"Tap tap... tap tap..."
"Bang bang..."
In the primordial forests near the border of SSUP Country, gunfire roared, startling the nocturnal birds. Several silhouettes dashed through the dappled shadows of the dense foliage, their guns mercilessly spitting fatal bullets. People fell intermittently, but those who remained did not pause for a moment, continuing their desperate sprints.
These people were like a pack of wild beasts, unaffected by the life and death of their companions. Those in front aimed only to shake off their pursuers, while the pursuers only sought to reap the lives of those fleeing in front.
"Another one down! What do we do, what do we do?" Now, only four people remained in front, but only three were running. One of them was carrying a woman on his back. Seeing another companion fall, the woman burst out in distress.
The three runners, dressed in camouflage, moved with agile swiftness. Zig-zagging along an irregular path, they dodged bullets using trees for cover while continuously firing back.
The woman was in a light green dress, torn and tattered, with a speckled blood stain on her right calf. Barefoot, she looked utterly wary.
"Miss Campbell, we will definitely escort you back..." The burly man beside her had just spoken these words when several bullets pierced his body, creating multiple holes. His body lunged forward a few steps and knocked down a small tree, falling silent.
This time the woman did not scream. Initially, six people had been escorting her, but now only two remained. Although their pursuers suffered more casualties, they outnumbered them significantly—with over ten still chasing from behind. Judging by the current situation, they would likely die here before ever reaching the border.
"Give me a dagger," the woman whispered to the person carrying her.
"The opponents are strong," replied the man carrying her without stopping, his response short. His body suddenly swerved to the side; the spot where he had been moments before now sported several bullet holes in a tree.
"I intend to use it to kill myself," the woman answered coldly.
"I will get you out of here," the man replied confidently, shooting back and taking down another pursuer.
"There are only three of us left... now just the two of us. Are you still sure you can get me out? Give me the dagger!" The woman spoke just as another companion fell.
"I can!" The man said, already sprinting another thirty meters while carrying her, his speed not faltering in the least.
"You... I can die, but I absolutely refuse to die dishonored."
"If I truly can't get you out, I will kill you."
The man's words lacked any emotion, yet they slightly steadied the woman's heart. She was Lucy Campbell, not only stunningly beautiful but also from a powerful background, hailed as the most beautiful woman in SSUP Country. Even in death, she couldn't die in a way that brought dishonor.
Bullets kept whizzing past Lucy Campbell's ears, yet they never hit her body, which she found almost incredible. Now, as the only two targets, the gunfire was concentrated solely on them. The man accompanying her switched from crouching to sprinting to zigzagging; ten minutes had flown by, and she was still alive—it was nothing short of a miracle.
This ignited hope in her once again—perhaps this man really could take her back.
However, her hope was quickly shattered by the raging river in front of them. The river was about five or six meters wide. Although the current wasn't fast, crossing it would inevitably slow them down, turning them into live targets.
"Splash!" Before she knew it, Lucy felt a chilly embrace from the river. In her mind, she cursed the man for his stupidity—they should have run along the riverbank, not jumped into the river.
What happened next infuriated her even more. With a rip, her dress was torn off by the man. Although they were underwater and not fully exposed, it was far from acceptable to her.
"Hold your breath and dive," the man ordered, having already pulled her underwater, where she could no longer speak.
The man, holding Lucy tightly, swiftly swam upstream. After about thirty meters, he stopped but did not surface.
Underwater for nearly a minute now, Lucy was in a dire state of air deprivation, causing her to cling desperately to the man—an innate reaction of a drowning person. Even a Maiden of Heaven like herself could not avoid it.
Suddenly, air rushed into her mouth. She inhaled deeply, slowly regaining consciousness, only to realize her mouth was sealed by another's—air passing directly from his lips.
Tilting her head back, Lucy broke free from his lips, struggling to push him away, but he held her tightly, immobilizing her.
Lucy was furious, not expecting that her protector would be the first to dishonor her.
"Ratatatat..." A burst of gunfire reached her ears, making her freeze in place, and she realized she hadn't been dishonored; the man was merely preventing her from drowning.
The bullets continued to fly, and Lucy could feel them passing close. However, being underwater was far safer than being on land.
As the oxygen was nearly depleted, a crushing tightness in Lucy's chest returned. Another mouth approached, and, resisting for a moment, she finally submitted to her craving for air, pressing her lips greedily to his.
The sound of gunfire gradually faded. Lucy wanted to surface, but the man still held her tightly, making her suspicious that he might be seizing the opportunity for a few more kisses.
"Ratatatat..." Gunfire erupted again, followed by voices. Lucy was shocked and relieved she hadn't surfaced—it would have made them easy targets. They had clearly been waiting on the shore for them, and now they were sure the two were no longer there.
Finally reaching the opposite bank, Lucy felt utterly embarrassed. Now, in only her underwear and held by a man, she felt overwhelmingly shamed.
"Here!" The man put her down and removed his camouflage jacket, left with only a black tight-fitting vest over his muscular upper body.
Hurriedly, Lucy slipped into the jacket. Being rather tall at 1.7 meters, the jacket hung loose on her, unfortunately marred by a long, distressing wound on her left leg, detracting from her appearance.