"Captain, we tried to stop him just now, but he vanished in an instant. When we found him here, we worried he might be here to hurt you," someone reported.
"You can all stand down. He's not here to kill me—in fact, he's the one who saved me," Captain Shane Shen replied with a smile.
The group listened, and upon closer inspection, realized their captain's injuries seemed to have improved.
"What?" one of them exclaimed in shock.
Captain Shane Shen laughed, "Alright, you can all go. I need to speak with this friend privately."
The group retreated suspiciously. Max Meng hesitated, considering whether to stay, but Captain Shane Shen called him out to wait outside as well.
In the end, only Evan Yang and Captain Shane Shen remained.
"My name is Shane Shen. What's yours?" the captain asked.
"Evan Yang," Evan replied with a smile.
"I'll never forget your kindness in saving my life today. As for the monster you're looking for, I can tell you where it is—but I wonder if you could help me with something first?" Captain Shane Shen asked.
"If I can help, I absolutely will. Please, go ahead," Evan Yang replied.
"You saw those people outside—they went out with me and were wounded by the monster's poison. If you could heal them, I swear I'll take you to the creature, even if it costs me my life," Captain Shane Shen said solemnly.
Evan Yang hesitated for a moment, surprised by the captain's loyalty. Willing to risk himself for his team, Evan felt genuine admiration. He smiled, "Alright, I'll help you out."
After speaking, Evan Yang stepped outside the cave. Seeing the wounded lying on the ground, he quickly injected Heaven-Cold energy into each of them. Their injuries were relatively mild, so they recovered almost immediately.
"All done." Evan Yang finished quickly. Captain Shane Shen watched as his team members revived, as if a virus had been cleansed from their bodies, and laughed, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Evan Yang replied.
"Alright, follow me. I'll take you there now," Captain Shane Shen said.
Evan Yang nodded and followed Captain Shane Shen out. Outside the forbidden area, Max Meng saw the two emerge and exclaimed with delight, "Boss, congratulations on making it out!"
"You, kid, keep an eye on things. I'm heading out for a bit," Captain Shane Shen laughed.
"Boss, where are you going?" Max Meng asked curiously.