144: Chapter 144 Russian Girl, It's Time for a Shower!

One day later.

The two of them finally crossed the canyon and entered the primeval forest before the Death Swamp.

The air in the jungle was hot and humid, giving people an uncomfortable feeling.

Lanna lay on his back, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Although her fever had broken, she kept muttering some indistinct Russian.

Sweat soaked her golden hair, sticking in strands to her pale cheeks.

"Chef... water..."

"Hold on!"

"I... I can't walk anymore..."

"You weren't walking anyway."

"You bastard..."

Lanna cursed weakly and drifted back into unconsciousness.

The primeval forest was fraught with danger.

Qin Feng ignored her delirious muttering, focusing all his energy on sensing the surrounding environment.

Above them, the canopy that blocked out the sky provided them with the best cover, yet it couldn't block out certain omnipresent eyes.

Danger Perception had become an instinctive reaction for Qin Feng.

He sensed something unusual.

He immediately held Lanna, rolled on the ground, and instantly hid behind a dense cluster of bushes to conceal themselves.

"Hum— hum—"

A reconnaissance drone, like a ghost, swept through a gap in the forest. The camera under its nose, like a cold compound eye, greedily scanned everything below.

Qin Feng held his breath, even deliberately slowing his heartbeat.

He could feel that Lanna on his back seemed to have been startled by the sound, her body trembling slightly.

The drone circled twice, found nothing unusual, and then flew reluctantly toward the depths of the jungle.

Not until the buzzing sound completely disappeared did Qin Feng lift Lanna onto his back again.

Along the way, this situation had happened at least five times.

The Yang Country army was like a pack of mad dogs. Although they had lost their trail, they had dispatched a large number of drones to conduct a carpet search near the canyon.

"Damn it, they really are like persistent ghosts."

Qin Feng cursed under his breath and adjusted his posture to make Lanna more comfortable.

After walking for another half hour or so, a "splash" of water sounded from not far away.

Qin Feng's eyes lit up.

Water!

He quickened his pace, pushed aside the last vine, and the view suddenly opened up before him.

It was a natural pool hidden deep in the jungle, formed by a small waterfall cascading down from a rock face. It was crystal clear, and he could even see the smooth pebbles at the bottom.

The air was filled with fresh water vapor, diluting the suffocating heat quite a bit.

This place was practically a paradise on earth.

It was the perfect place for a rest.

Qin Feng placed Lanna on a rock, then walked to the side of the pool, scooped up a handful of water, and drank deeply.

Sweet and refreshing.

The water quality was unbelievably good.

The nerves that had been tense for the past few days finally relaxed a little.

"Hey, wake up." He patted Lanna's face.

Lanna slowly woke up, looking around in a daze.

When she saw the clear pool, her chapped lips moved, and her eyes were filled with longing.

Qin Feng filled his canteen and brought it to her lips.

Lanna drank greedily like a little deer that had been parched for a long time. After a few gulps, a hint of color finally returned to her pale face.

"Thank you..." Her voice was still hoarse.

Qin Feng didn't speak, just took off his combat uniform, revealing his lean, muscular upper body.

He walked to the edge of the pool, threw his combat uniform into the water, and scrubbed it vigorously.

Lanna watched his back, her eyes somewhat complex.

Just then, Qin Feng suddenly turned his head, sniffed the air, and then frowned, looking at her with an expression of disgust.

"I'm telling you, Russian Girl."

"Don't you think it's time for a bath?"

Lanna was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant, her face turning red in an instant.

She lowered her head and smelled herself; a complex odor mixed with the smell of blood, sweat, and medicine instantly assaulted her nose.

It was indeed... very unpleasant.

After fleeing for so many days, she had long forgotten what it felt like to be "clean."

"You... what are you talking about!" she said stubbornly, though her eyes dodged his gaze.

"I'm making things up?"

Qin Feng chuckled, walked over, squatted beside her, and deliberately fanned his nose in an exaggerated manner.

"Your body odor could knock out a wild boar from eight hundred miles away."

"If you don't wash up, I'm afraid the Yang Country drones won't be shot down by me, but by your stench."

"You!" Lanna was trembling with rage, grabbing a small stone nearby to throw at him.

"What? Want to hit me?"

Qin Feng grabbed her wrist, leaned close to her ear, and lowered his voice.

"I'm doing this for your own good. If you don't clean your wounds properly and they get infected, even God couldn't save you."

"By then, you'll have to have those long legs of yours amputated, and I don't want to carry a cripple across the swamp."

His voice wasn't loud, but it hit Lanna's heart like a hammer.

The instinct to survive ultimately overcame her pathetic sense of shame.

"You... turn around! Don't look!" she said in a low voice, biting her lip.

"Fine." Qin Feng agreed readily.

He walked to the other side of the waterfall, with his back to Lanna, and began to clean his own wounds.

Lanna hesitated for a long time before trembling, unbuttoning her tattered combat uniform.

The moment the cool pool water submerged her body, she almost groaned in comfort.

This was simply the most comfortable bath she had ever taken in her life.

She carefully cleaned the wounds and dirt on her body, moving very lightly for fear of aggravating her injuries.

The water rippled, and the sunlight was just right.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, only the sound of the waterfall echoing in their ears.

This rare peace and comfort gave Lanna an absurd illusion, as if they weren't on the run, but on vacation on some tropical island.

She secretly turned her head and glanced at the man's back.

Broad, solid, like a mountain.

Just then, Qin Feng's movements suddenly stopped.

Danger Perception!

A strong sense of crisis, like an electric current, instantly spread through his whole body!

At the same time, the bionic spider lurking in the nearby canopy also sent back an alarm!

Drones were approaching at high speed!

"Get in the water! Quick!"

Qin Feng didn't even have time to turn back; with a low roar, he dove into the water like a fish in an instant.

Before Lanna could react, she felt a huge force coming from behind, pressing her whole body into the water.

The cold pool water instantly submerged her head before she could react.

Lanna instinctively wanted to struggle, but was held down tightly by a powerful hand.

"Hum— hum— hum—"

Just a few seconds after they submerged, that familiar buzzing sound appeared again.

It was the drones!

And listening to the sound, there was more than one!

The light passed through the water surface, distorted into a shimmering play of light and shadow.

Lanna could vaguely see the shadows of at least three drones circling and searching above the pool.

Her heart instantly leaped into her throat.