Chapter 140 Destruction Signal
Under Evelyn's calm and steady leadership, despite some bumps along the way on the first day, they successfully completed their mission in the end.
In the evening, everyone found a safe spot to set up camp and reviewed what had happened during the day.
Evelyn didn't criticize Raymond, but reminded everyone that they must stay alert at all times.
Because during missions, unexpected situations could happen at any moment, and if they weren't careful, someone could get hurt, or even face consequences that couldn't be undone.
"I hope my team members return exactly as they were when they set out. Otherwise, as your commander, I would be failing in my duty."
Everyone was deeply moved by her words and nodded firmly, keeping her reminder close to their hearts.
The second day's mission moved into practical combat drills, with three stages: reconnaissance, sample collection, and retreat.
Their target area was the remains of an old communication tower, and they needed to retrieve a signal sample chip from the area within the specified time.
Evelyn arranged the plan in advance, with Arthur handling logistics calculations, herself leading two team members to the frontline, and Raymond in charge of signal transmission.
To avoid conflict with Jerry's team, she chose to set out at dawn, rushing quickly toward their destination.
But following the signals Raymond was sending, they became more and more confused, and even encountered a complex stone forest ahead.
"Ms. White," a team member couldn't help but stop, asking Evelyn with some confusion, "I don't remember our route map showing any stone forest."
Not only was there no stone forest, but there were also no palm trees. Evelyn pulled out her compass, wanting to check their direction.
The teammate was now panicking and immediately wanted to follow the compass reading and head left. "Ms. White, let's get moving, or if Jerry's team catches up with us, we'll be in trouble!"
The current situation didn't allow them to hesitate, because Jerry was leading his team from another direction, trying to reach the communication tower remains before them.
However, Evelyn didn't lose her cool. Instead, she stopped the team member and said calmly, "There's something wrong with the compass!"
The wind direction and the compass reading didn't match. It was affected by magnetic interference.
Evelyn immediately made a new decision, telling the team members, "The compass is inaccurate due to magnetic interference. Switch to using landmarks for direction!"
Only then did the team members realize their compasses had problems, and they exclaimed, "Ms. White, you noticed that? You're amazing!"
"Not amazing, perfect observation skills. I totally admire you!"
Everyone was amazed by Evelyn's abilities, which made Jerry, on the other side, furious with embarrassment.
No matter what problems they encountered, Evelyn could solve them easily, which was undoubtedly bad news for him.
Under Evelyn's leadership, their team reached the ruins first and quickly found the signal chip inside.
"Ms. White! I found it!"
However, just as the team member was excitedly about to grab the chip, Evelyn suddenly heard a subtle, strange sound.
"Watch out!"
She instantly realized they had triggered a simulated trap and shouted reflexively, but it was too late to dodge.
In the few seconds when her mind went blank, a hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace.
After a dizzy spin, Evelyn fell heavily to the ground, but because of that warm, solid embrace, the fall didn't hurt.
When she slowly opened her eyes and saw Arthur in front of her, she asked in surprise, "Arthur? What are you doing here?"
Arthur was supposed to be handling logistics calculations, so why did he suddenly appear here?
"I noticed the signal was disrupted and felt you might be in danger, so I rushed over."
Arthur answered with a smile, his arms still holding her tightly. "Good thing I got here in time, otherwise if something happened to you, what would I do?"
At the critical moment, he had reacted quickly to pull Evelyn under cover, avoiding an accident.
He kept feeling grateful inside because Evelyn's importance to him was beyond words.
Debris grazed Evelyn's cheek, but as she looked into Arthur's eyes, she felt especially secure.
Even though she was in danger, he had arrived in time to save her. What was there to worry or fear about?
The two looked at each other briefly, neither speaking.
Only when everything around them quieted down did Evelyn hold her breath, quickly reach out to grab the chip, and notify the other team members through the walkie-talkie, "Chip secured, evacuate immediately!"
Everyone then followed her command and evacuated in an orderly manner.
Theodore, sitting in front of the monitors, saw all of this.
He couldn't help but rub his temples and shake his head, feeling that even at this point, Arthur was still pulling these kinds of stunts.
But seeing the smile on Evelyn's lips, he quickly felt at ease. No matter what, as long as Evelyn was happy, that was enough.
As long as Evelyn was happy and content, he wouldn't interfere with their private matters.
On the other side, Jerry had just arrived with his team members. Seeing the mess on the ground, they immediately understood they were one step too late.
Jerry angrily threw his equipment on the ground, almost cursing out loud.
His team members also began to doubt and question his abilities. "Mr. Nelson, are you sure there's nothing wrong with our route?"
"We've been following your instructions, but how many times has this been now? Every single time, we're slower than Evelyn's team. If this continues, we're definitely going to lose."
"Exactly, Mr. Nelson, didn't you say your plan was foolproof?"
Hearing his team members' doubts, Jerry became even more furious and turned to growl, "How could I possibly lose to Evelyn? We're just one step behind. If we catch up with them and take back the chip, won't that solve everything?"
Filled with anger, Jerry felt like his dignity had been thrown on the ground and trampled on.
How could a woman who studied art beat him in a mission? It made no sense at all.
He would never stop here, and he wouldn't let Evelyn win. He had to turn things around.
Jerry immediately ordered everyone to move out and chase Evelyn's team.
The team members looked at each other, and although they still had some complaints, for the sake of the team's interests, they followed his orders and gave chase.
Jerry was practically running the whole way, afraid of not catching up, afraid that this incident would ruin his reputation and he'd never be able to hold his head up again.