It was Gu Zheng!
How had Gu Zheng ended up down here as well?
Had he been pulled down by the rope tied around her waist?
Song Ning’s heart tightened. She quickly grabbed onto a protruding rock, stabilizing both of their bodies.
The log paused only briefly before being swept away by the current, successfully fulfilling its purpose.
At that moment, Gu Zheng reached out and grabbed a tree along the riverbank. Wrapping one arm around Song Ning’s waist, he dragged her out of the raging water.
By the time they crawled onto shore, both of them were utterly exhausted.
After catching her breath, Song Ning reached over and nudged the man beside her.
“Commander Gu! Gu Zheng! How are you?”
The current had been so fierce.
He had come rushing down so fast.
And when he slammed into the rocks, he had absorbed the weight of both of them.
Gu Zheng took a moment before opening his eyes.
Looking tired, he said,
“Not bad, Doctor Song. You actually jumped into a mudslide. You really do keep giving me ‘surprises’ over and over again.”
Song Ning replied,
“It happened too suddenly. I didn’t have a choice. But how did you end up down here too? I remember the rope snapped.”
Gu Zheng closed his eyes briefly again before curling his lips into a faint smile.
“I told you… no matter what happened, I’d hold onto you. I always keep my word.”
Something about his condition seemed off.
“No,” Song Ning said. “Let me examine your back. Are you injured?”
But Gu Zheng pushed himself up from the ground and pulled her to her feet.
“The rain’s too heavy. Let’s find somewhere to shelter first.”
The rain truly was relentless.
It pounded down so hard it was difficult to keep their eyes open.
Supporting each other, they walked for over a mile before finding an overhanging cliff face.
Beneath it was a cave.
The two of them quickly ducked inside.
During the walk, Song Ning had become increasingly convinced that something was wrong with Gu Zheng.
She didn’t ask any questions.
Instead, she immediately began gathering dry grass and firewood from inside the cave.
They needed a fire first.
Otherwise, they risked hypothermia.
Gu Zheng reclined against the cave wall, watching her bustle around.
Smiling, he called out,
“Comrade Doctor, allow me to make a report. I do happen to have a box of matches on me—but they’ve already been soaked through.”
Song Ning froze.
Right.
Not that she had any matches herself.
Even if she did, they would have been ruined by the water as well.
She looked at the medical pack still strapped to her body.
When she had treated Tie Dan earlier, she had only removed two large bottles of glucose solution. The bag itself had remained with her.
Because she had worried about rain, several commonly used medicines inside had been wrapped in two or three layers of plastic bags.
None of them had gotten wet.
After checking the contents, Song Ning’s expression relaxed.
She clapped her hands together and grinned.
“Very well, Commander. Since you seem a little lacking in spirit, please stay awake for a moment and watch this doctor perform a magic trick.”
As she spoke, she poured a small pile of dark reddish-purple powder from a paper medicine packet onto a rock.
Gu Zheng immediately recognized it.
Potassium permanganate.
A disinfectant frequently carried by soldiers.
Then Song Ning produced a small sealed plastic bottle with a long nozzle.
The object looked familiar to Gu Zheng, though he couldn’t immediately recall what it was for.
Using a pair of scissors, Song Ning snipped off the tip of the nozzle.
Then she looked at him and announced,
“Comrade, do not blink. The moment to witness a miracle has arrived!”
With that, she squeezed the liquid from the bottle onto the potassium permanganate powder.
Fsssh!
A burst of golden-purple sparks erupted instantly.
Moments later, the mixture ignited.
In the dim cave, brilliant colors danced and flickered.
Calmly, Song Ning picked up the dry grass she had prepared and lit it.
Then she used it to ignite the pile of firewood.
The flames grew steadily stronger.
Soon, the fire was burning successfully.
Gu Zheng was completely stunned.
He hadn’t blinked.
Dazed, he stared at Song Ning beside the fire.
The warm glow cast her profile onto the cave wall, soft and beautiful.
The flames flickered.
Gradually, the figure before him seemed to blur.
“How about it, Comrade… see… the fire’s lit… isn’t it… amazing…?”
Gu Zheng blinked hard.
The girl seemed to be smiling at him.
A warm smile.
Yet somehow…
Her voice sounded farther and farther away.
Then everything went black.
And he lost consciousness.
After lighting the fire, Song Ning had originally intended to show off a little.
Instead, she turned around and discovered Gu Zheng slumping to one side.
He had fainted.
Alarmed, she immediately dropped the firewood and moved him closer to the flames for a careful examination.
Only then did she discover an injury on the back of his head.
And it wasn’t minor.
The back of his clothing was stained with blood.
Earlier, with the rain pouring down, she hadn’t noticed anything even while supporting him.
Song Ning’s heart sank.
Head injuries—especially to the back of the head—could lead to consequences that were impossible to predict.
She quickly removed his outer jacket and positioned him as close to the fire as possible before carefully checking his pulse.
Aside from exhaustion and physical fatigue, nothing abnormal appeared in his pulse.
The wound had already begun clotting.
To be safe, she thoroughly disinfected and cleaned it before wrapping it with bandages.
Still uneasy, she inserted acupuncture needles into several points associated with mental clarity and circulation, hoping to prevent complications such as blood stasis.
Only after his breathing became completely steady did she undo his collar and examine his back.
As expected.
Large patches of bruising covered it.
Those had come from the collision with the rocks.
The falling rocks had severed the rope attached to her.
Gu Zheng had jumped down, grabbed the broken end, and tied it around his own waist.
But the current had been too fast.
He had been waiting for the right moment.
Just before reaching the cliff, he tightened the rope around her waist and accelerated, positioning himself directly in front of her.
Before she could smash into the rocks, he became her cushion.
The force of his own speed, combined with the current and the weight of two people, had subjected him to an impact several times greater than his body should have endured.
That was why Song Ning was so worried.
Back injuries could heal.
But a head injury…
What if he became stupid?
This was a regimental commander!
How was she supposed to compensate for that?
Gu Zheng remained unconscious.
Song Ning checked his pulse several times.
His temperature was normal.
His pulse was normal.
Thinking back, he probably hadn’t rested properly since the disaster relief operations began.
She decided to think positively.
Maybe a good sleep was all he needed.
In today’s situation…
If she hadn’t jumped, Tie Dan would certainly have died.
She had jumped to save Tie Dan.
Gu Zheng had jumped to save her.
The military and the people were one family.
Both jumps had been worth it.
No point dwelling on it.
So she piled more wood onto the fire and eventually drifted into sleep herself.
When she woke up again, the fire was nearly out.
Their jackets, which had been hung nearby, were completely dry.
Outside the cave, the rain still hadn’t stopped.
The sky remained gloomy, as though daylight would never fully arrive.
Song Ning added more wood to the fire before glancing at the still-sleeping Gu Zheng.
She checked his forehead.
Fortunately, he didn’t have a fever.
Then she lifted his sleeve to look at his watch.
Just as she expected.
It was already two o’clock in the afternoon.
However, before she could withdraw her hand, someone grabbed it.
Startled, Song Ning looked up.
Gu Zheng was awake.
And staring directly at her.
“Gu Zheng, you’re awake! Y-you still recognize me, right?”
She had actually intended to ask whether his head hurt.
But because she had spent so long worrying that he might have suffered brain damage, she accidentally blurted out the wrong question.
Expecting him to laugh at her, she was instead met with a serious expression.
Then he asked,
“M-Miss… who are you? How did I end up here?”