This kind of environment was rare across the entire war zone. In fact, it was almost too good to be true.
"Mr. Kingsley?" Serena asked softly.
"Mr. Adrian Kingsley, the person in charge of the safe zone."
Nadia blinked.
"He's the one who pulled you out of the ruins. You were badly injured and lost a lot of blood. Mr. Kingsley drove you back overnight and even brought in a doctor from the capital to perform surgery on you."
Serena's heart tightened.
A stranger had rescued her, arranged surgery for her, and placed her in a room this comfortable.
After three years in the war zone, she knew very well that kindness rarely came without a reason. Especially kindness from a man to a woman. It often came with a clearly marked price.
Instinctively, she protected her belly. Her voice remained calm.
"Thank you. Please tell Mr. Kingsley that I'll find a way to repay the medical expenses."
Nadia froze for a moment, then broke into a smile.
"Dr. Hart, don't worry. Mr. Kingsley isn't that kind of person."
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open.
Serena looked up, and her breathing paused for a moment.
The man was tall, almost brushing the doorframe.
He wore a simple white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong and well-defined forearms.
His slightly wavy hair was a little messy, and his sharp, sculpted features looked as if they had been carved with a blade.
But it was his eyes that stood out the most.
They were a deep emerald green, beautiful like a silent lake hidden deep within the mountains.
A scar slashed diagonally from the edge of his brow to his cheekbone. Instead of diminishing his looks, it added a dangerous, untamed edge.
Standing there, he looked like a military blade resting in its sheath. Silent, yet unmistakably sharp.
Serena's back instinctively straightened.
This man felt far too commanding. Far too dangerous.
"How are you feeling?"
Adrian walked to the bedside. His voice was low, carrying just the right amount of concern, making him seem remarkably approachable.
"Much better."
Serena lowered her gaze, deliberately avoiding his eyes.
"Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Kingsley. I'll repay the medical—"
"Dr. Hart." Adrian interrupted gently and sat down on the chair beside the bed. His movements were natural, as if he belonged here, yet he still kept a respectful distance. "I didn't save you to be repaid."
He spoke directly, without any attempt to hide his intentions.
"You're exceptional. I've read your records. During the airstrike in Sableford Village, you rescued seventeen people from the ruins in two days. And over the past three months on the Westline Front, your emergency treatment success rate reached ninety-two percent."
Serena looked up, clearly surprised.
"My safe zone holds four thousand refugees. The medical system is close to collapsing." Adrian continued, his emerald eyes fixed on her with complete seriousness. "Unfortunately, we only have three doctors. Each of them handles nearly two hundred cases a day. The mortality rate remains painfully high. I need someone who can help rebuild the system."
He paused before speaking again, word by word. "I want that person to be you."
Serena froze.
She had imagined many possibilities, but she had never expected him to offer her a position like this.
"You can build your own team, redesign the workflow, and establish medical protocols." Adrian's voice remained calm and steady. "Medicine, equipment, staff. As long as it's reasonable, whatever you need, I'll provide."
Serena remained silent for a long moment.
"Why me?" She asked, her voice cautious.
Adrian looked at her, his gaze completely open and sincere.
"Because you're the best."
He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"And you need a platform. I've read your battlefield medical reform proposal. It's insightful. But in your previous camp, no one was going to support it."
Serena's heart skipped a beat.
She had spent three sleepless nights writing that proposal, carefully outlining a triage system, a medical training framework, and a structured system for drug management.
She had handed it to Logan with great hope, asking him to implement it, but the response she received was that the idea was good, just unrealistic.
Later, the proposal simply disappeared. She never mentioned it again, never expecting that it would somehow end up here.
"How did you…"
Her voice sounded a little dry.
"I reviewed everything about you that could be found."
Adrian stood and walked to the window, his tall figure straight and steady.
"Serena Hart, an outstanding graduate, three consecutive years of top academic scholarships, turned down an offer from a major hospital to apply for battlefield medical support. I've read all five of the papers you published in medical school."
He turned back around, wearing an open, easy smile, his eyes slightly curved.
"I didn't offer you this position on impulse. I've been observing you for three years. I understand your abilities, and I believe in your ideals."
He paused, his tone turning serious.
"Here, you only need to focus on one thing, how to save lives. Everything else is my responsibility."
After saying that, he walked toward the door and paused beside it.
"No rush. Focus on recovering first. If you need anything, tell Nadia."
He glanced back at her once. His gaze was deep, yet there was nothing intrusive about it.
"Get some rest, Dr. Hart."
The door closed softly.
Serena sat on the bed, unable to come back to her senses for a long while.
