Chapter 1523
[ 565 words ]
Zeke looked incredibly anxious, his urgency magnified under the harsh glare of their flashlights.
“Alright, we’ll keep moving. Do you need someone to help support you?”
Claire glanced at Jace, but before she could ask him, Dane beat her to it.
He looked directly at River. “Go help Zeke keep his balance.”
River stepped up without a word, matching the guide’s pace.
“I’ve got you.”
“No need, I can manage on my own.”
Zeke was remarkably resilient; despite his heavy limp, he wasn’t slowing them down at all.
He had spent his life traversing these rugged mountains, so even injured, he was moving faster than Claire.
She and Elias were the true stragglers of the group.
Navigating the pitch-black forest after a sleepless night and a brutal fight was pushing their physical limits.
To their credit, neither complained. Their bodies were failing, but they pushed forward relentlessly.
Claire wasn’t being delicate; after trekking for hours, her legs genuinely felt like jelly. Elias wasn’t faring any better.
They marched straight through the night until the first light of dawn broke.
Catching sight of a small stream ahead, Elias practically gasped in relief. “Hold on, there’s a creek. Can we take five and wash up before pushing on?”
“I’m hitting a wall here. How are you holding up?” Elias asked Claire, looking terribly embarrassed by his own exhaustion.
He was panting heavily, his face drained of color.
Despite growing up studying medicine, he had never endured this kind of grueling physical hardship.
His stamina was slightly better than an average person’s, but compared to the elite tactical team, he was dead weight.
Elias’s daily routine wasn’t as disciplined as Claire’s, and he certainly didn’t work out as much as she did.
If it weren’t for the natural physiological differences in strength, he would have
completely fallen behind her by now.
Truthfully, he was already falling behind.
Claire actually looked a bit more energized than he did.
Still, Dane was intensely worried about whether she could keep up.
Even if Elias hadn’t spoken up, Dane would have demanded a break.
He shot a pointed look at Silas.
Miller’s team was handling the rear guard, while Silas’s men were escorting the VIPs at the front.
They were all sporting varying degrees of fresh injuries from the night’s chaos.
Hearing the request for a break, the soldiers enthusiastically agreed.
Miller’s squad caught up from behind, looking even more battered.
However, before committing to a rest stop, Miller turned to their guide.
“Zeke, you know this stream?”
Zeke looked dreadful, clearly suffering after walking for hours on a wounded back. “We can’t stay near this water for long.”
“Last time I led a group through here, we ran into several large predators coming down to drink.”
“If the animals use this as a watering hole, it means the water itself isn’t toxic,” Miller reasoned.
He voted to set up a temporary camp.
His men desperately needed the downtime to recover.
Once the break was authorized, Claire didn’t rush to the water to
wash her face. Instead
out her
médical supplies
treating the wounded soldiers.
Her medicine was nothing short of miraculous.
ет
The moment she applied the powder, the stinging pain vanished,
bleeding stopped instantly, and
scabs began forming at an e
unnatural rate.
Miller watched the process, visibly envious. “This stuff is incredible. Can we pre-
order a batch from you, Claire?”
Silas was equally stunned by the quality of her supplies.
He immediately voiced his interest as well.
Claire let out a soft sigh. “If you guys can figure out the logistics, we can partner up. Once this powder hits mass production, it could easily be classified as military-grade gear.
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