Keen Lorna

Under the escort of two women, Luo Jun returned to the rain shelter in front of the bunker and sat down, his wet Jeely service uniform already soaked. He had taken it off and hung it on the bamboo pole used for drying bear skins during Luo Jun's absence.

The three women had already made a pair of snake skin pants and three short pants.

It seemed they did a decent job with their handiwork.

They handed Luo Jun some water and roasted nuts.

Luo Jun was indeed hungry. Although he had eaten bear meat, it could not effectively eliminate the feeling of hunger. Starchy foods were what truly suppressed hunger pangs.

These foods, when mixed with saliva and digested, synthesized glucose, which is the energy source the brain needs.

With a supply of glucose, the brain would naturally not signal the body to feel hungry.

This is why some people who only eat vegetables without starchy foods at banquets still feel hungry quickly, even when their stomachs are full.

After eating some nuts and drinking water, Luo Jun's mind became more clear, but his body felt fatigued and he became very drowsy.

"I'll take a nap first, and tell you something when I wake up."

Luo Jun instructed, then got up and felt the bear skin, "This bear skin is well-baked, and the snake skin pants you made are good too."

Luo Jun complimented the three women.

Receiving Luo Jun's affirmation, they beamed with joy. A woman's biggest fear is for a man to ignore her efforts.

Clearly, Luo Jun did not.

"Since it's raining, we don't have much to do, so we did these little things. Mister Luo, please rest. You must be exhausted. Shall I help you relax?" Lorna moved closer and said. Luo Jun glanced at the charming Lorna and nodded.

After such a horrifying experience, Luo Jun was under immense mental pressure. At this moment, only Lorna could help him relax.

Jenny and Li Shi sat by the rain shelter, tending to the fire.

Lorna and Luo Jun entered the bunker. Luo Jun lay down on the warm geothermal board while Lorna straddled him, massaging his arms and legs.

Luo Jun had rushed such a long distance, so his legs were the most tired. The mountain paths were difficult to traverse, leaving his toes and soles quite sore.

An untrained person would have developed blisters on their soles after such a long journey. But Luo Jun's soles were covered in calluses, so he had no such concerns.

These calluses were formed from years of an assassin's regimen of soaking their feet in coarse salt. They were not like a farmer's calluses that crack easily in winter from prolonged bare-foot walking.

In addition to the soles, their hands were similarly calloused.

Lorna undid Luo Jun's clothes, revealing his muscular chest. Her slender fingers roamed his body.

She also undid her own shirt, exposing the fair skin of her ample European figure. She lay beside Luo Jun and they kissed passionately. Her right hand skillfully undid the intricate eagle-beak clasp of Luo Jun's belt.

"Mister Luo, have a good rest."

Lorna signaled for Luo Jun to close his eyes as she helped him relax.

......

After their intimate interlude, Lorna also fell asleep leaning against Luo Jun. When she woke up, it was already past 3 PM.

Luo Jun's fatigue had completely dissipated.

Outside, the rain had stopped, and the cool wind felt refreshingly crisp with a faint chill entering the lungs.

Jenny and Li Shi were boiling water in bamboo tubes. When they saw Luo Jun emerge, Jenny handed him a tube of water.

"Mister Luo, this is the stream water we boiled. Have a taste and see if it's sweet?"

Jenny's gentle voice sounded pleasant to Luo Jun.

Luo Jun took a sip and found it indeed very fresh and sweet. Women did have a knack for daily living. If it were up to Luo Jun alone, he would never bother to boil water.

"Not bad."

After a few sips, Luo Jun set the bamboo tube aside and took out another tube containing bear fat from the corner.

This fat could not be kept any longer or it would spoil, so he decided to melt it with wood ash to make soap, which would allow the women to clean their private areas.

He scooped some fine wood ash into a bamboo tube, then added water at a 3:7 ratio, with 7 parts water.

He then stood the bamboo tube with the ash-water mixture on the stove and boiled it for ten minutes before straining the alkaline liquid through a cloth.

This way, the alkaline liquid did not need to settle overnight and could be mixed with the fat to make soap in about four hours.

Meanwhile, Luo Jun decided to go find some tree resin.

Adding resin would make the resulting soap more durable and less prone to cracking or denting.

Li Shi had been observing and learning the soap-making process. Lorna had also woken up and dressed, then came out.

"Mister Luo, won't you sleep a bit longer?"

"No need. Everyone's up now, so I should tell you something - the results of this reconnaissance."

Luo Jun said solemnly, and the three women sat quietly to listen.

Luo Jun revealed the mercenaries and ships he had discovered, and also told them that the mercenaries had taken control of a group of survivors, who were not friendly. The mercenaries would be leaving in five days.

"Uncle, what should we do then?" Li Shi asked nervously.

"They will probably head northwest into the mountains tomorrow morning. They're looking for a certain metal on the island. Once they've located it, they'll immediately leave. To keep it secret, they'll kill the survivors. So tomorrow, I need to follow them. Before they kill the survivors, I'll take out the mercenaries. Then I can use the intel about the metal's location to bargain for our passage off the island."

Lorna was excited but asked, "But what if they take us hostage once we're on their ship?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll have it figured out," Luo Jun said sternly to Lorna, putting her somewhat at ease. She knew Luo Jun would protect her since she had information about his daughter Xiao Ya.

A flicker of concern crossed the eyes of Jenny and Li Shi. They were both intelligent enough to know that Luo Jun would definitely protect Lorna, but they couldn't be so sure about themselves - let alone having to bring all those other survivors aboard as well. With so many people, how could he possibly protect them all?

If the mercenaries captured one of them to threaten Luo Jun into revealing the metal's location, he definitely wouldn't disclose it one hundred percent of the time.

Because if he did, they would have no way of getting off the island.

So if they were unlucky enough to be captured by the mercenaries and used as leverage against Luo Jun, their only fate would be death. Luo Jun would never trade the intel for their lives.

Luo Jun didn't want to explain too much detail, nor would he mention his collaboration with Jones among the survivors.

If Li Shi or Jenny felt extremely insecure during a crisis, they might betray the intel to the enemy in exchange for what they perceived as safety.

"I'm going to find some tree resin now. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Luo Jun said as he picked up his Barrett rifle to leave. Li Shi also stood up then, "Uncle, let me go with you."

"Alright."

Luo Jun didn't refuse. The girl did have stamina, and the exercise would be good for her body and mind.

At the rock outcrop, Lorna kissed Luo Jun farewell as she saw him off from the bunker.

"Mister Luo, is there an even greater danger ahead?"

Lorna perceptively sensed that Luo Jun had concealed a lot, as she had never seen him carry this anti-materiel sniper rifle just to collect resin. He wasn't going on reconnaissance this time.