After a rustle of clothing, the sweet voice spoke again. "I'm dressed now."
Only then did Bai Lian slowly open his eyes. His azure eyes were as pure and clear as the sky.
Su Yaoyao stared, adorably dazed, at the handsome man before her, momentarily forgetting the pain in her foot.
'Heavens, is every man in this Beast World so incredibly handsome?'
Su Yaoyao's unwavering stare made Bai Lian's cheeks flush red.
His oversized military uniform hung on the small female's frame, making her look like a child who had put on her parents' clothes. All that was visible were two pale, slender legs...
Bai Lian stared at her legs for a few seconds before hastily averting his gaze.
"Honorable Female, your foot injury is quite severe. Please return with me to the military base. The medics there will treat you."
Su Yaoyao blinked. "A military base?"
As an ordinary university student from a peaceful world, it wasn't a term she encountered often.
Sensing her confusion, Bai Lian realized he hadn't even introduced himself yet. 'She might think I'm a bad person.'
"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. Honorable Female, my name is Bai Lian. I am the Admiral of the Star Shining Empire's First Military Base. It is my honor to be of service to you."
Bai Lian knelt on one knee, placing his right hand over his heart in a standard, formal gesture.
Su Yaoyao looked at the handsome, white-haired man before her. 'He's quite a gentleman.'
'Right now, I'm in a completely unfamiliar place, and my ankle is sprained. If I run into another savage male, I won't be able to defend myself.'
'Soldiers are generally more dependable.'
"Alright, I'll go with you."
Hearing this, the corners of Bai Lian's mouth turned up, and he let out a pleased sigh of relief.
'I thought my savage beast form had terrified her. I was worried she wouldn't be willing to come with me.'
"But my foot is injured. I can't walk."
Su Yaoyao's head drooped in frustration as she wondered how she would get to the military base.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Bai Lian rose and swept her up from the ground in a princess carry.
Su Yaoyao cried out in surprise. One moment she was nestled against his solid chest, and the next, she found herself sitting astride a massive lion.
"Honorable Female, please hold on to my neck. We should reach the base in about fifteen minutes."
"Okay. By the way, my name is Su Yaoyao, but you can just call me Yaoyao. I'm not quite used to being called 'Honorable Female'."
"...Yaoyao," Bai Lian said, his voice deep and magnetic. He had never addressed a female so intimately before.
"Mhm!"
Su Yaoyao nodded happily and obediently leaned forward.
She couldn't quite wrap her arms around the massive lion's neck, so she settled for grabbing handfuls of his mane on either side.
Bai Lian set off, bounding toward the military base.
His gait was steady and incredibly fast.
On the way, he let out a long roar into the wind, as if sending out a signal. Stirrings came from all around the jungle, and it seemed as though other animals were following them.
「West Sector of the Jungle」
Reg narrowed his amber eyes, staring at the large flock of birds that had suddenly taken flight in the East Sector. He frowned in annoyance.
"Deputy General, it looks like the Admiral has found the female."
"Hmph. Inform everyone to fall back and return to base."
"Yes, sir!"
「First Military Base, Medical Wing」
"Pani! The little female is injured! Give her a full examination, quickly!"
Bai Lian burst into the medical wing in a frantic rush, still carrying Su Yaoyao.
The soldiers they passed on the way forgot to salute their Admiral, their eyes glued to the female he was carrying.
They looked as stunned as if they were seeing an alien.
Meanwhile, Su Yaoyao, nestled in Bai Lian's arms, watched them with curiosity, her pretty eyes blinking slowly.
"A f-female! Admiral Bai Lian brought back a female!"
"My gods! It's really a female! She's looking at me!"
"I've never seen such a beautiful female in my entire life..."
Bai Lian's brow furrowed, feeling as though his personal treasure was being coveted. He tightened his hold on Su Yaoyao, pressing her face into his chest.
He then kicked open the door to the medical wing. A man in a white lab coat inside was so startled that two rabbit ears popped straight up from his head.
When he saw it was Bai Lian, he puffed out his cheeks and said indignantly, "Even if you're the Admiral, you can't just kick down doors without knocking!"
'Rabbits are naturally timid. I almost thought the Insect Clan was invading!'
"Pani, hurry and give the little female a full examination!"
"A female?!"
Only then did Pani's gaze fall upon Su Yaoyao, who was in Bai Lian's arms.
Su Yaoyao lifted her head from Bai Lian's firm pectorals and turned to look at the speaker.
'Pink hair, a pair of matching, captivating eyes, and especially those upright, pink-and-white rabbit ears... They look so soft.'
'He's a rabbit? Does that mean he has a little cotton-ball tail, too?'
Su Yaoyao's eyes lit up. She had always wanted to raise a little bunny when she was a child.
Bai Lian carried her over and placed her inside a transparent medical pod.
Su Yaoyao grew a little anxious. She had never seen such equipment before.
Bai Lian, who was watching her closely, noticed at once.
He soothed her, "Don't be afraid, Yaoyao. It's just a health check."
"Mhm." Su Yaoyao nodded.
After the pod door closed, Pani activated the machine and began to scan her vitals.
[Sex: Female.]
[Species: Human.]
[Bone Age: 18 years old.]
[Physique: Weak.]
Seeing this, Bai Lian's brow locked in a tight frown.
'This little female really is fragile. For one of us Beastmen, an injury like the one on Yaoyao's leg would have healed on its own in minutes.'
'Our physiques are worlds apart. I can never let her get hurt. I have to protect her.'
The scanner was calibrated to Beastman standards; even a professional human athlete would have been rated 'Weak'.
[Spiritual Power: Analyzing...]
Bai Lian and Pani stared intently at the hovering virtual screen. This was the most crucial test of all! The very future of the Empire could be at stake!
The rating on the screen began to jump wildly: F, E, D, C, B, A...
As the value continued to climb, Bai Lian unconsciously leaned forward, his chest heaving. He stared at the screen with desperate anticipation, awaiting the momentous result.
Pani reflexively held his breath, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white.
'Could she be... S-Class? The Empire hasn't seen an S-Class in tens of thousands of years!'
Just as he was thinking this, the rating on the screen did indeed jump to S-Class!
But the next second, a red exclamation mark flashed on the screen!
"WARNING! WARNING! MACHINE MALFUNCTION! SYSTEM CRASH!"
A robotic electronic voice rang out, and with a puff of smoke, the diagnostic machine went dark.
"How could it break at a time like this!"
"How should I know?! This is the first time this machine has ever tested a female's spiritual power. Maybe it's just because it hasn't been used in so long?"
Su Yaoyao looked out from the pod in confusion. She could see that the expressions on Bai Lian and Pani's faces were grim, but she couldn't hear a thing from inside the medical pod.
'Don't tell me the scan found some terrible disease?!'