Police in Los Angeles

"Can you tell me about this girl named Hannah?" Jie Jie's first question made someone's hair stand on end, and what was supposed to be firm suddenly went soft.

"Huh?"

"Don't be nervous. I just want to understand my competition," Jie Jie said, sticking out her tongue and lightly licking his neck. She immediately spat out the taste, making Jack laugh. The mixture of sweat and mosquito repellent was salty and spicy.

When a clean girl no longer minds being close to a smelly man, it usually means she's genuinely interested. Jack understood this, but discussing another girl while holding one was rarely a good idea, especially on an island where cane knives were abundant and small boats likely weren't hard to find.

"The story begins a few years ago," Jack started. He knew that sincerity was an unbeatable strategy in relationships. He recounted his life story, from his parents' untimely death to his determined entry into the LAPD. He described his early interactions with Hannah, how they gradually fell in love, their adventures in the town of Margrave, and even touched on Zoey and Maureen, sharing everything openly.

To his surprise, Jie Jie was less interested in his romantic escapades and more curious about his strange condition. "If you say you lose control under extreme stress, why haven't you had any episodes since yesterday?" she asked skeptically, recalling if he had been alone with anyone else, especially the pretty young internet celebrity, Bri Terry.

Jack laughed, "That's because the situations weren't intense enough." Yesterday's events were not enough to spike his adrenaline. As a seasoned Starbucks warrior, taking out three heads from a distance or dealing with a defenseless dwarf villager was nothing. Even his renowned battle in New Mexico hadn't pushed him to the brink. That time, Hannah had taken the initiative to help him calm down, leading to a new achievement in the FBI building's underground parking lot. The modifications to the Firebird hadn't been a waste; the suspension was exceptional. That night, Jack was even complained about for not being wild enough; they had been anticipating his berserk state for a while.

After hearing about Jack's fight with the ogre in New Mexico, Jie Jie was convinced he no longer easily lost control. However, she still felt he was hiding something. "You must have other secrets," she said, rubbing her smooth arm with a suspicious look. "Saying that pressing a cross with your fingernails on a mosquito bite can relieve itching and swelling—isn't that a child's trick? Why does it work so well when you do it?" Although the welts from mosquito bites on her body had completely disappeared, she couldn't shake the feeling that Jack had taken the opportunity to take advantage of her.

At dawn, everyone woke up and began their tasks. The men took turns using machetes and cane knives to clear the tropical vegetation around the building—a tough but necessary job to clear the line of sight for defense. The incoming PMC team would bring much-needed support but also dangerous attention. Given the hostile environment on the island, the parachute drop would fully expose their location.

Yet, they had no choice but to take the risk. The generator's diesel was running low, and without it, they wouldn't have access to clean water from the well. Their water storage capacity was limited, and in the humid, hot conditions, even relatively clean fresh water wouldn't last long. The food from the plane was nearly gone; most of it was semi-prepared meals, and without refrigeration, it would all be gone by tonight. Only a few snacks and packaged bread from passengers would last until the third day.

Thus, the sturdy concrete building had become their fortress. If not for the difficulty of igniting a tropical jungle, Jack had even considered starting a forest fire to clear the area around them. Unfortunately, this wasn't the type of forest that could burn for a year like in Canada. In the constantly rainy tropics, not even a fire expert could pull that off.

Jack insisted on clearing the area around the building, rallying everyone to remove as much brush and tall grass as possible. He and Gaspare had even gone back to the hidden pickup trucks to consolidate fuel into one vehicle, which they then used to clear a large open space on the building's southern side, using a discarded metal rake from the mine. This created a nearly 70-80 meter clear zone, reducing defensive pressure significantly. Without this, even with PMC support, they wouldn't have had confidence in defending against an attack by dozens.

Based on previous intelligence, the guerrillas associated with the "Abu Sayyaf" group included over ten veterans of the Battle of Marawi. And with over a thousand armed men on the island, the news of their situation had likely spread, attracting who knows how many adversaries.

As the time approached, Jack doused the collected vegetation with gasoline and set it alight, creating a towering column of black smoke as a signal beacon. A C-130 transport plane, unmarked, flew over the abandoned mine, dropping five PMC members and two large red-blue supply crates. Luckily, the open space on the north side of the mine was large enough for a safe landing.

"Hello, Captain Torrance. We're the advance team sent by Pioneers Air. I'm Schebek, and this is Isaac, Mo, Wells, and Lake," the PMC team leader, a bald black man slightly smaller than Gaspare, introduced himself and his team to the gathered crew and passengers. Then, he turned to Jack with a knowing smile, causing Jack some confusion.

"Agent Jack Tavoll? I've heard a lot about you," Schebek said, shaking Jack's hand. "Jason and Sonny are on their way. They'll be our backup and will help guide everyone out."

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