Xiao Luo’s actions gave the commander of the Libyan government forces a bit of a scare. Although the GoPro camera was only a small device, it was protected by a metal shell, and seeing it being crushed into smithereens was absolutely shocking. Hua nation was indeed a mysterious country with such unusual talents.

“Mr. Mie, the government forces will be heading to Brule in two days. Why don’t you join them?” Jiang Zhiming said.

He had learned about these Libyan government troops’ movement plans from their conversation, so he suggested this to Xiao Luo, thinking it would provide him with some useful security cover.

“I like to work alone!”

Xiao Luo preferred not to work with any other parties as it allowed him to act as he saw fit and not be encumbered by the limitations of people around him. Besides, he liked operating alone, and if he managed to find Sarah Michelle, he did not wish to be burdened supporting others.

Jiang Zhiming felt somewhat taken aback as Xiao Luo’s emphasis on working alone implied that the whole lot of them had become a burden to him. And indeed, they were of no help to Xiao Luo on this mission, so he could only smile awkwardly.

******

******

Jiang Zhiming and his Special Operations team then left, and Xiao Luo now prepared to make the journey to Brule on his own.

Besides the three military vehicles given to Jiang Zhiming and his team, the Libyan government forces also provided Xiao Luo with a Jeep.

Xiao Luo drove his Jeep towards Brule, speeding along the meandering roads of the Libyan interior. The wheels of the Jeep threw sand and dust in its wake, and the vehicle appeared like a mini sandstorm maker.

Xiao Luo felt at ease now that he did not have the additional responsibility of looking over others, and it also helped that there were no emotional bonds that could affect his decisions. Perhaps, this was the reason he was speeding off on his Jeep.

Despite driving at breakneck speed, he was paying close attention to the road for the signs of landmines. Both the Libyan rebels and the government forces would definitely leave signs to warn their comrades of any landmines they had planted.

Xiao Luo passed by a few villages along the way, and not surprisingly, he only saw only women and children around. Their eyes were exactly the same as the other civilians he had encountered before–dull and robbed of the will to live. The war had stolen their homes and laden them with famine.

Xiao Luo had enough combat rations in his vehicle, but it was only enough for himself. Unfortunately, he was no Mother Theresa and could not donate his food supplies to these starving people. It saddened him to see children starved to the point where their ribs were showing so prominently through their skin. This was beyond his control, and he quickly accelerated to get through these villages to avoid seeing the people.

Soon, it was night time, and Xiao Luo parked his car in a discreet location by the corner of a sandy knoll, preparing to rest for the night.

The nights in Libya were very quiet, and there was a total absence of bugs buzzing or the sounds of night birds. On this night, the skies were devoid of stars, and it felt like this land had even been forsaken by the Gods.

Xiao Luo lowered his seat and laid on it to rest. Suddenly, the phone rang, and it was Su Li. His phone was enabled for global voice messaging, so it was no surprise that Su Li’s call could get through.

He wondered, what business would this woman have with me now?

Xiao Luo raised his brows and picked up the call.

“Where are you?” Su Li asked, cold and abrupt, as was her way.

“Didn’t I tell you that I am traveling?” Xiao Luo replied wimpishly.

“So, where are you now?” Su Li said.

“Overseas,” Xiao Luo responded, deliberately being evasive.

“You are overseas?” Su Li was surprised as she thought that what Xiao Luo had meant was he’d be traveling within the country.

“Yup.”

“Which country?”

“The Maldives,” Xiao Luo replied, coming up with a random answer.

“Maldives? Isn’t that a place where newly-wed couples would go for honeymoons?” Su Li said, a sudden feeling of suspicion getting the better of her.

Xiao Luo coughed and said, “Who said that the people who come here must be on a honeymoon? The scenery here is charming, and it totally makes sense for me to relax here.”

“Of course, it totally makes sense. You just keep having fun there all by yourself, okay!.” Su Li responded.

She then hung up on him right after that.

“Huh, she’s mad again?”

Xiao Luo stared at his phone and frowned. He evidently had no clue what this woman was thinking most of the time, allowing himself to play into her claims that their relationship was tied by a contract. So, it was not strange that he couldn’t understand why she had made such a sarcastic remark before ending the call. And, as expected, this made Xiao Luo really confused, and he thought to himself, what in the hell was she thinking?

Back at the Crescent Bay condominium…

Su Li put down her phone and clenched her teeth in frustration. “This fool! Doesn’t he know how to invite me along? He’d rather goes to the Maldives alone and be some others’ third wheel!” she hissed.

She was so mad, and nothing else in this world could upset her so much. She had long wanted to go on a honeymoon to make-up with her man.

Luo Pingxiang, standing beside her, did not even dare to comment as this was the first time she had seen Su Li this angry.

Suddenly, Su Li’s phone received a message.

Su Li glanced at it, and it was from Xiao Luo. It read: I’ll find a great place next time, we can travel together.

She thought, so this dumb*ss finally got it?

Su Li was caught off-guard, though it was a pleasant surprise. But being the prudish, spoilt person that she was, her response was like cold fish: Hmph, as if I wanted to travel with you!

Hmm? Is she throwing a tantrum?

Over in Libya’s war-torn lands, Xiao Luo received her message, and he was slightly surprised. It was easier to communicate with this woman through text, after all, and replied immediately.

Xiao Luo: You’ll have to come even if you don’t want to.

Su Li: Fine, bring me to the Maldives right now.

Xiao Luo could feel Su Li’s resentment coming through his screen, and he was beginning to understand what irked her. It took him this long to realize that she was furious because he had gone to the Maldives all by himself. So, he had nobody but himself to blame as he had used “honeymoon” as his excuse while he was stuck in a war zone.

Xiao Luo: That’s not happening. How about this, let’s come here again once I am back, is that alright?

Su Li: No.

Xiao Luo: Ms. Su, stop sulking. Let me tell you a joke.

“…”

Su Li: What do you mean by that?

Su Li: So, are you telling the joke?

Xiao Luo: Yes, of course.

Xiao Luo used the voice message function to tell her a joke he could recall. Of course, he would never crack Zhang Dashan’s sexual jokes.

Su Li texted back: That’s not funny at all.

Xiao Luo: Then I’ll tell you one more.

After Xiao Luo voice messaged her the joke, Su Li texted back: It’s still boring.

Xiao Luo: My fair lady, you are really tough to please, you know that?

Xiao Luo then used voice mail to tell another one.

Su Li, on the other end of the phone, burst out laughing.

So this man has a silly side, after all, she thought.

A genuine smile appeared on her face, and the dismay she felt earlier vanished after Xiao Luo’s series of text messages to comfort her.

They both exchanged their thoughts with messages and voice mails, and it somehow seemed like they were not so far apart from each other.

After they have ended the communication, Xiao Luo looked at the long chain of messages and was surprised. There were many words which he would never have uttered, and telling jokes was never his forte. What was wrong with him? Why did he suddenly decide to tell her jokes today? That wasn’t him at all.

It must be Zhang Dashan’s bad influence!

Xiao Luo decided to blame Zhang Dashan for it, as only Zhang Dashan would try to put someone at ease with jokes.

At Jiang Cheng, Zhang Dashan sneezed and woke up from his sleep. He wiped his nose with a napkin and cussed, “Damn, who’s thinking about me?”

He fell back into a deep slumber soon after.