The Strongest Soldier In The City

“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 of us who remained did not pause for a moment, continuing our desperate sprints. We moved like wild beasts, unaffected by the life and death of the men dropping behind us. Those in front aimed only to shake off the pursuers, while the pursuers aimed only to reap our lives. “Another one down. What do we do, what do we do?” Now only four people remained in front, but only three of us were running. I was carrying a woman on my back. When another companion fell, the woman burst out in distress. The three of us, dressed in camouflage, moved with agile swiftness. Zigzagging along the irregular path, we dodged bullets using trees for cover while continuously firing back. The woman on my back, Rachel Campbell, 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 us 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 before falling silent. This time Rachel did not scream. Initially, six people had been escorting her, but now only two of us remained. Although our pursuers suffered more casualties, they still outnumbered us significantly, with more than ten men chasing from behind. Judging by the current situation, we would likely die here before ever reaching the border. “Give me a dagger,” Rachel whispered against my shoulder. “The opponents are strong,” I replied without stopping, keeping my words short. My body suddenly swerved to the side. The spot where I had been moments before now sported several bullet holes in a tree. “I intend to use it to kill myself,” Rachel answered coldly. “I will get you out of here,” I said, 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!” she demanded as the last companion fell. “I can.” I sprinted another thirty meters while carrying her, my 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.” My words lacked emotion, but they steadied her breathing. She was Rachel 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 afford to die in a way that brought dishonor. Bullets kept whizzing past her ears, yet none hit her body, which she clearly found unbelievable. Now, as the only two targets, all gunfire was focused on us. I switched from crouching to sprinting to zigzagging. Ten minutes had flown by, and she was still alive. For someone like her, it must have felt like a miracle. This ignited her hope again, and I felt her grip tighten slightly. Perhaps she truly believed I could take her back. But that hope faltered when the raging river appeared in front of us. It was about five or six meters wide. Although the current wasn’t fast, crossing it would inevitably slow us down, turning us into live targets. “Splash!” Before she realized it, cold water engulfed us both. In her mind she probably cursed me for my decision, thinking we should have run along the riverbank instead of diving in. What happened next likely infuriated her even more. With a rip, her dress tore away in my hand. We were underwater, not fully exposed, but to someone like her it still felt unacceptable. “Hold your breath and dive,” I ordered, already pulling her under where she could no longer speak. Holding Rachel tightly, I swam swiftly upstream. After about thirty meters, I stopped but did not surface. Underwater for nearly a minute now, she was in a dire state of air deprivation, clinging desperately to me, the instinctive reaction of a drowning person. Even someone of her status could not avoid that primal fear. She trembled violently, and I knew she was seconds away from passing out. I pressed my mouth to hers and forced air into her lungs. She inhaled sharply, recovering some clarity, and immediately pushed against me, only to find herself held in place. She didn’t understand yet, but she would. “Ratatatat…” A burst of gunfire reached her ears, freezing her body. She finally realized I hadn’t dishonored her. I was keeping her alive. Bullets sliced into the water close enough for us to feel their force. Being underwater was far safer than being on land. As the oxygen thinned again, her chest tightened, her body twisting in panic. I gave her air once more. She resisted for a heartbeat before surrendering, pressing her lips to mine out of desperate instinct. The gunfire slowly subsided. Rachel shifted slightly, wanting to surface, but I still held her tightly. She tensed, probably thinking I was taking advantage of her. “Ratatatat…” Gunfire erupted again, followed by voices. We both froze. Had we surfaced, we would have died instantly. They were waiting on the shore for us, and now they were convinced we had been washed away or killed. When their voices finally faded, I moved, swimming toward the far bank. Reaching it, I lifted her out of the water. She was trembling, embarrassed, and now wearing only her underwear. Being carried like this humiliated her deeply. “Here.” I set her down and removed my camouflage jacket, leaving myself with only my black tight-fitting vest over my upper body. She hurriedly slipped into the jacket. At 1.7 meters tall, she was slender but the jacket still hung loosely on her, the fabric damp against her skin. A long, distressing wound on her left leg marred her otherwise striking figure. Her breathing trembled, but she was alive. And I had gotten her this far.