I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

The crowd was about to swallow up the exhausted queue.

Ryan squeezed into the middle, glanced at Long Fei, and pointed his finger at the largest and most conspicuous wooden house in the center of the village.

"Go there!"

Raine called out to Lin Mo, "Our meeting place is spacious enough for the warriors to rest! It's just... a bit run-down, but please don't mind!"

Lin Mo quickly relayed the message to Long Fei.

Long Fei glanced around, taking in the villagers' simple, honest faces, and the mud-covered, weary faces of his team members behind him. He nodded.

"agree."

The crowd thronged the procession, moving towards the large wooden house.

Ryan's gaze suddenly fixed on Nail, who was being supported by someone; the blood-soaked bandage on his arm was glaringly obvious.

His expression changed, and he reached out and grabbed Arya from the crowd.

"Quickly!!" Renn's voice was urgent: "Tell your grandmother! Master Thran! A warrior has been struck by a goblin's poisoned arrow! He's seriously injured!"

Arya looked in the direction Rein pointed, and through the crowd, Nail's paper-white face came into view.

The girl's face turned pale, her expression filled with tension and worry.

She nodded vigorously, said nothing, and turned to run towards the other end of the village, her chestnut hair swirling behind her.

Before long, the group arrived at the main house.

The furnishings inside were just as Ryan had described—simple and unpretentious.

A huge long table, carved from a log, was placed in the center, surrounded by a dozen rough wooden stumps; it was clearly where the villagers held meetings.

But for these people who had just crawled back from the brink of hell, this place was practically paradise.

The soldiers threw their heavy backpacks to the ground, slumped against the wall and slid down, letting out a long sigh of relief.

My muscles, which had been tense all night, finally dared to relax. The feeling of exhaustion surged up as if it were draining me dry.

One by one, the villagers poured in, carrying all sorts of food.

Sweet red berries, roasted golden-brown tubers, and someone brought out a steaming earthenware pot of rice-like grains.

Before long, the long wooden table was piled high with food.

Arya's parents, Barton and May, also rushed over.

Upon hearing that someone was injured, the simple and honest couple looked extremely anxious.

These people saved my daughter, and I feel so grateful. I don't know how to repay their kindness.

Mei walked over to Li Na, pointed to the nail, then to the direction of her house, muttering in a local dialect that Lin Mo couldn't understand, but the concern and invitation in her eyes were unmistakable.

Barton didn't say anything, but brought in a bucket of water from outside and placed it next to Li Na.

Li Na smiled at them and patted her medical kit, indicating that she could handle it.

She began to untie the blood-soaked bandages from the nailed arm, preparing to change the dressing.

The bandages were removed one by one, revealing the wound underneath.

The arrow wound was still as gruesome as ever, but the surrounding skin color had returned to normal, and the signs of poison had completely disappeared.

New granulation tissue can even be seen around the wound, growing at a slow and persistent pace.

The magic potion was indeed very effective.

"Recovery is only a matter of time."

Li Na lowered her voice and said to Lin Mo next to her that she picked up a bottle of disinfectant spray and planned to clean the wound first.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out at the doorway.

Arya helped an elderly woman with white hair into the room and quickly walked in.

The old alchemist's gaze was like a knife, instantly fixing on the wounded man's nail.

She pushed aside the people, walked to the nail, squatted down, and carefully examined the wound on his arm.

She pressed her fingers against the muscles around the wound, then brought them close to her nose and smelled them.

A moment later, she stood up and gave a few instructions to Arya beside her.

Arya immediately turned and ran.

Old Seran took a small, dark brown crystal bottle from an old leather pouch at his waist and handed it to Lin Mo.

The liquid in the bottle was much darker in color, a rich amber hue.

Old Thran pointed to the bottle, then to Nail's pale lips, and uttered a few words in a hoarse voice.

Lin Mo's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately turned to Li Na and Long Fei, his voice low and rapid:

"She said this is an intermediate-level healing potion! It's much more potent than the basic kind we used to drink! It can quickly restore lost blood and energy!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the Snow Wolf team members around them changed.

Quickly restore lost blood...

This is like a second life! As long as the injury isn't fatal on the spot, a bottle of medicine can pull a person back from the brink of death, and even allow them to pick up a gun again!

Li Na's breath hitched for a second as she stared intently at the small, dark brown bottle, her eyes wide with shock.

Nail heard it too, and he struggled to sit up.

"No!"

He stared at the bottle of medicine, his eyes reddening, but his tone was resolute:

"This thing is too precious! I can't use it! Take it back! It must be taken back for Professor Sun and the others to study!"

A bottle of basic potion is already like a miracle, this intermediate one... its scientific value is simply immeasurable!

"Shut up!"

Li Na snatched the medicine away and unhesitatingly uncorked the bottle.

Her eyes were red as she glared at the nail: "Research? Do you expect me to let them research your corpse after you die?!"

"I..." Nail was so choked up that his face turned red, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

"Drink it!" Li Na shoved the bottle directly to his lips, her voice leaving no room for negotiation.

"That's an order!"

The nail tilted to the side, still trying to be stubborn.

"nail."

Long Fei, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

He walked up to the nail, squatted down, and looked his soldiers in the eye.

"We are a team."

Long Fei's voice was deep:

"Your life is more important than any research data. We need you to live, to come with us, and to bring those things back with our own hands."

"Drink it."

Long Fei's tone wasn't harsh, but it brooked no refusal.

Dingzi glanced at Long Fei, then at Li Na, who looked resolute, and at the circle of comrades surrounding him. His eyes held both concern and command.

Even this tough guy had tears in his eyes.

He stopped talking and took the medicine bottle.

"yes......"

He tilted his head back and gulped down the incredibly precious deep amber liquid in one go.

Just then, Arya ran back, breathless.

Arya ran in carrying a large leaf, on which lay a pile of crushed green herbs, giving off a fresh, herbal scent.

She handed the leaf to her grandmother.

Old Seran took it, gave Lin Mo and Long Fei a kind smile, and then squatted down.

She gestured for Li Na to move aside, then scooped out a large piece of green ointment with her fingertips, applying it evenly to the gruesome wound on the nail with practiced ease and gentleness.

A cool sensation spread from the wound, instantly easing the burning pain.

Li Na watched closely from the side. As soon as the ointment came into contact with the wound, the slightly bleeding capillaries contracted and stopped bleeding at a speed visible to the naked eye.