Chapter 63: A+A (XI)

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Chapter 63: A+A (XI)

The next day, Rhine’s body burned with fever and his consciousness grew hazy. The Crimsonbone Fish toxin seemed to have taken effect. With his constitution, it was not life-threatening, but it would slow the recovery of his injuries.

Shang Ke climbed down from the tree, tore off the front of his shirt and washed it clean, then returned to wipe Rhine down. Judging by Rhine’s condition, continuing onward was probably impossible. Their best option was to remain where they were and wait for rescue. They were deep in Insectoid territory beyond the defensive line and could be discovered at any moment. For now, the Pinevale Tree was their best protection.

Shang Ke took out a signal mirror. Although it could not transmit directly to the base, after absorbing solar energy it could reflect a red light. Any passing unit would be sure to notice it. At night, however, the light would be far too conspicuous and could easily attract Insectoids, so Shang Ke had not used it.

Shang Ke fed Rhine half a tube of nutrient solution, then secured him to the branch with vines so he would not accidentally fall. Afterward, Shang Ke climbed down to scout the surrounding area and find something edible.

There were practically no edible wild plants in Insectoid territory, so his only options were aquatic creatures or ordinary insects. Hunting larger beasts was out of the question. He had neither the time nor the strength, and any animal capable of surviving here would undoubtedly be exceptionally vicious.

Shang Ke speared two fish from the river and dug up several scallops. After cleaning them roughly, he quickly returned to the Pinevale Tree.

Rhine’s eyes snapped open. Only when he saw Shang Ke returning did his grim expression relax slightly.

“I caught two fish. We’re having sashimi today.” Shang Ke raised the fish and scallops wrapped in leaves.

Rhine quietly gazed at his smiling face, his eyes focused and gentle.

Shang Ke sat on the branch, pulled out his dagger, and skillfully sliced the fish into thin pieces, arranging them neatly on a leaf. Then he picked up the scallops. The strong fishy smell made Rhine instinctively frown.

Seeing his reaction, Shang Ke asked, “Not used to the smell?”

Rhine nodded.

“That’s fine. Try it after it’s cooked.”

“Cook it?” Rhine had no idea how Shang Ke planned to do that. This was clearly not a place where they could safely build a fire.

“Watch me.” Shang Ke used several hard-to-burn ironwood branches to build a tiny grill over the fork of the tree. He placed the cleaned scallops on top, dripped a little nutrient solution over each one, then switched on a fire starter and began heating them from below.

Rhine stared in surprise. He had not expected Shang Ke to manage barbecue even under such primitive conditions.

“Here. Have some sashimi first.” Shang Ke picked up a slice of fish and held it to Rhine’s lips.

Rhine silently ate it. With his hair hanging over his forehead, the way he looked at Shang Ke resembled a large dog waiting for its owner to feed it.

Shang Ke remained perfectly calm on the surface while gloating inwardly. Look at you now! So much for being arrogant, domineering, and unstoppable. Once you’re injured, don’t you still have to rely on this lord to take care of you? Ha. Ha. Ha.

By the time they finished the sashimi, the scallops were ready as well. Shang Ke pried open a shell, releasing a rich aroma. There were no real seasonings, but the meat was fresh, naturally flavorful, and completely unpolluted.

Shang Ke used his knife to scoop out the steaming scallop meat, blew on it to cool it, then brought it to Rhine’s mouth.

Rhine did not seem to mind the heat and swallowed it in only a few bites. He had expected these days to be miserable, yet a certain someone somehow possessed the ability to live comfortably even under circumstances like these, bringing him endless enjoyment.

Setting aside status and rank, and no longer insisting on being domineering at every turn, simply spending time with Shang Ke like this was unexpectedly enjoyable.

Without realizing it, Rhine restrained his imposing aura simply so he could be closer to the man before him.

Another day passed without rescue. Shang Ke expanded the area he searched, leaving markers in various places while bringing Rhine all kinds of strange things to eat. Rhine also witnessed Shang Ke’s almost magical ability to turn unpromising ingredients into good food. Somehow, he managed to transform their harsh survival situation into something resembling the leisurely life of a comfortable country squire.

On the second night, a heavy rainstorm swept through the area. Afterward, Rhine’s condition worsened and he sank completely into unconsciousness. Worse still, the rain washed away much of the Pinevale Tree’s protective scent, and a passing group of Insectoids discovered them.

Shang Ke drew his dagger and charged into the swarm, beginning a bloody fight. The entire battle unfolded so quietly that it did not even wake the unconscious Rhine.

By the time Shang Ke killed the last Insectoid, an hour had passed. His upper body was bare, with only a few torn strips of cloth hanging around his waist and stirring in the wind. Wounds covered his body, blood slowly running along the lines of his muscles. His arms hung weakly at his sides, trembling uncontrollably as he leaned against the tree and gasped for breath. His vision blurred beneath what seemed like a veil of blood.

Looking at the Insectoid corpses covering the ground, Shang Ke knew they should not remain there. But he truly had no strength left. In this condition, he would not get far while carrying Rhine.

After weighing his options repeatedly, he decided to stay for the time being. Shang Ke rested briefly, then began clearing the corpses from the area.

Several hours later, another swarm followed the lingering scent of blood and rapidly converged on Shang Ke and Rhine’s location.

Standing beneath the tree before hundreds of Insectoids, Shang Ke raised his dagger once again…

Rhine awoke to the sharp reek of blood. Through gaps in the leaves, he saw the ground below carpeted with densely packed Insectoid corpses and thick, mottled pools of blood.

“Fil!” Rhine abruptly straightened and looked down.

Shang Ke sat beneath the tree with his head lowered and his back bowed. One arm rested across his knee, while the other still gripped his dagger, its blade embedded in an Insectoid.

Red blood and green mucus covered him so completely that his original skin tone was almost impossible to see. He sat utterly motionless, as though already dead.

“Fil!” Rhine’s heart seized. He braced both hands against the trunk, preparing to jump down, when the man below suddenly moved. With obvious effort, Shang Ke pulled the dagger free of the Insectoid and wiped the blade against his trousers.

At that moment, another swarm appeared in the distance, rolling toward them like a black wave.

Rhine pressed his lips together. “Fil, leave.”

Shang Ke rose unsteadily, his clouded gaze fixed ahead. He did not answer because blood was continuously spilling from his mouth.

“Fil, I order you to leave immediately!” Rhine shouted.

A faint curve appeared at the corner of Shang Ke’s mouth. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. My legs are already stiff.

He tightened his grip on the dagger. Apparently, it was time to test the limits of the human body again. He almost wished the Curse Halo would give him another Berserk effect. Even if it left him completely disabled afterward, that would still be better than being eaten by these Insectoids.

Rhine watched Shang Ke stand rigidly in place. Though his back looked weak and exhausted, at that moment it seemed impossibly steadfast.

Together in life and death. Never abandoning each other.

Those words suddenly flashed through Rhine’s mind like a vow, engraving themselves deep into his soul.

“Don’t come down. You’ll only become a burden.” Shang Ke raised his dagger and pointed toward Rhine.

For the first time in his life, Rhine had been called a burden. His expression turned terrible, and his fingers nearly dug into the tree trunk. But he knew perfectly well that one of his legs was effectively useless; going down would not help. The helpless humiliation filled him with grief and fury, making him want to tear everything apart.

The Insectoids drew closer and closer, a rolling black tide filling Rhine’s vision. Shang Ke stood alone before them, looking as though he would be swallowed in the next instant.

Rhine’s eyes widened, and powerful pheromones erupted from him. The overwhelming killing intent made the swarm abruptly stop, then scatter chaotically as though they had lost all sense of direction.

But the confusion did not last long. A wave of dizziness struck Rhine and his pheromones abruptly vanished. Through his fading vision, he saw only the surging black tide—and one fearless figure charging straight into it…

Rhine awoke in a brightly lit room with his injuries already treated. Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure beside his bed, smiling warmly at him.

“Fil.” Joy flashed through Rhine’s eyes. He stared at Shang Ke as though he could never look long enough. “Thank goodness. You’re all right.”

“Of course I’m all right.” Shang Ke smiled gently. “The rescue team arrived in time and brought us back to the capital. Just focus on recovering. I’ll wait for you.”

“Mm.” Rhine gripped his hand tightly, his chest overflowing with tenderness.

“Rhine, there’s something I want to tell you. You’re overbearing, unreasonable, and your entire worldview has serious problems. But I’m willing to be with you, in life or in death.” Shang Ke looked at him seriously. “What about you, Rhine? Are you willing to change for me? To respect me, trust me, and cherish me?”

“Yes. I am.” Rhine had never been so certain of anything. The man before him was the partner he wanted for life. No one could ever suit him better.

Hearing this, Shang Ke’s face blossomed into an incomparably radiant smile.

Rhine’s gaze softened. Shang Ke’s smile was always so full of life, like a lake glittering beneath the morning sun, bright and moving and capable of giving him endless strength.

Then Rhine suddenly realized something was wrong. Shang Ke had fought the Insectoids for so long that he should have been covered in injuries.

Why did he look completely unharmed?

Rhine’s breathing quickened. Agonizing pain surged through his body, his vision blurred, and distant voices and medical alarms began reaching his ears.

“Hurry! The Brigadier General’s condition is deteriorating! Prepare emergency treatment!”

The hospital room dissolved into chaos. Rhine managed only one hoarse cry of “Fil…” before darkness swallowed him completely…

Two months later.

“How is he?” Rhine stood before a glass wall, staring at the sleeping figure beyond it as he asked quietly.

“He’s still in a deep coma. He could wake at any moment—or his condition could worsen at any moment.” The doctor sighed. “He already had old injuries. The Crimsonbone Fish’s sonic attack triggered a relapse, and afterward he fought continuously against the Insectoids without treating himself in time. Combined with extreme fatigue and physical exhaustion, the fact that he survived at all is already a miracle.”

He didn’t treat himself in time? Rhine’s expression darkened. It wasn’t because Shang Ke had chosen not to.

He had used the last of their medicine on Rhine.

“Filmore truly is an extraordinarily brave and loyal soldier,” the doctor continued. “By the time our rescue team arrived, he had actually already lost consciousness, but his body was still fighting on instinct. He probably knew you were behind him and that if he fell, you would not survive either. Even without conscious awareness, he continued fighting. That kind of willpower is astonishing.”

Rhine clenched his fists, a silver gleam flashing through his eyes as a sharp ache suddenly filled his chest.

He had always considered himself Shang Ke’s protector and had taken for granted that he could force Shang Ke to remain at his side.

Yet in the end, he was the one who had been protected.

Shang Ke had never demanded anything from him, yet had silently sacrificed so much.

Rhine’s former self had been far too shallow. He had believed strength gave him the right to control every aspect of Shang Ke’s life, forgetting that Shang Ke was also an Alpha—brave, resolute, powerful, and fully capable of standing beside him as an equal.

Rhine remembered seeing Shang Ke two months earlier while hovering between life and death. What he had believed was real had ultimately been only a hallucination. Later, however, he learned that Shang Ke really had briefly regained consciousness around that time and did not sink completely into the deep coma until Rhine was safely out of danger.

This man had reserved the last of his consciousness and strength for Rhine.

He had said, “I’ll wait for you to recover.”

Rhine had recovered.

But what about Shang Ke?

Rhine walked to Shang Ke’s bedside and gently placed the medal representing the rank of Senior Colonel beside his pillow. Rhine had fought to secure this promotion for him.

And Shang Ke had earned it.

“Fil, I’m willing to be with you. I’ll respect you, trust you, and cherish you—in life or in death.”

What Rhine could never have imagined was that the honor he had fought to obtain for Shang Ke, together with the promise he had finally made, would become Shang Ke’s ticket to officially leave this world.

The instant the medal was set down, the medical equipment erupted in piercing alarms. Every one of Shang Ke’s vital readings became abnormal. Years of accumulated exhaustion and injuries suddenly erupted all at once, completely destroying his already damaged body.

“Fil!”

As Shang Ke left this world, the last thing he heard was Rhine’s heart-rending cry…

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