it could only depend on Lu Ran walking out of it himself.

A Nian poked her head out from behind Lu Ran, looked at Lin Chen, and asked in a small voice: "Captain Lin, when will Sister Chu Yao come back?"

Lin Chen's body stiffened; he looked at Lu Ran, his eyes carrying a trace of inquiry.

Lu Ran took a deep breath, turned his head, looked at A Nian, his voice hoarse yet firm: "She will come back." ===== CHAPTER 269 =====