Playboy: Medical and Martial Master-Chapter 307 - 306: Entering the Swamp

"Damn you, Sun Zhe, you son of a bitch!"

"You really don't know how to pull your punches!"

"Ouch... I'm fucking dying..."

In the forest of towering ancient trees, Ye Fei, his face covered in blood, sat under a tree, moaning in pain while cursing relentlessly.

Although Sun Zhe had spared him earlier, he hadn't escaped a vicious beating. Sun Zhe's attack had been brutal. First, a heavy slap had knocked out two of his front teeth, followed by a punch that shattered his nose. No one else had received such a savage beating; only he got this special treatment. He couldn't help but suspect that Sun Zhe had mixed in some personal resentment.

On the other side of the clearing, Yang Xue sat on the ground with her head lowered, a clear shoeprint still visible on her face. Thinking of her comrades who had been beaten to death, she was grief-stricken, as if she had lost her own parents. Originally a group of fifteen, now only seven remained.

A mercenary with a broken leg suddenly slammed his fist on the ground, gritting his teeth as he cursed, "That mad dog woman! If I'd known, I would have slaughtered her! She killed so many of our brothers!"

Hearing this, Yang Xue glared at him, her voice cold. "Why didn't she kill you, then? You were the one forcing yourself on her the most brutally, acting like you hadn't touched a woman in eight lifetimes! If it weren't for you all tormenting her day after day, would she have gone insane and killed so many of our brothers?"

"Sister Yang, I..."

"That's enough! Shut up and treat your wounds. We need to get moving soon!"

CRACK...

Just then, the sound of a snapping branch echoed from the dense forest ahead.

Everyone tensed up, scrambling to drag their injured bodies together. Like birds startled by a hunter's bow, they were all so nervous their legs felt weak. They were all maimed, and Sun Zhe had confiscated all their "Truths." A large predator could have easily made a buffet of them now.

Thankfully, it wasn't a beast that appeared, but two people.

Ye Fei squinted, nearly bursting into tears. He scrambled to his feet and rushed forward, his arms open for an embrace.

"President Han! You're finally here!"

Han Xinyue kicked him away with a look of utter disgust. "Why is it you?"

"..."

A short while later, after Yang Xue had reported the situation to Han Xinyue, Ye Fei sidled up to her. "President Han, I doubt that little bastard Sun Zhe has gotten far. Should we go after him?"

As he spoke, he secretly appraised Han Xinyue's figure. It had only been a few days, but he found that her body had become even more stunning. Thinking of the promise Han Xinyue had made him, he wished he could teleport instantly to Yang City, find a high-end couples' hotel, and have a night of wild passion with this exquisite beauty.

Heh heh... When the time comes, I'll definitely have President Han wear stockings. I'll hoist her silky legs onto my shoulders and fuck her hard, pumping like I'm pedaling a bike uphill!

Damn, how is this woman getting more and more alluring?

She even seems a lot younger.

"..."

Han Xinyue, of course, had no idea what was running through Ye Fei's mind. She gave him a cool glance and said, "Since we have the prescription, there's no reason to stay here."

Hearing this, Ye Fei nodded emphatically. "My thoughts exactly. When we get back, we'll develop the new drug before the Su Family can!"

"By the way, President Han, about that promise you made me..."

Seeing Ye Fei's lecherous smile, Han Xinyue's eyes filled with disdain. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

"..."

***

In the depths of the Bone Stone Forest, Sun Zhe, Bai Ran, and Lv Xin each carried a confiscated AK-47. Sun Zhe walked in front, swinging a machete with one hand to hack a path through the overgrown vegetation for the two women.

He noticed that the terrain grew flatter the farther they went, but the miasma also grew thicker. However, with the protection of the "Candle Dragon's Essence," the miasma was nothing to fear.

According to Bai Ran, the depths of the Bone Stone Forest held a vast basin swamp. It was not only filled with a dense, deadly miasma but was also home to lurking Jiao Beasts. The two giant snakes from before had most likely come from this swamp. Most people who entered the mountains for herbs or treasure would go out of their way to avoid this basin, as it was known as the "Life Forbidden Zone." Anyone who set foot inside was unlikely to ever come out alive.

But Sun Zhe had to enter the swamp. According to Lv Xin, Su Nanzhi was most likely inside. Before Lv Xin was separated from the main group, she had heard Su Nanzhi say that they had to enter this basin swamp to find the Earth Heart Grass.

And Earth Heart Grass was one of the ingredients for refining the Spirit Crane Pill. It was also the rarest and most difficult to find, an herb that even Sun Zhe had only ever read about in medical texts.

***

Time slowly passed.

Sun Zhe proceeded with extreme caution, examining every step. The farther he went, the sparser the vegetation became. Besides the nameless weeds that covered the ground, the towering ancient trees were now a rare sight. The miasma was so thick it was visible to the naked eye, like a lingering morning fog that even the sunlight struggled to penetrate.

They occasionally encountered swamp pits, their surfaces deceptively covered with weeds, making them nearly impossible to spot. One careless step would send you sinking, while leeches and poisonous insects from the pit would swarm onto your body. Every so often, they would see enormous fossils jutting out from the soft marshland. They resembled colossal ribs, magnified tens of thousands of times—a shocking and breathtaking sight, as if this place had been the ancient battlefield for a pack of mighty Jiao Beasts.

Sun Zhe suddenly stopped and turned to the two women behind him. "It's getting dark. We'll find a place to rest nearby for the night and continue tomorrow."

The three of them found a relatively dry clearing to use as a temporary camp. After eating a few compressed biscuits, Sun Zhe sat cross-legged by the campfire to meditate.

"Sister-in-law, you and Miss Lv should get some sleep. I'll keep watch tonight."

Sun Zhe scanned their surroundings but saw only pitch-black darkness. Even the light of the campfire seemed to be devoured by it. Where the firelight reached, the white mist churned and rolled like demons baring their fangs and claws, ready to pounce and tear them apart at any moment.

Sun Zhe quietly activated his Yin Yang X-ray Vision, allowing him to see pairs of bloodthirsty eyes staring at them from a distance. In the swamp pits, which had existed for countless years and consumed innumerable lives, crocodiles and pythons were stirring, ready to strike.

"Ah Zhe, call me if you get sleepy."

"Okay."

Lv Xin and Bai Ran lay on a neatly laid pile of dry grass. Listening to the occasional howls of beasts in the night, their scalps tingled, and they hugged each other tightly, unable to fall asleep. However, seeing Sun Zhe sitting guard nearby filled them both with a profound sense of security, and they eventually drifted into their dreams.

***

Time slowly passed.

In the dead of night, Lv Xin was woken by a mosquito bite. When she opened her eyes, she realized Bai Ran was no longer beside her. The campfire was still burning brightly, as if someone had just added more wood.

She looked around and saw that not only was Bai Ran missing, but Sun Zhe was gone too. A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach. She worried that Sun Zhe and Bai Ran had decided she was a burden and abandoned her in her sleep.

"Mmm... you're terrible!"

Just as she was hesitating whether to call out, she suddenly heard a soft moan from behind a nearby rock.

"You brute, can't you be a little gentler?"

"Going so deep right away..."

"Who could handle something so big from you?"

"Mmm... Mmm..."

"You're hitting it... You're hitting it! Please, stop!"

"..."