Chapter 15

Su Xi was considered the ideal student and a great comrade in the eyes of all the teachers. Her mind was sharp, yet she remained humble. Even though she consistently ranked first in her class, she approached her studies diligently and never slackened.

Therefore, when Su Xi requested leave from the professor, obtaining the leave permit was easy. 

It’s worth noting that this was a military academy where everything was managed according to military rules. Even on Sundays, leaving the campus required prior permission.

Hence, being a top student has its advantages in many aspects.

After receiving the leave permit, Su Xi swiftly headed to the dormitory.

Due to her medical studies, many students would keep a set of commonly used medical instruments and drugs. Su Xi also had this habit.

Just before leaving, she caught sight of a small bottle of peach liquor on the table. She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and picked it up, placing it in her military shoulder bag.

Without wasting any time, she sprinted towards the school gate.

Once Su Xi arrived at the gate and met Xie Zhen, she followed behind Xie Zhen, who had made a sharp left turn for more than ten minutes.

Then, in a chaotic and lively alley, they entered a somewhat dilapidated courtyard.

Watching the petite girl who followed his every step, not even panting, Xie Zhen’s eyes flashed with surprise and admiration.

He hadn’t expected that this seemingly delicate young woman could keep up with the speed of a special force soldier effortlessly. No wonder Xi Yannan instructed him to find her in such a critical situation.

“Is my brother here?” Su Xi looked around and whispered to the man next to her.

It wasn’t that she was bold enough to casually walk with strangers, but she had a filter for soldiers, and she had complete confidence in her combat skills. Over the past few years, she has become entirely familiar with her strengths and has never stopped training herself.

“Yeah,” Xie Zhen responded softly. He had already brought her to the door of the east wing and rhythmically knocked on the door, three short taps followed by three long ones.

The worn-out wooden door immediately swung open from the inside, and the person who opened it, Su Xi, recognized him—it was Cao Liang, whom she had met briefly a few years ago.

After Cao Liang opened the door, upon seeing the girl behind his captain, he brightened up. He immediately made space for the two to enter, muttering urgently, “Boss, you’re finally back. Yannan and Wang Kun have lost a lot of blood and are barely holding on.”

Upon hearing these words, Su Xi couldn’t stay composed any longer and quickly entered the room.

The interior was somewhat dim, but it didn’t hinder Su Xi’s vision. At a glance, she saw two men lying near the wall, one of whom was her brother, whom she hadn’t seen for over half a year.

Without bothering to greet the other people inside the room, Su Xi took a step and crouched down beside Xi Yannan. As she examined the wounds, she asked, “Brother, what are you doing here? Are you on a mission? Didn’t you just graduate?”

Xi Yannan’s injury wasn’t particularly severe; his arm was grazed by a bullet. The problem lay in the fact that the bullet had grazed the artery inside his arm, making it difficult to stop the bleeding without professional help.

Xi Yannan’s lips paled, as though he had lost a considerable amount of blood. With his intact hands, he weakly pointed to the unconscious man lying beside him and said, “Don’t ask these questions for now. Focus on Wang Kun first. My injuries are not severe; save him first. He has been shot in both his thighs and shoulders.”

Su Xi knew who she should prioritize, but her medical supplies were incomplete. Just as she was about to speak, Xie Zhen, as if understanding her needs, grabbed a backpack from the side and crouched down, opening it beside Su Xi.

Inside were various commonly used surgical instruments and medications. Su Xi pulled them out, and the basics—anesthesia, hemostasis, disinfection, and more—were all readily available.

A sense of surprise filled Su Xi’s heart. Unlike the future, where medical supplies were hard to come by, the group had brought so many medicines on their mission, clearly anticipating the dangers ahead.

Considering this, Su Xi pursed her rosy lips and refrained from asking questions. Being a military personnel, she knew what to inquire about and what not to do.

Su Xi took a deep breath and immediately ordered, “This place won’t do. Even with a rushed surgery, there are risks post-operation. Firstly, the lighting isn’t sufficient. Also, you guys need to find a way to heat water. Disinfect the surgical knife with alcohol. Most importantly, place this person in a clean area. Even if you extract the bullet lying on the ground, it’s easy to get infected.”

If she hadn’t brought out a small bottle of peach wine, she wouldn’t have dared to perform surgery in such an environment.

After speaking, she untied the temporary bandage on Xi Yannan’s arm to stop the bleeding and said, “Brother, let me stop the bleeding for you first. Don’t refuse. You’ll be fine in a few minutes. Once they have successfully stopped the bleeding and are ready to proceed with their work, we can then perform the surgery on him.”

Upon hearing this, Xi Yannan, who initially wanted to refuse, swallowed the words that reached his throat, his tone carrying hope: “Xixi, is Wang Kun okay?”

Su Xi rolled her eyes at her brother, who remained concerned about others, and said, “Who do you think you’re underestimating? Do you think your little sister who held the first place every year was for nothing? Don’t worry; I just examined the wound, and in a month, he’ll be jumping around.”

After repairing them, while bandaging the wound, she moistened the gauze with the peach wine she had brought.

Those unfamiliar with peach wine might think Su Xi was crazy, wondering how she could use fruit wine on a wound.

But Su Xi’s peach wine was special. She remembered that a few years ago when the peach wine was freshly brewed, it had an extraordinary taste. Su Xi had never had such good wine before; it was rich and mellow, with a pleasant fragrance, and the best part was that it wasn’t too strong. It was suitable for people of all ages. At that time, she didn’t think much and directly shared it with the elders in her family to taste.

After the elders had drunk it, one or two months passed, and the complexions of each of them improved at a visible speed. What was even more astonishing was that even the wrinkles and gray hair of her grandma and uncle had noticeably become fewer.

Su Xi didn’t expect that the peach wine she casually brewed would have such a significant effect. She had no choice but to deceive her family, secretly adding many precious herbs she found in the mountains.

Later, she also tasted the grape wine she brewed at the same time as the peach wine. How should she put it? The taste was mediocre, and it had no effect.

She only realized that her ability only showed effects on things related to peaches.

Once, she accidentally cut her hand while she was transferring the peach wine from the big jar into small bottles. Somehow, the wine spilled onto the wound. That night, her not-so-deep wound was miraculously healed, leaving no trace.

Originally, she thought it was due to her unique constitution, but then she experimented with a small mouse, just to be sure.

That’s when she confirmed!

The wine she brewed not only had an exceptional taste and whitening effect, but it could also treat wounds. Compared to ordinary hemostatic medicines, peach wine was simply miraculous.

So at this moment, she didn’t dare to use it too much.

Su Xi applied a little of the gauze, hoping that her brother’s wound would heal quickly without any inflammation.

As Su Xi’s words fell, Xie Zhen and Cao Liang immediately took action. Even the old man, who had been silent and wearing a troubled expression, stood up with a hopeful look, wanting to help.

Just then, a sudden burst of running footsteps could be heard approaching from a distance.

Inside the room, the expressions of several people instantly became serious. Even Xi Yannan, who had just finished bandaging the wound, struggled to stand up. His large hands firmly gripped the gun at his waist, a look of readiness for imminent struggle on his face.

Xie Zhen walked quietly to the window. He peeked through a small gap to see the people approaching over the wall. His frown relaxed for a moment, then immediately furrowed again. “It’s Chu Peng.”

Boss, they’re coming over. They’ll be here in a few minutes. What do we do? “Chu Peng, who was acting as a lookout, was a slender man around 170 centimeters tall. He agilely entered the room, delivering unwelcome news.

Before they could breathe a sigh of relief at the realization that the newcomers were on their side, the bad news startled everyone. All eyes turned to Xie Zhen, waiting for his instructions, as he was their captain.

Xie Zhen’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his dark eyes were now dim. Accordingly, they should evacuate immediately, considering their small numbers and the number of wounded among them.

However, the presence of the injured comrade made him hesitant to move recklessly; even the clever Xie Zhen was caught in a dilemma for a moment.

He had a mission to accomplish, and he couldn’t abandon his comrades.

“Maybe… you guys should just forget about me.” Professor Shi shook his hands, and pushed up the black-framed glasses on his nose, and his usually refined and scholarly face was filled with despair.

After half a month of escaping from the hands of the enemies, they kept on running here and there. These soldiers had accumulated injuries for his sake. He didn’t want to see young lives sacrificed for him, especially since they were all just kids.

“No, Professor Shi. You are a scientific researcher and a scarce talent in our country. International interests outweigh everything. You must not sacrifice yourself in such an inexplicable pursuit; you are a task assigned to us by our superiors. As long as we are here, we will ensure your safety!” Xie Zhen stood upright, resembling a sword ready to be unsheathed at any moment, his handsome face exuding a sharp and resolute determination.

He recalled that prior to the mission, his former leader had requested the discreet escort of Professor Shi to the scientific research department in S Province. They were instructed not to disclose their military affiliation, or else he would have sought support from nearby stationed teams, preventing the current predicament he finds himself in.

“But…” Professor Shi’s face moved as he was about to speak when he was interrupted.

“No ‘buts.’ Stop with the ‘buts.’ Xixi, give Wang Kun a sip of your wine, then you carry him in front, and we’ll follow to cover.” At this point, he couldn’t care less about exposing his sister’s ability to brew special wine. After years of brotherhood, he still trusted his comrades and their lives were at stake. Xi Yannan didn’t want to abandon his brothers. He picked up the peach wine brought by his little sister, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, and directed Su Xi.

“Sis, can you do it?”

“Sure!” Su Xi knew that her brother Nanan was asking if she could reveal the special effects of her peach wine. There was nothing to hide, considering she had accidentally exposed it four years ago. After all, nothing harmful could be found in the wine; she had tested it long ago.

Everyone: “……” 

What on earth was going on? Had they gone mad?