At first, Uriel was a bit hesitant to take the wheel, and Alisha was extremely nervous.
But Mr. Foley just turned around and left, not caring at all about how much money they would spend.
As the sky darkened, the serene and quaint little mountain village lit up with a few lights.
The last rays of the setting sun spilled onto the roof, where a few wild grasses had unknowingly sprouted among the moss-covered asbestos tiles, swaying in the night breeze.
The winding mountain road, carved against the mountainside, resembled a long serpent coiling on the mountains, with its twists and turns, steep slopes, testing the skill of the driver.
For passengers, however, it was torture.
Having grown up in the plateau, Uriel was familiar with such road conditions, so even the narrow and dangerous mountain road was a piece of cake for him.
As a special police officer, Alisha could clearly endure such a situation.
It was Kelvin, the person who never got car sick, whose stomach was churning fiercely at the moment, with the sound of the car engine buzzing in his head.
His face was incredibly pale, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, as he struggled to endure it.
“So this is what car sickness feels like, truly unpleasant.”
Among them, only Cierra would get car sick. Even when she sat in the luxury Rolls-Royce worth millions, she would feel uncomfortable.
But since she was still young, car sickness was not a big deal. As a doctor, even Cheyenne couldn’t do much about it.
Now Kelvin finally understood the feeling when his daughter got car sick. If an adult like him couldn’t handle it, then it would be even harder for two-year-old Cierra.
When he got back, he wouldn’t dare to complain about his little daughter being delicate anymore.
Although Alisha was staring straight ahead at the scenery, she couldn’t help but notice Mr. Foley’s condition out of the corner of her eye.
She paused for a few seconds, “So Mr. Foley gets car sick, huh, Mr. David… maybe you should drive a bit slower.”
Uriel really wanted to say that their speed was not fast at the moment, mainly because of the many twists and turns on the mountain road.
“I’ll do my best. Mr. Foley, please hang in there. We’ll be at Mountmend soon.”
Kelvin, one hand on his stomach and the other supporting his throbbing forehead, rubbed his temples with his long fingers to try to stay awake.
This trick was taught to him by Cheyenne, and it seemed to help a bit.
“No need to worry; focus on driving.”
“Okay.”
If possible, Kelvin didn’t even want to say a single unnecessary word. The combination of altitude sickness and car sickness… made his impressive physical strength seem somewhat inadequate.
It seemed that indeed, he was getting older and couldn’t keep up with his younger self.
After some thought, Alisha quickly reached into her bag and took out a pack of tissues, handing it to Mr. Foley, “Mr. Foley, please wipe away the sweat.”
Kelvin shook his head and didn’t take it.
So her hands awkwardly paused in mid-air for two seconds before she quickly retracted them.
At the same time, she comforted herself in her mind: rich people are always so aloof, don’t get mad at them.
Meanwhile, Uriel, who was driving, felt that the two of them were not in the best condition at the moment and kindly reminded, “Alisha, remember, for this mission, you are Mrs. Paul. When we get into the village, you can’t address Mr. Foley as such.”
Alisha nodded in agreement, “Got it, I remember.”
Finally, the three of them arrived at Mountmend just a few minutes before the sky became completely dark.
The seclusion of this place surprised Kelvin. Used to the hustle and bustle of Akloit with its bright lights and skyscrapers, the gray and run-down little village in front of him felt like a historical relic from the 1980s.
At the village entrance stood a huge wooden archway with letter written – “Mountmend.”
Due to its proximity to the tropical rainforest, the weather here was exceptionally humid and hot, even at night with temperatures reaching thirty-seven to thirty-eight degrees Celsius.
To accommodate such weather, most local buildings were two-story structures made of bamboo. Uriel called them “foot-building.”
The upper floor was for living while the lower floor was for raising livestock.
Kelvin remained silent but his eyes keenly observed everything before him, carefully noting every detail in the surroundings.
As their car stopped at the village entrance, the villagers quickly noticed their arrival. Soon, the village chief appeared.
The chief of Mountmend was a man in his forties, dark and thin. He wore a black velvet jacket with intricate patterns embroidered on it, paired with wide-legged dark blue pants and old cloth shoes with layered soles. In his hand, he held a shiny brass pipe, eyeing them warily.
The other villagers were dressed similarly to the chief with minor differences.
“Who are you? Why have you come to our village so late?” The chief spoke in dialect, which Kelvin didn’t understand, instinctively looking to Uriel for help.
Uriel, experienced from his undercover missions, quickly offered a cigarette to the chief, and said, “Sir, please don’t misunderstand. We are here to visit our relatives.”
The chief, reassured by their ordinary attire and the average quality of the cigarette, accepted it. “Which family are your relatives from? I know all the families in the village, but I have never seen you before.”
Sweating in his palms, Uriel continued, “Uncle, you haven’t seen us before because it’s our first time here. We came for the full moon celebration of my cousin’s newborn son.”
Only one family in the village had recently given birth to a son. The chief stopped questioning them, believing they were genuine visitors. However, he cast a doubtful glance at the tall man whose face had turned pale.
Kelvin, despite his disguise, was the most conspicuous among them.
“And he came here for the same reason?” the chief began, gesturing towards Kelvin.
Kelvin nodded slightly. Uriel hurriedly explained, “He’s my brother-in-law. He has a congenital heart condition, and the journey today has exhausted him.”
“I see. Follow me; Camren Whitehead’s house is behind the old village hall. I’ll take you to him.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Soon, the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion dispersed. The sudden appearance of three out-of-town relatives at Camren’s house surprised everyone.
As Kelvin walked, he noticed another detail: despite the remote and secluded location, there were many young women in their twenties in Mountmend. Surprisingly, there were fewer young men; the ratio of men to women skewed heavily towards the latter, with the men being older, mostly in their thirties or even older bachelors.