Chapter 710: Chapter 710: Division of Labor

After getting settled, the group began preparing dinner. Gavin Gable and Sonny Sawyer made the meal together. Both were skilled cooks; they steamed three tiers of buns, and the stir-fried pork with Water Celery was also delicious.

At ten o’clock that night, after they had planned out the next day’s work, Evelyn Ford sprinkled some insect repellent powder around the area, and everyone returned to their tents to rest.

After zipping up their tent, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick slipped back into the space. The vegetables in the fields were nearly all planted. Everyone had been busy harvesting crops lately, making for hectic days. By this time, they had all finished their work and returned to their wooden cabins.

Evelyn Ford went to check on the Red Trees she had planted earlier. Nourished by the black soil, all of them had survived, with no signs of death or withering.

As for the red fruit, Wendy had been running various tests on them lately. According to her, the fruit had extremely high nutritional value and could even improve one’s complexion, promote hair growth, and restore its color. Since it had no side effects and was edible, Evelyn Ford distributed the red fruit to everyone, though she kept a few crates in reserve.

Upon returning to the cabin, Evelyn was surprised to find Leo Denton there as well. When Taylor Vance heard the two had already eaten dinner, he cut up a plate of fruit and brewed them some milk tea.

"How did it go today? Did you find the others?"

Evelyn Ford didn’t rush to answer Quincy’s question, glancing at Leo Denton instead.

"Captain Denton is one of us now." Quincy had a chummy look on his face, even clapping Leo Denton on the shoulder twice.

Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow. She was surprised that Quincy and Leo Denton had grown so close, but she didn’t ask him to leave.

"The whole team is together now. Tomorrow, we’ll start digging up Water Celery and catching wild boar and buffalo. Ronan Kendrick and I will move them to the storage area and put them into a deep sleep."

If they were put in the livestock area, their destructive power and ferocity would surely turn the place into a chaotic mess.

"Do you need help?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Tomorrow, after we go into the mountains, Ethan Dawson, Miles Vaughn, Peter Owens, and Liam Sterling will come out to help us catch boars. The rest of you can continue with the work in the fields."

Quincy paused for a moment. "What about me?"

"You can sit this one out. If a boar bit you, we’d just have to waste time rescuing you."

Although Quincy was indignant, he knew his own limits. Evelyn must have her reasons for the arrangement. He just huffed a couple of times and dropped the subject.

"Can I help? The crops in the fields have been harvested, and the third batch is already planted. My team and I haven’t had much to do lately."

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Captain Denton, to be honest, I was just about to ask for your help. Tomorrow, you and your team will need to go to the marsh to dig up Water Celery. There are probably tens of thousands of tons of it, so it will take several months. Have everyone prepare. From tomorrow until the mission is complete, you will all be living outside. Please relay this to your team. Also, because this involves base secrets, please warn everyone not to make wild guesses or spread false rumors. Anyone caught doing so will be dealt with severely."

Leo Denton stood up and looked at Evelyn Ford with a serious expression. "I understand. You can all rest assured. We will not fail the trust the base has placed in us."

"Thank you all for your hard work."

After finishing the fruit and milk tea, Evelyn dragged her exhausted body back to her room.

"Ronan Kendrick, are you tired?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "Not tired."

"Liar."

Evelyn pulled him down to sit, walked behind him, and started massaging his shoulders. "You never admit you’re tired. Others might not know, but how could I not? No matter how capable you are, you’re still human, and humans get tired. After this mission is over, let’s not take on any more for a while, okay?"

"Whatever you say."

Evelyn leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good boy."

"You’re the good one," he said, pulling Evelyn into his arms.

"That one didn’t count. Do it again."

Evelyn was filled with regret. Ronan Kendrick was bursting with energy, not showing the slightest hint of fatigue. ’I really shot myself in the foot,’ she thought.

"Stop fooling around. We have to go to the mountains tomorrow."

"Actually, the two of us would be enough for the mountain. We don’t need to bring those deadweights." Ronan Kendrick was a little jealous. He could have handled it all by himself, but Evelyn had called in so many others. His plan for some alone time with her was ruined yet again.

’So infuriating.’

Evelyn didn’t detect the jealousy in his tone, thinking he was just complaining that the others were too weak.

"They can help, too. Many hands make light work, you know. If it were just the two of us, it would probably take a very long time."

Ronan Kendrick’s gaze grew intense. "Then you have to stay within my line of sight at all times."

’This man’s love-addled brain is truly a lost cause.’

"Fine, I promise."

"A verbal promise doesn’t count. You have to back it up with action." As he spoke, his gaze slowly drifted downward.

Evelyn reached out and covered his eyes. "Pervert."

"Mmm, I am a pervert." ’He actually had the gall to admit it,’ she thought. ’So shameless.’

——

The next day, while the others were still asleep, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick brought Leo Denton and his team out of the space.

Their cover story was that they were soldiers sent by the base to help dig up the Water Celery. Their mission would not be over until every last bit was harvested. From this day forward, they would be living and eating outside.

Suddenly finding themselves in an unfamiliar environment, the men were all shocked. However, Leo Denton had already warned them: while working here, they were not to ask unnecessary questions or speak out of turn. They were not to pry into each other’s affairs, and they were absolutely forbidden from gossiping or starting rumors.

Evelyn Ford handed out the tents she had prepared. By the time they finished setting them up, Flynn Hansen and the others were already awake.

They were all baffled by the sudden appearance of several dozen tall men.

"When did they get here?"

"Just arrived."

"Gavin Gable and Sonny Sawyer, you two can be in charge of cooking. There are quite a few people now, so meals will be a major undertaking. If the two of you can’t manage, I’ll find someone else to help."

Gavin Gable hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, that’s not necessary. It’s just cooking; the two of us are enough. But with this many people, I’m afraid they’ll eat a lot of food."

"Don’t worry about that. We have more than enough food."

After assigning everyone their tasks, Evelyn Ford, Ronan Kendrick, and Ryan Rowe set off for the mountains. The rest of the group was left under the supervision of Flynn Hansen and Leo Denton.

Once they were up in the mountains, Evelyn brought out Ethan Dawson and the others.

"Take these guns, compasses, walkie-talkies, and whistles. Work in pairs. As soon as you spot any wild boar or buffalo, call us on the walkie-talkies. Don’t try to drive the herds away on your own. We want to catch them alive if possible."

Everyone took their gear and split into pairs, heading in different directions to search for boar and buffalo. Less than ten minutes later, the voices of Miles Vaughn and Peter Owens came crackling over the walkie-talkie, and Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick immediately rushed toward them.

"How do we take them down?"

Everyone was getting excited. Staring at the several hundred wild boars in the distance, they were all itching to pull their triggers and take them all down in one go.

Evelyn Ford took out gas masks and distributed them to everyone. Then, she handed the Sedative Balls to Ronan Kendrick. After taking them, Ronan tossed a goose-egg-sized Sedative Ball into the air and shot it, causing it to burst. He did this with three balls in quick succession. Two minutes later, all several hundred wild boars had collapsed limply to the ground.

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