“Let’s take turns keeping watch then. I’ll take the first half of the night, and Mr. Foley can cover the second half.”
There were only five men here, old and sick, and currently, only the two of them were fit to bear the responsibility of night watch.
Although Kelvin fully understood everyone’s situation, he disliked being arranged so blatantly by his rival.
His knitted brows were almost tied into knots.
Clearly unhappy and about to refuse, he was interrupted by Cheyenne.
“Alright, that’s settled then.”
Kelvin looked gloomily at Cheyenne and shouted,
“Why can’t I take the second half and let him take the first?”
His voice was low, but everyone still heard it.
The crowd: “…”
Wow, Mr. Foley, you really are “tough!”
Cheyenne “Does it make any difference?”
Iker hadn’t expected Kelvin to be so childish; after a few seconds of stunned silence, he chuckled lightly.
Feeling mocked, Kelvin glared at him irritably.
“What are you laughing at? Childish.”
Iker: “Not as childish as you.”
Kelvin: “You’re the most childish.”
The two bickered like kindergarteners, far from their usual noble and aloof demeanor.
Cheyenne, unable to bear it any longer, kicked Kelvin;
Of course, she couldn’t kick Master Iker, so Kelvin had to suffer.
“Enough, the ages of you two plus together are almost the same as Old Bray. Can you just shut up, sleep if you need to sleep, and keep watch if it’s time to keep watch!”
Old Bray became so annoyed that he half-sat up and slapped his thigh.
“Nonsense, I’m just over 70 this year.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Paisley kicked him, snorting coldly.
“If you’re feeling energetic, maybe you should keep watch then.”
Hearing that, Old Bray immediately closed his eyes, pretending to rest, adopting the ostrich approach.
“I’m asleep, letting the younger ones do the night watch is just right.”
As the night grew darker, a bonfire was lit in the jungle.
The dim yellow flame brightened a corner and kept the poisonous snakes and wild beasts at bay.
The first half of the night quickly passed.
Kelvin actually had not slept at all; at the agreed time, he conscientiously approached the bonfire.
“Go to sleep, it’s my turn now.”
“No need, I’m not sleepy.”
Iker had never had a serious conversation with him before. Tonight, for the first time, the two sat together without disturbances.
He couldn’t help but speak his heart to Kelvin.
“You know? I’m actually really jealous of you.”
Kelvin knew what he meant, casually picking up a twig and throwing it into the fire.
Looking at the red flames bringing warmth and light, he couldn’t help but curl his lips into a faint smile.
“I know, but my love for her is no less than yours.”
And I have to thank you for taking care of Cheyenne while I was away at Yocmery.”
Iker turned to look at the sleeping Cheyenne, his sharp features softened by the firelight.
“Her presence is like that fire, bringing warmth and hope to me. I took care of her willingly, no thanks needed.”
Hearing this, Kelvin felt rather heavy-hearted; he shouldn’t have chatted with him, to avoid getting upset.
The two sat in silence for a while, surrounded by the crackling sound of burning wood.
Around four in the morning, a dark figure perfectly blended with the night, sneaking around from the bushes to the back of the camp.
Carefully picking up a backpack placed at the foot of the bed, ready to leave, he accidentally stepped on some leaves making a slight noise.
Since he had eaten the Golden Silkworm, Kelvin’s hearing had become more acute than before. The subtle sound did not escape his ears.
“Who’s there?”
With his shout, Iker also heightened his alertness, immediately turning to look.
Indeed, a dark shadow flitted by and quickly disappeared into the bushes.
“Chase!”
The two of them chased in different directions.
Logically, with the jungle being full of dangers, one needed to be cautious even in the daytime, let alone in the pitch-black night.
Iker was accustomed to this due to frequent outdoor training; Kelvin had the Golden Silkworm Magic.
And that person could move effortlessly in the dark night, evidently very familiar with the area.
Catching him would solve all the mysteries.
“Don’t run!”
“Stop, don’t run!”
After a relentless pursuit, they finally caught the little thief who was stealing.
Kelvin grabbed the person’s collar, holding his hands behind his back so he couldn’t run anymore.
By this time, Iker had also caught up and shined a flashlight on the thief.
To their surprise, the other party was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.
Thin and lean, with a youthful face and messy black hair, he looked like a destitute little beggar.
After being caught, he was not willing to give up and kept struggling.
He muttered words that the two men couldn’t understand, and only when he saw they didn’t react, did he speak in Chulae’s language.
“Let me go, you two bad guys!”
“So you can speak Chulae’s language, that’s good, saves us the trouble.”
Iker decided to tie the person up and take him back to their base for the time being.
The noise naturally woke everyone up, and by this time, Araceli and Old Bray were already awake.
Everyone was sitting around the campfire waiting for their return, with Cheyenne yawning ungracefully.
Tears blurred her vision as she saw the flashlight moving through the woods.
“They’re back, they’re back!”
Sure enough, it was Kelvin and Iker, and not only that… they also brought back a teenage boy.
“Who is this kid?”
Paisley asked curiously.
Iker pushed the person in front of everyone, making him stay put.
Bang-
The bag he had stolen was also safely brought back, and Cheyenne opened the backpack to check it, finding nothing missing.
“What do you want our dry food for?” she asked, seeing inside were all dry goods.
The kid snorted coldly, refusing to speak.
Seeing this, Cheyenne took out a piece of bread from the backpack and placed it in his hand, generously saying:
“Just tell me why you wanted to steal our things, and I’ll give you this bread, how about that?”
“I don’t want it, I’m not hungry, hmph!”
The boy stubbornly refused her kindness, but his body’s reaction was honest.
His stomach suddenly made an embarrassingly loud noise.
Everyone involuntarily looked at the boy, and two flushes of red appeared on the boy’s dark face.
He clenched his lips stubbornly.
“See, you’re hungry, aren’t you? This bread is my favorite flavor, sweet and soft with one bite. Don’t you want to try it?”
“If you won’t speak, then I will eat it myself.”
Under the boy’s eager gaze, she really opened the bread packaging, deliberately swaying it in front of him.
“Smell it, doesn’t it smell good? Don’t you want to eat?”
“I do.”