I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

The old man chuckled and asked, "Aren't you a trainer in the central government? Why would you need to investigate this kind of rogue organization?"

Orn looked up at Soichiro for a moment, then lowered his gaze again and replied, "Being a trainer is one job, and investigating this thing is another job. They don't conflict with each other."

"Just like your ranch, I think that insufficient funds... are not the root cause of the inability to continue operating the ranch, are they?"

Sitting beside the hospital bed, Ryuzo Minamida looked at Orn with some surprise, but Orn only looked at Soichiro and ignored him completely.

Nogishiki Souichirou was taken aback by his words, and after a long while, he asked in return, "Oh? You... how did you determine that?"

"Because you are very tired, not only physically, but also mentally,"

Orn replied, "Although I don't know what crisis has struck the ranch, I can sense from you that you seem to want to give up."

"It's not just about giving up the ranch, it's about giving up your life, giving up everything, right?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Apart from the occasional rustling sound outside the window, everything around seemed so peaceful.

Nanta Ryuzo's mouth dropped open. He swallowed hard, then quickly looked at the silent Soichiro.

He asked anxiously, "Dean! Aren't you feeling better? We've also contacted that renowned doctor, and with some more treatment, you're sure to recover completely!"

“We may not have much savings, but we still have some assets. If all else fails, you can stay with Tianzhu. We've been brothers for decades, surely he'll take care of you!”

The vice-dean glared at his half-brother with whom he had spent decades, then looked at Orn with pleading eyes.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But those words were like a heavy stone, stuck in his throat, unable to move.

On the hospital bed, Nogishi Souichirou narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't answer Minamida Ryuzo's question, but instead smiled at the young man in front of him, saying, "Your insight is truly remarkable... almost like you can read minds. It's truly impressive."

Orn's brow remained furrowed. He interrupted, "Whether it's mind reading or not is another matter. Dean, I address you as Dean because you have never given up on this academy."

"But now you're saying you want to give up? Why? You've persevered for so many years, why give up now?"

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he asked, "Is it because of the Tamamo Cross? So you want to give up?"

Upon hearing that name, Soichiro paused, then looked away, gazing at the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window.

"call......."

"Yes, it's definitely because of her."

"Long San, there's something that the doctor didn't tell you."

Soichiro looked to his side and said, "I have too many ailments, and the effective treatment period has long passed. So even the most miraculous medicine cannot completely cure my illnesses."

"Hey, fully recovered... I don't even believe it myself! Do you really believe it?"

Nantian Longsan suddenly reached out, gripping the bedsheet tightly in his hand, and said in a low voice, "If he says there's a way, then there's a way."

"Xiaoyu is about to fulfill her dream from back then. Do you really intend to abandon her and run away at this critical moment?!"

The usually cheerful and optimistic vice dean, who often told jokes, was now trembling.

"Long San, I'm a little tired."

Soichiro lowered his eyes, turned to look at Orn, and said with a wry smile, "Young man, just as Ryuzo said, the only thing I can't let go of is her."

Uncle Nantian nodded and said, "Yes, yes!"

“Okay, after that, have him come back and examine the dean again.” “So I hope you can take good care of her after I leave, at least so that she won’t be so sad.”

Orn rubbed his hands together for a long while before finally speaking, "It's no use asking me to do this. Why don't you tell Komiyama-senpai? She's her trainer, isn't she? I'm just an outsider."

"That girl is no good, she can't do it, and it's impossible for her to do it."

Souichirou shook his head slightly: "You're different from her. Even though I'm not a formal trainer, I can still tell something from the way you interact with your mentor."

"Furthermore, judging from what Tada said, and what Tama usually says about her roommate and her roommate's trainer, you... are the best choice at the moment."

"You don't even know me, do you? How can you be so trusting?"

"I'm pretty good at judging people, and I trust my judgment."

"Does it have to be me?"

"it has to be you."

Orn calmly said, "That's moral blackmail."

The dean nodded and said, "Yes, so I am deeply sorry for this."

Nogishiki Souichirou knew he was making a difficult request, and he also knew it was a very despicable tactic.

But he did it anyway, gambling on the young man's kindness. He believed Orn wouldn't refuse an old man's request as he lay dying.

"......Ah."

Orn let out a soft groan, raised his head, and stared at the hospital director lying on the bed, focusing on the man's chest.

After a full three minutes, he suddenly stood up from his chair, and a hammer flashed into his hand from his waist.

A flash of black light appeared, and to Nantian Longsan's astonishment, the hammer landed squarely on Nojin Soichiro's heart!

"What are you doing?!?!"

Nantian Longsan roared, about to pounce, but Orn kicked him back into his seat.

The moment he was struck by the hammer, Nogishi Soichiro began to cough.

He spat out a mouthful of thick, yellowish-brown phlegm, then looked at his chest in surprise.

Orn stood before Nogishi Soichiro's bedside and said in a deep voice, "The ancients said that at fifty one knows one's destiny, and at sixty one's ears are attuned to the truth. Have you lived your fifty-eight years backwards??"

"If it weren't for the fact that you've actually served as the director of the charity ranch for so many years, I would have smashed you on the head with a hammer long ago!! You're already in your fifties or sixties! How come you're not as responsible as a sixteen-year-old!?"

"I don't need you to apologize or bow. You should save your energy to see her!"

Souichirou stared at Orn, who had suddenly erupted in anger, with a complex expression. His voice became somewhat weak as he said, "But... my time is already..."

"Didn't that doctor say you only had a few months to live four years ago?! So how come you're still alive?!"

Orn clenched his fists, strode to Souichirou's bedside, pointed at the man's chest, and said, "Dean! Think about it! Do you really want to be this selfish!?"

"If you don't even want to live anymore, then no matter how hard others try, it will be in vain!"

He pressed her, "Why didn't you tell her about your situation, the difficulties your ranch was facing? You didn't say anything, and then you were all immersed in your own self-sacrificing sentimentality, leaving me, an outsider, to clean up your mess. What are you thinking?!"

"Because you treat her like a daughter or granddaughter? So you don't want to trouble others? Do you know that what you're doing now is causing even more trouble?!"

Ornn finally snapped. He had heard Oguri talk about Tamamo Cross's background, and in their few interactions, he had sensed the sensitive heart of that small boy.

He had considered many possibilities: perhaps the ranch was facing financial difficulties and was forced to close; perhaps it was due to competition from rivals, and it was voluntarily closing to protect the children; or perhaps it was due to a shortage of staff, leaving it with no other choice.

But to his utter surprise, it was the dean who lost the courage to persevere first, and even stopped treasuring his own life!

Hearing the other person's angry rebuke, Nogishi Soichiro lowered his head. He neither refuted nor defended himself.

Orn's eyebrows were furrowed into a tight knot. He would rather the old man in the hospital bed cursed at him; at least that would prove he still had a breath left.

But now that the other party remains silent, he really has no other options.

"Phew... Alright, since you want me to take care of her, you have to tell me what exactly happened to this ranch, right?"

Orn scratched his head impatiently and said, "If you don't explain this clearly, I'm telling you plainly, I can't accept your request."

After he finished speaking, the ward fell silent again.

Nojin Soichiro did not answer; he continued to gaze at Orn with pleading eyes, remaining silent.

Orn said nothing more, not even glancing at the hospital director lying on the bed, and turned to walk out the door.

Nantian Longsan quickly stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve. The man in his fifties pleaded, "Young man Aoun! Please wait a little longer! The Dean... he just doesn't know how to tell you!! Please agree to him first!!"

“Uncle Nantian, since you were willing to invite me here, I think you are willing to befriend me sincerely,”

Orn glanced at the silent dean on the hospital bed and continued, "But I can't just agree to your request so easily. You won't even tell me about the ranch's predicament, so how can I trust your promise?"

"How will you know others can't help you if you don't tell them about your difficulties?"

After saying that, he waved his hand and slapped Uncle Nantian's arm off, then stepped out of the room.

At that very moment, Soichiro finally spoke.

"The ranch... faces too much pressure, not only from the industry, but also from society, and... from the children who once studied here."

The old man said sincerely, "That's why I don't want to involve you. These things should ultimately be handled by us old folks."

Orn sighed, turned around and said to Nantian Longsan beside him, "I will come to visit again later, so there's no need to see me off tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her about this for now. When I come next time... I hope you can tell me the real reason."

After saying these words, Orn didn't linger and strode towards the dormitory.

Chapter 181 I swear! I swear by my name!

Fujimasa rubbed her eyes; she was still a little sleepy.

She held a steamed bun in her hand, then turned to look at Orn standing outside the door.

She asked, "Oun, why...why are we up so early? It's only five in the morning, isn't it?"

Orn checked the contents of his backpack again, then sighed, "There are some urgent matters that need to be confirmed, so we need to get up early today."

"How was your sleep? Did you sleep well last night?"

Fujimasa took a bite of the steamed bun in her hand, and said while chewing, "It's alright. I think the houses here are actually quite interesting. Sleeping in them feels like going camping with you, Orn."

Like camping? Doesn't that mean it's terrible?!

Ornn tilted his head slightly, recalling the time he had spent in the wilderness with the four members of Dolan's team.

Recalling how, because the brand-new, shiny tent's anchor points weren't properly in place, the tent drifted dozens of meters down the hillside in the middle of the night, everyone was asleep.

Recalling how Shining Radiance wanted to repay everyone's kindness by showing off her clumsy cooking skills, she ended up pouring cooking oil into the stove, causing flames to rise three meters high and slightly curling the tuft of hair on Oguri Hat's head, who was standing closest to her.

Recalling how, because of his newfound brilliance, he mistook a snake for a stick and kicked someone, only to be chased by the snake in a pathetic state...

Recalling the brand new glory... wait, it's you again?

Ornn couldn't help but cover his face with his hands. Looking back now, it seemed that every time Dolan's team went out, something unexpected would happen, and the core of these unexpected events always revolved around the new Illusion.

'It's strange. Such a dangerous situation should be a significant memory for most people, so why does it feel so ordinary to me?'

'It's like...as natural as breathing?'

'Damn it! It must have been Shining Radiance who did it! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have been so oblivious!'

Fujimasa's words at this moment felt like a high-EQ response, as if someone asked her, "What do you think of the daily atmosphere of the Dolan Squad?"

She replied, "Yes, it is indeed a wonderful experience to be able to see the radiance of the Three Goddesses every day."

Orn glanced at his teammate's expression, then asked hesitantly, "March...you're probably praising the ranch's accommodations, right?"

The girl rolled her eyes and asked, bewildered, "Yeah, does it mean something else?"

Orn smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing, I was just overthinking it."

"Are you finished eating? If you're ready, let's go."

"Okay, we've had a simple meal. Let's eat more at the hotel afterwards."

Fujimasa March followed Orn out of the cafeteria, then across the gravel-strewn playground, and arrived at the gate of the ranch.

A figure was standing at the school gate; judging from his posture, he seemed to have been waiting there for a long time.

'Is that Uncle Nantian? He gets up this early too?'

Fujimasa looked at Nanami Ryuzo with some surprise. What puzzled her was that Uncle Nanami seemed somewhat nervous at this moment.

His lips trembled slightly as he took a deep breath, seemingly having finally convinced himself, and was about to say something.

But Ornn raised his hand and waved, interrupting him.

"well........"

"No need to say anything more, let's talk about it next time I come."

Hearing Orn make a promise, Nantian Longsan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He pursed his lips, nodded heavily, and then pushed open the ranch gate.

Sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle, Fujimasa waved to Uncle Nantian, then turned to look at Orn beside him, whose expression was grave.

She asked, "Orn, what happened yesterday?"