Andrew Clark gently placed the cane not far from the female soldier, then climbed up a tree branch to keep watch. He had often stood guard while hunting with his uncles and cousins before, and with a scope equipped with night vision, he could see the surroundings even in the dark. Standing guard wasn’t difficult.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Andrew Clark started to feel a bit sleepy. He rubbed his eyes and suddenly noticed a flash of light deep in the forest. It was very faint—if it hadn’t reflected directly onto his face, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. Andrew Clark immediately became alert, all sleepiness gone. How could there be a reflection in the pitch-black forest? He raised his gun and observed through the scope.

Before long, Andrew Clark spotted a figure sneaking over, moving like a panther hunting at night—extremely cautious, quick, and agile. There seemed to be several more people behind. Andrew Clark knew he couldn’t handle these people alone, so he quickly and carefully slipped down from the tree, trying to wake the female soldier, only to find her drenched in sweat, eyes tightly shut, face pale, and her whole body trembling.

“This is bad.” Andrew Clark was shocked. He hadn’t expected the female soldier to develop a fever and fall into a coma at this moment. This was trouble. Thinking of the approaching enemies, Andrew Clark couldn’t worry about anything else. He slung both the female soldier’s gun and his own around his neck, hoisted her onto his back, and started running frantically.

As he ran, Andrew Clark felt the resilient softness of the female soldier’s chest against him, his lower abdomen warming, a strange feeling welling up inside. Suddenly, he realized her body was trembling—signs of convulsions from a high fever. He grew worried, forced himself to banish distracting thoughts, and sprinted with all his might.

In the darkness, the moonlight was faint and visibility was extremely low. Fortunately, Andrew Clark had hunted in the jungle since childhood and was no stranger to traveling at night. However, carrying someone limited his speed, and he was soon so exhausted he could barely breathe. He had to put the female soldier down, only to find her frowning, lips cracked, forehead beaded with cold sweat, and her face twisted in pain. Andrew Clark was at a loss—where could he find medicine in this pitch-black wilderness?

If she wasn’t treated in time, she might suffer brain damage or even die. Looking at her thigh, the bandage over the wound was completely dark red—obviously from excessive blood loss. If she wasn’t treated soon, her leg might be ruined as well. Andrew Clark grew anxious. Hearing the sound of a nearby stream, he quickly carried the female soldier over.

The stream was small, cascading down a cliff to form a little pool below. Andrew Clark set the female soldier down by the pool, scooped water with his hands to her lips. She instinctively opened her mouth wide and swallowed, mumbling “water, water” in her sleep. Andrew Clark hurried to feed her more water. Whether the water was clean or not, he couldn’t care—her life was at stake.

After drinking, the female soldier fell into a deep sleep. Andrew Clark looked around at the pitch-black surroundings, anxious and worried. Suddenly, he noticed some lush plants by the pool that looked familiar. He walked over, focused under the moonlight, and saw that the leaves were broad, lanceolate, with slender, thread-like umbels. He was overjoyed—it was bupleurum, an excellent herb for treating colds, fevers, and deficiency-induced fevers.

Andrew Clark quickly picked a large amount of bupleurum, washed it clean, but then hesitated. The conditions weren’t right to brew medicine, and eating it raw wasn’t realistic—the unconscious female soldier couldn’t chew it herself. What to do? Seeing her face flushed red with fever and twisted in pain, Andrew Clark gritted his teeth, grabbed most of the bupleurum and rubbed it together, quickly forming a herbal ball. With one hand, he pried open her mouth, and with the other, squeezed the juice from the herbal ball, dripping it into her mouth.

To ensure effectiveness, Andrew Clark picked a large amount of bupleurum, squeezed out the juice, and fed it to the female soldier. Then he took off his own clothes, spread them on a dry spot, laid her flat on the ground, and gently tore off the bandage from her thigh wound. He washed the bandage clean, then wiped the blood and grime from her wound.

After finishing all this, Andrew Clark looked at the still-unconscious female soldier and gave a helpless, bitter smile. The situation was terrible. He had no idea how long they could stay here or when their pursuers would catch up. Sigh!

Late at night, the wind picked up. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting silver light over the land and shimmering on the pool’s surface. Sitting by the pool to rest, Andrew Clark glanced at the female soldier. The dirty camouflage paint on her face had been washed away by cold sweat, leaving her face streaked and messy. Andrew Clark was moved, and couldn’t help but dip the bandage in water to gently clean her face. Before long, a delicate face appeared before Andrew Clark’s eyes.

During the day, he’d been too busy fighting for their lives to notice, but now, seeing her clean, he was surprised by how beautiful she was. Her willow-leaf eyebrows were slightly furrowed, eyes tightly closed, her exquisite nose breathing rapidly, her face flushed with fever—so pitiful it tugged at the heart. Andrew Clark couldn’t help but want to hold her in his arms and cherish her, but he restrained himself from making any rash moves. With a sigh, he picked up his gun, looked around, and found a vantage point to hide.

Andrew Clark used his family’s breathing technique to recover his strength while keeping watch. Fortunately, the night passed without incident. After several hours of rest, the exhausted Andrew Clark had fully recovered his strength and was full of energy. He went to the pool and found the female soldier already awake, staring blankly at the sky, her face still pale and eyes dull. Andrew Clark walked over slowly, coughed, and said, “You’re awake. Feeling any better?”

“You saved me?” the female soldier asked weakly, her tone still cold.

Andrew Clark didn’t answer directly, walked to the side, and said in a low voice, “Can you walk? Those bastards are probably about to catch up.”