Chapter 340: Lan Yan
"Lan Yan!" Lan Yuyan recognized the figure instantly—it was his youngest brother.
Jiang Qin stopped him from giving in to the urge to undergo Beastification, quickly using her Superpower to manifest a flying Alien Beast that caught the falling figure.
She then maneuvered the Alien Beast, bringing him to her side.
Seeing Lan Yan covered in blood, Lan Yuyan quickly had him drink an Advanced Healing Potion.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jiang Qin’s strikingly pale, delicate, and aloof face.
"Lan Yan, how are you?"
He didn’t notice he was leaning against his older brother’s chest until he heard his voice.
"Brother... I’m fine..."
Lan Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief and explained to Jiang Qin, "Lan Yan joined the army after he left home.
I thought he was still in training at the barracks. I never expected he’d already be on the battlefield."
’But then again, it made sense,’ he thought. ’After all, even military cadets were being sent to the front lines, so it seemed reasonable for new recruits to be there too.’
’But as someone with Water Beastman Genes, why wasn’t Lan Yan assigned to an aquatic battlefield? Why was he on a terrestrial one, and falling from the sky at that?’
As the potion took effect, Lan Yan felt his body recovering significantly.
"Lan Yan, why are you on a land battlefield?"
At these words, a dark glint flashed in Lan Yan’s downcast eyes.
A slight smile touched his lips as he remembered that the people who had harmed him were now nothing more than a pile of mangled flesh.
But he didn’t want Lan Yuyan to know about any of that.
Though they didn’t share a deep bond, he still felt a certain amount of gratitude toward Lan Yuyan.
As an older brother, he had done his duty.
So he dodged the question and asked one of his own. "Brother, what are you doing here? Isn’t your Riot Value already really high?"
"I came to the front lines to provide support with your sister-in-law."
It was just as Lan Yan thought; the two brothers weren’t actually close.
Lan Yuyan had only fulfilled his duty as an older brother, showing a basic level of care, but they were nowhere near close enough to share their true feelings.
Hearing the words "sister-in-law," Lan Yan finally lifted his gaze and took another look at Jiang Qin.
A strange sourness welled up inside him.
’We’re both our mother’s sons, but my fate and Lan Yuyan’s are truly worlds apart.’
He had actually grown used to it over the years.
But seeing Lan Yuyan effortlessly win the love of a gentle female... he was genuinely jealous.
In truth, today wasn’t the first time Lan Yan had learned that Lan Yuyan and his group were at the camp.
After all, Jiang Qin’s name had already spread throughout the camp, and by extension, the males accompanying her were a topic of discussion as well.
And while no one else was sure why they had come to the camp, he had an inkling.
He had originally planned to go and see his brother that day, but he’d unfortunately run into them on their way to see Doctor Si.
He had overheard a few snippets of their conversation, and for some reason, he’d suddenly lost any desire to face Lan Yuyan.
’It would make me feel like such a pathetic wretch.’
It was just like when he was a child, always hiding in the darkness, watching his three brothers being doted on by their mother and loved by their fathers.
And now, here he was again, hiding in a corner, watching his three brothers find happiness and build families of their own.
’But I’m still just an unwanted male with no home!’
It was right around then that his bullies started provoking him again.
So, deciding to go all the way, he orchestrated their deaths at the claws of Alien Beasts.
...
Jiang Qin wasn’t overthinking things. Seeing him look at her, she offered a friendly smile.
She remembered this younger brother of Lan Yuyan.
His beast form was a black Three-eyed Merfolk.
It was a beast form that females found very unappealing.
Although the third eye on his forehead was closed, it still looked unsettling.
But Jiang Qin was reminded of the third eye of the Erlang God, so she wasn’t particularly frightened by it. In fact, she thought his beast form was kind of cool.
The black fishtail had scales like black jade with an almost translucent quality, and the abs on his upper body were enough to make one’s head spin.
His upper body was scaleless, but a scattering of scales covered his flanks, dipping down from his low-slung waist to form a V-shape over his lower abdomen.
A black pearl adorned his exposed navel, and a necklace of strung black shells rested at the base of his neck.
His ears were the black ear-fins characteristic of a Merfolk.
Only his long, wavy hair was black, yet it shimmered with hints of deep blue, like the color of the deep sea.
In the eyes of Interstellar People, this kind of beast form was not considered attractive.
Not only did it have many limitations—its combat effectiveness was basically nil out of water—but it also had a sinister appearance.
As a result, Lan Yan had been bullied and mocked since he was a child, and females detested him.
To make matters worse, Lan Yidan also detested him because of his father and never intervened when he was bullied. This meant his tormentors were never punished and only became more relentless.
As for the uncles who took turns raising him, they mostly just left his care to robots.
He never lacked for anything material.
But emotionally, he had never known happiness.
Jiang Qin didn’t know that the jade Merfolk carving she had given him was the first gift he had ever received in his life, and that he treasured it deeply.
But seeing her smile, Lan Yan felt a profound bitterness wash over him.
"I’ll have someone take you back to camp to rest," Lan Yuyan said. "Don’t rush back to the battlefield after you’ve healed. I’ll see if I can get you transferred to the navy."
Lan Yan stopped him. "There’s no need, Brother. I’ll stay here.
I’m just a bit weaker on land, but it’s not like I’m completely helpless.
Since I’ve been assigned here, it must mean they think I’m a better fit for this post."
Lan Yuyan’s brow furrowed.
’A Sea Beast Gene Beastman more suited for land?’
He wasn’t a fool; there was no way he’d believe an excuse like that.
But... since it was Lan Yan’s own request, he couldn’t very well force him to change his mind.
After all, he was already grown up.
"All right. Contact me when you want a transfer."
Lan Yuyan then found a warrior to help Lan Yan, who was still in his beast form, back to the camp.
Jiang Qin’s gaze followed the black fishtail. "Is Lan Yan’s Riot Value getting high? He hasn’t reverted to his human form."
Beastmen usually reverted to their human form the moment they disengaged from combat in order to control their Riot Value.
But Lan Yan had remained in his beast form, even after leaving the battlefield.
There was only one explanation for this: his Riot Value was too high, putting him on the verge of going berserk and making it impossible for him to change back.
Jiang Qin’s reminder was what made Lan Yuyan realize it.
But his tone was still filled with disbelief. "But he just turned eighteen this year. Before this, he was always in school.
Even if he’s been on the battlefield every day recently, his Riot Value shouldn’t be rising this fast."
’So, why would his Riot Value be rising so fast?’