Monica chatted with Leo for a while longer, then glanced at her watch and stood up. “Dr. Bloomer, it’s getting late. I should return to my tent and rest.”
Leo sensed the slight tension in Monica’s voice. Indeed, for a woman, spending a night in such a desolate wilderness was quite challenging, especially for someone like Monica, who had been pampered since childhood.
Before mustering the courage to find Leo, Monica had considered asking her assistant to sleep with her. However, she dismissed the idea, not wanting to appear cowardly in front of her subordinate.
As Monica prepared to leave the tent, Leo suddenly said, “Monica, why don’t you sleep in my tent?”
“What!?” Monica didn’t turn around, too embarrassed to face him. Even as a liberated woman, she couldn’t help but blush.
Leo quickly explained, “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean anything else. I’m not planning to sleep anyway, so you can use my sleeping bag.”
“What? You’re not sleeping?” Monica turned around, puzzled.
“Yes, I’ll just meditate.”
“Meditate?”
“It’s like sitting and thinking, similar to sleeping while sitting.” Leo tried to explain his practice in simple terms.
Monica seemed to understand and hesitated. She wanted to sleep in Leo’s tent because, after today’s events, she only felt safe around him.
Leo moved to a spot on the ground and smiled, gesturing towards his sleeping bag.
Monica’s heart raced as she bit her lip and walked over. She wasn’t a pretentious woman, but it was her first time sharing a space with a man, making her nervous.
Monica had never been in a serious relationship; all her energy and interest were devoted to medical research.
Trusting Leo and feeling secure around him, Monica lay down in the warm sleeping bag, which still held Leo’s warmth.
She turned her head slightly to sneak a peek at Leo, only to find him sitting calmly with his eyes closed, already in a meditative state.
Early the next morning, before anyone else was awake, Leo woke Monica and urged her to return to her tent to protect her reputation and avoid misunderstandings.
After changing into hiking clothes and having a simple breakfast, everyone set off on their respective tasks.
Outside the camp, Christopher ran up to Leo and Monica, panting. “Dr. Bloomer, Ms. Monica, let me carry your hiking gear.”
With Leo’s nod of approval, Christopher and Rory took their equipment and led the way along the planned route.
Initially, the path was easy to walk, but it soon became rugged and overgrown. Since their goal was to find the virus host, Monica stopped to sample any suspicious creatures and placed them in special containers.
After more than an hour, they had to rely on Christopher and Rory’s machetes to clear the way.
“Dr. Bloomer, Ms. Monica, be careful here. There are often snakes around, and they’re usually venomous,” Christopher warned.
“Venomous snakes!?” Monica turned pale and instinctively grabbed Leo’s arm.
Leo gently patted her hand. “Don’t worry. With me here, no snake will come near you.”
His reassurance calmed Monica’s fear, though she remained slightly nervous and refrained from exploring suspicious creatures alone.
By noon, they had climbed over a hill. The saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” seemed fitting as they looked ahead at even higher peaks stretching endlessly into the distance.
Christopher pointed to a distant peak. “That’s the border between two provinces and the edge of the Primeval Forest.”
After eating some dry food to regain their strength, they continued onward.
By 3:30 PM, they had climbed another hill and collected numerous live samples.
Seeing it was getting late, Christopher and Rory led Leo and Monica back to camp.
They returned just as night fell.
Other groups also returned one after another, carrying special collection boxes filled with various creatures.
After dinner, everyone began testing their samples but found no virus hosts.
Despite the disappointment, no one felt too disheartened. Finding a virus host was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
Late at night, just like the previous night, Monica quietly slipped into Leo’s tent.
Exhausted from the day’s work, she lay comfortably in the sleeping bag and fell asleep like a kitten after chatting with Leo for a while.
For the next two days, Leo and Monica repeated their search under Rory and Christopher’s guidance. Despite their efforts, they still couldn’t find the virus host.
Tonight, instead of immediately going to sleep as she had before, Monica sat on the ground massaging her pale feet.
“Dr. Bloomer, I don’t know when we’ll find the virus host. I feel like I can’t hold on much longer,” Monica sighed.
Leo was equally anxious. Willow was still waiting for him to save her back at the clinic. Fortunately, under Shiloh’s care, Willow’s condition remained stable.
Noticing Monica’s swollen feet, Leo moved closer and offered, “Let me massage your feet.”
Without waiting for her consent, he began massaging her feet with his hands.
Monica instinctively let out a soft cry but soon felt a tingling sensation mixed with coolness that greatly alleviated her fatigue.
Her body relaxed completely as the soothing feeling spread from her feet throughout her body. She almost let out a moan of pleasure.
Monica’s feet were slightly larger than Sophia’s but equally perfect in shape with smooth and delicate skin on the instep.
“Dr. Bloomer… I didn’t expect your massage skills to be so professional…” Monica praised while enjoying the massage.