nucmednet Chapter 168
Chapter 168
Seeing Hai Yan's refusal to let Lin Ziyu and Long Yan out, Hai Lanqing grew even more suspicious. Just as he was about to force his way back inside, a weak yet commanding voice suddenly rang out from within: "Third brother, please don't be rude." Everyone looked toward the doorway, only to see Hai Lanyue slowly emerge. Though still a little pale, her expression had returned to its usual composure. Hai Yan retreated to Hai Lanyue's side, his eyes beaming with joy as he stood still.
Hai Lanqing stared at Hai Lanyue in a daze. He took a step back and said with a guilty conscience, "Brother, you're awake..." Then he pretended to be calm and said, "That's not right! Brother, I received news that General Hai brought in suspicious people." He pointed at Long Yan and Lin Ziyu behind Hai Lanyue and said, "It's them..."
Hai Lanyue's face was pale, and his eyes, once bright as stars, were now somewhat dim. Even so, his expression remained stern. His voice was a little weak, like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment, but the majesty contained in it was undiminished, and no one dared to underestimate him.
He said slowly, "Hai Lanqing... ahem... tell them to lay down their weapons and retreat!"
Hai Lanqing, who was standing opposite, was filled with resentment and anger when he heard his brother's words. The sea guards behind him all looked at him.
Hai Lanyue coughed twice and continued, "I already know everything that happened during my coma. If it weren't for Pharmacist Lin's miraculous recovery and Prince Long's righteous assistance, I would have died long ago. I didn't expect you to be so presumptuous after only being in a coma for two days. Don't you even obey my orders?"
The sea guards on the opposite side looked at each other in bewilderment and dropped their weapons. They knelt on the ground and said, "Poseidon, please forgive us. We are only following the orders of His Highness the Third Prince." Hai Lanqing watched this scene angrily. Although he was reluctant, he finally gritted his teeth and angrily threw his tightly grasped weapon to the ground. Then he turned around and strode away without looking back, leaving only the sound of heavy and hurried footsteps echoing in the air.
Haiyan ordered his men to take the guard who had made the mistake away.
Watching his brother leave in anger, Hai Lanyue couldn't help but sigh helplessly. He shook his head gently, then turned back to the house. His face was sincere, his eyes filled with gratitude. He said, "Prince Long, Pharmacist Lin, I'm deeply grateful for your help this time. It's all due to my youthful impetuosity and reckless behavior. I hope you will forgive me if I've offended you."
At this moment, Lin Ziyu and Long Yan slowly emerged from the house. Long Yan wore a faint smile, appearing elegant and distinguished. He glanced at Hai Lanyue and said gently, "It's alright, it's alright, Sea King. Now that you're safe and sound, that's the best possible outcome. Next, we can discuss this matter."
Hai Lanyue suddenly felt his body sway slightly, as if he was a little unstable. Seeing this, Hai Yan, who was standing beside him, quickly reached out and supported him. His face was full of concern, and his eyes were fixed on him. He asked anxiously, "Lanyue, how are you? Are you okay?"
Hai Lanyue gently patted Hai Yan's hand that was supporting her and said softly, "I'm fine, don't worry." After that, she took a deep breath, tried to steady herself, then raised her head and looked at Long Yan again, saying slowly, "Okay, then please come into the house and discuss in detail."
Hai Yan supported Hai Lanyue and walked into the house carefully. Lin Ziyu, who followed behind, gently pulled Long Yan's hand and whispered, "Brother Yan, I think there must be something going on between the two of them."
Long Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and replied softly: "Maybe, but now is not the time to explore this." He pulled him and followed Hai Lanyue into the house.
The host and guest took their seats. Long Yan spoke first, "Sea Emperor, could you please tell us the current situation of the sea race?"
Hai Lanyue coughed lightly, then slowly began to speak: "Actually, this is a long story. Not long ago, a small number of sea tribe members disappeared inexplicably in the area close to the land. At that time, we tried our best to investigate, but we could not find out the reason. And what's worse is that those deep-sea monsters that have been coexisting peacefully with us suddenly launched a fierce attack on our sea tribe for some reason. My father had to lead many elders of the sea tribe to fight in a hurry. However, the battle was extremely tragic, and many elders and my father himself were seriously injured. But who would have thought that on their way back, they would encounter an ambush set by unknown persons! In the end... cough cough..." At this point, Hai Lanyue could no longer suppress the grief in her heart, and her voice became choked.
Seeing this, Hai Yan, who was standing by, quickly reached out and gently patted Hai Lanyue's back to help him breathe smoothly and calm his cough. After a while, Hai Yan took a deep breath and said, "Lanyue, let me tell you. Ever since the old Sea Emperor passed away, Lanyue has resolutely taken over the responsibility of the Sea Emperor. But since then, our sea people have been constantly under attack of varying degrees. Sometimes, it's groups of ferocious sea beasts that attack; other times, it's mysterious creatures whose appearance is unclear. At first, only those sea people who went out alone and accidentally got left alone would be attacked. But gradually, even the sea guards responsible for patrolling could not be spared. Not only that, we were horrified to find that the surrounding sea water was being seriously polluted bit by bit, so that now we can't even go ashore."
Hai Yan sighed deeply with a look of worry on his face, then slowly spoke, "The situation facing the Sea Clan right now is truly grim! Food reserves within the Sea Clan have reached a critical point of scarcity, and precious medicinal herbs for treating injuries are even scarcer. Faced with such a difficult situation, we had no choice but to send out a call for help from other races. We first sent out requests for support to the Human and Orc tribes, but received no response. Later, it was Lan Yue who personally contacted the Dragon Prince, who finally responded. However, it is said that many of the Human bases have come under varying degrees of fierce attack from unidentified creatures. The specific battle situation is still unclear, the entire situation is chaotic, and the casualties are heavy."
When the cold winter came, humans had to adopt a special survival strategy - they gathered in solid bases buried deep underground to resist the deadly threats brought by the flying snow and biting cold wind.
Beneath every city lies a massive, well-equipped underground base. These bases, like mysterious and vast underground cities, hold humanity's hope and vitality amidst the cold winter.
Lin Ziyu also retained vivid memories of his life underground. While there was no direct, warm sunlight, artificial light created a warm atmosphere. The passageways within the base were spacious and bright, with walls painted in soft colors. The rooms were well-planned and comfortable, with every necessary item available. People worked, studied, and entertained as usual, as if the harsh cold outside couldn't intrude upon this tranquil and peaceful place.
However, while the underground base provides a relatively stable and safe living environment and basic living needs, for those who long to bask in the sun and feel the gentle breeze on their faces, it still lacks the beauty bestowed by nature. However, in this harsh winter season, having such a safe haven is already an extremely rare thing.
After listening to Hai Yan's story, Lin Ziyu and Long Yan exchanged glances, both filled with doubts. So far, they hadn't received any news about the human race being attacked.
The two of them quickly exchanged thoughts with each other through eye contact and decided to contact their father (General Lin) and grandfather (the head of the Lin family) immediately to learn more about the situation.
Long Yan used his mind to retrieve four bulging storage bags from his storage space and handed them to the Sea King. He said solemnly, "Sea King, these are the supplies our Orcs have specially prepared for you. Please accept them."