Chapter 90 He Fell Down
However, the military truck only lingered outside briefly before driving away.
Matilda couldn't tell what was happening outside—she only heard the engine noise gradually fading into the distance.
"Boss, they're gone," the lookout reported back.
The criminals in the house visibly relaxed, and the one guarding Matilda immediately ordered, "Hurry up and save him!"
Matilda had no choice but to continue suturing the injured criminal's wound.
Just as she finished stitching, a voice called from outside, "Peter home?"
It was spoken with a local accent, but Matilda immediately recognized it—Wentworth!
Her hand froze, and she almost couldn't resist shouting: Wentworth, I'm in here!
But reason told her not to act impulsively. She had to pretend she hadn't heard anything.
Wentworth was calling for the male head of the herding family.
Peter heard someone calling his name but didn't know who it was. With criminals in the house, he didn't dare respond and could only look toward the bandits.
The lookout shouted outside, "Who are you?"
Wentworth deliberately answered in clumsy local dialect, "Huh? Who are you? I've never seen you around here before."
"I'm... a relative of this family."
"Oh, then where's Peter? He said yesterday I should bring him some lamb leg today. Didn't expect he'd have company." Wentworth spoke while walking toward the house.
"You can't come in—"
Before the criminal could stop him, Wentworth had already stepped through the door.
Matilda saw he'd changed into local herder's clothing, carrying a lamb leg over his shoulder and holding a sheep's head in his hand, dressed exactly like a local.
Seeing the scene inside, Wentworth acted shocked, even dropping the lamb leg and sheep's head. "My God, what's going on here? I didn't see anything, Peter. I'm leaving!"
He pretended to leave but was blocked by the lookout.
"Boss, how do we handle this guy?" the lookout asked.
The gang leader squinted as he sized up Wentworth. Before he could speak, Wentworth said trembling, "Are you... hungry? How about I help you roast some lamb leg?"
This group had broken in during the night and only eaten leftover bread from the herder family—they were naturally hungry now.
The leader nodded and told two subordinates, "Watch him. Don't let him run, and if he tries, kill him."
The herding family usually cooked outside on an iron stove before bringing food in.
Wentworth took the lamb leg and sheep's head outside under guard by two criminals. Soon his voice drifted in: "This mutton needs to be blanched in boiling water first to remove the gamey smell, then sprinkle some black pepper and add a few bay leaves..."
Later his voice grew quieter, replaced by the aroma of roasting meat wafting into the house.
The leader couldn't help shouting, "Is the lamb ready yet?"
Wentworth answered from outside, "Almost, almost."
The leader sent another criminal out to check. Wentworth's voice carried over: "You want some too? Here, try a bite—it's incredibly fragrant."
That criminal never came back either.
Wentworth called out again, "See? I told you it tastes amazing. Take your time eating, everyone."
The leader assumed his men were all outside eating and sent two more people out. They didn't return either.
Only three criminals remained in the house.
The leader finally realized something was wrong. Matilda and the herding family also understood that Wentworth had likely taken care of the men outside.
"Quick, take out that guy outside!" the leader commanded his remaining two subordinates.
But they didn't dare move—none of the others who'd gone out had returned.
The leader grew furious and pulled out his pistol, pointing it at Peter. "Tell me, who is that man outside?"
Peter trembled in fear. "I... I don't know. I don't recognize him!"
The leader's heart sank—it had to be police or military! No one else would have those skills.
He was about to grab a hostage, and Matilda was closest to him.
Matilda was yanked over, the gun barrel pressed against her neck. Her whole body shook as she tried to force herself to stay calm.
In the doorway, Wentworth walked in, his gaze immediately locking onto Matilda.
Matilda looked back at him, unsure if he had any way to save her, but she couldn't help praying silently anyway.
"Don't come any closer! Take one more step and someone dies here!" the leader snarled viciously.
Wentworth raised both hands, signaling surrender.
Seeing his weakness, the leader ordered his two remaining men, "Tie him up. We'll deal with him slowly later!"
The two criminals approached Wentworth with rope. Just as they drew near, Wentworth spun around and instantly kicked both men to the ground.
Before the leader could react, Wentworth had rushed to his side and grabbed his gun hand.
Matilda felt the pressure on her neck release, and the next second she was pulled into Wentworth's embrace.
Almost simultaneously with embracing her, Wentworth kicked the leader to the ground.
His movements were clean and efficient. The criminals he'd taken down barely tried to get back up, and the leader was completely unconscious.
Surviving the ordeal, Matilda couldn't help breathing heavily to prevent herself from fainting due to her racing heart.
Wentworth pulled her aside and untied the herding family, telling them to leave immediately.
He used rope to tie up the remaining criminals securely, then used his satellite phone to contact Danny.
After finishing these tasks, he finally approached Matilda and asked, "Are you all right?"
Matilda shook her head. "I'm fine." Just shaken.
She never expected to encounter such danger in a place like this. She understood in her heart—military life wasn't easy, and neither was law enforcement on the border.
"Let's go. I'll take you back." Wentworth put his arm around her shoulders, and she didn't refuse.
Just as they reached the doorway, something possessed Matilda to glance back.
She suddenly saw that the severely injured criminal had awakened and was gripping the pistol Wentworth had knocked away earlier.
"Wen—" She instinctively stepped behind Wentworth to shield him.
Wentworth was faster, pulling her behind him protectively.
A gunshot rang out, and the powerful impact sent Wentworth falling straight backward.
Almost by instinct, as he fell, he hurled his military thermos at the criminal. The bottle struck its target, and the criminal lost all ability to resist.
However, Wentworth also lost consciousness at that moment, collapsing beside Matilda.