Chapter 38: Hypothermia

At this very moment, in the Sozali Republic.

The abandoned mine tunnel was pitch black, with only a bean-sized flame burning quietly.

Shi Yi raised her wrist to check her watch; Qin Hao Bei had been out for an hour and still hadn't returned. Just now, a burst of intense gunfire had erupted outside, dense and deafening, as if striking her heart directly. However, it only lasted for a while before there was no more sound.

An ominous premonition rose in Shi Yi's heart—could it be that Qin Hao Bei had already... met with disaster?!

Shi Yi took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart, then took the lighter from beside her feet, bent down, and walked out.

Outside the tunnel entrance was standing water covering her calves, and the surroundings were cold and damp. The smell of gunpowder, decay, and a faint metallic scent of blood permeated the air.

"Qin Hao Bei?"

Shi Yi walked forward, gathering her courage, while whispering in a low voice.

However, the only answer was her own echo.

"Qin Hao Bei, where are you?"

Shi Yi held the small silver lighter, waded through the water-filled tunnel, and continued forward. Just then, a beam of light suddenly flashed in the darkness, shooting straight from the opposite side. Shi Yi looked up, and her amber pupils widened instantly.

"Qin Hao Bei!"

Qin Hao Bei was seen walking over from the opposite side, holding a flashlight in one hand and a gleaming dagger in the other. His face was very pale, even his lips were tinged with a bluish-white, his jet-black hair tips were stuck to his temples, and his black-and-white eyes were somewhat unfocused and scattered at the moment. But seeing Shi Yi, a smile still lifted the corner of his mouth:

"Little Limpy, why did you come out? You should have waited for me properly in the tunnel."

Shi Yi met him in a few quick steps.

"Qin Hao Bei, how are you? Are you hurt?!"

"Heh, don't worry, I won't die that easily, just a little... uh... dizzy..." Qin Hao Bei said, lowering his head and raising his hand to press his temples.

However, the next second, his tall, upright body suddenly collapsed without warning.

"Qin Hao Bei!"

Shi Yi was startled and quickly ran over, barely catching his body. The moment she touched his temperature, she felt Qin Hao Bei's body was terrifyingly cold, like a block of ice.

Shi Yi's heart skipped a beat; his body had already begun to suffer from hypothermia!

In this situation, hypothermia was even more terrifying than a fever.

"Qin Hao Bei, wake up? Wake up!"

Shi Yi shouted Qin Hao Bei's name loudly, slapping his face, but Qin Hao Bei didn't move, his eyes tightly closed, his lips slightly parted, and he had already lost consciousness.

Shi Yi took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and carried Qin Hao Bei on her back, walking step by step, with great difficulty, toward the tunnel entrance.

It was cold and damp here, surrounded by cold air. Qin Hao Bei was already suffering from hypothermia, and his body wouldn't be able to handle this environment. Her primary task now was to get him back to the surface.

Fortunately, although Shi Yi was small, she hadn't done little physical labor in prison, so her strength was decent. Even a 1.8-meter-tall man like Qin Hao Bei, she could barely carry.

Splash, splash...

Shi Yi waded through the water, walking slowly but steadily toward the tunnel entrance. After passing through a long, winding tunnel and passing the three corpses lying on the ground, she finally arrived at the stairs leading to the surface again.

"Qin Hao Bei, hold on a little longer, we'll be at the surface soon. Once we're at the surface, I... I'll treat your wounds."

Shi Yi whispered. She knew Qin Hao Bei couldn't hear her, but these were also words she was saying to herself.

Thud, thud, thud—

Shi Yi walked up the long stairs step by step. The bright moonlight spilled down, and as she walked further up, the starry sky pressed down.

The night sky of the African savanna was always so brilliant and bright.

Shi Yi found a hidden and dry spot near the mine tunnel, laid Qin Hao Bei on the ground, and then found some dry wood from all around to build a campfire.

The warm, bright flames burned, and the sound of insects came from all around. Shi Yi finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Phew... Qin Hao Bei, we've finally reached the surface."

As she spoke, she quickly lifted Qin Hao Bei's body, sat behind him, and carefully removed his camouflage jacket.

Shi Yi's brow furrowed tightly; the wound on his shoulder was already festering, red and swollen, with the flesh turned outward, and in some places, the skin and the clothing above were stuck together. Shi Yi's fingers moved very lightly, but Qin Hao Bei's body still trembled unconsciously.

"Bear with it... I have to clean your wound first."

Shi Yi didn't have tools at the moment, so she had to open Qin Hao Bei's backpack, and sure enough, she found a simple medical kit inside, containing tweezers, gauze, alcohol, and other supplies. Shi Yi began to treat the wound cleanly and efficiently. Throughout the process, Qin Hao Bei didn't wake up, only letting out a muffled groan from time to time.

With a "clink,"

The bullet was removed from the wound. Shi Yi carefully bandaged the wound with gauze, but she didn't breathe a sigh of relief, because now there was one biggest problem—Qin Hao Bei had already begun to suffer from hypothermia due to excessive blood loss!

The top priority was to help him recover his body temperature quickly.

Shi Yi first removed all of Qin Hao Bei's soaked clothing, not even leaving his shoes or pants. Then she placed him by the fire and found a blanket in his backpack to wrap his entire body—this was a method she had learned from the training manual.

The warm flames crackled and burned.

Shi Yi sat beside Qin Hao Bei, resting his head on her lap, and then reached out to touch Qin Hao Bei's forehead.

Oh no, his body temperature was falling instead of rising!

Shi Yi knew this situation was very dangerous. If his body temperature didn't rise, the various organs in his body would suffer from oxygen deprivation, their functions would be damaged, and the final result would be the cessation of breathing and heartbeat.

"Qin Hao Bei, Qin Hao Bei, wake up!"

Shi Yi patted Qin Hao Bei's pale cheeks, but Qin Hao Bei still kept his eyes closed, without a sound.

Shi Yi was getting anxious. She rummaged through Qin Hao Bei's backpack and finally found a bar of chocolate. She quickly broke off a small piece and tried to feed it into Qin Hao Bei's mouth.

"Open your mouth!"

Qin Hao Bei's pale lips were tightly closed. Shi Yi pried them open with her fingers and put the chocolate in, but the unconscious person couldn't swallow at all, and the chocolate slipped to the ground with a "plop."

Shi Yi was truly anxious now!

"Qin Hao Bei, wake up! Didn't you say you wouldn't die so easily!"

"Dr. Chen told me to take good care of you; you can't just die like this! How am I supposed to answer to Dr. Chen!"

"Qin Hao Bei!"

Shi Yi looked down at Qin Hao Bei, who was devoid of consciousness and pale as frost, feeling anxious and burning. The knowledge she had seen in the training manual was playing wildly in her mind.

She had already tried all the methods...

Shi Yi's gaze sharpened, and then she steeled her heart, gritted her teeth, and said:

"It seems I can only try this last method!" ===== CHAPTER 39 =====