The World of Bengtieli: They All Have designs on me

Luo Ning looked up at Ling Ke. Ling Ke remained silent.

But her hand, which was resting on his head, moved slightly. She poked at the crown of his head with her fingertip.

One moment. Then another.

It was as if they were sending some kind of Morse code that only the two of them could understand.

[System: Received non-verbal instruction from Ling Ke. Instruction interpretation: "Trouble, do as instructed."] Luo Ning sniffed, and finally, slowly released her hand.

He walked toward Shiluva, turning back every few steps, his little face filled with the tragic sentiment of "I didn't do this willingly, I did it for your own good."

Hiluva pulled him into her arms and wrapped him from head to toe in a thick cashmere blanket, as if that would shut out all the unclean air in the cave.

She carried him and walked quickly towards the snowmobile, never glancing at Ling Ke again. Bronya stood up and nodded to Ling Ke.

"Master Lingke, please." That wasn't a request, it was an order.

Back inside the Pioneer-class snowmobile in Bellenberg, the atmosphere was even more somber than the polar winds outside. The massive cabin was silently divided into two worlds.

On one side were Shiluwa and Lonin, whom she held tightly in her arms.

She let him sit on her lap, covered him with a blanket, and rested her chin on the top of his head, adopting a posture of absolute protection. On the other side, Lingke sat alone in the far corner, leaning against the car window.

She pulled down her goggles, closed her eyes, as if catching up on sleep, completely isolating herself from everything around her. Bronya and Pera sat between them, acting as an awkward buffer.

"Luoning, are you thirsty? Have some hot water." Xiluwa unscrewed a thermos and held it to Luoning's lips. Luoning shook her head and buried her face in the blanket.

He could feel the stiffness of his sister Silva's body, and the worry and anger that emanated from her through the blanket, which almost melted him, made him very uncomfortable.

“Lonning,” Bronya’s voice came from the other side, gentle and calm, “can you tell me how you found that hot spring? To my recollection, there is no record of geothermal activity in that area.”

She began trying to communicate with Lonin by asking some trivial technical questions. Silva frowned, but didn't stop her.

Lonin poked half his head out from under the blanket and looked at Bronya.

“It was Sister Lingke who found it,” he answered softly. “She said the earth was talking, she heard it, so we went that way and found it.”

"Is the earth speaking?" Bronya's brows furrowed even deeper.

“Yes.” Luo Ning nodded vigorously. “She said the ice layer under the snow was squeezing out, and hot air was about to come out, so we dug. We dug for a long time, and then we found hot water.”

He was repeating what Ling Ke had said, just in a way that a child could understand. Pera was rapidly recording on her tactical data board, lines of data reflecting off her glasses.

*【Whispers of the ley lines... The legendary talent of the Langdo family. So it really is true. This brat actually managed to get her to use this ability to find a sanctuary? Interesting.】*

Bronya fell into deep thought.

She was aware of the rumors about her sister's talent within the family, but she had always thought it was just an exaggeration by explorers.

If what Luo Ning said is true, then Ling Ke... wasn't just simply taking him to the wilderness, but genuinely protecting him in her own way?

This thought caused a tiny crack to appear in the icy barrier of doubt in Bronya's heart. Luo Ning keenly noticed this shift.

He secretly gave Bronya a fleeting smile, tinged with relief and gratitude. Then, his gaze drifted past Bronya's shoulder to the corner of the carriage.

Ling Ke remained in that position, motionless. But Luo Ning felt that she was awake.

He was telling her with his eyes: Look, I'm trying my best to explain it to you.

We have to wade through this mess together. The carriage jolted slightly.

Lonin, who was being held in Hiluva's arms, leaned forward uncontrollably.

He clearly felt that a part of his body was pressing against a soft and elastic place at an inopportune time.

[System: Warning! Physical contact has occurred. Target: Shiluva, heart rate increased by 15% instantaneously. Abnormally high adrenaline levels detected in her body.]

Luo Ning's body froze instantly. Xiluwa froze too.

She looked down at the child in her arms who dared not move, and her expression became extremely complicated.

She could feel the astonishing heat and size; even through two layers of fabric, it was so clear it made her heart race. Anger and nausea surged up again.

At the same time, she also felt the stiffness and...fear of the small body in her arms? He was as afraid as a stone.

This was completely different from what she imagined a "victim" who had been prematurely matured or addicted to such evil methods should have reacted.

A horrifying detail, previously overlooked, surfaced in her mind: Pera's report.

"...Luoning's vital signs are very stable, even better than before he went missing. Active." How could the vital signs of a child who has been violated, drugged, and abused be "active"? For the first time, Shiluwa's mind began to truly fall into chaos.

She looked at Luo Ning, who was pale and barely breathing, in her arms, then looked up at the corner of the carriage.

In that corner, Ling had quietly opened her eyes sometime earlier. Her goggles were still on.

But on that icy face, there seemed to be a hint of impatience...and murderous intent? She was looking at Shiluva.

No, it was looking at Hiluva's hand on Lonin's body.

That look seemed to say, "Take your hand away." "He's my trouble."

Chapter 186 He's My Trouble

A deathly silence, colder than an icy wasteland, fell over the carriage. Hiluva's body, holding Lonin, was stiff.

She could clearly feel, through that expensive cashmere blanket and her uniform trousers, an unnatural hardness and heat, mischievously wreaking havoc in her previously unexplored territory.

That thing... even with the bumps and jolts of the vehicle, gently, intermittently, reminded her of its presence. Each touch felt like a tiny electric shock, sending chills down her spine.

Anger and disgust remained, but they were overshadowed by a stronger feeling called "absurdity." The body in her arms was small and soft, carrying the unique scent of a baby.

But that part of his body felt like an aggressive, foreign object that wasn't his, forcibly installed on him.

He seemed to sense something too, and curled up into a ball, stiff as a stone, even holding his breath.

That pure, awkward, and fearful slur caused her to waver for the first time in her mind about being "lured" or "drowned" in this situation.

[System: Target: Shiluva, abnormal biofeedback. Heart rate fluctuates consistently around 110 bpm, cortisol levels are elevated, dopamine...]

Secretion is suppressed. Overall assessment: The target is in a state of high cognitive dissonance.

[Luoning: ...System, could you please stop talking about such a scary thing in the tone of reporting a medical examination report?]

Hiluva forced herself to look away, lifting her head past Bronya to gaze once more at the corner of the carriage. Lingke, however, had already sat up straight.

Her goggles still covered her face, but an invisible, chilling sense of oppression permeated the entire carriage. She was looking this way.

No, more accurately, it was looking at Hiluva's arms around Lonin, at their bodies pressed together. It was the look of someone looking at a beast that had invaded their territory.

A silent warning: "Take your hand away." Bronya sensed the change in atmosphere.

She cleared her throat, trying to break the suffocating silence. "Pera, how much longer until we arrive in Bellenberg?"

“Reporting, Commander,” Pera pushed up his glasses, shifting his gaze from the tactical data panel, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. “We have entered the upper-level jurisdiction and are expected to arrive at the first security checkpoint in seven minutes.”

*【Wow, this delicate love triangle... no, a love quadrangle? A perpetrator seen as a psychopath, a gifted individual seen as a victim, a furious older sister, an heir trying to maintain order, and me, the perfect observer. This is more exciting than any novel I've ever read.】*

Bronya nodded and said nothing more. Seven minutes felt like seven centuries.

The "Trailblazer" snowmobile ultimately did not stop at Landau's front door, nor at anyone's private residence.

Guided by Pera, it slowly drove into a heavily guarded, unassuming white building. This was the Silver Guard's medical and psychological assessment center.

A place of absolute neutrality, absolute authority, and absolute coldness. The car door popped open.

Hiluva jumped out of the car almost immediately, carrying the bundled-up Luo Ning.

She didn't want to stay in that carriage filled with Linkin Park's scent for even a second longer. Bronya and Pera followed closely behind.

Ling Ke was the last to get off. She casually slung her backpack over her shoulder, tugged at the collar of her adventure suit, and moved with a lazy, half-asleep air, as if the silent standoff in the car had nothing to do with her.

“Alright, Loning, we’re here.” Hiluva put Loning down, but her hand was still tightly gripping his arm. “I’ll take you to get checked out, and then we’ll go home together.”

Her tone left no room for argument, carrying the assertiveness characteristic of the eldest daughter of the Langdao family.

“Wait a minute, Silva.” Bronya stopped her. “What?” Silva turned around impatiently.

“I must personally oversee Lonning’s assessment.” Bronya’s expression was serious. “He was retrieved from the restricted area, and he needs to stay in a safe and neutral environment until the official report is released. I will arrange for him to stay in a special guard ward here.”

"What do you mean? You mean my house isn't safe?" Hiluva's temper flared up again. "Or do you think I'd do something to him?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Bronya said calmly. “I’m just following the rules. The Landau family is now a stakeholder and is not suitable as his place of custody.”

The "stakeholder" she was referring to was naturally Ling Ke.

Hiluva's face paled, then flushed red. She couldn't refute it.

Just as the two were at an impasse, a voice suddenly rang out. "I," Luo Ning whispered, "want to be with Sister Ling Ke." Silence fell over the room.

Hilva and Bronya turned their heads at the same time, looking at him with expressions as if he were an alien.

Luo Ning shrank back a little more, but he still mustered up his courage and pointed to the person who had been silent since getting off the bus, like a background figure.

A person standing still. Reiko.

Ling Ke finally reacted.

She raised her head, her icy blue pupils scanning everyone through her goggles.

Then, she took two steps, one after another, and walked over. Her goal was clear.

She walked up to Luo Ning, ignoring the two women beside her who were practically glaring at her. She bent down and met Luo Ning's gaze.

“Troublesome,” she said.

Then, she reached out, not to hold his hand, nor to hug him, but directly grabbed the collar of the cashmere blanket he was wearing, as if...

He grabbed a cat by the scruff of its neck. "Come with me."

Her actions and her tone carried an air of self-righteous arrogance.

It was as if Luo Ning wasn't a person, but a private item belonging to her, something that was troublesome but absolutely not to be touched by anyone else.

"Let go!" Hilugewa screamed first, rushing forward to pry Lingke's hand away. "Don't touch her!"

Luo Ning shouted almost simultaneously, grabbing Ling Ke's arm tightly and using his small body to shield Shiluwa.

The situation was completely out of control. "Enough!"

Bronya let out a low growl, the majesty of the Silver Guard heir evident in that moment. She stepped forward, forcefully separating the three entangled individuals.

"Now, no one is taking him away!" Her voice was filled with anger. "Pera!" "Yes, Commander," Pera replied immediately.

"Immediately arrange for Luo Ning to undergo a Level A quarantine check, and you will be fully responsible for this. No one is allowed to visit him until a detailed physical and psychological assessment report is obtained."

Bronya gave the final order.

She glanced at the Langdao sisters, who were almost fighting, and then at Luo Ning, who was fiercely protecting Ling Ke. Her head was throbbing with pain.

Pera pushed up her glasses, her face displaying a formulaic professional expression, but inwardly she was overjoyed. *【Oh wow, entering the mandatory quarantine and in-depth investigation phase. I like this direction.】* She walked up to Luo Ning, bent down, and gave him what she considered her most amiable smile.

"Luoning, come with me, okay? We'll play some fun games, and it'll be over soon." Luoning looked at her warily, then turned to look at Ling Ke.

Ling didn't look at him. Her gaze fell on her wrist, which had just been touched by Shiluwa. She frowned, as if considering whether to wipe it with disinfectant alcohol immediately.

But she spoke up.

He said only one word to Luo Ning: "Go."

Imperative, devoid of any emotion.

But it was more effective than any other form of comfort.

Luo Ning inhaled the strange energy, nodded, and finally released his arm from Ling Ke, following Pella away while looking back every few steps. Only the three members of the Langdao family remained in the original location.

Hiluva's chest heaved violently as she looked at Ling Ke as if she were an enemy.

Bronya rubbed her aching temples, feeling as if she had just dealt with a family drama disaster.

After confirming that Luo Ning's figure had disappeared at the end of the corridor, Ling Ke did something that surprised everyone.

She turned around and walked away in another direction without saying a word. "Where are you going?" Bronya asked instinctively.

Ling Ke didn't turn her head. "Wait for him."

Two words, spoken with resounding force.

She walked to a bench at the end of the corridor, sat down, put her backpack beside her, put her hands in her pockets, pulled down her goggles, and closed her eyes.

She seemed to be saying, "I'm setting up camp here, and nobody's going to kick me out." Hiluva watched her retreating figure, her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing. She suddenly realized a fact that sent chills down her spine.

Lingke, her younger sister, is a reclusive person who sees everything as trouble.

This time, it seems she really has picked up a huge problem that she doesn't want to get rid of.