Man With Super Medical Skill (Matthew) novel Chapter 3685

"Think we're really going to see my father soon?" Ariya's voice was tiny, almost hopeful, as she looked up at Matthew.

"Yeah," Matthew replied, keeping his tone light. "Though this place is no playground. Stick to me like glue, alright? No running off."

The warning wasn't just for show. When they first met, she had been chasing butterflies without a care in the world, right into trouble that had cost her a father. That memory still made her chest tighten. He shifted his grip, holding her hand a little firmer.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the North District, dusk had already swallowed the horizon. The kid's steps slowed down, so Matthew chose to end the day. He found a small inn nearby, close to the main road.

They planned to address the North District the next morning.

When she finally curled up on the bed and drifted into sleep, Matthew let out a long breath. If it were just me, I'd have been done with this trip days ago. With her in tow, every mile drags twice as long... yet somehow, watching her sleep like that, it doesn't feel like lost time at all.

Curiosity kept tugging at him, and he toyed with the idea of slipping out for a quick look while she slept. Almost without thinking, he murmured, "What does the entrance actually look like?"

He barely shifted when suddenly—a soft thud—a small arm draped across his elbow. Ariya's lashes fluttered as if she were chasing dreams, her face gentle and serene like a storybook princess.

He sighed. Once you take in a daughter, you don't leave her hanging. That's the rule.

He tried easing her arm, but she only clung tighter. Not wanting to wake her, he covered her with the blanket and lay back down, letting sleep take him too.

...

Boom!

At least, that was what it felt like when the boom hit.

Matthew shot upright, his ears ringing. Ariya bolted upright too, clutching his shirt with both hands.

That wasn't thunder—no way. The sound had teeth.

His gut twisted. Trouble.

He scooped her up and bolted outside.

The night sky was burning. Flames licked high over the distant gates of the North District, lighting the clouds from below. The air reeked of gunpowder, sharp enough to sting the nose.

Matthew thought, Someone's really gone and made a mess this time.

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