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墨書 Inktalez
Regaining consciousness, I was jolted awake by a violent bump. The roar in my ears had diminished significantly, but I could still faintly hear the distant sounds of gunfire.
I slowly opened my eyes to find myself lying in the back seat of a military jeep. A dull pain throbbed in my leg, but it seemed to have been hastily bandaged. The interior of the vehicle was dimly lit, with only the dashboard emitting a faint glow.
Old Wang was sitting next to me. Seeing that I was awake, he hurriedly leaned closer. "Zhi Yi! You're awake! How do you feel?"
"…My leg hurts," I replied, my voice hoarse. "Did we… get out?"
"Yes, yes, we did," Old Wang nodded repeatedly, his tone laced with lingering fear. "Thanks to Lieutenant Li! He risked his life to drag you out of the line of fire! He even drove us out of the encirclement himself!"
Li Heng? He saved me? And drove us himself?
I struggled to sit up to see the driver's seat.
"Don't move! Don't move!" Old Wang quickly pressed me back down. "You have an injury on your leg. Lieutenant Li said you should lie still."
"What about him? His arm was injured too…" I asked anxiously.
"He’s fine, just a surface wound. The Medical Soldier treated him when we stopped earlier," Old Wang reassured me. "But you… you've lost quite a bit of blood; your complexion is really bad."
Only then did I notice a wave of dizziness wash over me, and I felt cold all over. It must be due to blood loss.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Back to the Temporary Base. Lieutenant Li said this place isn't safe; we need to evacuate quickly."
I fell silent, replaying the last scene I had seen before losing consciousness in my mind. Li Heng rushing towards me, the urgency and… fear in his eyes.
Why? He clearly disliked me and thought I was a nuisance; why would he risk his life to save me? Was it merely because of his duty? Or… was there another reason?
The vehicle hit another bump, jolting my leg painfully and causing me to gasp sharply.
From the driver's seat, Li Heng seemed to hear my sound and glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
"Awake?" His voice came through the dim light, still lacking warmth but seemingly… less cold than before.
"…Yeah," I responded softly.
"Does your wound still hurt?"
"…A little."
"Hang in there; we'll be at the base soon." After saying that, he fell silent again, focusing on driving.
The cabin returned to silence once more.
The only sounds were the roar of the engine and the wind howling past outside. I watched his focused profile as he drove, his features becoming more defined in the dim light. A white bandage was wrapped around his arm, with a hint of blood still visible. An indescribable feeling stirred within me. Was it gratitude? Guilt? Or something else entirely? I didn't know. All I knew was that this man had once again overturned my perception of him through his actions.
He might be cold, perhaps stubborn, but deep down, he remained that person—Li Heng—who took responsibility and protected others. Yet, his way of protecting was too harsh, too direct, and far too… hurtful. Just like that year when he severed all ties between us in the name of "safety."
The car sped along the road. Finally, a cluster of lights appeared ahead; we had arrived at the Temporary Base. The vehicle came to a halt, and immediately, medical personnel rushed over to carefully lift me onto a stretcher and transport me to the Medical Tent. Li Heng also got out of the car and followed closely behind.
His face was pale, lips pressed tightly together, looking even weaker than I felt. It was likely due to blood loss combined with the intense mental strain. Once inside the Medical Tent, the doctor began to treat my wounds right away—cleaning, disinfecting, stitching… Each step made me wince in pain.
Li Heng stood beside me, watching intently with a furrowed brow and not saying a word. His gaze was so focused that it made me somewhat uncomfortable, as if he felt my pain more than I did.
After finishing with my wounds, the doctor set up an IV drip for me. "It's nothing serious; just some blood loss. Rest for a few days, and you'll be fine," the doctor said before turning to Li Heng. "Lieutenant Li, your wounds also need to be treated."
Only then did Li Heng shift his gaze away from me and nod. He moved to an empty spot nearby to let the doctor tend to his arm.
The tent was quiet. The only sounds were the dripping of the IV and the subtle noises made by the doctor as he worked on Li Heng's injuries. There was a short distance between us, yet neither of us spoke.
"…I'm sorry," I finally broke the silence, my voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at me with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"What are you sorry for?"
"…For causing you trouble," I replied. "If it weren't for saving me, you wouldn't have…"
"I am the commander," he interrupted me calmly. "Protecting you is my duty."
Once again, it was about duty.
Once again, it was the same cold rhetoric.
The warmth that had just begun to rise in my heart was instantly extinguished.
Could this person not say anything else?
Even a simple word of concern would suffice.
I turned my head in a huff, refusing to look at him any longer.
He fell silent as well, allowing the doctor to tend to his wounds.
After a while, Zhang Meng walked in.
He paused for a moment upon seeing us both, then approached Li Heng and quietly reported something.
Li Heng listened intently, occasionally asking questions, his brow furrowed in concentration.
I observed him secretly.
I found that his serious demeanor while working was actually quite charming, completely different from his usual cold expression.
Once Zhang Meng finished his report, he prepared to leave.
As he reached the door, he hesitated for a moment before turning back to Li Heng and saying, "Captain, there's something... I'm not sure if I should mention it."
Li Heng looked up at him, "What is it?"
Zhang Meng glanced at me, seemingly hesitant.
Li Heng followed his gaze and quickly understood.
"Go ahead," he said calmly.
Zhang Meng seemed to gather his resolve and spoke up: "While clearing the battlefield just now, we found a photograph on one of the deceased militants..."
He paused, his voice somewhat dry.
"The person in the photo... is Reporter Xu."
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