On Friday afternoon, Dallas sent dirty clothes to nearby villages for cleaning as usual, and Averi also went with him.
She doesn't have to go with her. After the Jackson incident, everyone knows that girls like her aren't easy to deal with, especially those who carry themselves with such clarity and confidence. Karter is also here, and no one's mind has reached this level. Dallas casually asked, "Do you want to go and see it? There's a market next to the village where there are stalls selling handmade products and some small things that locals like to eat, such as acara, a type of fried bean cake."
Averi was full of interest and said, "Okay, I haven't had any authentic Lyria cuisine in all these days
She agreed, but Dallas stayed quiet for a moment before finally saying, "Honestly, the taste is pretty average—you might not even like it."
Akala is just an excuse. They have very little time left to spend together, and he wants to spend as much time with her as possible.
Averi smiled and tied her shoelaces tightly, saying, "I only know if I like it after tasting it"
*
This is not a mission trip, as there are too many people and it attracts attention, so only two ordinary jeeps were produced. Dallas, Lyon, and Averi each have one car, and the other two have one car. The Dallas car is responsible for delivering clothes into the village, while the other car is responsible for watching the wind. This trip on Friday is a fixed itinerary, and if the enemy is interested in observing and understanding the patterns, it is easy to deploy an ambush.
Dallas is cautious, even if he has never noticed any abnormalities in the past, he will still arrange for two people to stand guard on the high ground outside the village.
The villagers have become accustomed to their regular appearances, and those who are bolder laugh and shout 'hello' to them.
No matter how tense the situation is, life must continue, and where the flames of war cannot reach, it is still firewood, rice, oil, and salt.
The children in the village saw an Asian woman for the first time and were very curious about Averi, standing in the distance and stealing glances at her. When she looked over, they shyly withdrew their gaze like frightened little rabbits.
Averi noticed that among the five children, two had incomplete limbs, one had an empty left knee, and one had a missing right arm. The congenital defect rate in this village is too high.
Dallas was negotiating with the villagers, and Averi shared her doubts with Lyon.
Lyon's smile faded as he explained, "This used to be one of the strongholds of Salou. In order to prevent the opposition from launching a surprise attack, he ordered people to bury many earth bombs around it. After Salou successfully seized power, he transferred the troops originally stationed here to other places. The people have left, but the bombs are still there. There are so many bombs buried that they can't even pinpoint their location."
Lyon sighed and continued, "It's much better now. There are peacekeeping troops helping with bomb disposal, and the casualty rate has decreased significantly. Before... hey, I heard from friends who have participated in bomb disposal missions here that they have to injure several people every day."
"Why not relocate? "Averi asked.
These people have lived here for generations, and their houses are their entire possessions that they cannot take away. Where can they move empty handed? It's better to stay here and gamble"
During the conversation, a colorless ball rolled towards Averi's feet with a gurgling sound.
She looked up and saw the little boy leaning on a crutch waving at her.
Averi lifted her arm, aimed carefully, and struck with force. The ball flew back perfectly to the boy's feet. He stopped the ball with his crutch, grinning as he shouted, "Thank you!"
He hobbled back to his teammates and enthusiastically joined the soccer game. Despite his slow speed, he was more proactive in chasing the ball than anyone else, and the others were willing to pass it to him.
Seeing her burdened, Leon comforted her, "It's a silver lining, really. The homemade bombs aren't very powerful; most of them are pressure-sensitive and won't explode immediately. If you step on one, as long as you keep your center of gravity stable, you can buy some time for defusing it. There's still a fifty percent chance of getting out unscathed."
Averi looked away, smiling, and said, "Leon, you're not exactly the best at cheering people up, you know?"
Leon chuckled, "No worries, Dallas can handle the consoling. Don't tell me there's nothing going on between you two. Do you really think I'd believe that? He kept checking you out in the rearview mirror the whole drive. I'm trying to come up with a better word for the way Dallas looks at you… but honestly, all I can think of is creepy."
"That's why grown men really shouldn't go without sex," Leon concluded nonchalantly. "Ms. Forbes, I've only seen such a disgusting look from virgins."
Averi didn't respond, turning her head to watch the children play soccer again.
What's the matter? Is he not getting any action? Someone sure went through two condoms last night.
If she hadn't only brought two, she suspected he would have gone for another round.
Her thighs were still sore even now.
After taking care of the clothing matter, Dallas arranged for the other two to return to the camp first while he took Leon and Averi to the market.
As for why it wasn't just the two of them, Leon wanted to buy souvenirs for his daughter Sasha, who had specifically mentioned that they couldn't be generic items from the airport but must be truly local specialties. As for why it wasn't just the two of them, Leon wanted to buy souvenirs for his daughter Sasha, who had specifically mentioned that they couldn't be generic items from the airport but must be truly local specialties. While Leon complained about the girl being difficult to please, he was actually extremely picky, comparing two wooden dolls for over ten minutes without making a decision.
Dallas left him to continue his deliberation and took Averi to eat akara (bean cakes).
The freshly made soybean cakes were golden and steaming, filling the air with a warm, nutty aroma. Standing by the stall, the two of them took careful, hissing bites, their breaths fogging up in the chilly air. It was a cozy yet slightly comical scene, with their faces scrunched up in exaggerated caution, savoring each piping-hot bite despite the heat.
Averi learned from Dallas that Leon's daughter suffered from an extremely rare condition called Wilson's disease, which was why he had become a mercenary for her sake. They had worked together on a rescue mission in South Africa before, building some basic trust between them. This time, Leon had proactively requested to team up with Dallas for the mission in Lyria.
Halfway through eating the bean cakes, Leon hurriedly found them and whispered, "Dallas, I just saw three rebels."
Dallas's expression changed abruptly. "Are you sure?"
"No mistake, I recognized one of them with a scar on his head." Leon's brow furrowed. "I can't tell if they're just local villagers out for a stroll or if they're here scouting the location of the peacekeeping camp."
