Anger.

Thud.

“Hey now. I said let’s stop.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, the helicopter’s gone up really high.”

Kim Hyeokgwon looked up at the sky, changing the subject to shift the mood.

Slowly.

Taesu and Jeong Minsu stopped bickering and looked up as well.

The helicopter, far above, looked smaller than a dot.

It hadn’t left completely.

But the force of the wind was ominous.

Whoooosh.

If anything, it felt as though it was growing even stronger.

Just as the atmosphere began to feel grim, an urgent radio call came in for Jeong Minsu.

- Doctor Jeong, Doctor Jeong.

It was Sergeant Ryan’s voice.

When he called this urgently, there was a high chance it was a problem with a patient.

Jeong Minsu seemed to sense it too, and answered with a stiff expression.

“This is Doctor Jeong.”

- The second patient suddenly started trembling during the transfusion.

“Suddenly… How is his breathing?”

- He’s short of breath.

The answer came quickly.

But it wasn’t the answer Jeong Minsu wanted, so he asked in more detail.

“You connected the ECG, didn’t you? I’m asking what his oxygen saturation is.”

- We only have one ECG.

“What? Don’t tell me the ventilator too?”

Jeong Minsu asked urgently, startled.

Taesu, who had been listening beside him, was at least a little calmer.

He recalled looking around the helicopter, then flinched and spoke quickly.

“There’s only one ventilator too.”

- There’s only one ventilator as well.

Sergeant Ryan’s voice was saying the same thing.

Flustered, Jeong Minsu forced his mind to work.

“T-this… Then…”

He couldn’t respond immediately to the sudden situation.

He lacked that much experience.

Instead, Taesu stepped in.

“Ryan, administer one ampoule of magnesium first.”

- Magnesium, understood.

“If the trembling stops during administration, stop immediately. You said his breathing is rapid, right?”

- Yes. I’ll check with the automatic blood pressure monitor. Antony, find the magnesium, quickly.

Sergeant Ryan’s command came through.

Taesu focused on the radio with a stiff expression.

Then, at that moment…

Jeong Minsu’s voice came through the helmet radio.

“Um, Ryan.”

- Sir, Doctor Jeong.

“Clean the patient’s mouth and slowly push breaths in with the Ambu bag.”

The one who responded to that order was Squad Leader Sam.

- Doctor Jeong. I’ll do that.

‘Hm?’

At that moment, Taesu’s ear twitched.

He had already entrusted Squad Leader Sam with something important.

Taesu immediately asked about that first.

“Sam, how are patient one’s vitals right now?”

- Current pulse…

He recited them quickly.

Both the ECG and ventilator were focused on patient one.

That was how much worse patient one’s condition was.

Taesu added appropriate orders to raise the current vitals further.

“Raise his body temperature a bit more, administer one ampoule of lidocaine, double the transfusion rate, and reduce the IV fluids by half.”

- Sir. Ryan, you handle that side.

Squad Leader Sam suddenly became busy with the flood of requests from Taesu.

Taesu’s gaze had already turned toward Jeong Minsu.

“……”

His eyes were asking if there were any additional orders.

Reprimanding him for what had already happened was something to do later.

For now, the priority was to make full use of the fact that they could care for the patients remotely.

As if thinking the same thing, Jeong Minsu’s expression had grown serious.

Just then, Sergeant Ryan’s voice came through.

- We’re administering magnesium to patient two now. And we cleaned out his mouth and are giving breaths…

The report continued in a stream.

Only after it ended did Jeong Minsu open his mouth.

“Maintain that state for now. Is there anywhere the bleeding has worsened?”

- Nowhere has worsened, but his calf and thigh are extremely cold.

“Wrap the right calf and thigh with a compression bandage.”

Jeong Minsu made the request firmly.

But Sergeant Ryan’s voice turned puzzled.

- The bleeding is on the left side.

“I know. Please do it that way for now.”

- Sir. I’ll carry it out for now, but… No, I’ll carry it out.

Sergeant Ryan swallowed his confusion with effort and answered.

From his position, it was only natural for it to seem strange.

But Taesu’s reaction was completely different.

Thrust.

He was holding out his thumb.

That meant the emergency measure Jeong Minsu had requested was reasonable.

It was first aid that compressed the right lower body to reduce blood flow there, increasing blood flow to the left by that amount.

He had panicked at first, but in the end, he had remained calm.

Kim Hyeokgwon gave him high marks for that.

“Looks like you’ve finally taken your first steps.”

“I’m just sorry for everything.”

That was all Jeong Minsu could say at the moment.

Because he should have been the one performing emergency treatment himself, yet the reality was that he was here, talking with them.

The sharp atmosphere was just beginning to soften a little.

But that moment did not last long.

The patients’ conditions were still far from stable.

The worsening weather was the problem.

They knew that, but they couldn’t wait indefinitely when they had no idea when it would calm down.

Taesu immediately called Captain Austin.

“Captain.”

- The patients are a problem, but the fuel situation isn’t good either.

“Then we have to go up.”

When Taesu spoke with emphasis, a slight hesitation could be heard in Captain Austin’s voice.

- I want to as well, but…

“If there’s no way, then please make one and get us up there. I’m asking you.”

- Whew.

Captain Austin’s sigh came through faintly.

That was how bad the weather was.

It also seemed that the problems that could occur if he forced the helicopter to descend were holding him back.

Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon were all aware of that.

Even so, they did not rely entirely on Captain Austin alone.

Whip, whip.

All three of them turned their heads and began scanning their surroundings.

“All we need is an open space…”

“Would it be better to ride a sled back to the Korean village?”

“Climbing to the mountain summit in this condition would be insane.”

The methods they forced themselves to come up with were reckless.

As expected, there was a limit to what they could see from the ground.

Then it happened.

Captain Austin seemed to spot something and urgently called Taesu.

- Doctor Choi, Doctor Choi.

“Go ahead.”

- Can you see two hundred meters ahead from there, in the six o’clock direction?

Whip.

All three of them looked in that direction at once.

Taesu narrowed his eyes as he examined the area and asked,

“You mean where there are quite a few trees?”

- Yes. That’s right.

“I can’t see anything behind them.”

- Yes. There is nothing there.

At the same time as Captain Austin’s calm reply, the helicopter headed that way.

Dududududu.

Taesu, looking puzzled, spoke again.

“What I meant was, it’s a sheer cliff with no slope.”

- Exactly.

“And?”

- With tactical flying, I can hover briefly with the helicopter hanging over the edge of the cliff.

At his explanation, Taesu’s eyes widened.

It felt as if he had been struck hard on the back of the head.

“You’re telling us to run over there and climb aboard?”

- At present, that is the most reasonable option.

“What part of that is reasonable?”

- Hover time will be… a maximum of ten seconds, I estimate. And the helicopter has begun descending now.

The radio ended with that unilateral notification.

Just then, Jeong Minsu pointed upward and shouted.

“Look up there.”

“Why—hup.”

The helicopter really was descending from above the destination.

Kim Hyeokgwon, watching with them, scowled fiercely.

“Has that man lost his mind?”

“Let’s climb aboard and argue with him then.”

“Damn it, run.”

Tatadak.

Kim Hyeokgwon shouted and ran forward first.

When it came to clinging to life, Kim Hyeokgwon was definitely the strongest.

But Taesu and Jeong Minsu were no pushovers either.

Dadadak.

“Just go for now.”

“Why does it have to be like this until the very end?”

They roughly trampled through the piled snow and chased after Kim Hyeokgwon.

They refused to die like dogs in a foreign land.

The three of them ran as if their legs would shatter.

The slope leading to the cliff was steep.

With their running speed and the added momentum, they were enough to put a runaway locomotive to shame.

If that had been all, it would have been understandable.

The problem was that they were rapidly approaching a forested area.

Trees, brush, rocks, and more.

It was filled with natural obstacles as they were.

There was no path to avoid them.

No way around, and no time to spare.

“Break through.”

“Uwaaaah!”

With grit and sheer stubbornness, they plunged into the forested area.

Soon, an astonishing sight unfolded.

Whip, whip.

The way they leaped over rocks and dodged trees made them look like flying squirrels.

Rustle, crash.

They simply shoved their way through the brush.

Their bodies grew more and more battered.

Even so, they never stopped.

Awakening every sense, they ran forward with superhuman focus, looking only ahead.

‘I’ll live.’

‘I’m going to live.’

‘I will survive.’

Each of their gazes was filled with a chilling obsession.

It was only natural.

They valued the lives of others so much, so how much more precious would their own lives be?

Because they understood the value of life better than anyone, their obsession with it was extraordinary.

In that way, they were drawing closer to the cliff.

The remaining distance was roughly fifty meters.

The height between the helicopter and the cliff was about twenty meters.

It looked like the helicopter would arrive first.

Having gauged that, Taesu shouted like a thunderbolt.

“Faster!”

“Damn it!”

Pababak.

They didn’t know whether they were out of breath or whether their legs hurt.

They were too busy running with every ounce of strength they had.

Then, at that moment…

Whoooosh.

A gust of wind struck them in the face.

Wind?

That sort of thing didn’t matter right now.

No matter how strong the wind, even if it were a typhoon, they could push through it and run.

But a machine called a helicopter had no such willpower. As if something was going wrong, urgent voices came through inside their helmets.

- Shit. Captain, the fuselage vibration is getting worse.

- Grip the controls properly. We have to control it together from both sides.

- It keeps drifting. We’re going to lose balance.

- Grrr. We have to go lower. Lower.

Captain Austin strained as he urged them on.

It was not needless noise.

The sight of the massive helicopter swaying as it descended was clearly and precisely visible to their eyes.

If they delayed, the helicopter could be caught in the air current and flip over.

It was holding out by maintaining its balance in subtle adjustments, but there was no telling how long that would continue.

They were forcing the descent while bearing that danger.

How terrifying must it be inside?

Yet the hearts of those running toward it also sank.

“Damn it.”

“More, faster!”

Rustle, crash.

They urged themselves on again and again.

In their minds, they were already waiting in front of the helicopter.

But their two legs could not produce speed as quickly as their minds wanted.

The remaining distance was roughly thirty meters.

Now it was within range.

The height between the helicopter and the cliff was just about ten meters.

They were forcing the descent while piloting the aircraft as it shook in the fierce wind.

They, too, were desperate.

And soon, the rear door of the helicopter opened.