With no other option, they couldn’t run back to Dock No. 4. After a moment’s thought, Baro nodded: "Alright."
So Little Flea led the way, with them following behind.
However, the shouting behind them continued, growing ever closer.
"I feel like they’re right behind us, what should we do?" Birch said anxiously.
Little Flea was also nervous. After all, he was the Doctor on the Broken Blood, and if discovered, his punishment might be even more terrifying than Birch’s, because Master Man hated traitors the most.
Little Flea quickly ran over and looked at the ground, saying, "It’s blood! The bloodstain has exposed our trail."
After speaking, Little Flea looked at everyone.
Although Birch’s hand was broken, it wasn’t bleeding. Renko, though pale with sweat beads on his forehead, had no visible wounds on his exposed skin, let alone bleeding.
Captain Baro did have many wounds, some were bleeding, but not enough to form bloodstains on the ground.
Finally, Little Flea’s gaze landed on the woman on Captain Baro’s back.
He had seen this one-armed woman before; she was the one who drifted in from the Outer Sea during daylight. Her appearance was incredibly stunning, a mix of vibrant charm and heroic spirit that was unforgettable to anyone with eyes.
When she was brought to the dock, Master Man immediately called Little Flea to treat her wounds.
So Little Flea knew very well that this woman was wounded all over, the largest wound being the size of a bowl at her shoulder. During the day, Little Flea had treated all her wounds, but now, after some dragging, the bandage on her shoulder was worn, and the blood had seeped out again, dropping to the ground.
Without a doubt, it was the woman’s blood that led to their being tracked.
Birch also noticed the blood that was dripping out. He looked at Baro and said, "Captain, should we leave her here?"
No matter how beautiful the woman was, could she be more important than their lives? Birch thought so and believed that Baro, with his personality, would surely prioritize their lives.
Even Renko, who was being supported by Baro, thought Baro would choose to abandon the woman.
However, Baro’s choice was completely different from what they imagined. He resolutely said, "No, she cannot be left here, and absolutely not left to those beasts!"
"But she’s holding us back now," Birch said anxiously. She was not only holding them back, but also Little Flea, which he didn’t want to see.
"Then I’ll carry her alone. Anyway, I will never leave her." A determined look flashed in Baro’s eyes as he spoke with a strong voice.
Baro’s words were not only delivered to Birch and Little Flea, but the ears of the woman on his back twitched as well.
On the other side, those who heard Baro’s answer frowned. They wanted to ask if Baro was bewitched or something, as he was suddenly acting like a different person. But with time being tight, they couldn’t say much.
Birch helplessly looked at Little Flea.
Little Flea was silent for a moment and said, "There’s a small river nearby. We can follow the river, which might give us some time. Plus, the hiding place I mentioned is also near the river."
"Then let’s do that!" Baro said without hesitation.
Little Flea wanted to say something to Captain Baro, but seeing his unwavering eyes, he remained silent and proceeded forward to lead the way.
Soon after, they reached the riverbank.
They directly stepped into the river.
Birch kept looking back as they walked.
Perhaps they were lucky; after walking along the riverbank for a few more minutes, the shouting from behind gradually diminished until it was nearly inaudible.
At this point, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Not long after, Little Flea led them to a large rock. He fiddled with something, and under what appeared to be an ordinary rock, there emerged a crevice big enough for a person to pass through. Once they crawled inside, they discovered a hollowed interior within the stone, not large but enough to temporarily house them.
Little Flea busily sealed the stone crevice, feeling finally safe and secure.
What Little Flea didn’t know was that when he sealed the crevice, there was a figure emerging from the distant forest.
"Our ship’s Doctor seems to be the traitor..."
"I didn’t expect there to be a crevice here. Why are they hiding inside? What’s going on? I think I saw some flames earlier. Could there be trouble at the Broken Blood? I need to go back and see."
If Baro were here, he would find that the speaker was the half-ear guard they lured away to infiltrate the No. 1 dock.
Half-ear glanced at the stone from afar without approaching immediately, cautiously retreating before disappearing into the dark forest.
...
Meanwhile, inside the stone.
"This place is fantastic; they’ll never find us. Little Flea, how did you discover this... wait, I forgot to ask, why were you in the forest before?" After settling down, Birch immediately approached Little Flea, asking with curiosity.
Little Flea said, "When you were causing a commotion at the dock, I noticed immediately. I had a hunch you might be in trouble, so I preemptively waited in the forest to see if I could assist you."
From start to finish, Little Flea only mentioned "you," clearly indicating that he did everything for Birch. As for the others, they were incidental.
"We’re lucky to have you this time; otherwise, we might have really..." Birch stopped mid-sentence as he heard Renko’s groans nearby. He quickly regained focus, "Right, check on Mr. Renko. I didn’t see him getting hurt at the dock, but why does he look like he’s at death’s door now?"
Little Flea nodded and stepped forward to Renko’s side.
Looking at Renko’s pale face, covered in sweat, he had a hypothesis in mind.
After some examination, Little Flea gently pulled down Renko’s collar, revealing a shallow scratch on Renko’s neck. The scratch was faint, barely bleeding, but from it, a green liquid was seeping out.
"What, what is this? Why is it green blood?" Birch asked in shock, pointing at Renko’s wound.
Little Flea: "It’s not blood, it’s poison."
Little Flea looked at Renko: "Was this cut made by Master Man’s assistant... that man who’s as thin as a bamboo pole, short, dark, and completely blends into a crowd?"
Though Renko was weak, he was still coherent, nodding, "Yes, it’s him. His presence was so faint, and he was so short that I didn’t notice when he approached..."
Even though Renko had been scratched, he didn’t care at the time. Given his physical condition, he wasn’t afraid of such minor wounds.
Little Flea: "I figured. That guy was actually a former Physician on the Broken Blood, but his medical skills were poor. Once I was captured, he became Master Man’s assistant. His medical skills may be lacking, but he has some toxicological knowledge and likes to concoct insidious poisons. You’ve certainly been poisoned by him."
Birch: "What poison?"
Little Flea shook his head: "I don’t know, but I know he primarily studies biological toxins. From what we can observe, the effects match those of a biological toxin. But which one, I couldn’t say."