She pressed her lips tightly together, trying her best to hold it in, but the itch only grew stronger.
Just as she was about to lose control, Lin Beichen acted in time, covering her mouth once more, signaling with his eyes that she must endure.
Rachel widened her eyes, desperately holding back the sneeze.
She knew all too well that if she sneezed out loud, it would surely draw the mercenaries’ attention, the consequences of which were unimaginable.
At that moment, a mercenary noticed the small path ahead, suggesting a new hypothesis: "Could they have escaped down that small path?"
Athena glanced over, thinking it very likely, and ordered, "Chase, they might have run that way!"
As the sound of the mercenaries’ footsteps gradually faded away, Lin Beichen finally released his hand from Rachel’s mouth and quickly pushed away the body that had been pressing down on him, crawling out of the pile of corpses.
"They’re finally gone!" Lin Beichen sighed with relief, expressing emotion.
He hadn’t expected these mercenaries to go so far as to prepare rocket launchers just to catch Dr. Chen.
"Thank you for saving me just now."
After crawling out of the pile of corpses, Rachel whispered her thanks to Lin Beichen.
Although Lin Beichen’s previous actions were somewhat abrupt, she understood that it was to save her.
Lin Beichen glanced at her, nodding: "Don’t mention it, we need to get out of here quickly. If they come back, we’re in trouble."
Having said that, he agilely jumped out of the makeshift grave, lifted the fallen motorbike, and prepared to set off.
But Rachel was still stuck in the pit, unable to climb out on her own.
"Hey, wait for me, pull me up!" Rachel hastily shouted.
Lin Beichen turned to look back, only to realize Rachel was still struggling in the pit.
He sighed helplessly, parked the motorbike, and walked back to the edge of the pit.
"Can’t you find a way to get up by yourself?" Lin Beichen said, somewhat irritated.
Rachel replied helplessly, "It’s too high, how can I get up?"
Lin Beichen sighed, walking to the edge of the pit and extending his hand: "Grab my hand."
Without hesitation, Rachel grabbed Lin Beichen’s hand and, with his help, climbed out of the pit.
"Thanks again." Rachel said sincerely.
Lin Beichen said nothing, turned towards the motorbike, mounted it, and prepared to leave.
Rachel followed closely, sitting on the back seat, softly thanking him again.
Lin Beichen glanced back at her: "If you want to thank me, don’t cause any trouble on the road."
With that, he twisted the throttle, and the motorbike shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow, leaving Rachel caught in the wind.
Lin Beichen rode the motorbike at full speed away from Saint Francis Hospital, and Rachel couldn’t help but satisfy her curiosity by asking: "Where are we headed next?"
"To the Chinese-Owned Factory in Sangkujia Town." Lin Beichen replied succinctly, his voice betraying no emotion.
They had agreed to meet Leng Feng at the Chinese-Owned Factory in Sangkujia Town, so Lin Beichen sped towards Sangkujia Town without hesitation.
"The Chinese-Owned Factory? Why are we going there? I think we should go to the United States embassy, where the Marine Corps is protecting, it should be the safest place." Rachel expressed her confusion over Lin Beichen’s decision.
Lin Beichen chuckled lightly, retorting: "Oh? Then why do you think they haven’t come to pick you up?"
Rachel, at a loss for words, hesitated and said: "I have notified them..."
"Oh? So when are they coming to pick you up?" Lin Beichen stopped the bike, turned to look at Rachel, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Rachel was speechless, she herself wasn’t sure if the United States embassy would send someone to pick her up.
Seeing Rachel’s awkwardness, Lin Beichen smiled and continued to ask: "How did you notify them?"
Rachel coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.
She had indeed contacted the United States embassy before, but nobody had answered.
Faced with Lin Beichen’s mockery, she felt indignant, glared at him, and dialed the United States embassy again.
However, the call still went unanswered, ending only in busy signals.
"Damn it!" Rachel cursed angrily, throwing her phone to the ground in frustration.
Seeing Rachel’s out-of-control state, Lin Beichen couldn’t help but move back a bit, afraid of being accidentally injured by this angry woman.
"So, are we still going to your United States embassy?" he quipped.
Rachel had nothing to say, silently shaking her head.
Seeing her dejected look, Lin Beichen chuckled, twisted the throttle again, and the motorbike sped off once more.
The unique vast grasslands of North Africa stretched out on both sides, but Lin Beichen had no time to enjoy the majestic scenery.
He only wanted to reach the Chinese-Owned Factory as quickly as possible to meet up with Leng Feng and rescue the forty-seven Huaxia employees.
Just then, suddenly Rachel leaned tightly against his back.
Lin Beichen was taken aback, teasing: "If you’re scared, hold on to my clothes, but don’t use this as an excuse to take advantage of me!"
He couldn’t help but wonder why this woman, who usually seemed independent, suddenly became so reliant?
Could it really be true that a woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea?
But when he found Rachel unresponsive, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
He stopped the motorbike and looked back, discovering that Rachel had fainted, her lips pale with an unnatural flush on her face.
Lin Beichen’s heart sank—she looked to be in bad shape!
"Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?"
Lin Beichen shook her urgently, trying to wake her up.
But Rachel’s eyes remained shut, and she had already lost consciousness.
He felt her forehead, which was burning hot, a clear sign of a fever.
Next, he noticed a wound on Rachel’s arm, now beginning to fester.