Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Barbecue

In that moment, Evelyn Ford felt a freedom and happiness she had never known before. It was as if the only beings on the entire prairie were her, Ronan Kendrick, and their two horses.

They galloped recklessly across the plains. For a moment, Evelyn didn’t have to worry about unruly students in her classroom, or why the sandstorms in Eldoria were so fierce, or that she had to wake up early the next day to perform check-ups on the pregnant women.

She stretched out her hands, once again feeling the breeze, and turned back to look at Ronan Kendrick, who was chasing after her.

"Whoa, the wind feels so cool!"

Ronan kept pace right behind her, controlling his speed perfectly—never getting ahead, never falling behind.

It was as if they had returned to their days at Broken Cloud Mountain.

"Ronan, let’s ride another ten kilometers to somewhere more secluded. I want to have a barbecue."

Ronan nodded. "Alright."

The prairie was vast—so vast that they could pick any direction and eventually arrive somewhere they wanted to be.

Evelyn began to let loose. Without any alcohol, she finally stopped pretending to be a proper adult.

She laughed heartily and would turn back to make faces at Ronan, trying to spook him.

Half an hour later, Evelyn called out, "Whoa!" The horse gradually slowed to a stop.

"Let’s stop here. It’s sheltered from the wind and not too cold. Ronan, I’ll get the tent out. You give the horses some water and grass."

Evelyn was in high spirits. She hopped off her horse and started taking out the supplies they would need. They divided the tasks and worked together. Once the tent was up, Evelyn took out a portable battery and a power strip. As the night light flickered on, she gave Ronan a goofy grin.

"You’re in charge of grilling, and I’m in charge of eating."

Lying back in a lounge chair, Evelyn pulled a blanket over herself. Ronan chuckled, shaking his head, and walked over to pinch her cheek.

"Don’t fall asleep."

"I won’t. I’ll sing for you."

Evelyn’s off-key singing filled the air. Ronan wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, so he quickly got back to work to distract himself.

All sorts of ingredients were laid out next to the grill. Ronan tied on an apron and, with a serious expression, picked up a skewer. Watching his back, Evelyn picked up her phone and started recording a video.

When Ronan came over with a plate, Evelyn pointed her phone at his face. In the mixed moonlight and lamplight, his features shifted in and out of shadow. Evelyn let out a teasing whistle. Ronan suddenly bent down, hooked an arm around her neck, and pulled her into his embrace before lowering his head to kiss her.

A long while later, Evelyn looked up at him, breathless. Her phone had fallen to the ground. Her face was flushed, and she suddenly felt a little bashful.

"Is the meat ready? I told you to work, not to get handsy with me. As punishment, go grill another plate. And stop staring at me."

Ronan chuckled softly. He placed the plate on the nearby table, then obediently went back to grilling.

"Should we call the others out? Since we’re out here on the prairie, it would be more fun with everyone."

"Sure."

Ronan had no objection. Evelyn slipped into her pocket dimension and went door to door, knocking to wake everyone up.

"Who wants barbecue? Get it while it’s hot! If you want some, get up now."

Quincy pulled his door open and saw Evelyn standing outside. He yawned. "Barbecue at this hour? Are you kidding me? I was in the middle of a great dream when you woke me up."

"Ronan’s already grilling. There’s Tilapia, Grass Carp, Squid, Mutton Skewers, dried beef..."

Quincy was suddenly wide awake. "Holy crap, is he in the kitchen? I’ll go help."

Just then, the others arrived. Zoe, rubbing her eyes, rushed into Evelyn’s arms and asked in a tiny, sweet voice where the barbecue was.

"It’s outside. We’re on the prairie. It’s a little cold, so everyone should put on an extra layer."

"You guys actually came all the way out here? What are you doing on the prairie in the middle of the night? Catching grasshoppers?"

Evelyn coughed. "Never mind that. Just put on a jacket and follow me out."

Once they were ready, Evelyn led them out of the pocket dimension, and they appeared directly in front of the tent.

Liam Sterling saw Ronan grilling and hurried over to help. Quincy and Miles Vaughn were hooting and hollering with excitement off to the side. Taylor Vance said they were like a pair of dim-witted gorillas.

"So you two snuck out to the prairie for a date behind our backs! And you have horses! You must have been out here for a while."

"We just got here ourselves. We just finished setting up when we called you."

Evelyn remained in her lounge chair, picking up a now-cold skewer and taking a bite.

"Evelyn, don’t you have to get up early for class tomorrow?"

"My class got moved to the afternoon. I can sleep in tomorrow morning after we get back. And we don’t need to worry about the medical tent; Dr. Turner is holding down the fort."

"That’s great! Let’s pull an all-nighter, then. Mr. Vance, Mr. Lowell, are you two tired?"

Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell waved their hands in unison. "Tired? How could we be? All we do every day is cook, read, and drink tea. If we stay this idle any longer, we’ll get lazy."

Liam Sterling suddenly sighed. "Mr. Chase and Ryan Rowe are probably still working overtime."

Quincy was incredulous. "No way, it can’t be that bad, can it? It’s already one-thirty in the morning, and they’re still working? Even though Rhys Chase is the base commander, he doesn’t have to push himself that hard, does he?"

"The base is too busy. People are reporting to Rhys Chase even at night. He’s placing a lot of importance on the training camp and the mines, especially this round of recruitment and the new mining operations." Liam brought a plate of freshly grilled meat over.

"If I hadn’t resigned, I’d probably still be buried in paperwork, approving all sorts of documents."

"It’s not easy being in management. Especially now, with so many people at the base. You have to restore production and also guard against all kinds of accidents."

Everyone sat around a circle, chatting and eating barbecue. Evelyn brought out fruit and snacks. The temperature on the prairie dropped drastically at night, so everyone was bundled up in a military greatcoat.

"It would be nice to live on the prairie your whole life. When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about being a shepherd."

Everyone turned to look at Quincy in unison. Ethan Dawson let out a derisive snort. "You had a lot of unrealistic fantasies when you were a kid, didn’t you?"

Quincy looked at everyone with a roguish grin. "It’s not unrealistic at all. Aren’t I on the prairie right now?"

Miles Vaughn snorted. "Well then, keep it up. Hope you realize that shepherding dream of yours someday."

"Nah, forget it. I’m not into herding anymore. I just like farming now."

Ronan placed the grilled fish on the table and sat down next to Evelyn. He smelled faintly of cooking smoke, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell everyone something," Liam said. "Mr. Chase said he’s made contact with the Central Base. Sardis has suffered from two straight years of high temperatures and drought. A few months ago, a poisonous fog erupted, and people who inhaled it went blind and lost the ability to speak. Right after that, an earthquake hit. Fortunately, it wasn’t a major one, so casualties were low."

"The Central Base took in over ten million people, and they’ve already run out of their reserve food supply." Liam’s tone was heavy.

"So what are they going to do?"

Liam sighed. "I don’t know. Maybe... they’ll come to Khoros."

"Mr. Chase said the leader of the Central Base told him that two years ago, other countries and regions sent multiple planes to Sardis to ask for grain. The Central Base didn’t give them any. Instead, they... secretly ’disposed’ of them. The situation in other countries might be even more dire."

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