[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

"Now you can contact him."

ch.277: Unimportant People

The off-road vehicle drove through remote mountain forests, in places rarely visited by vehicles, where there were no roads and the terrain full of grass and potholes made the vehicle sway and shake.

Your body swayed with the car's movements, and as you looked out the window at the deep, dark forest, a pang of sadness welled up inside you.

"Is this the kind of place they recuperate in?"

"They" refers to Keegan and his teammates. Many members of their squad were injured during the operation and have been recovering from their injuries for the past few days.

But you wouldn't have expected it to be such a remote place, with no villages or towns, just mountains and forests.

“They would offend local drug cartels while carrying out their missions. They couldn’t trust either the police or civilians. To avoid being tracked down by the drug cartels, they had to find a remote place to hide first.”

You opened your mouth but couldn't speak. You were clearly injured, yet you could only hide in the deep mountains and forests, which made you feel a little sad.

You look at the different shaped cardboard boxes in the back seat, and even the trunk is full. These are all ammunition supplies prepared by Ghost.

When the ghost had the boxes loaded into the car, you initially thought they were a gift, but they turned out to be supplies.

Of course, there was also a small portion of food.

"Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I would have bought them some food if I had known."

Keegan and his men can't trust anyone here right now, and they certainly can't accept any help from the police. Thinking about how he's injured and only eating marching rations, you just want to buy him more food.

Ghost turned the steering wheel with both hands, responding naturally, "I didn't want you to worry."

"You just need to go see him, I'll take care of everything else."

You feel a pang of sadness. Although Ghost still rejects the idea of ​​other men around you, he not only accompanied you to find Keegan but also meticulously prepared supplies, all to ease your worries.

Does he...like you that much?

The SUV suddenly stopped, interrupting the chaotic thoughts in your mind.

"arrive?"

You look around and see nothing but trees, bushes, and overgrown weeds; there's not a soul in sight.

"wait."

The ghost answers you.

So you sit in the car and wait until a few minutes later a bald man with a mask on and wearing tactical headphones emerges from the bushes, walks to the car, and roughly knocks on the window next to you.

You roll down your car window, and a gun is pointed at you, followed by his fierce questioning:

"State your identities and purpose if you don't want to be shot."

Since he dared to show up and approach you so arrogantly, it's not only because he's confident in his own strength, but also because his teammates are lying in ambush around him.

"Merrick, are you this rude to ladies?"

Ghost tilted his head and growled forcefully at the man he called Merrick.

Merrick looked in the direction of the voice and responded in a low voice when he saw the eyes beneath the skull mask.

"The Englishman? So you're not dead. Then let me correct you again, it's Merrick."

Despite not having seen each other for over a decade, Merrick still recognized his former teammate with whom he had once shared life and death.

Of course, I also corrected him again for pronouncing his name with a British accent.

The ghost calmly retorted, "Didn't Keegan tell you?"

Merrick scoffed, "He rarely mentions unimportant people."

His tone was cold and hard, revealing his dissatisfaction with Ghost.

The ghost, however, didn't care and instead complained to you in a rather cheerful mood.

“Little bird, did you hear that? Keegan rarely mentions unimportant people, and Marrick doesn’t know you.”

Okay, it's obvious that Ghost doesn't want to try an American accent.

But you can't deny that your heart felt a little heavy when you heard those words.

Especially considering the message you sent to Keegan before you left, he still hasn't replied. Did he not see it or does he not want to reply?

A slight wavering arises in your heart; you have never firmly expressed your feelings for Keegan, and you lack complete confidence.

Merrick's words were like a thorn in my side, leaving me somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, Merrick muttered a curse into his headset microphone.

"Fuck! What kind of mess is this?!"

Then, he gave you a strange look and said to the ghost.

"Get out of the car and come with me."

You turn to look at the ghost: "Lieutenant, supplies..."

The ghost looked up at Merrick and said, "There are supplies for you in the car. Find someone to carry them yourselves."

After saying that, he looked at you and said, "Little bird, get off the bus."

You open the car door, your cowboy boots clicking on the damp grass, and you follow quietly behind Merrick, while Ghost watches you warily from behind. The three of you then enter the deep bushes.

Merrick won't kindly shield you from the dense branches, so you'll have to raise your hand yourself to block the branches that are brushing against your face.

Because you don't want to damage the environment and let people find out, you try not to cut down or break them.

After about ten minutes of stealthy progress, you finally arrived at an area with dense foliage but relatively flat terrain.

A fully armed man, who was on guard at the edge, raised his hand to Merrick after seeing you.

"Captain Merrick."

Merrick also raised his hand and clasped it together with his.

And you finally see him from afar, dressed in a dark suit but without any equipment or mask.

He was taking inventory of something when he heard the sound and turned around.

His calm, unwavering eyes instantly locked onto you, and you met his gaze from afar.

Your hands, hanging limply, clenched quietly. You should have taken the initiative to walk towards him, but your feet didn't move an inch.

Merrick's words still seem to bother you.

The ghost behind you looked down at you, and immediately understood your thoughts when it saw your clenched hands.

But he didn't say anything more. Instead, he looked at Keegan with a satisfied expression, as if observing how he would deal with your little mood.

The others present were also watching, seemingly very curious about your identities.

Given Keegan's personality, it's quite unusual for someone to seek him out alone, especially at a time like this.

And there's an Asian girl too, how can this not make people gossip?

This delicate stalemate was finally broken when Keegan took the initiative to speak.

"Kid, come here to me."

He parted his thin lips slightly and called to you in a gentle voice.

You exhale softly and turn to look at the ghost behind you.

The ghost silently looked away, her tone impatient: "Alright, go ahead."

You got his approval, and under everyone's gaze, you walked up to Keegan.

Before you could even speak, you were pulled into his arms!

Wow~

A chorus of cheers erupted, clearly indicating surprise and excitement.

You froze instantly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with this sudden declaration of your relationship.

But Keegan’s deep voice rang in your ear:

"Kid, why are you angry with me?"

He remains as sensitive as ever, easily perceiving the emotions and subtle body language of others.

ch.278: Keegan's preferences

You open your mouth, but don't know what to say in response.

"Is it because I didn't reply to your messages or pick you up?"

He continued speaking, releasing your embrace, but his hand remained on your head, gently stroking it.

"I went out to buy supplies today, and to avoid being tracked, I didn't turn my phone on. I only saw your message after I came back and brought the supplies inside."

He had just returned to the base when he heard his teammates on guard say that Merrick and his men had spotted a suspicious vehicle.

This reminded him of the ghost asking him for his location yesterday, and he quickly opened his phone to see your message.

Then he had his teammates pass on a message to Merrick, telling him to bring you in.

You understand now, so that's how it is.

"understood."

You responded to him and accepted his explanation.

But he was looking at you, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Why are you still unhappy? Did something happen?"

"Cough cough,"

An awkward cough rang out, followed by Merrick's somewhat embarrassed voice.

"Perhaps it's because of some of the things I said."

Keegan looked at him silently, as if asking a question with his eyes.

Merrick shifted his gaze: "It's nothing, I was just saying you rarely mention unimportant people."