The soldiers quickly found everyone in the woods except Yun Zhe: Xi Xi, a wounded soldier, a tearful child, and the corpses of a man and a woman dressed as farmers.

Xi Xi's face was deathly pale. Although she only had a few scratches, her expression had lost its usual composure and calmness. She appeared unusually tense. The wounded soldier, struck by three arrows, was barely clinging to life. The little boy squatted beside the two corpses, his face streaked with tears, his eyes filled with terror.

Seeing this scene, Philby seemed to understand why Yun Zhe had set up an ambush here. But he was more concerned about Yun Zhe's whereabouts.

"Xixi, where's Yunzhe? Where did Yunzhe go?!" Philby asked anxiously.

Xi Xi's eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly she had not yet regained her composure. She simply nodded blankly and pointed in the direction of Tuer Village.

Philby frowned. If Yun Zhe went to Tuer Village, why didn't he run into him? Had Yun Zhe encountered some danger?

Philby wanted to get angry. How could he let Yun Zhe wander around alone? But seeing the three people in front of him, he understood Yun Zhe's predicament.

"Sir, someone's coming!"

Following the soldier's directions, Philby saw a man, a horse, and a torch galloping rapidly towards him. Hope ignited in Philby's heart, and then, that hope truly came true.

Yun Zhe jumped off his horse, ran two steps toward Philby, and then suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Philby panicked for a moment, and after a flurry of activity, he finally realized that Yun Zhe had simply collapsed from exhaustion, and only then did he feel relieved.

"Recall the other detachment of soldiers, set up camp on the spot, and return tomorrow morning!" Philby quickly issued the order.

In a dimly lit tavern in Donic, two men were drinking in a corner. One was dressed in a black cloak, concealing himself completely, while the other was richly dressed, with a red beard and a bulbous nose—it was Carrie's father, Glass.

Glass seemed a little nervous. He tried to keep himself calm and memorized everything the other person said.

This was the first time he had come so close to the messenger of death.

"I understand, the mission is over, but, but..." Glass was both angry and helpless after hearing the other party's attempt to shift the blame.

"Just tell him that my task is complete, and he has to do the rest himself."

"Um, you, you didn't come to help us..." Glass took a deep breath and stammered out his true feelings.

"Hmph, I've done everything I could. As for you, you haven't done anything yet."

"We...we're already working on it, with the Vampire Hunter Association and the Chamber of Commerce..." At this point, both of Glass's plans had hit a wall, which made Glass lose his confidence.

"Hmph, you'd better be able to make it happen." The man in the black robe shook his head. "By the way, Yun Zhe has a vampire helping him. Tell him, and he'll know what to do."

Glass took a breath; his heart skipped a beat instinctively at the mention of vampires.

"As expected of a vampire hunter, it seems you're not at all surprised that vampires help humans." The man in the black robe chuckled strangely, then rose from his seat. Glass, feeling rather uneasy, was left alone to finish his drink in silence.

As soon as Yun Zhe opened his eyes, he saw Philby's big face occupying his entire field of vision.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Yun Zhe shoved Philby away, shook his head, and looked around.

"Haha, it's good that you're awake," Philby said hesitantly. This caught Yun Zhe's attention.

"Did I just talk in my sleep?" Yun Zhe asked knowingly, seeing Philby's thoughts.

"Yeah, they were saying really strange things, like the helicopter would be here in half an hour, and about a rescue team, Avery and stuff like that."

Yun Zhe was taken aback. These words from Philby's mouth somehow instantly stirred up Yun Zhe's memories. "So it was the day I dreamed I died. Hey, interesting." Yun Zhe thought to himself, but then laughed it off. "Haha, these are all some novel things I thought of. The helicopter is one of them. It's an awesome thing. I'll make one sometime and show it to you guys. Haha, hahaha."

Philby rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Yun Zhe, this is so fake. But I'm not really curious about these things. Everyone has secrets, right?"

Yun Zhe scratched his head awkwardly, and then heard Xi Xi's teasing voice behind him.

"Hmph, Philby, you really miss the point. The key is 'Akdina,' isn't it?"

Yun Zhe realized he had indeed been a bit careless. He turned to Xi Xi, feigning innocence, and said, "Akdina, just an elf's name." As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Zhe regretted it.

"She's a vampire, isn't she? I can't tell," Xi Xi said, narrowing her eyes and scrutinizing Yun Zhe from head to toe. She had wanted to see Yun Zhe panic, but to her surprise, Yun Zhe's eyes dimmed noticeably and then turned serious.

"She saved my life, several times, and even saved yours this time. Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. At least this vampire is good to us."

Xi Xi felt uncomfortable under Yun Zhe's serious gaze. "Okay, okay, vampire. I'll repay her for saving my life when I have the chance. Are you done yet? If you are, get up quickly. Miss is waiting for you."

Yun Zhe stood up helplessly, then saw Philby standing next to him, looking equally serious.

"I'm telling the truth, who would have thought a vampire would help us like this?"

"No, I just think that even if a vampire helps you, I wouldn't be surprised." Philby shrugged. "By the way, what about that child?"

"Ah, that child," Yun Zhe remembered. If it weren't for saving their family, he wouldn't have attacked directly and sacrificed the entire team. In the end, he still didn't save anyone and almost the whole army was wiped out.

Impulsiveness is the devil. If I had known the outcome would be like this, would I still have ordered the charge? Yun Zhe frowned, but then quickly came to terms with it.

Just like in his dream, if he were given the choice again, he would still choose to send the person onto the helicopter and leave himself to face the danger.

“Come with me, he will be my child from now on.” After Yun Zhe finished speaking, he looked at Philby, “With years of war, there must be many orphans. Are you interested in hearing my suggestion?”

After hearing Yun Zhe's words, Philby gasped, "Recruiting orphans into an army? That... is feasible, but..."

“It’s not just about forming an army, it’s about making the elite of the elite. Think about it, if you want to do it, I can help you.”

Philby nodded. "How will you help me? Through training?"

“No, I’ll pay for it,” Yun Zhe said with a smile. “Time is running out, we need to hurry.”