217: 5.27 The King's Summon

5.27 The King's Summon

Running in the middle of the night, especially when his head was still throbbing and blood was trickling down his ears, was soon proven to be a bad idea.  0

As soon as Lu Yizhou arrived in front of the hospital and saw a nurse whom he recognized as one of Doctor Wyatt's trusted personnel, he all but crashed to the ground, sending a flurry of panic and ruckus throughout the entire hospital. Lu Yizhou was hastily brought into the private ward where Doctor Wyatt had been waiting, hissing. "Don't you know what time it is now, General Kai?! Are you done creating headline news everywhere?!"

From their interaction these past few days, Lu Yizhou had come to learn that the doctor was all bark and no bite. He merely huffed in a rueful chuckle and gestured toward his face. "I know you're definitely complaining right now, doctor but I'm sorry, my ears are not working properly." Then he proceeded to tell the President's address to seek medical help for the two poor people he had left behind.

"Oh shit." Doctor Wyatt took out his walkie talkie and barked out a series of commands to send people there, seal the ward and prevent any unauthorized people from intruding. After that, he finally examined Lu Yizhou's bleeding ears and cursed out another storm. Lu Yizhou was pushed into a very familiar emergency room that reeked heavily of disinfectant, alcohol and chlorine, and he hissed in pain when the lamp switched on above him, eyes squeezing shut. His attempt to struggle out of the discomfort was curbed away when Doctor Wyatt shoved him back down. "Please don't move, General, or I will be forced to bind you to the bed. Again."

The door behind them slid open and Doctor Wyatt scowled, turning. "What now—" He took in the person standing on the door, a surprise sound escaped his throat. "Terra," his voice became softer and more patient. "What are you doing here?"

Even though Lu Yizhou's ears were buzzing and his vision was swimming, there was no way he would have missed his lover's presence. Especially his sweet scent that was heavenly compared to the other suffocating smells in the room. Propping himself up by elbow, he groaned, "Terra…?"

Terra seemed to snap out of the trance he was in by Lu Yizhou's call. Still with his face pale and distraught, he hurried to Lu Yizhou's bedside and ran his eyes all over his body. Lu Yizhou could sense the guide's fear, apprehension and anxiety leaking out through his barrier and he fumbled in search of his hand before holding it tight. "Don't worry, I will recover soon." The corner of his lips twitched when Doctor Wyatt seized the opportunity when he was distracted to inject something into his arm. The effect got into his system soon. The pain on his head dulled into a numbing throb and it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyelids open when he was striving to take a look at his lover's features amidst the blurry blobs of lights and colors. 

A cool and soothing sensation traveled from where he was holding onto Terra's hand throughout his whole body. Rest, the guide tried to project reassurance into him. Please have a rest.

Lu Yizhou let out a brief chuckle and let himself be dragged down into slumber willingly.

***

He woke up to the sensation of soft fur snuggling against his face, as well as a familiar scent and deep purr. A smile painted across his face even before he opened his eyes as he turned his head slightly so he could bury his nose into Blackie's fur. Lu Yizhou took a few moments to analyze his own condition. He felt… kinda disoriented like he had slept for too long, but it could just be the lingering effect of medication. Other than that, he felt very well-rested. His ears were healing properly; now he could already hear the whirl of the air conditioner, back and forth footsteps outside and faint conversations, the chirping birds as well as soft breathing not far from him.

Lu Yizhou peeled his eyelids open and had to squint at the morning sunlight that directly sprinkled into the room. Terra was sleeping by his bedside. head resting uncomfortably on his folded arms. One of his hands was still holding onto Lu Yizhou. Like this, his features looked so soft and vulnerable. Lu Yizhou noticed that his eyebags had gotten a tad darker and his ponytail was messy, strands of it spilling out of the scrunchie. His lips were slightly parted, chapped, and he was even drooling. Lu Yizhou couldn't resist a smile and reached out to caress Terra's cheek with his fingertips.

The light touch was enough to alert the guide as he bolted upright, his eyelids only half open with drowsiness. But as soon as he caught sight of Lu Yizhou, they widened fully and he scrambled forward to cup his face, raking his eyes all over his face in search of any discomfort.

Lu Yizhou was distressed to see his lover so overwrought. He grasped the hand on his face and kissed the inside of his palm. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Terra." He tugged the guide closer to rub his surely sore back for sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. "Why didn't you return to your room?"

"Well, shit." Doctor Wyatt suddenly sauntered in and interrupted their private moment without even a hint of guilt. His expression was sourer than usual as if the world owed him one billion dollars. "No one could pull him away from you, General. Instead of spilling unnecessary blood, I thought it was better to let him do as he pleased." He grumbled indignantly. 

Throughout the year, they couldn't make Terra leave his room despite coming up with numerous ways to lure him out. But look at him now! He had come out of his room without anyone prompting him to do so. Twice! Glued to his sentinel — nope, they hadn't even officially become a pair yet! — stubbornly baring his teeth at anyone who came near, insisting on staying by the General's side all day! One was a troublemaker, whilst the other was a defensive hedgehog. Both were equally the source of headache that would drive Doctor Wyatt to his grave sooner or later! Why oh why, what was he thinking when he was trying to matchmake them?!

(Nope, Doctor Wyatt wouldn't agree that they were a very well matched couple even if you killed him.)

Lu Yizhou turned to look at Terra with such a fond and tender look that it almost made Doctor Wyatt gag. To prevent looking straight into such a disgusting scene so early in the morning, he took the clipboard from the foot of the bed and flipped through Lu Yizhou's stats. "Luckily, your injuries are healing well and there is no permanent damage to your eardrums. Terra's presence by your side has aided your recovery speed. Do you feel any discomfort, both physically and mentally?"

"No. Everything's fine. Did you see the live stream?" Lu Yizhou asked.

Doctor Wyatt's face abruptly darkened. He let out a long suffering sigh and pinched his brows. "I'm sorry to break the news but by now, the whole world should have seen it. Until now, I still can't bring myself to believe that our President—ugh!" He threw his hands up to the air, frustrated. "What was up with that last scene though?"

Right, the King. Lu Yizhou had almost forgotten about that. He scanned the room. "Where's my things? The small locked crate in my pocket, you didn't touch it, did you?"

Doctor Wyatt gestured to the low table that was half hidden by the sofa. He ordered sternly when Lu Yizhou flung the blanket and almost got off the bed. "Stay right where you are, General Kai. Even if your condition is cleared now, I am not willing to take any risk to aggravate your wounds again." Instead, he walked toward the table to grab Lu Yizhou's things for him, shaking the small crate in his hand. There was a soft rattle, although the sound was kind of dull. "What is this?"

"Oh, be careful, doctor." Lu Yizhou made himself comfortable on the bed with Terra propping the pillows behind him. "You might make the King dizzy."

Doctor Wyatt stiffened in an instant. If his heart had been any weaker, he would have already gotten a heart attack. Colors drained from his face until he looked sickly blue. "What…?"

Lu Yizhou merely gestured to the crate. "The King of parasites." He said in such a nonchalant tone as if he wasn't talking about the source of the problem that had plagued the world for years!

Doctor Wyatt wheezed and clutched the box tightly; unable to decide whether to hold it closer to him or throw the thing straight to Lu Yizhou's face. His breathing accelerated and his face turned crimson at an alarming speed. Terra looked at them back and forth with a frown on his face, clearly confused. Lu Yizhou gave him a reassuring smile and intended to comfort him when 666's flustered warning sounded in his mind.

[666: H—H—Host, the main protagonist, Joshua is here! He has come because of the King's summon. He definitely doesn't mean any good, Host! Not only that, there are tons of parasites closing in on the hospital! Oh my God, they are here to rescue the King! This is a prison break!!!]

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