Capítulo 139: Chapter 139: The Best Way to Relax
The two did not chat much on the open channel; the other side simply hinted that Jessie's two friends had successfully contacted David Rossi and were currently safe.
"Roger that, buddy. There are a lot of fire ants here, so remember to bring plenty of insecticide when you come tomorrow. Over."
Jack believed the other party understood his hint.
"No problem, buddy. We'll bring enough insecticide to amaze you. By the way, the signal tower near you is just broken; it should be fixed by tomorrow morning, around 8 to 9 a.m. Expect our call then. Over."
With that, the conversation ended. Jack was a bit confused about the phone reference. In such a desolate place, it would take the USA another ten years to build a base station here. However, it was certain that someone would try to contact him around 8 to 9 a.m. tomorrow.
As darkness fell, Jack looked around. They needed to find a place to spend the night. Staying in that dilapidated house was out of the question; the stench of corpses was unbearable, not to mention its lack of safety.
"Let's go. I saw a lookout tower upstream earlier when we were on the mountain. We can spend the night there."
Jack pulled the Jeep's key out, initially considering deflating the tires, but then he thought better of it. If they could drive here, it meant the small road could lead to the mountain dirt road and possibly to the sinister family's villa. They might need the car tomorrow.
The two continued upstream along the creek and soon found the lookout tower standing among the trees. It was a wooden structure, looking quite old but seemingly still sturdy.
At the top of the tower was a small wooden cabin with glass windows, about 20 meters above the ground.
"I'll go up first and check it out. You stay on guard below."
Jack was about to climb the ladder when he felt his arm being grabbed, pausing in surprise.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Jack asked, thinking the girl was scared of the lookout tower's height and didn't want to sleep up there at night.
"I want to wash up by the water first. I'm too dirty."
Jessie had been mostly silent, following Jack's lead without question, almost heartbreakingly obedient. Now, her request made Jack realize he, too, felt itchy all over from the day's trek.
He glanced at the sky, judging there was still some time before it got completely dark, and nodded, "Alright, let's go together. I'll come down right away."
According to Sam Eugene, the ogres rarely acted at night; they needed sufficient rest to handle mining and hunting activities during the day.
Jessie nodded and handed Jack the bag of gold dust she'd been holding.
"You take this. It's too heavy."
In fact, the bag wasn't very heavy, less than a kilogram, worth about five or six thousand dollars. Jessie was subtly expressing her trust and gratitude by giving it to Jack.
Jack didn't say much, opened his backpack, and motioned for her to put it in. At some point, his purpose had shifted from just seeking gold.
From below, the small wooden cabin at the top of the lookout tower seemed tiny, but once inside, Jack found it surprisingly spacious, about five or six square meters.
After setting down his backpack, Jack checked a row of shelves along the wall. There were a few cans, some bottled water, a rusty first aid kit, and some miscellaneous bottles and cans, all prepared for the rangers.
Worried about Jessie being alone below, he didn't delay long. He took out a box of compressed towels and a bottle of mosquito repellent from his backpack, then climbed down the ladder.
The creek wasn't far, with no riverbank to speak of. A few steps out of the woods brought them to the water's edge. Jack, holding his gun, kept an eye on their surroundings while searching the grass for dry branches and fresh dittany leaves to build a fire and ward off mosquitoes.
"Jack."
A soft voice called from behind. Jack turned around to see, in the dim twilight, a flawless, graceful figure standing in the water, so beautiful it was mesmerizing.
---
"Ah-choo!"
Jessie sneezed hard, shivering as she squeezed closer to Jack's embrace.
"Alright, the clothes are dry. Put them on."
Jack rolled his eyes, giving a light slap to her white, perky rear and casting a healing spell.
At over a thousand meters above sea level, the temperature had dropped to around ten degrees as the sun set. The night wind in the mountains added a chill.
He had thought Jessie's idea of washing up by the water meant simply cleaning herself up a bit. He hadn't expected her to have the courage to strip down and get into the water. If it weren't for his healing abilities, she might have come down with pneumonia by tomorrow.
But he did get quite an eyeful. Her figure was exceptionally stunning.
By the time they climbed back into the wooden cabin atop the lookout tower, it was completely dark. Concerned about being spotted from a high place, Jack didn't use a flashlight. Relying on the faint moonlight, he opened his backpack, found some food, and with the canned goods on the shelf, they managed to fill their stomachs.
Standing by the window, looking at the moonlit mountain ranges in the distance, Jessie seemed lost in thought, wrapped in a thin jacket.
"Get some rest. Don't think too much. This will all be over tomorrow."
Jack comforted her from behind. Today's events had been too much for her: witnessing deaths, facing ogres, and killing someone for the first time.
"I just feel so stupid for being heartbroken over a man more foolish than myself before today."
"If it weren't for me, Evan might still be alive, and Florence wouldn't have met such a fate. Oh God, it's all because of me."
Tears streamed down her face, and she soon broke down, sobbing.
"Hey, girl."
Jack turned her around to face him, her tearful eyes meeting his. He felt a headache coming on; he wasn't a smooth talker like John, who could easily touch a girl's heart with a few words.
"Don't burden yourself with undue guilt. You've done well. Don't forget, you took down two monsters and a scoundrel today. Without you, I couldn't have handled so many opponents."
Jessie chuckled through her tears, "Is that how you comfort people? Do you think I'm a child?"
"Get some rest. You need to relax as much as possible."
Jack genuinely didn't know how to comfort her. He rarely took the initiative in these situations.
Jessie's eyes suddenly became shy, biting her lip gently. "Do you know what the best way to relax is?"
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