Chapter 105: The Jeep Came to an Abrupt Halt by the Dusty Roadside

The jeep came to an abrupt halt by the dusty roadside. Ahead, at a fork in the road, stood a weathered wooden sign with the words "Reed Village" scrawled crookedly, an arrow pointing toward a winding mountain path. In the distance, the peaks loomed like ink strokes, veiled in mist.

Adrian Stone furrowed his brow and turned to Elena Ward in the passenger seat. "You sure this is the way?" He gestured toward the narrow trail nearly swallowed by overgrown weeds.

Elena deftly unbuckled her seatbelt and hauled several bulging bundles from the backseat. "No mistake, Captain Stone." She flashed him a smile. "You can head back to base now. I’ll manage from here."

But before she could protest, Adrian killed the engine, locked the doors with a sharp click, and strode over. Without a word, he took the bundles from her arms. The sight of the crisp-uniformed soldier carrying colorful parcels was oddly incongruous.

"What are you doing?" Elena stomped her foot in frustration. "I can handle this myself! You’ve already gone out of your way escorting me." The last thing she needed was showing up at her sister’s doorstep with a man in tow. How would she explain him? As her fiancé? Her sister would faint from shock.

Adrian adjusted his grip on the bundles, his expression resolute. "I’ve already taken leave. A little longer won’t hurt." He nodded toward the rugged path. "Carrying all this alone, you wouldn’t make it before dark." Without waiting for a reply, he set off with long strides, leaving her no room to argue.

Elena glared at his retreating back. So what if he had long legs? At 5’5", she was considered tall in the village, but next to Adrian, she felt like a scrawny child.

Clutching the last bundle, she trailed behind, a flicker of warmth blooming in her chest. As much as she hated to admit it, being looked after like this felt... nice. She scolded herself for being so easily swayed. After being reborn, shouldn’t she know better than to let her heart flutter over something so trivial?

The path proved even more treacherous than expected. Under the scorching sun, every step kicked up clouds of yellow dust. Adrian’s uniform trousers were soon coated in grime, and Elena’s cloth shoes lost their original color entirely.

"How does anyone walk this when it rains?" Elena panted, her worry for her sister deepening. What kind of life had her gentle, kind-hearted sister been living in this backwater?

Two hours later, the village finally came into view, nestled in a mountain hollow. Elena’s back ached from exhaustion, and she silently thanked Adrian for his help. Without him, she’d have collapsed halfway.

An old shepherd at the village entrance squinted at them. "Who’re you looking for?"

"Rose Jackson. I’m her sister." Elena wiped her sweaty brow.

The old man’s expression turned odd as he pointed toward the edge of the village. "The Lewis household—the one with the stone mill out front." He shook his head as if hesitating to say more, then shuffled off with his flock.

Adrian caught the man’s strange demeanor and exchanged a glance with Elena. Neither spoke as they headed into the village, but both understood—this reunion might not be as simple as they’d hoped.