The two people not at the scene knew nothing about this, but when they heard Jiang Hui mention nearly being crushed to death, their expressions immediately darkened.
Not to mention Xierman, the first to react and question relentlessly was Clarens's brother. He was clearly concerned about Jiang Hui's ambiguous yet somewhat terrifying description.
She figured that even if she didn't explain clearly now, he would certainly investigate later. If he decided to check the video footage and witness it firsthand, his soul would probably be scared out of his body, so it was better to tell him directly.
Jiang Hui didn't exaggerate or embellish anything, only simply describing what had happened.
But even with just these few words, August had already experienced the danger of that moment.
"This... is this what that person meant by 'protecting citizens and defending the empire'? Look at what he's done!"
Others might not know, but August Clarens, born into the Clarens family, was well aware of who was behind this series of missions. He even knew exactly who was involved, and his family had participated in the discussions. However, they were mostly in the position of observers rather than direct participants, as it wasn't related to their interests.
But who could have known that this matter would implicate their family and nearly cost Theophilus his life?
This made August Clarens extremely irritated, feeling as though he had been backstabbed—after all, they had initially given their tacit approval. But who knew the initiator would be so unreliable? His so-called purge probably included his own people as well.
Once this incident was reported, it would be enough to get him in hot water.
The man's expression was grim. Jiang Hui and her companion noticed this and could understand—after all, hearing that your family member nearly died would certainly prevent anyone from remaining calm.
Fortunately, this Major didn't direct his anger at them and still spoke to them rather cordially. Then, hearing the discussion from the healers, he ended their conversation and returned to Clarens's side.
Xierman looked at Jiang Hui, exaggeratedly mouthing words and nodding toward the retreating figure. Jiang Hui shook her head helplessly, gesturing for him to behave and not make silly faces behind people's backs—it was impolite.
However, Clarens's brother's aura was indeed too intense. At that moment, she even vaguely felt as if she couldn't breathe.
And besides, his imposing aura wasn't directed at them, so there was nothing to fear.
Jiang Hui's gaze went blank as she suddenly felt an itch deep in her throat, unable to hold back a few coughs. Only then did Xierman remember she was still injured, and he quickly helped her sit back in her original position.
"Clunk—"
As she sat down, something slipped out of her pocket, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
"Hmm?" Xierman reacted, about to pick it up, but the person sitting on the bed bent down first and reached for the fallen object.
It was a necklace. A silvery-white chain that flowed like light, connected at the end to a blood-red gemstone. Inside the gem swirled a faint glow, giving it an eerie appearance as if soaked in fresh blood.
Upon touching the cold metal chain, Jiang Hui froze. This thing, this... how had she brought this back with her?
This necklace was something she had discovered at the bottom of the mech. At that time, as she was struggling to crawl out, she happened to touch this object and sensed a very familiar aura from it.
She remembered vaguely hearing Huan Xian's shouts amidst the chaos, but the scene had been so chaotic that Jiang Hui thought it was just her imagination. It wasn't until she touched this necklace that she realized it might not have been an illusion—
She had seen this necklace before, on Huan Xian.
Could he have thrown it in?
Then came the military rescue, and after all the confusion, Jiang Hui really did see Huan Xian. She knew that the shouts she heard in the chaos weren't her imagination; Huan Xian had indeed called out once, and this necklace was probably thrown in by him, which explained why it carried his spiritual energy.
She had thought several times about taking the necklace out of her pocket to ask him about it, but seeing his grim, serious expression and the solemn military personnel surrounding them, Jiang Hui couldn't bring herself to ask. Then, inexplicably, she had kept the object in her pocket and somehow brought it out with her.
Now that her mind had cleared from the previous confusion, Jiang Hui finally realized that her behavior had been inappropriate.
What if the necklace didn't belong to Huan Xian? Wouldn't that mean she had casually taken someone else's lost property? And regardless of whose it was, how could she just take it without saying anything? What if the owner was searching everywhere for it?
Jiang Hui gripped the thin, glittering chain tightly, then put it back in her pocket. Well, since things had already come to this, she would ask Huan Xian about it later.
------------------
The journey was uneventful, and the group safely arrived at the nearest military hospital, where people were clearly already notified and immediately came to receive them.
Jiang Hui and the others waited outside along with Clarens's brother.
Jiang Hui's injuries were all external wounds, and after the treatment at the medical station, they were mostly taken care of. At the hospital, she underwent another round of simple tests, which confirmed she had no significant issues. After the healer prescribed some medicine for her, she returned to the emergency room.
August had asked if the two of them wanted an escort to take them back first. After all, Clarens's condition was complicated, and just removing the source of contamination wasn't something that could be completed quickly.
These two children have been through a frightening day, August thought. It wouldn't be right to make them wait here, now that the major crisis was over.
But both were concerned about Clarens's condition and didn't want to leave.
However, not long after, Xierman's family arrived first.
As soon as they connected with Xierman's comm, the people on the other end nearly burst into tears from anxiety. They hadn't been able to contact Xierman for several hours straight, and then suddenly learned about the disaster at the public competition venue. Xierman's parents were nearly frantic with worry when they heard the news, and couldn't wait to mobilize all available resources to search for him.
Xierman's household had only the old butler remaining, but he wasn't idle either. He continuously dialed Xierman's light brain, persisting even when the other end consistently showed no signal. Then, after several hours of attempts, he finally connected with Xierman's light brain in the evening.
At the same time, Xierman's family members, who had been frantically trying to reach him, were relieved when the call finally connected.
Earlier, the two had managed to remain relatively calm while communicating with the old butler, but as more and more calls came in—with voices ranging from high to low, some weeping with joy, others urgently questioning, or various other reactions—even from a great distance, the two could clearly sense the chaotic situation on the other end.
Xierman had no choice but to temporarily excuse himself from the two and move to the communication area elsewhere, properly responding to this "interrogation" from his family.