Captian dragged me forward without stopping. I no longer had the capacity to think about anything else, I could only lower my head and run, forcing myself to keep up with his pace in this life-and-death moment. Right now, if I slowed down even by a single beat, the one who would die might very well be both of us.
Behind us, the roar of off-road engines grew closer and closer, mixed with the sharp whine of pistol shots slicing through the air. Bullets struck the ground, dirt exploding upward in clouds, sparks flaring everywhere. We ran for our lives through a rain of gunfire, every step like treading on the razor-thin boundary between life and death.
I couldn't help glancing back for a split second and immediately met the terrifyingly cold eyes of our pursuers. My heart clenched. I snapped my head forward again, but the fear refused to subside.
"Mr. Captian…" My voice trembled as I spoke while gasping for breath. "Today… we're going to make it out alive, right?"
He didn't answer.
In the very next second, Captian suddenly slammed a hand down on my head, forcing me flat against the ground. I hadn't even processed what was happening when a barrage of bullets whistled past, thudding straight into the tree trunk behind us. Wood splintered violently, fragments flying everywhere.
My eyes flew wide open. Instinctively, I clamped a hand over my mouth. If he hadn't forced me down in time, my head would have been blown apart already.
Before I could recover, Captian hauled me back up and dragged me deeper into the thick undergrowth.
I let him pull me along, my heart pounding like it was about to burst. When we plunged deeper into the forest, Caleb abandoned the off-road vehicle. His voice rang out, brimming with murderous intent:
"Brothers, today's the best chance we'll ever get! Kill Captian for our master!"
In a deep forest, running blindly made it easy to lose direction. I clutched tightly at Captian's sleeve, as if that were the only way I could grasp even a shred of fragile security. But just then, hurried footsteps sounded again behind us.
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
They'd caught up again?!
Captian immediately drew his gun, turned, and fired back. Gunshots thundered through the forest, sending birds scattering in panic. His marksmanship was terrifyingly precise almost every shot dropped an enemy, clean and decisive.
I stayed close to his side, not daring to run off. Each time he fired, he positioned his body to shield me, his back steady like a wall of steel, giving me a sense of safety I couldn't put into words.
"Captian, stop resisting, it's useless!" Caleb's voice came from behind a tree.
"There are so many of us. You're dead for sure today!"
Captian sneered, his gaze icy. Suddenly, he drew another pistol from a holster strapped to his calf. Two shots rang out almost simultaneously, and several more men fell. Amid the storm of bullets, his stance remained unwavering, powerful like a tireless war god.
I stared, stunned.
On his calf… there was still a wound.
So back at the abandoned warehouse, the gun he'd thrown away had just been a feint. Even clutching his head had been an act to deceive them. I'd foolishly believed he'd put himself on the chopping block for my sake, letting others threaten him at will.
Turns out… I was still too naïve.
"Move." Captian tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me forward, seizing the moment when the men behind hesitated after being shot at, and ran even deeper into the forest. Branches whipped across our faces, weeds tore at our legs, but we didn't dare stop for even a second.
"Captian's running! After him!" Caleb roared from behind, grinding his teeth in fury.
Bullets whistled toward us again. Captian reflexively pulled the trigger but only a dry click sounded. He froze for a split second, his expression darkening, then without hesitation hurled one pistol to the ground and barked sharply.
My heart jolted violently.
One gun was empty. The other… probably didn't have much left either.
"Mr. Captian…" I clenched my teeth, speaking quickly while running, not daring to waste a second. "If not… we should split up. Their target is you. I... I might be fine. You'd be faster alone."
I forced myself to stay calm, analyzing the situation as clearly as I could. In circumstances like this, it seemed the most reasonable choice, the only way to reduce the danger to him.
Captian suddenly stopped.
He turned and stared straight at me. His gaze was so cold it stole my breath, my heart squeezing painfully in my chest.
"Split up?" His voice dropped, dangerous and chilling. "You think you'd escape? You'd die without even knowing how."
I pressed my lips together, unable to say another word.
Was I… really that useless?
"Don't even think about it." His voice was dark and absolute, leaving no room for retreat. "If we die, we die together."
I didn't understand his thinking. I only felt my heart sink heavily. Since Captian had said so, all I could do was grit my teeth and keep running with him.
Another bullet flew past. Captian abruptly tore off his coat and wrapped it around me, shielding me inside it. I was like a porcelain doll, protected so completely that I wasn't hurt at all.
But when I tilted my head to look back, my pupils shrank sharply.
On the left side of his abdomen a vivid red stain was spreading.
Blood dripped steadily onto the ground, the metallic scent filling the air. I looked up to see his face deathly pale, all color long gone.
"Mr. Captian…" My voice shook, breath breaking as fear and exhaustion overtook me. "You… you've been shot, haven't you?"
He cursed under his breath, clearly annoyed at being found out, his voice still stubbornly hard: "It's a minor wound."
I stared at him, my heart clenched tight.
That deep and he called it minor?
After running a bit farther, I could clearly see cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, trickling down his temples. His lips were pale, his breathing growing heavier. Even though he tried to maintain his usual composure, I could feel his strength draining rapidly.
This couldn't go on.
If we kept running like this… he really would die.
Just then, my shoulder suddenly sagged. I turned to find that Captian had nearly shifted all his weight onto me. His steps faltered, yet he still tried not to show it.
"You don't need to worry about me," he said coldly, like an order.
Leave him to die?
No chance.
"Don't be stupid." I ground out, supporting him as I spoke, my voice firm enough to surprise even myself. "I won't leave you to die. You shut up and save your strength."
Captian paused. His gaze locked onto my face, deep and complicated, I didn't dare meet it for long. After a moment, he spoke softly, his voice almost a whisper:
"I hope… you won't regret this."
I didn't answer. I just clenched my teeth and kept dragging him forward. But we hadn't gone far when my foot slipped hard, and both of us tumbled down a small slope.
The fall was heavy enough to leave me dizzy. Captian, weakened by the gunshot wound, lost consciousness completely.
Before I could help him up, chaotic footsteps echoed from above the slope. I startled, immediately covering my mouth and dragging Captian's body into the dense bushes.
"I clearly saw them run this way…" A hoarse voice rang out, carried by the wind. "So where'd they go?"
Another man replied impatiently, his boots crushing wet grass with a rustle. "Captian's full of tricks."
A deeper voice cut in, thick with caution. "Watch out for an ambush."
Finally, Caleb's voice sounded low, steady, certain: "I hit Captian in the abdomen just now. One wounded man and a weak girl, they won't get far. Search ahead."
The footsteps gradually faded, swallowed by the darkness and the forest. I let out a breath, but my heart still hammered wildly. I knew it well, if they didn't find a body, they would definitely come back.
Just then, it started to rain.
At first, it was only a few light drops, but soon it turned into a torrential downpour, hammering against the ground and tree trunks. Captian instinctively pressed a hand to his abdomen. Fresh blood was immediately diluted by the rain, spreading across the earth in a pale red streak.
My heart lurched.
No… it can't keep bleeding!
I hastily grabbed a handful of wet mud, trembling as I pressed it firmly against the wound, trying to mask the blood and its scent. Thankfully, the heavy rain swallowed everything, leaving no trace behind.
"Boss, is that Captian a rat or something?" One man complained. "Did he burrow underground?"
Caleb fell silent for a moment, then concluded coldly: "Injured, heavy rain, deep mountains, no signal. Even Captian won't escape death."
No signal…
I bit down hard on my lip, the taste of blood flooding my mouth.
After a while, the footsteps truly disappeared. I held my breath for over ten more minutes. Only when I was sure there was nothing left but rain and wind did I allow my rigid body to relax.
The downpour soaked me through, the cold seeping into my bones. I knew I had to find shelter quickly otherwise, neither he nor I would survive.
Gritting my teeth, I bent down and hoisted Captian's nearly one-meter-ninety body onto my back. It was too heavy, so heavy my legs nearly buckled at once.
But I didn't allow myself to fall.
I moved step by step through the rain, my back straight like a stubborn hunting dog that refused to give in. The rain lashed my face, blurring my vision. I staggered, stepped into a water-filled pit, and dragged Captian down with me.
"Bang!"
We crashed hard into the puddle. Mud and water splashed everywhere, icy rain slamming into my face and leaving me dazed. I scrambled up, wiping the rain from my eyes, then, through the dense downpour, I heard a faint groan, so weak it was nearly swallowed by the rain.
My gaze snapped to his abdomen.
Dark red blood kept pouring out, mixing with the rain and spreading horribly across the ground. My heart felt like it was being crushed. I lunged forward, my hands shaking as I caught his heavy body, my voice breaking with fear:
"Captian… are you okay?"
There was no answer.
His face was deathly pale beneath the rain, eyes tightly shut, his breathing so faint I had to lean close to feel it.
He had completely lost consciousness.