Chapter 91
Lucas didn’t really want them to take the risk, but they seemed determined on going.
Finally, Lucas sighed, “I can take you there, but we’re not getting close.”
Eileen responded, “No problem.”
Then she tossed them the green ribbon.
Eddie and Lucas saw the writing on the ribbon: ‘The First Crossroad…
The dots indicated that the sentence wasn’t finished; it was just a half-spoken phrase.
“The hell does ‘The First Crossroad’ mean?” Eddie asked.
Eileen just shrugged, “Beats me.”
Lucas pondered a bit and handed back the ribbon, “Croc Cove Creek isn’t far from here. If we hit the
road now, we should get there in about two hours.”
Eileen stood up, “Then let’s hit the road.”
The six of them set off back.
By dusk, they reached the ce known as Croc Cove Creek.
Eileen stared at the half-visible crocodile eyes peeking out from the riverbed.
Looking around, she asked Lucas and Eddie, “Do you guys see the blue ribbon?”
Eddie replied, “The crocs move around. We’ve seen a blue ribbon here before, but who knows where
it’s swum off to now?”
“So how are we supposed to find it, it’s too hard.”
“Over there,” Egbert suddenly said.
Eileen instantly turned to him, “Where?”
Egbert, with a slight frown and an expressionless face, said, “The ribbon fell off, it’s in the river.”
Eileen turned and sure enough, there was a big croc,ying on a blue ribbon in the muddy riverbed.
The ribbon didn’t just fall off, it was pinned by a croc.
Back at camp, the show director shook his head at Major Warner, “Sly fox, I don’t believe you didn’t
foresee this. What made you think to tie the ribbon to a croc’s head? Now it’s fallen off, with all these
crocs in the river, I bet you never nned to give them the clue on the ribbon, huh?”
Major Warner just shook his head with a smile, “If it’s Egbert, he can get it.”
The director was surprised, then rubbed his chin, “Really?”
Major Warner said, “It’s a piece of cake for him.”
The director frowned, “Is he going to do it?”
Major Warner shook his head, “No.””
The director was surprised, “Then…”
Major Warner continued, “But without Egbert, Burton could do it too. As long as Egbert tells him how;
with Burton’s strength and reflexes, although it’s a bit tricky, he should be able to do it.”
The director questioned, “Isn’t Burton a bit too young?”
Major Warner/said, “It’s risky, but with Egbert there, he should…”
His voice trailed off.
The director was puzzled until he followed Major Warner’s gaze to the screen.
Then he was just as stunned.
? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.
On the screen, Eileen was using a rope from their supply pack, one end tied to a tree, the other in her
hand. She tiptoed, leapt into the river.
Her body floated above the water like a swallow. Below, three or four crocs were already lunging, trying
to bite her.
Eileen suddenly kicked two of the crocs in the head with her boots, and the force was so strong that it
sent the crocs flying!
One of them was the croc lying on the ribbon.
With the weight off it, the blue ribbon floated up a bit.
Eileen seized the opportunity, using one croc’s head as a pivot, flicked up the ribbon with her other
boot, and flung it to the shore.
The blue ribbonnded on the ground and Eileen was quick to retract her feet, avoiding the snapping
jaws of the crocs below.
Using the swing from the rope, shended safely on the shore.
The whole process was smooth as silk.
And it all took less than a minute!
Every step, every pivot, even her anticipation of the crocs’ movements, everything was pinpoint
urate.
It was clear she had nned this in advance.
But how much time had passed since she spotted the ribbon to the moment she acted?
Less than five minutes.
Yet she had this whole n ready to go, and executed it wlessly on her first try!
The director turned to Major Warner in disbelief, whose face was also full of shock.
Swallowing hard, the director asked, “You said earlier that if Egbert tried, he would have done it easily.
How would he have done it?”
Major Warner was quiet, his eyes fixed on the screen, on the smug face of the girl.
After a moment, he said slowly, “Just like that.”
Yes, if Egbert had tried, he would have done it the same way.
But while Egbert would have been confident about pulling it off, how could Eileen do it too?!
The director was still in shock, rubbing his face, he suddenly remembered what Major Warner had said
last time after the red ribbon was retrieved.
The director swallowed hard, “You said before that Eileen’s smart, but a bit clumsy. Because she used
the time-consuming slingshot method, she used rocks to knock down the red ribbon from a distance.
Although the method worked, it wasn’t the most efficient. You also said that if she knew how to throw
knives, she could have just thrown a folding knife and urately cut off the ribbon, instead of slowly
chipping it away with stones.”
Major Warner blinked, “I did say that.”
The director spected, “Do you think it’s possible that she just didn’t want to risk losing the knife, so
she used rocks?”
Major Warner looked at the director, stunned.
Thements popped up.
[Did you guys see that?]
[Yes.]
[I saw it.]
[Oh my god.]
[AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!]
[Eileen, marry me!!!!!]
[Well, I’ll be damned, is Eileen an acrobat or what]
[…I’m so shocked, I can’t even breathe!]
After Eileennded safely, everything around her was quiet.
She looked to the side and saw four pairs of wide eyes.
Eileen nced at Lucas, Eddie, ine, and Burton, her brow furrowing slightly.
She turned her head and saw Egbert picking up a blue ribbon from the ground.
She then walked towards Egbert.
Upon seeing her approach, Egbert asked, “You okay?”
Elleen responded with a puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Realizing what he was asking, she said, “Oh, you mean the stunt just now? I’m all good.”
Egbert sighed, handing the ribbon to her.
Eileen took the ribbon, finding a new clue on it, aplete one.
?????
It seemed that thepleteness of the clues differed ording to the difficulty of obtaining them.
Eileen read out the clue, “Snake’s Den.”
Egbert suggested, “The map might be hidden in some snake’s den.”
Eileen started to ponder.
At this moment, the other four hurried over.
Burton and ine forcibly sat Eileen down on arge rock, one massaging her shoulders, the other
pounding her legs)
Their service was very thorough.
They even asked, “Is the pressure okay?”
Eileen, a bit puzzled, said casually, “It’s fine.”
Across from them, Lucas and Eddie were showing Eileen utmost admiration.
Eddie told Eileen, “That move you pulled just now, it was freaking awesome!”.
Eileen turned to Eddie and immediately said, “Right? And even more impressive is this clue on the blue
ribbon. Just for five grand, isn’t that a total steal? Interested?”
Eddie felt that while his money didn’t grow on trees, it seemed to be getting blown away by the wind.