Holding her tightly, Ryan was filled with a mix of anger and relief. Through the earring, he had been able to hear everything going on around Echo. He’d thought she was a goner or that she might have to submit to survive until he could get there.
But Echo had been so bold-so calm-at the most dangerous moment. Her quick thinking had bought him just enough time to get there.
Thank God he hadn’t been too late. She was still alive.
After crying for a bit, Echo finally stopped.
She looked at Ryan’s jawline as he ran, feeling a strange sense of embarrassment. She had no idea why she’d started bawling the second Ryan showed up. She wasn’t a child anymore. She hadn’t shed a tear during the most terrifying moments, but now, the tears just wouldn’t stop. She had no idea what was going on with her.
“Ryan, change your suit back,” Echo said, wiping away her tears. She suddenly remembered she was still wearing Ryan’s radiation suit, and her expression immediately tensed as she hurriedly spoke.
“Quiet,” Ryan snapped softly, his face dark and serious.
They were still in the native’s territory. The gunshots earlier had been loud, and he knew the sound must have carried far. If more natives showed up, no matter how strong he was, there was no way he could handle them all.
“It’s radioactive. I was already in that pool of water…”
“Already exposed,” Ryan cut her off before she could finish.
Hearing that, Echo gripped his arm even tighter. Of course-this place was rich in thorium ore, and as soon as skin was exposed, radiation was a threat. She realized now that it might already be too late.
Looking up at Ryan’s jawline, she felt the wind whipping past her ears. His strong arms held her firmly, and suddenly, all her fear and anxiety melted away. Holding onto Ryan’s arm, for the first time, Echo felt like maybe Ryan was a good person, at least to her.
“Let’s take a break. You’ve been running for so long,” Echo said softly, noticing the sweat dripping down Ryan’s forehead.
Over two hours of intense running, all while carrying her-it was no wonder he was exhausted.
Ryan glanced around, calculating how far they were from the native tribe.
Ahead, there was a tree with a trunk so wide it would take two people to wrap their arms around it, and at the base, there was a large hollow. It smelled faintly of animals, but right now, even that scent was more comforting than the presence of the natives.
Carrying Echo into the hollow, she quickly urged, “Change clothes now.”
She yanked off her radiation suit and handed it to Ryan, pointing to the clothes he had been wearing. “Give those to me.”
After all, there was a big difference between light and heavy radiation, but she had already bathed in the highly radioactive thorium water. At this point, it didn’t matter. Plus, she had resistance factors in her blood, so she wasn’t too worried.
Seeing how insistent Echo was, Ryan didn’t argue. He let her take off his jacket and put it on herself while he put on the radiation suit.
Echo quickly stripped off her torn clothes. She still didn’t understand why the natives had been so enraged when they saw her bloody clothing-there must have been something unusual about it. She sniffed it closely. The blood’s scent was overwhelming, even stronger than an animal’s.
Watching Echo turn her back to change, Ryan noticed how his jacket looked like a dress on her. As he stared at the growing number of wounds on her bare skin, his eyes filled with fury. He slowly reached out and touched her.
“Ouch,” Echo gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
She turned her head and saw Ryan’s cold expression. His hands moved to her legs and shoulders, pulling her closer into his arms.
When Ryan didn’t touch her, the adrenaline kept her from feeling much pain. But now, with Ryan’s gentle touch, all the tension was released, and suddenly, her whole body burned with pain.
She finally realized how much he had been holding back before-how gentle he had been compared to now. She winced and hissed in pain.
“Does it hurt?” Ryan asked in a cold, low voice, seeing her pale face.
Echo took a deep breath and forced a small smile, replying softly, “It hurts, but I can handle it. Boss, I won’t be your useless servant.”
Ryan noticed how, despite her pain, Echo smiled at him. Her eyes shone differently than usual-brighter, filled with trust and a sense of reliance.
His voice dropped even lower. “You’re not my servant now,” he said, his hand brushing over the wolf ring she wore.
Echo didn’t try to understand what Ryan meant by that, but she forced a small smile and said, “If we make it back, I’ll gladly be your loyal servant.”
Suddenly, she didn’t know why, but the idea of working for Ryan didn’t seem so bad. Having a boss who would risk his life for his people, who looked out for her-being his servant wasn’t the worst thing.
Ryan said firmly, “We will make it back.”
Echo saw the cold determination in his eyes, his ruthless and commanding presence, and couldn’t help but smile, despite the pain it caused her wounds. She winced as the pain shot through her body again, but she believed him. Others might doubt it, but if Ryan said he’d do something, he’d see it through. She trusted him.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, Ryan stood up and said in a low voice, “Let’s go.”
Echo knew the real threat in this place wasn’t just the natives but the radiation. She could handle it better, but Ryan wouldn’t be able to. Plus, they had no water or food, so staying here would be like waiting for death.
Without saying anything, she immediately stood up and followed him.
Avoiding Ryan’s outstretched hand, Echo confidently grabbed the gun he had given her, offering him a small smile.
“I can handle it,” she said as she led the way out of the tree hollow.
If Ryan had to carry her, it would slow them down and drain his energy. In a situation like this, every bit of strength counted, and she wasn’t about to be a burden.
Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly and said in a low voice, “Be careful.”
Then, he quickly took the lead and ran ahead. Echo understood, and Ryan had thought it through even more clearly-this wasn’t the time for hesitation.
They sprinted through the dense forest, Ryan in the lead and Echo close behind, only about an arm’s length apart. Under the thick canopy of towering trees that almost blocked out the sun, they raced further away from the native territory.
“Bill, Bill, can you hear me? Say something!” Echo gritted her teeth as she followed Ryan and fiddled with her earring, trying to adjust the frequency and get through to their communication device.
“Tiger, Cobra, damn it, if you’re not dead, answer me!” The static crackling through the earpiece made Echo furious.
How long were they supposed to keep running and hiding?
Without Ryan, would the others really be unable to do anything?
But the most likely reason was that there was no signal in this desolate place. This far out, even specialized communication equipment would struggle. The earring she wore could work across oceans and continents, but that required good signals and proper connections.
Now, one earring was on her, and the other was with Ryan, relying on a separate channel to connect them. Whether they could transmit any signal and whether Bill could even pick it up-that’s what worried Echo the most right now.
“Snake!”
Ryan pushed through the thick bushes ahead while Echo followed closely behind.
Suddenly, a bright red snake shot out from the brush, aiming straight for Ryan’s back. Echo saw it just in time and instinctively reached out to grab it.
“Poisonous!” Before her hand could touch the vibrant creature, Ryan quickly dashed forward.