บท 173: Doubts
"You're Jake?" After listening to Eli's report, Hank turned his gaze towards Jake.
In Eli's report, Jake had shone brightly during both encounters with danger on the supply convoy, which piqued Hank's interest.
"Yes, I am," Jake nodded.
"Are you interested in joining my unit?" Hank asked.
Some of the soldiers around them looked enviously at Jake. To them, joining Hank's unit meant becoming part of the regular army, a significant improvement from their previous status as makeshift troops. Moreover, with Hank's appreciation, Jake's promotion prospects would likely be faster.
Most people assumed that Jake would accept the offer. However, to their surprise, Jake shook his head and refused, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, General Hank, but I have no interest in being a soldier. After this military service ends, I want to go back to farming."
The people around were astonished to hear Jake's words, especially the soldiers standing beside Hank. They wore expressions of disbelief as they stared at Jake.
Hank had personally extended the invitation, a privilege few people ever received, and Jake had turned it down? Even Hank himself was mildly surprised, but his interest in Jake was only marginal. Hearing Jake's response, he simply nodded.
Then, without looking at Jake again, Hank turned his attention to Eli and said, "Keep the captives here as laborers, and I'll have Easton, their leader, escorted back. Your contributions will be recognized by the court when the time comes."
"Thank you, General Hank." Eli nodded, and then Hank left with his group.
The captives began to move the grain. For them, staying behind as laborers might not be a bad thing. At least they would have food to eat and wouldn't starve.
As for the members of Skylark Camp, they would stay here for a day and depart for their return journey the following morning. After Hank and his group left, Eli dispersed the Skylark Camp members and had a private conversation with Jake.
"Jake, why did you refuse General Hank's offer? Following him would have allowed you to enter the regular army and would have guaranteed a promising future," Eli said with some urgency.
Eli genuinely hoped that Jake could join the regular army. He believed that Jake's talents could only be fully utilized there, and he thought it would be a waste for Jake to return to farming.
Jake smiled and replied, "My heart isn't set on that path. Farming is what suits me best."
In the real world, his restaurant was about to open. While he could certainly use ordinary ingredients, he wanted his restaurant to become famous nationwide, even worldwide. That would require access to the unique ingredients from this world.
However, Jake didn't have the money to purchase these ingredients yet, and he still owed a significant debt to the village elder. So, for now, farming was his best option.
Furthermore, becoming a regular soldier would mean losing a lot of his freedom. Most of his time would be spent in camp training, making it difficult for him to continue exploring this world, something he had a strong desire to do.
Eli sighed and said, "Well, it's your choice." He had realized that Jake was genuinely more interested in returning to farming than staying in the military.
Originally, Jake had planned to explore the camp, but it seemed that the makeshift troops like them were not particularly welcome. The camp's soldiers had explicitly told them not to wander around, and they were assigned lodgings at the rear of the camp for the night.
"Captain, is that the city built by beings from the otherworld?" Brenton asked Jake, pointing towards the distant city. "I've grown up all my life, and I've never seen people from the otherworld. The elders in my village say that the otherworldly beings are eight feet tall, with blood-red skin, terrifying faces, three heads, and six arms. I wonder if it's true."
At this moment, they stood in their camp and looked at the city in the distance, the city built by beings from the otherworld, which was the target of the recent attack by the major nations of the human world.
"Are you curious? You can go and take a look," Adrian said to Brenton.
Brenton shrank back and said, "I'd rather not."
Clearly, Brenton had some fear of the otherworldly beings due to the stories he had heard. Jake, too, was curious about the otherworldly beings. If the beasts infected by the demonic aura turned so ferocious, what would beings who had grown up in an environment filled with demonic aura be like? Would they be even more ferocious?
As the sky gradually darkened, Jake returned to his tent and then transitioned back to the real world. The camp also gradually quieted down as most people went to rest.
However, Hank didn't rest; his tent remained lit.
"Is there still no news from the other supply convoys?" Hank asked his adjutant. His face appeared shadowy under the lamp's light.
"Other than the supply convoy from Pergamon County, there's been no word from the others. No news at all," the adjutant replied. "Based on the timing, they should have arrived by now, and some of the supply convoys were even closer than the one from Pergamon County. It's quite unusual."
This was also a source of Hank's confusion.
Pergamon County was by no means the nearest city to their location. Yet, their supply convoy had arrived, while those closer had not. Something seemed off.
"How long can we hold out with the supplies from Pergamon and our current stockpile?" Hank asked.
"At most three days," the adjutant replied.
"Three days," Hank muttered to himself. "Perhaps we should make some other preparations."
"General, are you suggesting..."
"I have a feeling that this supply convoy matter isn't as simple as it seems," Hank said. "I hope I'm wrong, but if not, some heads will roll!"
The adjutant was taken aback, sensing the intense killing intent emanating from Hank. Clearly, Hank was furious!
Back in the real world, during their morning exercise, Wendy asked Jake about what had happened the previous night. "You're opening a restaurant?" Wendy's voice remained cold.
"Yes," Jake nodded. He guessed that what he had said the previous night had already circulated around campus, and Wendy must have heard it from somewhere.
"Where is it located?"
"Across from Kailomen," Jake replied.
Kailomen was a renowned restaurant in J City, and many people knew about it. Wendy nodded when she heard Jake's answer and remained silent.
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