Liang He's sudden appearance startled not only the intruders but also the staff in the central control room.
"Her, her, her! Why isn't she hiding? What is she doing out there?!"
"We're doomed. We're completely doomed! The District Director is going to chew us out when he gets back!"
"You're still worrying about getting scolded? The problem right now is saving her!"
The control room erupted into chaos. The Chief Stationmaster furrowed his brows, remaining completely silent.
He had made it a point to observe this young girl, Liang He, in the past. She didn't seem like an impulsive fool who acted without thinking.
"Stop arguing! Quiet down!" he ordered. "Keep guiding the Guard Team."
His authoritative tone gradually quieted the room. While anxiously staring at the surveillance screens, the staff calmly resumed directing the Guard Team.
Since the aircraft's navigation systems were being jammed, they would just have to act as human GPS and manually point the guards in the right direction.
"Chief Stationmaster! Chief Stationmaster, look at this!"
Summoned by the frantic voice, he assumed Liang He was in critical danger and immediately stepped forward to check. However, the longer he looked, the more astounded he became, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
"Is... is that really Liang He?"
Was this really that petite and adorable little girl from Blue Star? He wondered if she had been replaced by an imposter.
On the screen, before the intruders could even react, Liang He suddenly charged into their encirclement, completely shattering their formation.
With perfect tacit understanding, Cedriel and Lanton each dragged one of the men away, instantly turning the three-on-two situation into three separate one-on-one brawls.
"Wow, Liang He is brilliant! Divide and conquer! At this rate, those guys will be taken down by the Marshal and Commander sooner or later!"
"What are you talking about? Did you not see Liang He's combat prowess? She's actually pinning down their leader all by herself!"
"What is she wearing on her hands? Gloves? Why do they look so lethal?"
As Liang He scattered the men, she utilized an incredibly tricky maneuver to snatch the laser guns from their hands. This ensured they wouldn't accidentally injure Cedriel or Lanton during the scuffle.
Besides, there were still two little wolf pups inside the dorm. As a Breeder, the safety of the animals was her top priority.
Deprived of their weapons, the intruders were forced into hand-to-hand combat. However, the situation quickly escalated far beyond what these uninvited guests could have ever imagined.
"Ahhh!"
No one knew what Liang He's gloves were made of, but a sharp glint flashed across them under the moonlight. With heavy, bone-crushing blows, she quickly forced the leader into submission.
"Boss!"
The other two men tried to rush over to help, but Cedriel and Lanton stubbornly dragged them back. In their panic, the men even had several chunks of flesh viciously bitten off by the two beasts.
"Looks like your two subordinates are quite worried about you."
Liang He had not only pinned down her opponent but was handling him with effortless ease. This fierce demeanor was a stark contrast to the staff's previous impression of her, leaving the Chief Stationmaster and the others utterly dumbfounded.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The man's furious roar echoed throughout the animal dormitory. His question was exactly what the Chief Stationmaster and the others were dying to ask.
"Me?"
Liang He smiled and landed a solid punch squarely on his face. Capitalizing on his fall, she swiftly flipped him over, pinned him down, and violently twisted his arm behind his back. With a sickening CRACK, it was rendered useless.
"I am just an ordinary Breeder. That's all."
She drove the tranquilizer dart she had specially brought along straight into the man's neck. If she hadn't taken a detour to fetch the darts, she never would have given these intruders the chance to enter the animal dormitory in the first place.
After the man instantly slipped into a coma, Liang He cracked her knuckles and glared menacingly at the remaining two.
Seeing that Cedriel and Lanton—whose previous injuries she had painstakingly healed—were now covered in fresh wounds because of these scumbags, she ground her teeth in fury.
"Cedriel, close the door! Don't let them escape!"
With a loud SLAM, the heavy doors were tightly shut. They didn't slowly reopen until the Guard Team, guided by the central control room, finally arrived at the service area.
The moment the doors parted, the guards were greeted by the sight of three battered, unconscious men who had been beaten to a pulp.
"Liang He... *Cough*, are you all alright?"
This wasn't the Guard Team Captain's first time meeting Liang He, but for some reason, she looked incredibly intimidating right now.
Having successfully dealt with the enemies, Liang He returned to her usual self. She methodically pulled off her gloves as a familiar smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The warmth in her smiling eyes swept away any lingering hostility.
"I'm perfectly fine."
"Oh... oh, that's good."
Everyone silently gulped at how fast her demeanor changed. The Guard Team members, in particular, were terrified that an unhappy Liang He might blame them for arriving too late and vent her lingering anger on them.
"Shall we take these men away first?"
"Sure. Thanks for your hard work."
Liang He didn't mind the Guard Team's belated arrival. She figured they must have run into some sort of unexpected accident along the way. After all, even if the reserve didn't care about her, they still had to prioritize Cedriel and Lanton.
Besides, she had never expected anyone to come and save her in the first place. With no expectations, there naturally couldn't be any disappointment.
"*Cough*, Liang He, the Chief Stationmaster asked us to inquire about your gloves..."
Just like the slingshot from last time, all dangerous items had to be reported and inspected.
"Feel free to examine them."
Liang He casually tossed the removed gloves over to the Guard Team Captain. As he scrambled to catch them, his hands immediately sank from the unexpected weight. He couldn't help but look at her in utter astonishment.
This pair of gloves had to weigh at least a few dozen pounds. Even if they weren't sharp, a blunt strike from them could easily bash someone to death. No wonder those men had screamed so miserably—the control room could hear their agonizing shrieks all the way through the communicators on the surveillance feed.
"We've checked them. There are no issues. Please put them away safely."
After confirming they were cleared, the Captain returned the gloves to Liang He and subsequently led his team out of the Seventh Service Area.
Holding the heavy gloves, Liang He slightly lowered her gaze. An obscure gleam flashed through her eyes, dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
When Liang He raised her head and looked at the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle—who were still obediently standing guard by the door—she puffed up her cheeks and planted her hands on her hips.
"Cedriel! Lanton!"
Realizing they had probably made a mistake and were about to get scolded, the two beasts already had one foot out the door. However, just as they tried to flee, Liang He firmly grabbed hold of their tail and wing.
"You still want to run?!"
Even though they could have easily broken free from her grasp, Cedriel and Lanton obediently halted in their tracks, terrified of accidentally hurting her. They meekly braced themselves for her criticism.
Seeing them like this, Liang He couldn't bear to utter a single harsh word. In truth, her anger only stemmed from the heartache of seeing them injured again.
"Stop acting pitiful and follow me to the medical room."
Dropping those words, Liang He scooped up the shivering little wolf pups she had hidden in the storage room and walked ahead.
The fierce beasts' instincts told them they had successfully dodged a bullet. They happily twitched their ears and shook their wings before hurrying after Liang He.
Perhaps knowing that Liang He was worried about them, and terrified of making her angry again, Cedriel and Lanton were incredibly cooperative during their examinations and treatments. This sight made the staff in the central control room green with envy.
"The Marshal and Commander are really taking their double standards to the extreme. If it were us, forget about treating them—just daring to get close would be a death wish."
"Fierce beasts are at their most sensitive and vulnerable when injured. It's perfectly normal for them to be on guard against humans they don't trust. This just proves that Liang He has earned their complete trust."
"Thank goodness Liang He is here. Otherwise, who knows if Cedriel and Lanton's injuries would have worsened, let alone healed this quickly."
As the Chief Stationmaster kept a close eye on the medical room while listening to the Guard Team Captain's report, his gaze toward Liang He was gentle and grandfatherly. However, when his focus shifted back to the incident report, his eyes turned remarkably cold and piercing.
"So, they were sent by the Rebel Army to capture Liang He?"