Chapter 86
Chapter 86
In Brazil, it was half past four in the afternoon.
A casually dressed officer, accompanied by his team, met with an elderly gentleman. Despite his age, the old man didn’t appear old except for the gray hair on his head.
He moved with grace, exuding an air of nobility, and had a deep gray coat draped over his arm, emitting the distinctive aura of a leader. Engaging in conversation with them was another gentleman by his side, a middle-aged man with elegance and charm.
“Are you Major Martin and Major Warner? Thank you both,” he greeted.
“Not at all, not at all!” Major Martin warmly shook hands with the man and then turned to introduce, “This is Major Warner, in charge of all security matters for our production team. He will personally take care of you both and escort you to the base camp.”
Blake Lopez turned to Major Warner and extended his hand with a friendly gesture, “Sorry to bother you, Major Warner.”
Major Warner, who oversaw the control room, shook hands with Blake and inquired, “But may I ask why you’re coming to the base camp? If you had informed us in advance, we could have made preparations.”
Blake withdrew his hand and smiled graciously, “I apologize, for our little daughter at home is a bit mischievous. She didn’t inform us before joining this dangerous show and ended up getting injured. We were concerned and wanted to come in person.”
Major Warner paused for a moment, pondering. He guessed, “You’re talking about the young recruit Elaine Lopez at Military Base No. 5, right?”
Blake nodded, “You guessed it.”
It turned out the grandparents were worried about their child. Major Warner understood now and waved, his hand, “The car is right outside; please, both of you, hop in.”
Elaine couldn’t believe she was this important. After being bitten by a snake, her parents hadn’t even made a phone call, but her grandfather and uncle were so worried they rushed to see her in person. Seeing the sudden appearance of her two elder relatives in the hospital room, Elaine felt a mix of embarrassment and gratitude.
She struggled to get out of bed, too excited to find the right words, “I’m fine, really! Grandpa, look, I can walk without any issues. The doctor said they just need to observe me for another twenty-four hours, and then I can be discharged!”
Derek sat on the sofa, leaning against its not-so-soft backrest. After observing for a while, he said to Blake, “Looks like she’s doing well,
huh?”
Blake nodded, “Her movements seem fine.”
Elaine, feeling shy, said, “I’ve always been strong since I was a child, not prone to injuries. You guys forgot when I fell out of a tree when I was little…”
“Then let’s get you back to your team,” Derek interrupted her, suddenly.
Elaine stammered, “Huh?”
Derek continued, “You said you’ve already recovered, right? Grandpa sees you’re almost back to normal. Your teammate has found the Second Chance Card, so let Major Warner contact them and have your teammate revive you. You’ll be back with your team immediately.”
Elaine wasn’t entirely sure and looked hesitantly at her two elder relatives. She couldn’t believe it, “I thought… Grandpa and Uncle came to stop me from continuing.”
“We won’t stop you,” Blake said directly.
Elaine hesitated for a moment, looking down at her still-bandaged leg. It was still somewhat painful. She carefully said, “But my injury isn’t completely healed yet. Going back to the team right away might be a bit…”
Derek frowned, “Didn’t you say you were already fine?”
“It seems fine, but it’s not fully recovered…”
“Elaine, the stern old man suddenly said.
Elaine looked at her grandfather carefully, “Grandpa…”
Derek shook his head, “Grandpa is very disappointed in you.”
“Here’s the deal,” Blake stood up from the sofa at this point, saying, “I’ll go fetch the doctor for another check-up. If the doctor agrees, we’ll revive you right away.”
Elaine still hesitated, “But I…”
“After revival, you’ll have another task,” Derek suddenly added.
On the other side…
Eileen Lopez received instructions from a drone after setting up her tent at night.
“Why revive Elaine immediately? What’s the reason?” she asked.
The drone replied, “Don’t you want an extra helper? Handling a small team on your own is exhausting.”
“I’m not tired,” Eileen said. “Bringing Elaine along is tiring; she’s a burden, not very smart, and clumsy. I was planning to revive her when we’re close to the finish line, just use her as a bargaining chip for the prize, that’s all she’s good for.”
There was a brief silence on the drone’s end. After a while, it said, “Elaine can hear our conversation right now.”
Eileen realized, “You mean she’s listening?”
The drone saw that she was not willing to cooperate, and could only directly say, “In fact, Second Chance Card has a time limit for use, and if it is not used for more than 12 hours, it will be invalid.”
Eileen was angry. ”
made that rule?”
“Our superiors.”
Eileen yelled, “What a scoundrel!”
The drone asked, “Are you going to use Second Chance Card?”
In the end, there was nothing Eileen could do. Eileen had to grudgingly agree to resurrect Elaine! An hour later, Elaine was brought in with a limp.
Elaine got out of the helicopter and stood awkwardly, watching Eileen’s expression carefully. Eileen sat by the fire in silence, staring at her unkindly.
Egbert tried to ease the tension, asking Elaine, “Have you had dinner?”
Elaine was about to reply when Eileen cut in, “You didn’t come here on an empty stomach, did you? You didn’t, did you?”
Fearing Eileen’s anger, Elaine hurriedly explained, “I ate, I ate before coming here, I ate a lot. I can go until noon tomorrow without feeling hungry!”
Eileen glanced at her. Burton walked over, supporting his sister, and quietly asked her, “Are your legs really okay?”
Elaine nodded, “I’ve got bandages on, so I’m a bit less agile, but I’m mostly fine.”
Burton said, “Then sit down for now.”
Elaine grabbed Burton’s arm-and suddenly said, “Grandpa and Uncle came, and they said…”
Elaine whispered in Burton’s ear for a while.
Eileen, standing nearby, noticed, “What are you two whispering about?”
This voice made Elaine shudder. She quickly turned her head and said with an awkward smile, “We weren’t doing anything, really, nothing at all, Auntie… Ahahaha, cough cough.”
Elaine suddenly burst into laughter. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Egbert narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting toward Elaine.
“Hahaha,” Elaine scratched her head, looking embarrassed. “I, I suddenly choked?”
Eileen turned to Egbert directly, “It’s over; she’s gone crazy. Not only am I stuck with a limping partner, but I also have a lunatic. There’s no way we’ll win first place.”