Chapter 498


    Astrid and Elio stood silently, not knowing how to react.


    Meanwhile, the online chat was alive with banter and jests.


    [LOL, is Parrish seriously acting like a third wheel here?]


    [Parrish, for the love of all that''s holy, move your giant mug off the screen. It''s killing my appetite.]


    [Guess I''ll shoot my shot in this chat, too. Any takers for a date?]


    [Hey, bro, looking for an online fling? I''ve got a gallery of options right here!]


    [Parrish, you''re one of a kind!]


    [Yo, everyone, can we stick to the topic? Isn''t there a sugar mama out there for Parrish?]


    The live stream''s chat had suddenly been hijacked by those seekingpanionship.


    Maddox was at a loss. "Why are they looking for dates in a live stream?"


    Jack shrugged, "Guess they''re looking for someone to ''share the lovey-dovey stuff with.'' It''s less


    overwhelming when you''re not the only one forcing to watch that."


    Maddox was utterly perplexed. After a moment, he gave his assistant a thumbs up. "You''re a piece of


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    work, you know that? By the way, have we heard from the safety patrol we sent up the mountain?"


    "Nope, we should have heard something by now. Hang on, let me make a call," Jack said, pulling out


    his phone and stepping outside.


    Maddox watched the screen intently but couldn''t shake off a creeping sense of foreboding.


    Minutester, Jack returned, his face etched with worry, "Boss, I can''t reach anyone."


    Maddox''s brow furrowed. "No one at all?"


    "No. I called the patrol leader''s number, tried them all, but no dice. We''ve got a cell tower up there; they


    should have a signal," Jack''s voice trailed off, a chill running down his spine as he remembered the


    rumors online, "You don''t think it could be..."


    "No way," Maddox cut him off, "Send another team, and make sure they''re armed. Just in case."


    "Got it," Jack nodded and left to make arrangements.


    As dusk fell, the temperature plummeted.


    d in their coats, they shivered in the chill. The dampness of the ce made even their clothes feel


    soaked in no time.


    Luck wasn''t on their side today; no shelter from the wind was to be found, so they lit a fire in a clearing.


    The wet wood smoked heavily, and it took an age to get a decent me for warmth.


    Astrid and the others busied themselves with dinner preparations. Joana, after sitting for a bit, stood up


    and approached, "Um, can I help with something?"


    They were taken aback by Joana''s sudden offer to help.


    Astrid handed her a bunch of wild greens, "Can you sort these? Remove the roots and the old leaves."


    Joana nodded, "Sure, I can do that."


    The online audience didn''t expect much from Joana, but she proved to be quite adept.


    Turns out, she wasn''t useless after all.


    After dinner, they gathered around the fire, chatting away.


    Ever since they''d found Roman, Astrid had been tending to her c-section scar with medicinal


    ointments. It didn’t hurt that much on the rainy day, but the damp mountain air still made it


    ufortably evident.


    Around ten o''clock, Joana said she''d take a walk around the area.


    Half an hour passed, and she hadn''t returned, her camera crew missing as well...