Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Scramble
"I’m not trying to scare you, but the way she was looking at you... it wasn’t right. She has a lot of influence here. You just offended her for my sake, so I can’t just abandon you." The young Doctor’s gaze was firm as she looked at Yun Han.
"I’ll submit an application to the base to make you my Contractor. Once you’re my Contractor, she won’t be able to touch you." The young Doctor looked as if she had made a momentous decision and was ready to risk it all.
By now, the latest batch of patients had mostly been treated, and the tense atmosphere in the medical center was finally beginning to ease.
Yun Han dodged backward, putting a good ten yards between himself and the young Doctor. "There’s no need. I already have a Contractor. I can’t enter into a Contract with someone else," Yun Han refused, his expression frigid.
"I don’t care. The moment I saw you stand up for me against Hou Yan, I fell in love with you. My Spiritual Power Level is S-Class. Even if you’ve already formed a Contract with someone else, I can overwrite the spiritual power link. I’ll protect you from now on," the young Doctor confessed, her eyes full of adoration for Yun Han.
The moment the young Doctor finished speaking, the room fell silent. Then, a wave of enthusiastic applause broke out. "How romantic! Say yes!"
The other young men working as medical assistants, just like Yun Han, stared at him with a mixture of excitement and jealousy, wishing they were the ones receiving such a confession.
"Miss Hu is powerful, from a good family, young, and beautiful. On top of that, she’s incredibly gentle and kind. A Contractor like her is a rare find. I can’t believe this Ning Han has such dumb luck, catching Miss Hu’s eye," someone whispered.
Hou Yan, who had been watching the scene unfold, heard this and immediately bellowed, "Hu Jingjing, I saw Ning Han first! I’ve already submitted my application to the higher-ups. I’m warning you, stay away from him, or you won’t like what happens next." Hou Yan charged menacingly toward Yun Han.
Yun Han was currently disguised as an ordinary male Spirit Controller with only A-level spiritual power. To protect his identity, he couldn’t reveal his true strength in public. In his moment of hesitation, Hou Yan seized his left arm. Not to be outdone, Hu Jingjing grabbed his other arm.
Ning Xuan had come to the medical center to visit the wounded. A few of her most trusted subordinates who had been seriously injured were receiving treatment here.
As Ning Xuan entered from outside, she happened to witness this very scene. She looked at the man being fought over by the two women; his build seemed vaguely familiar.
While Ning Xuan only found him familiar, a tendril of Vine Silk from the Ghost-faced Red Vine she was toying with in her hand joyfully snaked its way toward Yun Han.
Yun Han had spotted Ning Xuan the instant she entered the medical center’s main hall. He violently shook off Hou Yan and Hu Jingjing and ran in her direction.
Hou Yan and Hu Jingjing both lunged for him at the same time, their respective subordinates joining in to block Yun Han’s path. The hall descended into chaos.
Just as the black Vine Silk wrapped around Yun Han, there was a flash of white light, and a small white kitten appeared in Ning Xuan’s arms.
Ning Xuan glanced down at the kitten hiding in her arms. Its breathing was shallow and weak. She instantly realized who this familiar-looking man was.
She waved her right hand. A long, black Vine Whip, crackling with electricity, snapped around Yun Han. With a flick of her wrist, Ning Xuan sent him flying through the air before he came crashing down at her feet with a loud THUD.
Upon landing, Yun Han reflexively scrambled to his knees and prostrated himself, only to be kicked over by Ning Xuan.
Though the motion was brief, Yun Han’s instinctive action sparked murmurs among the crowd. "What was Ning Han just doing? Was he kowtowing? He’s usually so arrogant, he won’t even give a noble Female Controller the time of day. Why would he do something like that?"
The kick from Ning Xuan jolted Yun Han back to his senses. ’My actions must have looked suspicious,’ he thought. He quickly scrambled to his feet, hung his head, and cowered to one side as if terrified.
Ning Xuan’s actions had looked harsh, but she had actually used precise force, causing him no real harm.
"Kowtowing? He just took a nasty fall and couldn’t get back up right away," someone in the crowd argued. "Don’t you think that officer is going too far? What gives her the right to treat Ning Han like that? What if she seriously hurt him?"
Ning Xuan currently had a long scar across her face, which already gave her a ferocious appearance. Coupled with the murderous aura she carried fresh from the battlefield, her presence was enough to intimidate anyone.
"Major General, don’t think you can use your brute strength to bully the weak," Hu Jingjing declared. "Ning Han is the one I’ve chosen. If you dare to hurt him again, you’ll have to answer to me!" Hu Jingjing was somewhat intimidated by Ning Xuan’s murderous aura, but seeing Yun Han cowering pitifully to the side, her courage flared.
The corner of Ning Xuan’s mouth lifted into a slight smirk. "Oh? The one you’ve chosen? And is he willing to be yours?"
"I am not! Miss Hu, I told you already, I have a Contractor!" Yun Han shouted before Hu Jingjing could reply. "I have sworn to follow my Lord Contract Master to the death. My loyalty is absolute! Please don’t say such things again."
"Ning Han, only incompetent women let their Contractors go out and work," Hu Jingjing said with a haughty look. "With your looks, you could easily find a much better Contractor. One who needs you to earn a living to support her? You’d be better off without her."
It was no surprise Hu Jingjing would say such a thing. Yun Han’s current job as a medical assistant, while relatively safe, offered no room for advancement or any real career prospects. It was purely mechanical, service-oriented labor. Men who took such jobs generally had low overall strength and were unwilling to risk their lives on the battlefield to carve out a future. They were forced to work out of a desperate need to support their families.
Of course, a large number of young men without a Contract also took this job hoping to meet female Doctors. If one of them happened to catch a Doctor’s eye, they might have a chance to become her Contractor.
"She’s right. Any woman who makes her Contractor work in a place like this must not be very impressive," Ning Xuan said, glancing at the busy female Doctors and nodding.
Yun Han secretly shot Ning Xuan a pleading look, while Little White’s tiny, fluffy paws kneaded at her clothes.
Ning Xuan cleared her throat and pointed a finger at Yun Han. "You’re Ning Han, correct? From what I’ve witnessed, these two Doctors are fighting over you, while you yourself are already bound by a Contract. So as not to disrupt the work of this medical center, I am, in my capacity as the commander of Zone 11, hereby conscripting you into the military. Effective immediately."
