Virtual Idol in the Beast World: Five Clans Fight Over Me

"I’ll tell you when I get back to Zone 5," said Alex. "I sent you a new medical report. Help me with a new prescription—at least something that doesn’t taste so awful."

Seth and the others said the little female threw up once during the day. It might be because the medicine is too bitter for her to stomach, or it could be an adverse reaction to her illness. She also threw up twice last night, both times after being given the medicine.

Last night, he fed the little female a small half-packet of the powdered medicine pretty much every two hours, trying to get her to absorb it slowly.

But if she keeps throwing up, she won’t absorb much of the medicine, and her fever is already showing signs of returning.

"How good do you expect medicine to taste? How old is this Beast cub of yours that she still needs to be coaxed into taking it?"

As Lanuo spoke, he opened the medical report Alex had sent him.

The lab was dark, and the milky-white glow of the terminal flickered across the lenses of Lanuo’s glasses. As he read, his brow gradually furrowed. A thought struck him, and he opened the medical report Alex had sent him yesterday, along with the prescription written by another doctor.

Neither of the two medical reports had a name or specified a clan, but the prescription was noted for a Dwarf hybrid.

Lanuo deduced that the doctor Alex had found must have mistaken this Beast cub for a Dwarf hybrid, which was why Alex had come to him for a new prescription.

Although he was confident in his basic medical knowledge, he had never pursued advanced studies in the Medical Department and couldn’t compare to a formally trained, experienced doctor. Still, no matter how bad the doctors in Zone 19 were, they should at least be able to treat a Beast cub’s cold and fever.

Alex had come to him for a prescription, so Lanuo figured he didn’t dare let anyone find out he had a Beast cub with him.

But if it was just a stray Beast cub he’d found, there was no need to be so secretive. He could have just handed it over to someone else.

A Beast cub that ended up in Zone 19 had most likely already degenerated and been abandoned by its clan, or had run away on its own.

Even though the Beast Alliance had laws to protect underage Beastmen who showed signs of degeneration, there were always people who exploited loopholes. The various groups within the Beast Clan were vast and complex, with most operating independently and adhering to their own rules of survival. The Beast Alliance couldn’t control everyone.

Judging solely from the data on these two medical reports, the Beast cub Alex found had a very weak constitution.

’He’s so busy in Zone 19 he barely has time to sleep, right? How does he have the spare energy to personally take care of a Beast cub?’

Lanuo studied the data on the medical report carefully. He felt something wasn’t quite right, but the report only showed data related to the illness, so he couldn’t glean much else from it.

’Alex won’t reveal anything about this Beast cub’s identity, and he’s hiding it like he’s afraid of being discovered. Maybe this cub’s origins aren’t as simple as I thought. Exposing it might bring Alex trouble.’

With that thought, he asked, "How old is this Beast cub?"

’Since it’s a Beast cub, it can’t be the twenty-something-year-old Dwarf hybrid Alex mentioned yesterday.’

After a moment, Alex finally said, "The age isn’t important. Just prescribe something based on this medical report."

"Not important? Not..." Lanuo let out an exasperated laugh, suddenly not wanting to talk to Alex anymore.

"Forget it. I can’t be bothered to ask. I’m swamped with work myself."

Lanuo could hear the exhaustion in Alex’s voice and knew he’d been even busier and had more to worry about lately. He didn’t press further, but he still gave a warning: "I don’t care if you found this Beast cub or how you got it, but be careful. That guy Alihot is just waiting to get some leverage on you. This time you were only demoted. Next time, they’ll really have you sent to the No Man’s Land, and you’ll never be able to return to Zone 5."

Alex said, "I came here on my own."

"What?"

Lanuo’s unsatisfied curiosity found another outlet. "You went to Zone 19 yourself? You weren’t sent there because Alihot and his people schemed against you?"

Alex: "None of that was a big deal. I could have filed an appeal for a new ruling."

Lanuo said flatly, "But you didn’t."

Alex: "I’ve read Zone 19’s reports on Mutant Species from the last few years. Their defense technology is outdated, and the zone is poorly managed—a complete mess. As soon as winter hits, the army has to rely on human wave tactics to fight the Mutant Species. The military’s casualty rate has been increasing year after year, so the Military Department headquarters and the Beast Alliance have assigned a reorganization mission to various departments."

Lanuo immediately understood the hidden angle. "And here I was thinking you went to Zone 19 because you had nothing better to do. So if you complete this mission, you should be able to secure a high-ranking position in the Military Department, right? Then Alihot and his cronies will have to think twice before trying to cause trouble for you."

Whenever a mission involving Zone 19 came up, the higher-ups in the Upper District would just pass the buck.

But while a mission to Zone 19 seemed like a thankless job, if it was done well, the Military Department would definitely take notice.

Given Alex’s abilities, Lanuo was confident he could complete the mission exceptionally well.

"But if this goes wrong, all the blame will fall on you, so you have to be careful. And about that Beast cub of yours..."

Alex: "You don’t need to worry about that. Just focus on the prescription."

After ending the call, Alex returned to the room.

Gu Ning was still fast asleep, her breathing long and heavy.

Alex walked to the bedside and sat down. He took a fluorescent tube from his pocket, placed it by her pillow, and after observing her condition for a moment, he reached out to feel her temperature.

Feeling the sweat on her palm, Alex gently pulled down her collar. His fingers probed her neck, touching her slightly feverish, slick skin. The layer of clothes underneath was soaked with sweat.

’Is she uncomfortably hot, sleeping with so many clothes on?’

Alex then touched the head covering on Gu Ning’s face; it too was soaked with sweat.

He gently supported the back of her neck and removed the head covering, freeing her hair, which was half-damp with sweat.

Without the head covering, Alex could clearly see Gu Ning’s face, once again flushed red from the fever.

The terminal lit up. A message from Lanuo had arrived:

[Have you tested this Beast cub’s mutation value? Has his mutation value fluctuated at all recently?]

Alex gently laid Gu Ning back down and replied:

[I’ve tested it. His mutation value is very low, with no fluctuation.]

Seeing the reply, Lanuo thought, ’Then it’s not the onset of mutation.’

Some degenerating Beast cubs show early signs of mutation, especially in a place like Zone 19, where the influence of Mutant Species can cause their condition to worsen.

Lanuo took a sip of water, put the cup down, and tapped the chat bar to send another message:

[Does he have any external injuries?]

’The medicine I prescribed should be correct for the symptoms. If the fever isn’t breaking, there might be another reason.’

Alex finished reading Lanuo’s message and was about to reply "no" when his nose suddenly caught a faint scent of blood.

His expression froze. His nose twitched twice as he carefully sniffed the air.

The scent of blood grew stronger, mingled with an indescribably sweet fragrance.

Alex looked down at the unconscious little female. The source of the scent was her.

’The little female is injured?!’

Alex’s expression shifted, and he immediately threw back Gu Ning’s blanket to check where she was hurt.

He leaned in close, sniffing her body, and quickly located the source of the injury.

It was on her lower body.

’The scent of blood is so strong, she must be bleeding quite a lot.’

’But this scent of blood is a little too... fragrant.’

As Alex took in the scent, his mouth and throat grew inexplicably dry.

Worried about Gu Ning’s injury, he didn’t overthink it. He first removed her thick outer jacket, then moved to take off her pants.

With the barrier of her clothes gone, the scent of blood mixed with a rich, sweet fragrance assaulted Alex’s senses, the impact even more powerful than the last time he had smelled her scent.