"Haha! Just as I thought, a tough guy from the military!" Yao Chen appreciated Li Hongxi's grit, handing him a bottle of medicine from his pocket. "Here, for your wounds."

"Thank you. May I know your surname?"

"My surname is Yao. We are from the first squadron of the Flame Brigade. We just rescued some civilians from the Jiangnan Base nearby and were hoping to hitch a ride with you. By the way, a few of them are from your team."

For the general public, the Flame Brigade might sound unfamiliar, but for Li Hongxi, who had served in the military, it was all too familiar. It's the codename for Marshal Shao's special forces. He immediately showed respect and was, of course, willing to take in the survivors.

"No problem. How many people are there? Our convoy can accommodate around a hundred."

"Less than fifty." Yao Chen heard the sound of the vehicles and turned to see Shao Qi driving towards them. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Zhou You and Lao Qiaotou eagerly jumped out.

Upon seeing them, Li Hongxi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha, I can't believe you two are still alive! That's wonderful! Yunxi has been so worried, she cried for days."

Before Zhou You could reply, Li Hongxi said to Shao Qi, "So Mr. Shao went on a rescue mission yesterday. Why didn’t you take everyone? Your recovery isn’t complete yet."

"It was a coincidence. I didn't expect to encounter them." Shao Qi looked around at the aftermath of the battle, noting the numerous wolf carcasses. This was a tough battle for the Dawn Exploration Team. Luckily, they arrived just in time. He asked with a cold tone, "Why were you attacked by a wolf pack? I had previously checked this route; it shouldn’t have had any major beast incursions."

"I'm equally puzzled. We hadn’t noticed them before. Perhaps it was just a chance encounter."

"Wolves don’t attack without reason. They are strategic when hunting. Unless there's something very tempting in your group." Shao Qi said, but didn’t press further. What mattered was everyone was safe now.

Seeing Zhou You, Li Yunxi ran to embrace him, alternating between laughter and tears, "Zhou You, I thought you were gone for sure. I can't believe you survived! Promise me you won’t take risks like that again. You scared me to death!"

Feeling the teasing glances from the group, Zhou You gently pushed her away and chuckled, "It was an emergency. There wasn't much time to think."

Everyone was surprised to see the two of them return safely, assuming they had been rescued along with the others.

The team members voluntarily started cleaning up the battlefield. The slain wolf bodies could fetch a good price at the base.

After taking stock, Wu Yong asked Li Hongxi, "Boss, some of the wolves were killed by the soldiers. Should we share the spoils with them?"

"Of course, distribute their share accordingly."

"There’s no need," Yao Chen declined, "We can't transport these in our warcraft. Consider it a payment for the ride. Please help transport the survivors to Jiangnan Base. I’ll arrange their reception with the administration there."

"Lieutenant Yao, rest assured. I, Li, will ensure their safe return."

With the crisis averted, Li Hongxi instructed the 10th vehicle to lead the convoy back. Thankfully, they weren’t far and returned within ten minutes.

Everyone was overjoyed to see Zhou You and Lao Qiaotou safe and sound. It's a rare stroke of luck in these times to be reunited with teammates thought lost.

Zhan Cheng danced around the two in excitement, "I saved your belongings! I knew you'd come back!" He could have distributed their possessions, as was the custom for those believed dead, but didn’t. Everyone knew Zhou You was highly regarded by the captain and no one contested the decision.

"Thank you, Brother Cheng." Zhou You’s luggage was filled with spoils from hunting mutated beasts, which could earn him a good amount of credits, his very first significant earnings.

After settling the survivors, Yao Chen and his men departed. Curious, Zhou You asked Shao Qi, "Mr. Shao, why didn’t you leave with Commander Yao?"

Shao Qi returned to the medical vehicle and resumed his role as a patient, "I don't know them. Why should I leave with them?"

Zhou You wasn’t convinced but lacked evidence to tie him to Marshal Shao.

Doctor Zhao, seeing their safe return, was overcome with emotion. He instructed Zhou You to bring his belongings and stay on the medical vehicle. After all, he was now recognized as the doctor’s assistant.

Aboard Train 3256, everyone gathered around Old Bridge to hear about his last three days. Old Bridge, with his natural gift for storytelling, made the three-day journey sound as epic as the pilgrimage of Monk Tang to the West, full of 81 trials and tribulations. Especially when he described entering that eerie cave; the tale was more thrilling than any film.

The audience gasped and exclaimed as they were carried away by the highs and lows of his story, utterly captivated.

"So, in the end, it was Marshal Shao's personal soldiers who rescued you?" Zhan Cheng asked excitedly.

Old Bridge was unconscious at that time. He had no idea who had saved them, but the most exciting part of the story was the Fire Brigade descending from the heavens to rescue a group of innocent humans targeted by a demon.

"Of course," Old Bridge said, pulling out a treasured nutrient vial for all to see. "Behold! This is a special nutritional supplement from the military. One small vial can replace two days' worth of food. It was given to us by the beautiful commanding officer."

Everyone eagerly reached out to touch it. Unfortunately, the vial got squeezed out of Old Bridge's hand, fell off the train, and vanished into the distance. None of them, being no warriors, dared to jump off the moving train to retrieve it.

Old Bridge, nearly in tears, pushed through the crowd. "Scram! You bunch of idiots! I had intended to keep that for a lifetime!"