CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167: A MAN AND A WOMAN ALONE IN A ROOM

Her heart was almost leaping out of her chest!

Was it an illusion?

No, that was definitely Elias Langley’s handwriting!

"What are you dawdling for? Drink up!"

The contact man urged her in Chinese.

Angus Slade stared intently at her hand holding the ladle, his mouth a tight line.

Juliana Jacobs understood; he didn’t trust the contact at all and was using her to test if the water was safe.

She trembled as she brought the water ladle to her lips, about to pretend to drink, but deliberately let her hand go limp.

With a "splash," the ladle fell to the ground, water splattering everywhere.

"S-Sorry... my hand slipped," she said in a trembling voice, "Can I have another ladle, please?"

"Useless! If you don’t drink, you can die of thirst. I don’t have time to serve you."

The local man cursed, then turned to invite Angus Slade inside for food.

Seeing everything was normal, Angus Slade’s expression relaxed slightly. He casually used another ladle to scoop water and drank it down in big gulps.

The man watched him drink, an unnatural expression fleeting past his face.

"You’re playing tricks!"

Angus Slade keenly caught that subtle flaw. He immediately dropped the ladle, his right hand swiftly pulling out a dagger from his waist, and flung it towards the man’s chest.

The man was stabbed in the heart. As he turned, he lunged at Juliana Jacobs on the haystack, aiming to take her hostage.

Everything happened in a flash.

Just as he flew towards her, a green figure suddenly emerged from behind the haystack, directly knocking him away.

Angus Slade slammed against the earthen wall at the corner of the courtyard with a dull thud.

But he reacted quickly, immediately flipping up and swiftly assuming a defensive stance.

Elias Langley, in his sharp jungle camouflage combat gear, stood tall and exuded the swiftness and strength of years of training in his movements.

From Angus Slade’s shocked expression, it was clear he never expected Elias Langley to know his smuggling route and ambush him there, laying the trap for him.

"You can’t catch me!"

As soon as he spoke, he intended to attack Elias Langley.

But just as he took a step, his whole body went limp as if he had no bones.

Soon after, four combat personnel dressed like Elias Langley surged in from outside the courtyard, quickly binding Angus Slade.

Meanwhile, Elias Langley turned around, squatted in front of Juliana Jacobs, and untied the ropes on her hands and feet.

"Were you scared?" he asked softly.

Juliana shook her head at first, then nodded.

Elias Langley was amused by her frightened appearance and pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her, "Don’t be afraid, I’m here."

Juliana quickly gathered herself and was about to break free from his arms when he firmly held her back.

"Why?" she looked up and asked.

"Just five more minutes," he said solemnly, "This is a mandatory psychological intervention process required by the authorities, just go along with it."

"..." Juliana paused, "What kind of process is that, needing to manually hold onto someone?"

"Langley Group’s soothing process," he replied with an unwavering face, "Final interpretation rights belong to me."

"You’re a married man, aren’t you ashamed to hold me for so long?"

Juliana tried to push him away.

Elias Langley did not release her.

By then, the four team members had securely tied up Angus Slade.

The leading team member quickly stepped forward to report, and as soon as he saw Elias Langley holding a hostage in a forced embrace, while the hostage was trying to "escape" with all her might, the scene was quite "ambiguous."

The team member was immediately stunned, his face turning bright red. He quickly closed his eyes and looked up, shouting with a drill-like voice:

"Reporting to Mr. Langley!"

Juliana flinched in shock, shrinking back into Elias Langley’s embrace and not moving.

Elias Langley took a deep breath and glanced back at the newcomer, who then started to report, "Yiliu is dead, Angus Slade has been subdued. We confiscated all dangerous items on him. The support vehicle won’t arrive for another hour. Should we stand by here for now?"

Juliana secretly looked up and found the team member with the loud voice was a girl with a tall build and determined eyes.

Elias Langley nodded, "Deal with the bodies first, then prepare some food."

"Yes!"

The team member lowered her head slightly and got busy.

Seeing the bewildered look on Juliana’s face, Elias Langley casually introduced, "Her name is Raine Kane, she’s our... formidable warrior."

Juliana broke free from his embrace, "Aren’t you ashamed? Help me up."

This time, Elias Langley did not insist. He obediently extended his hand and helped her up.

Juliana tried to take a step forward, only then realizing she’d been tied up for so long that her legs were numb, making it hard to walk steadily.

"I’m here, no need to act tough."

Elias Langley’s lips curled upward in a "helpless" smile as he lifted her into his arms.

Juliana wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling that his performance was a bit over the top.

Angus Slade was locked in another earthen house, guarded by two members.

Raine Kane and another team member set up an iron pot over the fire pit in the main room and started cooking instant noodles, cracking in a few eggs they had just bought from nearby farmers.

Before long, rain began to fall outside, and the scent of noodles wafted indoors.

Raine Kane served Juliana’s portion in a lunchbox and handed it over. Elias Langley took it, blew on it a couple of times, and asked, "Do you want me to feed you?"

Juliana glared at him, "Put it down."

Elias Langley chuckled, "This is VIP service not everyone gets to enjoy."

Sitting across from them, Raine Kane couldn’t hold back a giggle.

With a sideways glance from Elias Langley, she quickly composed herself, solemnly saying, "Miss Jacobs, we initially had military rations, but Mr. Langley was concerned you wouldn’t like them, so he specially instructed us to cook noodles."

Juliana felt a bit embarrassed, "I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat. I just have hands and feet and am not used to being fed by others."

Having said that, she snatched the lunchbox from Elias Langley’s hand when he wasn’t paying attention.

When Elias Langley looked at her, he had a gentle smile on his face, "Hold on to it tight. If it drops, you’ll have to eat mine."

Juliana immediately tightened her grip on the lunchbox.

Actually, from the time they left Kenton to get here, she had been hungry for over thirty hours, only unaware due to being knocked out.

As Juliana was wolfing down her food, Raine Kane received a call and came over with a serious expression to report.

"Mr. Langley, the rain is too heavy, and it’s night. There’s a risk of landslides on the mountain road, and the vehicle meant to pick us up can’t make it for now."

Elias Langley thought for two seconds, "Then pack up and have everyone prepare to stay overnight. Arrange shifts to guard Angus Slade."

Raine Kane nodded and went off to make arrangements.

This farmhouse had a total of three rooms, including the main room.

Angus Slade was already occupying one room, and another was given to Juliana, while the rest stayed in the main room.

The light in the room wasn’t bright, Elias Langley touched the bed lined with a straw mat, "You’ll sleep here tonight, and I’ll sit there with you."

Thinking of a man and a woman alone in a room, Juliana immediately refused, "No way!"

Elias Langley frowned, "This is a critical period. Except for going to the restroom, you can’t leave my sight."

Raine Kane happened to enter with a basin of hot water. Juliana quickly said to her, "Raine, could I sleep here with you tonight?"

Raine Kane paused, her gaze quickly scanning over Elias Langley’s expressionless face. Straightening her back, she loudly replied, "Reporting to Miss Jacobs! I... I’m not used to sleeping with women!"

After speaking, she awkwardly retreated at an almost comical pace, "considerately" closing the door behind her.

Juliana deflated like a punctured balloon.

The next moment, Elias Langley extended two fingers, pinched her chin, and made her look at him.

"Juliana, whether or not you divorce Evan Grant, I’m willing to be your lover. What are you holding back for?"