NovelEnglish
Chapter 186
Four days later, at the 8th Air Force Battalion,
Eileen just wrapped up a grueling training session and was planning to hit the mess hall with her
buddies.
Suddenly, one of the crew members stopped her and said, “Ms. Lopez, can you come over here for a
sec?*
Eileen walked over, looking puzzled.
Away from the camera, the crew member told her, “There’s a procurement task that’s been assigned to
you.”
Eileen froze, ‘Procurement?”
He explained, “It’s military procurement. You’ll accompany the buyer this afternoon and return by
tomorrow evening.”
Eileen furrowed her brows, “Isn’t this a job for the Logistics Department? Why do I need to go? Plus,
doesn’t procurement mean leaving the camp? We’re not supposed to leave, right?”
The crew member shrugged, “I don’t really know the details. It’s the director’s decision. If you’ve got
issues, you should take it up with him.”
Eileen glanced around, asking, “Where’s the director?”
The crew member pointed, “In the lounge, about twenty minutes from here.”
Twenty minutes? Wouldn’t that mess up her dinner time?
Eileen frowned, then finally said, “Whatever, I’ll go with the flow, I’ll follow orders.”
The crew member breathed a sigh of relief.
Eileen didn’t say anything else and headed straight for the mess hall.
After Eileen left, the director came out from a corner, looking helpless.
The crew member looked puzzled, “Mister, if you didn’t want Ms. Lopez to leave, why didn’t you just
refuse the higher-ups?”
The director snapped, “If I could have refused, I would have already done so.”
Silent Wing had scored some points!
The higher-ups were bending over backward to meet his requests.
When Silent Wing suggested that Eileen should get a day and a half off, the leaders immediately
issued an order to arrange it.
The director had no choice but to console himself. Giving her some time off was a good thing. Seeing
less of Eileen for a couple of days would save his hair from falling out.
The news that Eileen was going on a procurement trip with the buyer made the other seven guests
green with envy.
They were all undergoing rigorous training daily. The chance to leave the camp for a day felt like
Christmas.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThat afternoon, Eileen left in the buyer’s car.
But something felt off – there was no camera.
Two hours later, they arrived downtown.
The car pulled up in a secluded alley.
The buyer handed Eileen a bag, “We’ll meet back here at eight tomorrow night. I’ll come pick you up.
There’s a mask and some clothes in the bag. You can change in the public restroom over there.”
Eileen held the bag, completely baffled, “What?”
The buyer urged her, “Hurry up and get out, we can’t park here for too long.”
Eileen was left in the dark and hustled out of the car.
She stood there, watching the procurement car drive away, leaving her stranded.
Eileen was stunned.
She stood there for a while, then it hit her. Her military uniform was too conspicuous, so she rushed into
the public restroom to change.
Eileen, now in new clothes and wearing a mask, stood at the restroom entrance. She didn’t recognize
anyone around and felt lost.
Suddenly, a low-profile black car pulled up in front of her.
Eileen curiously looked at the car.
The driver’s window rolled down, revealing a familiar man’s face.
It was Egbert.
Five minutes later, Eileen was in the passenger seat.
She would occasionally sneak glances at Egbert Reed, but whenever she saw him looking, she would
quickly look away, pretending she wasn’t staring.
The car moved at a steady pace
After a while, Eileen finally asked, “Where are we going?”
Egbert glanced at her, a warm smile in his eyes, “It’s three in the afternoon. Do you fancy some
afternoon tea?”
Eileen, of course, was all in!
But she cautiously asked, “How did you know I would be here?”
Egbert merely smiled and didn’t answer.
Eileen stared at him seriously, finding the situation odd.
Egbert asked again, “Do you want to eat or not?”
Eileen could only say, “I do!”
Egbert chuckled, “What would you like?”
Eileen said, “Barbecue! Fish! And lobster and chicken rolls!”
Afternoon tea with these?
Egbert sighed, then said, “Alright, we’ll have barbecue now, seafood for dinner, and chicken rolls for
supper, okay?”
Eileen excitedly agreed, “Great!”
Half an hour later, they arrived at an upscale barbecue restaurant.
The food quickly arrived at their private room, and Eileen started wolfing down as soon as she started.
Egbert didn’t eat much, since he was busy grilling meat for Eileen and refilling her drinks.
Eileen was eating non-stop
Then, she suddenly saw Egbert’s face.
As she remembered, Egbert was pursuing her.
He even changed his profile photo to match hers, saying it was a couples’ thing.
Eileen suddenly felt a bit awkward.
For some reason, she started eating more slowly.
Not only that, but she also started acting a bit more reserved.
After only half an hour, she put down her fork and knife, saying, “I’m full.”
Afternoon tea indeed couldn’t be too heavy.
Egbert didn’t think much of it, he put down his utensils and said, “Have some fruit then.”
Egbert ordered a fruit platter.
Soon, the fruit platter was served.
Eileen ate a piece of watermelon, then another.
Then she ate some dragonfruit and an orange.
Then she started on the grilled beef again.
The grilled beef and lamb were delicious.
She also ate the remaining chicken wings and grilled vegetables.
She ordered another plate of grilled pork ribs, a plate of ham slices, and a pizza.
When she finished the pizza, Eileen wiped her hands, seemingly full.
Then she reached for the remaining watermelon.
Egbert was dumbfounded.
After finishing their “afternoon tea”, they left the barbecue restaurant.
In the car, Eileen asked again, “Where are we going now?”
Egbert glanced at her and said, “You’ll know when we get there.”
Eileen pouted, seemingly uninterested.
Then, Eileen suddenly noticed Egbert’s nape.
Egbert had his collar popped up just a moment ago, but probably because the barbecue was getting
him all hot and bothered, he tugged it down a bit.
That’s when Eileen spotted the bandage around his neck.
Eileen immediately sat up straight, carefully pulling his collar back and asked with a serious face, “Are
you hurt?”,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
While driving, Egbert nonchalantly replied, “Just a minor scrape.”
Eileen frowned, “A knife scrape?”
Egbert answered, “A bullet scrape.”
“Holy cow!” Eileen gasped, her fists clenched on the spot.
Angry, she demanded, “Who’s responsible for this?”
Egbert kept mum.
Remembering why he quit the show earlier, Eileen squinted her eyes and asked, “Is it the Bloodbane
Shadowsociety? Did Night King do this?”
Egbert still didn’t answer, but he didn’t deny it either.
That’s it then!
Eileen was furious, “I didn’t beat him nearly enough!”
At that moment, Egbert reached out, grasped Eileen’s clenched fists, and gently reassured, “It’s okay,
doesn’t hurt.”
How could it not hurt? It was a freaking bullet!
Wait, hold on.
Eileen yanked her hand away abruptly and said expressionlessly, “I don’t care if you hurt or not, I’m
fine!”
Egbert glanced at her and drew his hand back, continuing to drive.
The car fell silent. Pretending not to care, Eileen turned her head to look at the scenery outside the
window.
After a while, the car stopped at a red light, just before the zebra crossing.
Eileen spotted a shop window next to her, her eyes lit up.
The shop facing the street was a clock store. Displayed in the window was a clock modeled Eiffel
Tower.
Entranced, Eileen pressed her hands against the car window, her eyes sparkling.
As the car started up again, the clock store gradually receded.
Then Eileen heard Egbert’s voice again, “Do you really like clocks that much?”
Eileen hastily replied, “I absolutely love them!”
Then she couldn’t resist bragging, “Remember those two clocks you gave me? A pyramid clock and an
owl clock. The pyramid one is like my ex-boyfriend, and the owl one is like my current boyfriend. I
absolutely adore them!”
At this moment, Egbert turned the steering wheel, and the car made a turn.
He asked, “Can I ask you a question?”
Eileen turned to look at him and nodded, “Say it.”
So Egbert asked, “If one day, both your ex-boyfriend and your current boyfriend fell into the water at the
same time, would I have a shot at being your new boyfriend?”
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