The sensation of being struck by a heavy object was suddenly cushioned, significantly softening the blow.

A muffled groan sounded by her ear.

It was Vincent Grant!

"Go!"

He heaved the heavy beam off his back and pushed Sophia Shaw away.

Together, they supported Old Master Sloan and hurried down.

Other rescuers also arrived in time.

Sophia Shaw helped Old Master Sloan quickly into the base’s ambulance.

The vehicle sped out of the fire zone and stopped in a safe area.

A doctor immediately began administering first aid to Old Master Sloan.

A moment later, he looked at Sophia Shaw with a grave expression. "Old Master Sloan didn’t inhale much smoke. He was unconscious before the fire started. We need to take him to a major hospital to determine the cause."

His expression was grim, and Sophia Shaw was frantic with worry.

The nearest hospital was over four hundred kilometers away!

If they went by car, they might miss the optimal treatment window.

But the helicopter had been sent out to deliver supplies that evening and hadn’t returned yet!

"Use my helicopter,"

Vincent Grant said, panting.

His face was blackened by smoke and soot, giving him the air of a rugged hero.

Vincent Grant had gotten his helicopter pilot’s license years ago; this time, he had flown over by himself.

With no time to spare, Sophia Shaw and the doctor loaded Old Master Sloan onto the helicopter.

The helicopter couldn’t carry that many people; only the doctor could accompany him.

The vast, dark night made the already dangerous flight even more perilous.

Vincent Grant looked deeply at Sophia Shaw. "Don’t worry. I’ll get Old Master Sloan to the hospital safely."

Sophia Shaw stayed behind to deal with the aftermath.

The fire was eventually extinguished.

The simple prefabricated building wasn’t sturdy to begin with, and the explosives had practically razed it to the ground.

Fortunately, the others had only inhaled some smoke and had no major injuries.

Sophia Shaw left the cleanup to Lance Abbott and raced toward the hospital in an off-road vehicle.

On the way, she reviewed the surveillance footage via satellite transmission.

The footage was blurry. Other than some flashes of light from the explosion, nothing else could be seen.

Sophia Shaw’s fingers tightened silently.

The base’s explosives were never stored in the living quarters. This was clearly a premeditated attack.

Evidently, Old Master Sloan’s project was too advanced and had threatened some people’s interests.

A deep, heavy shadow enveloped her.

「By the time she reached Old Master Sloan’s hospital, it was the early hours of the next day.」

Sophia Shaw jumped out of the car and, ignoring her exhaustion, ran straight to Old Master Sloan’s room.

The accompanying doctor was in the hospital room.

Seeing Sophia Shaw, he repeatedly clasped his hands together in relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness! Old Master Sloan was just anesthetized with ketamine. It wasn’t a potent poison, or we would have been in serious trouble."

All materials entering and exiting the base were strictly inspected. Ketamine was the only substance each member was allowed to carry.

It was applied to the tips of tranquilizer darts, mainly for self-defense against wild animal attacks.

Clearly, someone had exploited this loophole and used it on Old Master Sloan.

Although Old Master Sloan lived on the third floor, he was extremely fit from years of fieldwork. If he hadn’t been drugged, he definitely would have been able to escape.

Sophia Shaw’s fingers silently clenched into a fist.

Old Master Sloan had not woken up yet.

Sophia Shaw briefly updated Lance Abbott and the others on the situation to put their minds at ease.

After finishing all this, she still hadn’t seen Vincent Grant.

Sophia Shaw asked the accompanying doctor, "Where’s President Grant?"

The accompanying doctor looked around. "He left after we had a clear picture of Old Master Sloan’s condition. I’m not sure where he went."

Sophia Shaw took out her phone, about to contact him, when she saw him walking back carrying several boxes.

The boxes were a bit rough and looked old.

"I made some food at a nearby local’s home. It’s simple, but please eat."

It was different here than back home in Cathan.

Conditions were very limited. There weren’t restaurants everywhere, so naturally, there were no apps for ordering food.

Even this hospital had been built by an international organization, with only a single doctor on duty, sent by a charitable institution.

The doctor was quite skilled, though, managing to diagnose Old Master Sloan’s condition so quickly.

Vincent Grant had brought a few people with him.

Each was dressed in camouflage, and they were all powerfully built.

Vincent Grant introduced them. "These are special forces soldiers sent urgently by Cathan to protect Old Master Sloan."

Sophia Shaw looked at Vincent Grant in surprise.

Clearly, he had also realized that there was more to this fire than met the eye.

’She had just been wondering where to find people to protect Old Master Sloan, and he had already made the arrangements.’

"President Grant is really amazing," the accompanying doctor said.

"This hospital was originally very hard to find. I was worried we’d get lost and delay Old Master Sloan’s treatment. It was President Grant who used Starlink technology to help pinpoint the location, which is why we were able to get Old Master Sloan here so quickly."

"And now he’s found people to protect Old Master Sloan, so we have nothing to worry about. To be honest, with just a few of us, if we’d run into trouble, I really wouldn’t have known what to do. I wasn’t thinking about anything too complicated, just that the poorer a place is, the rougher the people can be. I was afraid of robbers or someone like that suddenly bursting in."

"Thank you," Sophia Shaw said sincerely.

’Vincent Grant had truly been a huge help this time.’

"It’s what I should do," Vincent Grant said calmly. "Old Master Sloan is one of NASA’s most important scientists and has made great contributions to Cathan’s space program. There is every reason to protect him."

’Although Vincent Grant couldn’t mobilize special forces himself, the Grants wouldn’t just abandon Old Master Sloan. Vincent must have contacted Mr. Grant to get these men here.’

"Let’s eat."

Vincent Grant walked into the hospital room and placed the boxes on the table.

Though ingredients were limited, he had still managed to make a stir-fried chicken dish, a simple stir-fry of mixed vegetables, and a tomato soup.

The air filled with a fragrant aroma.

Vincent Grant took out the simple chopsticks, scalded them under hot water a few times, and then handed them to Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw hesitated for a moment before taking them. "Thank you."

The three of them ate with their heads down. No one spoke, and the air grew heavy with silence.

Until a ringing phone broke the silence.

Sophia Shaw took out her phone and saw the number for Grant Manor.

Sophia Shaw glanced at Vincent Grant before answering. Old Mrs. Grant’s concerned voice came through the phone. "Faye, Grandma just heard your base caught fire? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, Grandma."

’The old woman’s concern warmed her heart.’

Sophia Shaw briefly explained her and Old Master Sloan’s situation.

Finally, she said, "Fortunately, Vin...cent saved us."

"That’s what he should have done!"

From her tone, it was clear that Old Mrs. Grant was still angry with Vincent Grant, showing far less concern for him than she did for Sophia.

"And don’t you go thinking you owe him anything. You don’t owe him a thing, you hear?"

Sophia Shaw: "..."

’She suspected Old Mrs. Grant had called specifically to tell her this.’

Sophia Shaw felt a little awkward. It didn’t seem right to respond to such words in front of Vincent Grant.

Suddenly, the phone was plucked from her grasp, landing in his well-defined hand.

"Rest assured, I won’t use this to force Faye to do anything," Vincent Grant said into the phone.

Old Mrs. Grant huffed, "That’s more like it!"

Not wanting to talk to Vincent Grant any longer, she hung up.

Her attitude toward Vincent Grant and her attitude toward Sophia Shaw were night and day!

When he returned the phone, his wounded, pleading gaze fell on Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw felt rather embarrassed as well and could only say lamely, "Grandma just thinks that because I’m a girl, I’m more fragile. She didn’t mean anything else by it."

"Mm."

Vincent Grant cleared the table of bowls and chopsticks and slowly walked out.

His movements weren’t as agile as usual.

Although his suit was black, a patch of even deeper black could be seen spreading across it, clearly distinct from the surrounding fabric.