The space inside the van was very spacious; even with six people inside, it didn’t feel cramped. June was driving, and everyone was chatting idly in the car. Comparatively, John Reed and Megan Foster spoke very little, only responding when absolutely necessary, while Ryan Carter was much more talkative, chatting enthusiastically with Sarah and the others, giving off the vibe of true old friends. Megan Foster sat to the side, observing Ryan Carter’s expressions and words, feeling in her heart that this man was truly terrifying—not only because of his decisiveness when he drew his gun and killed, but also his incredibly meticulous mind and strong psychological resilience.

However, since it was now confirmed that this was the so-called Lord God’s space, and that they were currently in an extremely dangerous mission world, whether she could survive would probably depend on this man.

Megan Foster still remembered that the message left by the Lord God said this mission world consisted of one veteran and three newcomers. It was obvious that the veteran was Ryan Carter. At the same time, Megan Foster was secretly curious: as a veteran, besides that ring, what other special qualities did Ryan Carter have?

By now, the van had actually entered deep into the mountains and forests. There were hardly any signs of people here. After driving for about three hours, June stopped the car. Within everyone’s line of sight, they saw a small wooden cabin standing amidst the woods. The cabin was exquisite, and the surrounding scenery was beautiful—indeed a great place for a vacation. However, for the group, it was just a stopover; their real destination was a karst cave nearby, but tonight they had to rest here.

“All right, everyone, bring your things, let’s go inside.”

June called out, carrying a large bag straight toward the cabin. Ryan Carter and the others also began helping to move things from the van into the cabin. The exploration equipment had been prepared by June, so Ryan Carter, John Reed, and Megan Foster didn’t have to worry about lacking gear. In fact, because Emily Cooper had been shot dead by Ryan Carter, there was even an extra set of equipment.

“Ryan Carter, you start the fire. Let’s go clean up the bedrooms first. No one’s lived here for half a year—if we don’t clean up, we won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

With that, June led everyone to clean the rooms, even John Reed and Megan Foster followed along.

“Start the fire, start the fire.” Ryan Carter threw the charcoal and firewood by the fireplace into the hearth. Then, he pinched his fingers together, and a small fireball appeared out of thin air. With a flick of his finger, the fireball flew into the fireplace, and the fire blazed up instantly.

In the firelight, Ryan Carter’s face was cast in shifting shadows.

Chapter 9: The Adventure Begins

About fifteen minutes later, the bedrooms had been more or less cleaned, and everyone returned to the living room.

The fire in the living room’s fireplace was burning brightly, and the temperature gradually rose, making it very warm. Sarah, Beth, and June each sat on the sofa, while John Reed and Megan Foster had to sit together on another sofa. Although the two of them tried to act as if they were very familiar with each other, their facial expressions and body language were a bit stiff. This was inevitable, since they were strangers to each other, and neither of them were actors, so it was impossible to act perfectly natural and convincing.

Fortunately, Sarah and the others didn’t find anything odd about John Reed and Megan Foster, because in their memories, John Reed and Megan Foster had always been rather aloof and cold. They themselves couldn’t even figure out why they had become friends with John Reed and Megan Foster—perhaps friendship really is a matter of fate.

“Hey, ladies, would you like some wine?”

Ryan Carter held a tray in his hand, with a row of wine glasses filled with bright red wine.

“Cool… Xuan, I love you!” Beth couldn’t help but cheer, giving Ryan Carter a kiss on the cheek before taking a glass of wine.

“Xuan, you always think of everything. It’s so comfortable going out with you.” June also praised Ryan Carter and took a glass.

“Thank you, Xuan.” Sarah also thanked him and took her glass.

Compared to the three female protagonists in the movie, John Reed and Megan Foster seemed a bit down when taking their glasses, but they still put on a happy front. Both were amazed at Ryan Carter’s ability to perform, and felt lucky that there was a Ryan Carter in the group to interact with the three women and keep the atmosphere lively. Otherwise, the three women might really have become suspicious.

“Come on, everyone, cheers! Cheers!” Ryan Carter raised his glass.

“Cheers!”

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, each taking a sip of their wine. The atmosphere in the living room became much more lively thanks to the wine, and everyone started chatting about this and that.

“Xuan, thank you for the postcard you sent me, and for your concern. I’m really touched. God is my witness—you are the most important friend I’ve ever had, and I will always love you.” Sarah suddenly grabbed Ryan Carter’s hand and expressed her heartfelt thanks.