Chapter Sixty-Nine: A Misunderstanding?

The scene was intense, and the shouting between the two groups grew louder and louder, the noise swelling into utter chaos. Occasionally, some crude remarks could be heard, but it was difficult to make out exactly what was being said.

Suddenly, the rapid sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Fang Mu instinctively turned his head and saw a group of medical staff hurrying towards them from the far end of the hallway. At their head was an elderly man, his hair completely silver, and though his frame was small, he radiated an imposing presence. He strode directly to the rear of what appeared to be the Wolfpack’s contingent and bellowed, “All of you, be quiet!”

The sudden roar was unexpectedly terrifying, crashing out like a wave of sound. Fang Mu’s gaze sharpened—was this a sonic gene combat skill?

Sonic gene combat skills were exceedingly rare among all gene skills, and their power was immense. In that instant, the terrifying wave of sound swept down the corridor. Fang Mu felt his head grow heavy, pain flickering across his features. The Wolfpack, caught off guard, went pale and stumbled backward as if they were drunk on bad liquor. Instantly, the quarrel was cut off, frozen in the aftermath of the shockwave.

Gasps could be heard from the other rooms as heads poked out, faces twisted in pain and fear—the shout had clearly affected them as well.

Yet Fang Mu knew the old man had held back. A true sonic combat skill unleashed at such close range would have left the Wolfpack’s front ranks bleeding from every orifice, killed on the spot by the shockwave. Now, they merely staggered and retreated, proving the old man had shown restraint.

Fang Mu gazed at him, inwardly astonished. No wonder the battlefield hospital had such a reputation… This old man, was he perhaps a gold-ranked evolver?

The female pugilist was also gold-ranked; the sonic attack had little effect on her. She noticed the old man’s arrival, her expression shifting slightly, but she said nothing. The young man beside her turned to face the old man.

He was strikingly handsome, in his early twenties. At the old man’s approach, his eyes flickered, and with a casual gesture, he signaled for the Wolfpack to make way.

“Director Qi, hello,” he said politely, bowing slightly.

Director Qi glanced at him, snorted, and said coolly, “Chen Ting, you have some nerve, causing trouble here?”

Chen Ting’s eyes flickered, but he smiled respectfully, “You’re joking, Director Qi. How could I dare cause trouble at the battlefield hospital? I came to visit a patient and happened to run into Miss Luo. A dispute arose, some misunderstandings occurred—I never intended to disturb you, Director Qi. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.”

It had to be said, the young man spoke with a gentle, cultured air, his tone slow and inviting, making people want to listen. He was undeniably charismatic.

Director Qi gave him a long look before speaking again. “The battlefield hospital is for healing, not for your disputes. I don’t care about the Wolfpack and Immortal Palace’s business, but if you must settle it, do it outside. Cause trouble here again, and don’t expect me to show you any courtesy.”

As he finished, a dazzling golden light flashed in Director Qi’s eyes. The young man’s gaze hardened; after a moment’s silence, he bowed again. “Yes, I understand.”

Director Qi snorted, scanning the now-chaotic corridor with a frown. “This is a hospital. Anyone who isn’t a patient or wounded, get out!”

His voice was cold, tinged with anger—this time, he didn’t use his sonic skill.

The Wolfpack and Immortal Palace members instinctively looked to Chen Ting and the girl. After a moment’s silence, both gave a slight wave, and their followers bowed and began to leave. The Immortal Palace members shot mocking glances at the Wolfpack, while the Wolfpack, still suffering from the sonic blast, supported each other as they withdrew.

In no time, the noisy corridor grew quiet once more.

“What about you?” Director Qi frowned, noticing Chen Ting hadn’t left, and spoke with some displeasure.

Chen Ting smiled. “Director Qi, I’m here to visit a patient.”

Director Qi stared at him for a moment, then snorted and looked away. “You can visit, but cause trouble again and you’ll answer to me.”

With that, Director Qi led the medical staff away.

Only Chen Ting and the girl remained in the corridor. Heads peeked out from the room doors, knowing the matter was far from over.

After watching Director Qi leave, Chen Ting exhaled lightly, turned around, and looked at the girl.

Her expression was still cold, hatred burning in her eyes as she stared at Chen Ting.

After a long silence, Chen Ting sighed softly. “Miss Luo, must your group truly insist on this? I came here today with genuine sincerity.”

“Sincerity?” For the first time, the girl spoke, her face filled with disdain and her eyes icy. “You call barging in with a mob sincerity?”

“Miss Luo, you know the current situation between your group and the Wolfpack. My men are understandably agitated—”

Before Chen Ting could finish, the girl cut him off with a cold laugh. “Understandable, is it? Then the Immortal Palace’s reaction is understandable too! What else is there to discuss?”

Chen Ting sighed, showing a bitter smile. “I know you’re angry, Miss Luo—but this is truly a misunderstanding. My vice-captains Zhou Potian and Yang Hong were completely deceived by Wang Li and Wei Lin. Those two took on an assassination mission behind my back and told Zhou Potian and Yang Hong it was my order. I swear, I knew nothing about it until they returned two days ago and told me what had happened…”

He looked utterly sincere. “This whole affair was orchestrated by Wang Li and Wei Lin. I failed to notice it, but the rest of the Wolfpack is blameless. I came today to offer my apologies and resolve the misunderstanding between our groups. There’s no need for more bloodshed, for our brothers to die in vain.”

“A misunderstanding?” The girl’s voice was full of hatred. “Because of this, Hatsune went berserk and now lies unconscious, her path to evolution likely forever blocked! Nearly a thousand of my Immortal Palace brothers died, their blood soaking the Cliff of Flying Snow, their bodies not yet cold! And you, Captain Chen, want to call it a misunderstanding and blame everything on two dead men, hoping that will settle it?”

“Let me tell you, it can’t be settled! There’s no way! The Immortal Palace and the Wolfpack are destined to fight to the death!”

She shouted in fury.

Chen Ting fell silent, fixing his gaze on her and speaking each word with weight. “Miss Luo, what you say carries great consequence. Are you certain you can speak on behalf of Immortal Palace?”

She froze, anger flashing in her eyes, about to reply.

“I think she can.”

Before she could speak, a cool, magnetic voice sounded.

Fang Mu started and instinctively turned toward the source of the voice, just in time to see a group of people walking toward them from the other end of the corridor.