Police in Los Angeles

Gaspare was slightly taken aback and shook his head, looking somewhat hurt by the misunderstanding.

"I said I would repay you all; the brigade taught me many things, including honor."

The Outlaw Brigade has something like that? Jack thought to himself sarcastically.

Words alone are not enough, even though this guy seems sincere, it needs to be proven with actions.

The reason Jack brought him along was partly because of his combat skills and partly to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, if he suddenly turned against them from the rear, even with weapons, Jeje might not be able to handle it.

"We're almost there; let's head to that hill over there," Jack said, pointing to a nearby small hill to the north.

The sun was fully up now, and the temperature had risen, making it around 10 AM. Traveling through the hot, humid tropical jungle was a torturous task, especially when the person leading the way didn't even have a machete.

Fortunately, this wasn't a true virgin forest but rather a secondary forest, resembling a tropical rainforest that had been burned and then abandoned after a short period of cultivation. While it had mostly reverted to a wild state, there were still some paths left behind, allowing for passage.

The group of more than ten people silently moved through the forest, with the men protecting the women in the middle, supporting each other in pairs.

Even with paths, walking in this place was still extremely difficult for ordinary people. Although the dense vegetation provided some shade from the blazing sun, the oppressive heat made everyone constantly sweat.

However, everyone kept themselves tightly covered, not daring to expose any skin, as various poisonous insects were constantly hovering around, waiting for a chance to feast. In this environment, insect repellent seemed entirely ineffective.

Initially, while walking along the main road, people occasionally spoke quietly to each other, but once they entered the smaller paths, no one felt like talking anymore, and their movements gradually became more mechanical.

Everyone carried a stick to push aside overhead branches or occasionally hit the surrounding grass and shrubs. Sometimes, they would hear rustling noises, unsure if it was a snake or something else darting deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, a voice from the front of the group relieved the tension that had been building up.

"Climb up this small hill ahead, and we'll rest once we reach the top."

Captain Torrance kicked away the marker Jack had set with small stones on the side of the road, pointing to the nearby small hill where Gaspare was standing, waving at them.

The hill had sparse vegetation, only a few scattered, unidentified large trees that spread their canopies like parasols. A gentle breeze brought some relief to the sweat-drenched passengers.

"We've cleared this area; you can rest here."

Jack said nothing to the group, simply hugging Jeje. While others weren't watching, he took the handgun and magazines she handed him, then quickly turned and disappeared into the forest with Gaspare.

No one noticed that only a little over an hour had passed since they set out.

"Isn't that our plane down there?"

Someone finally noticed something was amiss, pointing to the dirt road below the hill, where the wreckage of the plane, with half a wing broken off, lay.

From the small hill they were on, the straight-line distance to their starting point was only about 400 to 500 meters. Had they been walking in circles through the jungle all this time?

The smarter individuals began to catch on and cast questioning looks at Captain Torrance.

"Everyone, rest well here. Officer Tavore and the other man have already gone back."

Captain Torrance explained.

"This was our best plan after discussing it together. If the ones coming to search for us are terrorists, we should be safe by hiding here. If they are local islanders we can communicate with, Officer Tavore will try to negotiate with them."

"But the three people left behind know where we are. If they get caught..."

The young female college student, whose once delicate makeup had been ruined by sweat, was clearly not just a pretty face; she looked worried.

"If there aren't many of them, Jack is confident he can rescue them. Moreover, our real plan isn't to go to the town to the southwest but rather to the southeast, where there's a port that's our true destination."

Jeje explained, assisting with the explanation. The entire plan was mainly devised by Jack, with some modifications by her, while the captain and crew handled various details.

The passengers began murmuring among themselves, apparently quite satisfied with the seemingly foolproof plan from the leaders of this impromptu self-rescue team.

Most of the time, ordinary people don't mind being directed or led, especially in a collective self-rescue situation like this. What they care about is whether the leaders or organizers are competent enough.

Jack and Gaspare quickly returned to their starting point and hid in a bush, waiting quietly.

The couple from the big country were chatting endlessly with the bald old white man under the shade of a tree. They only stopped when the man, unable to bear it any longer, picked up a rock from the ground as if to throw it, prompting the couple to hurriedly sit down elsewhere.

Another hour passed, and Jack, now covered in bug bites, was close to tears. He imitated Gaspare by rubbing the leaves of some Asteraceae Artemisia plants on his skin, but it had little effect.

Gaspare's skin seemed to have some magical resistance. After applying the herbal juice, he was left exposed without any issues.

Finally, a cloud of dust rose from one end of the dirt road. Six or seven old pickup trucks, followed by a rundown bus, headed towards the plane wreckage.

The couple under the tree immediately grew excited, raising their hands and waving vigorously, shouting loudly.

The bald old white man hesitated for a moment before joining in, waving his hand.

"Are they blind?" Gaspare muttered, not daring to move, clearly anxious. One of the battle-damaged Toyota pickups had an M2 machine gun mounted in the truck bed.

The pickups formed a semicircle, and a small man in camouflage pants and a headscarf jumped out eagerly before the vehicle even stopped.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The small man pulled out a pistol from his waist and fired several shots at the ground near the three people's feet.

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