Chapter 694: Sleeping Pills
Chapter 694: Chapter 694: Sleeping Pills
"Let’s find some dry firewood and start a fire. It’s already dark."
"I have a flashlight here. Do you guys need it?" Flynn Hansen had just taken out his flashlight when Evelyn Ford pulled a massive searchlight out of her backpack. It lit up the area for kilometers around. Flynn Hansen touched his ear and silently put his flashlight back in his bag.
"I’ll go over there and gather wood."
Evelyn Ford glanced at the bare, rocky mounds around them and started pulling logs from her bag.
Flynn Hansen stared at her, numb and dazed. Ryan Rowe, on the other hand, was quick to act, gathering the wood to start the fire.
"Captain Hansen, you probably only have compressed biscuits in your bag, right? What would you like to eat? My treat."
Flynn Hansen didn’t stand on ceremony any longer. "I’m fine with anything."
"Then let’s eat well tonight. We’ve had a long day, and I’m starving."
Placing the searchlight on the boundary marker, Evelyn Ford rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
She took out canned braised pork and instant noodles from her bag and cooked a large pot full. After the four of them finished eating, Evelyn Ford finally felt alive again. The warmth spreading through her stomach was a welcome comfort.
"Let’s hurry up and set up the tents to rest. We have to travel again tomorrow." Out in the wild, there was no time for hygiene or privacy; survival was all that mattered. Flynn Hansen set up his tent and, without even taking off his shoes, prepared to lie down and sleep.
"You guys aren’t sleeping yet?"
"It’s cold. We’re going to warm ourselves by the fire a little longer."
Flynn Hansen didn’t say anything more. After he lay down, Evelyn Ford nodded at Ronan Kendrick.
Earlier, Evelyn Ford had added a special sleeping draught to Flynn Hansen’s bowl. It was harmless to the human body but would induce a deep sleep for ten hours.
Flynn Hansen felt sleepy because the drug was taking effect, making him drowsy.
He had been lying down for barely a minute when snores began to echo from the tent.
"It’s a good thing we’re not bad people. He’s sleeping so soundly, we could sell him and he wouldn’t even know," Ryan Rowe joked.
Evelyn Ford smiled. "Rhys Chase said Flynn Hansen is very capable. After spending a day with him, I’d say his strength lies in his combat skills. In other aspects, he’s quite simple. Let’s go. Back to the space to sleep."
Evelyn Ford walked to Flynn Hansen’s tent and brought him, tent and all, into the space.
Inside the wooden house in the space, everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of the three people and the tent on the floor.
"Who is this person?"
"One of Rhys Chase’s men, his name is Flynn Hansen. Just let him crash here for the night. Our trip today went smoothly, so don’t worry. Everyone, go back to your rooms and sleep."
"Have you eaten? There’s still soup simmering in the kitchen. I made it for you. There’s also food in the pot." As she spoke, Taylor Vance moved to get the food.
Evelyn Ford quickly followed her. "We’ll have some soup, but we’ll skip the meal. We just ate a lot of instant noodles, so we’re already full."
"How many kilometers did you cover today?" Taylor Vance took the stew pot off the stove and ladled a bowl of soup for everyone.
Evelyn Ford’s eyes lit up. Mushroom soup. It smelled so fragrant. ’I’ll have to drink another bowl.’
"Over a hundred kilometers. The grasslands are full of plants and rocks, so we were worried about the horses falling and had to go a bit slow. Once we enter Serena Province tomorrow, it’ll probably be even slower. I took a look at the border just now; the original roads were all destroyed by earthquakes. This journey won’t be easy either."
Wyatt Vaughn came into the kitchen to help. "Is it still raining outside?"
"It is, but it’s just a light rain. It might turn into a downpour later tonight."
Evelyn Ford called Ronan Kendrick and Ryan Rowe in for soup. As for Flynn Hansen, she decided to leave a portion for him in a thermos.
After finishing the soup and chatting for a while, Evelyn Ford returned to her bedroom. Although her clothes weren’t soaked, her feet were frozen stiff. She needed to soak them to warm them up before she could wash up.
After taking off her raincoat and rain boots, Evelyn Ford had just sat down when a sharp pain shot through her rear end.
Ronan Kendrick came in and saw Evelyn Ford wincing in pain.
"What’s wrong?"
"My butt hurts, my wrists hurt, my palms hurt, my thighs hurt, my lower back hurts, my tailbone hurts, my spine hurts, my throat hurts, my head hurts... Everything hurts."
Ronan Kendrick...
"Let me see."
Evelyn Ford was already wilting. "After I take a bath, I need to apply some ointment. The insides of my thighs are chafed raw. Aren’t you in pain?"
Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "Maybe I’m just thick-skinned."
Evelyn Ford held out her hand. "I’m thick-skinned too! I’m never going to be lazy again. I need to practice riding more often instead of being so inconsistent."
Soaking her feet made her feel much better. Evelyn Ford quickly went into the bathroom to wash up. Ronan Kendrick tried to help her but was pushed out.
"I’m already in this state, and you’re still trying to start something? You scumbag."
The accusation landed squarely on him, and Ronan Kendrick had to bear it whether he wanted to or not.
"I’m not that much of a beast."
Evelyn Ford huffed, "I’m not listening, I’m not listening."
The bathroom door closed. SPLASH! Evelyn Ford hopped into the bathtub.
When she came out after washing up, Ronan Kendrick was waiting with ointment. "Come here, let me put this on for you."
"I can do it myself. You should go wash up. I’m dead tired."
Ronan Kendrick pulled her over. "I swear, I won’t do anything but apply the ointment."
"I didn’t say anything."
"You don’t have to. Your eyes are screaming that I’m a beast."
Evelyn Ford stifled a laugh. "Well, are you?"
"Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not."
"So are you right now?"
Ronan Kendrick sighed. "I don’t want to be, but I don’t think I can control myself."
Alarm bells went off in Evelyn Ford’s head. She grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at him. Ronan Kendrick caught it, an apologetic look on his face.
"I deserved that."
—
At eight the next morning, while Flynn Hansen was still asleep, Evelyn Ford gave Quincy and the others a few instructions, then grabbed Flynn Hansen’s tent and left the space.
She had just emerged when Ronan Kendrick followed right after, pulling Ryan Rowe with him.
"Was there a storm last night? The fire pit is full of rainwater. The fog is a bit thick, making it hard to get our bearings."
Evelyn Ford pointed at Flynn Hansen in the tent. "With him around, we probably don’t have to worry about directions."
"Oh, shoot. I forgot to bring the four horses out." Evelyn Ford slapped her forehead and ducked back into the space to get them.
By the time she came out with the horses, Flynn Hansen was slowly waking up.
"What time is it?"
"Almost nine."
Flynn Hansen was instantly wide awake. "Nine o’clock? I’m sorry, everyone, I overslept. I slept so soundly last night. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept that well."
Ryan Rowe smiled. "Sleeping soundly means you’re healthy. It’s fine, we just woke up too. Come have some breakfast. After we eat, we’ll get back on the road."
Looking at the big pot full of noodles and large chunks of meat, Flynn Hansen had the strange feeling that he was on a camping trip with friends.
"This is for you." Evelyn Ford handed the thermos to Flynn Hansen.
"What’s this?"
"Soup. Drink it to warm your stomach."
He opened the lid, and the rich aroma of mushrooms filled the air. Flynn Hansen’s throat moved, and he couldn’t resist taking a sip.
’It’s so savory.’
After breakfast, the four of them set off again. The temperature was very low today and the fog was thick, so everyone put on extra layers of clothing.
Ronan Kendrick tried to move closer to talk to Evelyn Ford, but she just huffed and rode her horse straight to the front of the group.
"Mr. Kendrick, did you and Evelyn have a fight?" Ryan Rowe asked, a rare moment of gossip from him.
Ronan Kendrick shot him a look, his tone a bit cold. "How could Evelyn and I possibly fight? You’re mistaken."