An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 297 Gratitude
Memories and the devastated scene before my eyes overlapped; the mountains had been washed away, rocks turned to dust, and the path I had come from was completely buried by mud and sand. Everything silently spoke of the devastating disaster that had struck this place not long ago.

Forced to confront reality, Meng Youyou's throat tightened, and the first thing she uttered was, "Where's the leopard?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yao paused abruptly while bandaging, her gaze shifting unnaturally to a spot behind her. After a few seconds, she whispered, "Over there, under the rock."

Meng Youyou's neck twitched slightly, and she subconsciously wanted to turn her head to look behind her, but Chu Yao pressed her down: "Promise me, don't look!" Her voice was unusually stern.

Meng Youyou's lips trembled uncontrollably: "What do you mean?"

Chu Yao avoided the direct and intense gaze from the person in front of her, lowered her eyes and focused on the movements in her hands. After a moment of silence, she spoke: "I've been in the battlefield for almost a year, and I've seen and heard more than you have, so no matter what... trust me, don't go and see it, it won't do you any good."

From then on, Meng Youyou didn't say anything more, letting Chu Yao continue to bandage her wound.

"Alright. I only found this one obvious bleeding wound on you. You're probably having a headache now, which is an early sign of a concussion. As for the other wounds, they're not too serious," Chu Yao said as she stuffed the first-aid kit back into her backpack.

She looked up at the sky, then stood up, looked around, and said to Meng Youyou, "The rain isn't going to stop anytime soon. It's not a good idea for us to stay here for a long time; we could be in danger at any moment."

Chu Yao stretched out her right hand and asked, "How are you feeling now? Can you walk?"

Meng Youyou supported herself on the ground, slowly sat up, looked up at her, and said in an unusually calm tone: "I can't move my right foot."

Chu Yao squatted down, and after a quick examination, she softly said, "Your ankle is broken."

Meng Youyou was not surprised by this conclusion. She knew her own body better than anyone.

She didn't offer any opinion on the matter, but silently took out a compass and half a pack of compressed biscuits from her pocket, then took off the water bottle that was wrapped around her neck and held it up to Chu Yao's chest.

Seeing this, Chu Yao's eyes instantly turned cold, and this time it was her turn to ask, "What do you mean?"

“I can’t leave,” Meng Youyou replied with a meaningless remark.

"so what?"

Meng Youyou smiled wryly, her expression tinged with a bitter sadness: "So many people risked their lives, sparing no expense, just to ensure my safe arrival at my destination."

“I’m not that selfish. This life no longer belongs to me alone. Of course I want to live, and I want to carry this life to the end.”

"So, take these supplies. You'll need food and water for the long journey in this weather. I'll find a good place to hide nearby and wait for rescue."

Chu Yao gave Meng Youyou a deep look, then glanced at the item Meng Youyou was offering, before simply pulling out a compass and stuffing it into her pocket. She then slung the backpack off her shoulder, turned it to the front, and did so swiftly and decisively. Finally, she squatted down beside Meng Youyou, her back to her.

Meng Youyou looked at Chu Yao's series of actions and couldn't agree: "What are you doing? In this weather and on this road, there's no way you can carry me. I'll only be a burden..."

"Shut up!" Chu Yao interrupted sharply, her voice filled with fierceness: "Stop talking nonsense and come up here!"

...

Although the rain had subsided slightly, both of their body temperatures were dropping rapidly.

Chu Yao carried Meng Youyou on her back, each step sinking into the slippery, wet mud and gravel, her steps uneven. They were trying to climb a slope in a canyon, which wasn't particularly steep, but the torrential rain and piles of rocks made it exceptionally rugged, offering no safe foothold.

After struggling to climb a relatively gentle "step," Chu Yao was almost exhausted. She carefully placed Meng Youyou in a shallow cave formed by a recess in the rock wall to rest. The shallow cave was just big enough for the two of them to curl up, with a few protruding rocks overhead to provide some shelter. It was like half an open palm of the earth, barely providing a small haven for them to stay in.

Chu Yao was about to unscrew the kettle to take a sip of water when her movements suddenly froze. Meng Youyou immediately noticed her unusual behavior. Chu Yao's eyes were fixed, her ear turned towards the top of the slope, and she was like a mother leopard that had sensed danger, instantly entering a state of absolute stillness.

Meng Youyou quickly held her breath; apart from the sound of the rain and her own heartbeat, she could hear nothing else. But a few seconds later, a very faint sound, almost swallowed by the rain, came from afar.

It doesn't sound like a wild beast's declaration of presence. The rhythm hints at a well-trained routine, more like a team desperately trying to hide, yet unable to completely erase their tracks due to the harsh environment.

Chu Yao immediately gestured to Meng Youyou with her eyes to shrink into the deepest shadow of the cave, while grabbing a handful of wet mud and smearing it on her and Meng Youyou's faces.

The footsteps overhead grew closer. Suddenly, a short, sharp "click" sound pierced the air, tightening the already taut nerves in Meng Youyou's mind.

Unlike the soft-soled rubber shoes commonly used by our army, the Y army's shoes are mostly equipped with anti-slip studs. This unusual sound immediately revealed the person's identity and foreshadowed the impending crisis.

But at this point... where is Chu Yao? What is she doing?
Meng Youyou saw Chu Yao unload her backpack, even taking out the compass from her pocket and placing it on the ground. She then bent down and picked up a few stones from the mud, clutching them in her hand. Meanwhile, her other hand swiftly reached for her waist, deftly disengaging the safety of her pistol, doing both things simultaneously.

The moment Chu Yao looked up and their eyes met, Meng Youyou saw a fleeting resolute glint in Chu Yao's eyes. And this wasn't the first time she'd seen that kind of resolute, all-or-nothing look in her eyes that evening.

Almost instantly, Meng Youyou understood what the other party was planning to do.
The words of protest stuck in his throat, yet to be uttered. The next second, a slender figure suddenly darted out of the shallow cave and rushed straight towards the dense, jumbled rocks to the side and above, in the opposite direction from the cave!
Almost as soon as she disappeared into the jungle, she threw several pebbles with all her might at the distant cliff face.

"Thud! Crash—!"

The crisp sound of impact and falling pebbles echoed like thunder in the silent rainforest.

...

Meng Youyou's mind was almost in a vacuum; she pricked up her ears and listened carefully to every rustle of wind outside.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed...

No gunshots?!
I haven't heard any gunshots.

After an unknown amount of time, the footsteps returned.

It will come eventually.

The cold hilt of the dagger gripped her palm. Meng Youyou clenched her knuckles, the sharp blade pressed against her neck, the skin slightly dented, a few beads of blood seeping out. She could even feel the pulsation of the artery beneath the blade.

Suddenly, two dark figures leaped down from the top of the cave one after the other.

In an instant, the blade pressed against his neck seemed to grow consciousness, abruptly changing direction and transforming into a streak of cold light, stabbing straight at the dark figure in the lead.

The man, dressed in a Y Army uniform and with a face covered in smears, reacted with lightning speed. Her wrist was instantly gripped, all her strength vanished in an instant, and Meng Youyou still tried to struggle.

"It's me!" A deep, hoarse voice, yet so familiar it was etched into the deepest recesses of her brain, suddenly assaulted her eardrums.

The next second, the dagger clattered to the ground on the rock.

Chu Yao brought Huo Qingshan back!
Meng Youyou looked up in surprise, her gaze passing over the man's shoulder, staring incredulously at the short-haired girl standing perfectly fine outside the cave entrance, panting heavily as she said to her, "The rescue has arrived."

At this moment, Meng Youyou was extremely grateful that Heaven had preserved the last vestige of precious compassion.