One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 288 Bringing up a Baby Zhang Guo

The two quickened their pace (though not by much), and after turning another bend, the view suddenly opened up before them!

A narrow cave entrance, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, partially obscured by vines and weeds, appeared before them. Outside the cave was a dense, undeveloped primeval jungle, lush with trees, the clear chirping of birds, and the slightly scorching afternoon sun, casting dappled light through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

They finally escaped from that dark, terrifying, and death-filled underground hellhole!

The warm sunlight shone on them, dispelling the chill and stench of blood from the ground. Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye, without prior arrangement, took a long, deep breath of the fresh air outside, filled with the fragrance of earth and grass, feeling as if they had been reborn.

"Phew—finally... out alive." Wang Ye plopped down on a rock by the cave entrance, collapsing there, too exhausted to move. He felt like every bone in his body was shattered, every cell screaming for rest. He waved his hand weakly, "I can't go on anymore, I'm completely drained. I need to rest, catch my breath... Old Nie, what's next? This is the middle of nowhere, and with the three of us in this state—one unconscious and one cub—we can't possibly walk back, can we?"

Nie Lingfeng gently placed Chen Duo on a relatively clean and soft patch of grass, then sat down against a large tree, breathing heavily to regulate his disordered breathing. He looked down at Xiao Yun, who was still in good spirits and curiously observing the unfamiliar world outside with her big eyes, then looked at the unconscious Chen Duo, and his brows furrowed again.

Indeed, their current condition is extremely poor. He and Wang are seriously injured and urgently need treatment and rest. Chen Duo is unconscious, and her condition is unknown. They also have Xiao Yun, a "little burden" of unknown origin who needs care. This is clearly a primitive jungle somewhere in Southeast Asia, unfamiliar with the area, and they may also face pursuit from remnants of the parliamentary party.

"Contact the back home first." Nie Lingfeng struggled to pull a small, cracked, black metal device—no bigger than a button and seemingly on the verge of falling apart—from a hidden waterproof pocket inside his tattered combat uniform. It was a company-issued emergency satellite communication device, possessing short-range, highly concealed satellite communication and positioning capabilities, and extremely strong anti-jamming and anti-sabotage capabilities. Thanks to its high quality, it hadn't been completely destroyed in the explosion.

He pressed a very discreet red button on the communicator. The device vibrated slightly and emitted a series of almost inaudible, rhythmic beeps. The tiny indicator light on top flickered a weak red light with difficulty—the signal had been sent, but the device was damaged and the battery was about to run out.

"Alright, the signal's been sent. The company received our emergency distress and location signal and will send someone to meet us immediately. There should be a secret contact point for the company in Southeast Asia." Nie Lingfeng carefully put away the communicator, leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and tried to recover some strength. The wait ahead might not be easy either.

Xiaoyun seemed to sense Nie Lingfeng's fatigue and tension. She stopped looking around curiously and instead nestled quietly in his arms, her little hands unconsciously clutching the corner of his tattered clothes. She also imitated him, closing her eyes, her long silver eyelashes trembling slightly. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a soft, golden glow on her delicate profile, making her look so adorable that it melted one's heart.

Wang Ye caught his breath, glanced at the scene of "deep father-daughter affection" (in his opinion), pursed his lips, and muttered, "Sigh, what's this all about... But speaking of which, Lao Nie, this little girl needs a name, right? We can't keep calling her 'Feed,' 'Little One,' or 'Little Guy,' can we? Look at her hair, it's so silvery and shiny, how about... 'Little White'? 'Silver'? Or 'Sparkling'? (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

Nie Lingfeng didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, and said irritably, "Can't you think of something more reliable?"

"Then what should we call it?" Wang retorted.

Nie Lingfeng opened his eyes, looked down at Xiaoyun sleeping peacefully in his arms. Sunlight danced on her silver hair, and the small, golden-red feather pendant around her neck reflected a warm glow. He remembered again the golden-red flame that purified everything, and her pure, newborn eyes in the laboratory ruins.

"Let's call her... Xiaoyun," Nie Lingfeng said slowly, his voice softening unconsciously. "She was reborn from that filth and darkness, like a cloud purified by flames. And..." He paused, his gaze falling on the still unconscious Chen Duo, "Chen Duo's name contains the character 'Duo,' which also means cloud. They... are destined for each other."

"Xiaoyun? Chen Duo, Xiaoyun... Duo and Yun, they sound like sisters." Wang Ye pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, Xiaoyun it is, it's more proper than 'Shanshan' which I was thinking of. But Lao Nie, I didn't realize you had such an artistic talent for naming things! I thought you'd come up with something like 'Nie Xiaohong' or 'Nie Xiaogang'! (￣▽￣)／"

Nie Lingfeng: "...(╬◣д◢) Shut up! Take a break!"

……

The next few hours were spent in anxiety and waiting. Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye took turns staying alert, treating the wound (using the few remaining first-aid medicines they carried with them), observing Chen Duo's condition (her breathing was steady, but she just wouldn't wake up, possibly due to overexertion and a slight tremor), and... dealing with Xiao Yun, who was full of curiosity and energy after waking up.

The little girl seemed to have completely forgotten (or rather, had no memory of) her time in the lab. Her mind was truly like that of a five or six-year-old child, filled with curiosity about everything in the jungle. A strangely shaped leaf, a brightly colored butterfly, even a small beetle crawling on the ground could make her widen her beautiful golden-red eyes, exclaim "Ah!" in surprise, and then try to reach out her little hand to grab it. If Nie Lingfeng hadn't been quick-witted, she would have almost put those strange things into her mouth several times.

"Xiaoyun! You can't eat that!" For the nth time, Nie Lingfeng, in a tone he himself found nagging, stopped the little girl who was trying to put a fluffy, colorful caterpillar into her mouth. Three black lines appeared on his forehead. Taking care of a child... was more tiring than fighting an S-rank expert! (；￣д￣)

"Papa...bug...it's so cute..." Xiaoyun pouted, looking at Nie Lingfeng with a wronged expression. Her little hand was pointing at the caterpillar that was wriggling away for its life. Her big eyes were glistening with tears, as if Nie Lingfeng had done something terribly wrong.

"...It looks good, but I can't eat it! It'll give me a stomachache!" Nie Lingfeng hardened his heart and tried his best to make his expression look serious, although the effect was minimal.

"Pfft—" Wang Ye, who was leaning against a tree pretending to doze off, couldn't help but burst out laughing. The aggravation of his wound made him wince in pain, but his smile remained unbroken: "Ouch... I'm dying of laughter... Old Nie, I never knew you had the potential to be a stay-at-home dad! That tone, that expression, amazing! You can apply for a kindergarten life skills teacher position after you stop being a temporary worker; I guarantee you'll be able to hold your own! (￣▽￣)~*"

"If you laugh again, believe me, I'll throw you here to feed the mosquitoes!" Nie Lingfeng glared fiercely at Wang Ye with a dark face, then resignedly tore a relatively clean strip of cloth from his tattered sleeve and clumsily wove it into a crooked grasshopper (probably?), handing it to Xiaoyun, "Play with this, and don't catch any more bugs!"

Xiaoyun glanced at the ugly, uniquely shaped grasshopper, then at Nie Lingfeng's stern face, which subtly revealed helplessness and a hint of ingratiation (?), blinked, and then reached out her little hand to take the grasshopper. A bright, untroubled smile appeared on her face, and she said in a clear voice, "Thank...thank you, Papa! Bug! Flying!" Holding up the grasshopper, she imitated the fluttering of a butterfly, giggling. Her silvery laughter echoed in the quiet forest, as if dispelling some of the heavy atmosphere.

Looking at Xiaoyun's innocent smile and listening to her joyful laughter, Nie Lingfeng's impatience and headache gradually dissipated. Even the corners of his mouth curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. It seemed... having this little one by his side was... no, a bit troublesome, but... not so bad? At least, that smile was quite healing.

Wang Ye observed all of this, pursed his lips, and muttered under his breath, "Hopeless, hopeless. Even the most stubborn straight man can melt... But, this doesn't seem so bad, does it? It's better than always having that deadpan expression. ╮(╯▽╰)╭"

……

As the sun was about to set, painting the sky a brilliant orange-red, the long-awaited rendezvous finally arrived.

There was no deafening roar, nor a flashy entrance. Several figures, clad in jungle camouflage, swift in movement and exuding a sharp aura, slid silently down from the dense canopy like ghosts, appearing around Nie Lingfeng and his companions, subtly forming a protective formation. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a cold face and hawk-like eyes. When he saw the pitiful state of Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye, the unconscious Chen Duo, and the silver-haired little girl in Nie Lingfeng's arms, blinking her big eyes and curiously watching them, a fleeting, almost imperceptible surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Temporary worker Nie Lingfeng, temporary worker Wang Ye, temporary assistant Chen Duo," the middle-aged man said in a steady, rapid voice, "I am the captain of the company headquarters' direct special operations team, codename 'Night Owl.' I'm here to provide backup. Can we go?"

"Yes." Nie Lingfeng, holding Xiaoyun, struggled to his feet. Wang Ye also grimaced as he got up.

"Okay, follow me. The helicopter is on standby five kilometers away. We can't stay here any longer." Night Owl said succinctly, and with a wave of his hand, two special operations team members immediately stepped forward, carefully lifted the still unconscious Chen Duo, and prepared a makeshift stretcher. The other team member tried to take Xiao Yun from Nie Lingfeng's arms.

However, as soon as Xiaoyun saw the strangers approaching, especially when she saw them carrying Chen Duo away, she immediately shrank into Nie Lingfeng's arms like a frightened little animal. Her little hands gripped his clothes tightly, her big, golden-red eyes filled with wariness and fear, and her little mouth trembled as if she was about to cry: "Papa! Scared! Jie Jie!"

Nie Lingfeng quickly patted her back, reassuring her in an awkward but gentle tone, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, they're here to help us and take your sister to see a doctor. We'll go with them."

A strange light flashed in Night Owl's eyes again. He glanced deeply at Xiao Yun, who was clinging to Nie Lingfeng with obvious dependence, and said nothing, only gesturing for the team member to step back. "Let's go."

The group quickly and silently disappeared into the dense jungle.

……