The Fire Spreads

When the enemy couldn't make their trap work, they set the forest on fire. Henry hadn't expected that. Their own people were still inside, yet they burned it without hesitation. That was ruthless beyond measure.

But Henry remained as he always was. Even after "hearing" what they had done, he made no attempt to stop it. Only when the flames rose did Cathy Weber realize what awaited the girls still fighting in the rainforest.

The look she gave Henry made it obvious that she wanted to say something. But in the end, Cathy Weber only asked, "Henry, how many bullets do you have left?" He removed the magazine, glanced at it, then pulled back the bolt halfway. "Two bullets. I didn't expect a conflict of this scale."

"I see. Can I leave the people by the riverbank to you? I need to help the girls deal with Ezekiel Sims."

"I can, but do you have a weapon?"

Feeling around at the small of her back, Cathy Weber eventually pulled out a short knife in a leather sheath. It wasn't some crudely made thing. In the United States, it might have been an industrial product you could find in a supermarket for ten bucks. But deep in the rainforest, it was still a rare item.

"Juan gave this to me. I think this will be enough."

It wasn't that Cathy Weber was being overly bold. Just days ago, she had still been a paramedic and had never imagined she would need to pick up a "weapon." With a knife, she could already do plenty, and that was her limit.

Henry said nothing more. He merely nodded to the woman whose expression showed that she had made up her mind, then carried the Barrett out of cover. Hoisting the sniper rifle, he