Nathaniel looked at Mango and said with a smile, "Well go wherever you originally wanted to go, but well go by ourselves."
"Why?"
Mango was very confused.
This wasn't Ocean City after all. It was vast, and they couldn't tell where they were. That was why they chose to be with a group of travelers in the first place. Mango couldn't understand Nathaniel's statement.
Nathaniel explained in a low voice, "If we didn't meet Edolie, we could have done whatever we wanted. But since we've met her here, we have to be on guard against whatever she might do. Since she works under a travel agency, she must be related to this. Besides, the higher-ups support the development of tourism here, and we have no idea whether she's close to them or not. For example, we have no idea whether the car has really broken down or if it was one of their plots. The best way to avoid danger is to find our own way."
Mango finally understood what was going on.
Honestly, she'd become accustomed to not thinking while she was by Nathaniel's side.
Ah, damn.
This was not a good thing to get used to!
Mango thought to herself.
The voices below were getting softer, and finally, there was no sound at all.
Perhaps those people didn't know that Nathaniel and Mango had already gone up the mountain, or maybe they didn't want to delay their journey. Either way, they left.
Mango felt a little thirsty, but when she wanted to grab some water, she recalled that their bag had been left on the bus.
Now that they had no food and water in this remote area, what were they going to do?
Nathaniel saw Mango's lips were a little dry, so he took out a small water bottle from his pocket and handed it over.
"Drink a little. You have to keep yourself hydrated."
Mango was stunned.
When did he fill up the water?
Mango suddenly remembered that Nathaniel had bought two bottles of water before boarding the bus after they'd seen Edolie.
She had already drunk her water, but she didn't see Nathaniel's. Hence, she thought he had put it in her bag, or that he had already drunk it. She didn't expect him to actually put it in his pocket.
In other words, from that moment on, Nathaniel already had his guard up.
Mango admired Nathaniel's caution.
Seeing that Nathaniel was also thirsty, Mango handed the water to him.
"You climbed the mountain with me on your back, so you used much more strength than me. I'm sure you need the water more than me, so you should drink it."
Nathaniel smiled, "I'm not thirsty. You drink it. This journey is nothing to me."
Mango knew that Nathaniel was comforting her.
With only one bottle of water, they had no idea how long it would take for a car to pass by if they were to head down. If they were going to walk, then this bottle of water was their lifeline.
Nathaniel must have wanted to save it for her.
Mango stubbornly opened the bottle and placed it next to Nathaniel's mouth. Her meaning was clear enough. She wouldn't let go unless he drank it.
Nathaniel's heart warmed when he saw how persistent Mango was. In the end, he drank a mouthful of water and handed it over. "Alright, drink up. It doesn't matter even if you drink all of it. I've already looked at the map from my phone.
There's a shop nearby. We can go there to buy some water."
Upon hearing Nathaniel's words, Mango finally took a few sips of water. However, with the stuffy and hot weather, drinking a few mouthfuls of water was not helping.
She ended up putting away the bottle.
"What's wrong? Drink it if you're thirsty. Didn't I just tell you? There will be a store soon and we'll buy more then."
Mango shook her head and made a gesture, "You'd better keep it. You've said that there will be a shop soon, so I can hold it in for a little longer."
Nathaniel knew that Mango wanted to leave some backup forthem.
He smiled and did not say a word. Then he carried Mango onto his back as they walked down the mountain.
Mango wanted to walk on her own, but Nathaniel refused.
When they reached the ground, Nathaniel was a little out of breath.
Meanwhile, Mango saw that the bus had already left. There was nothing here, not even a single car on the road.
She quickly took out her phone and wanted to see where they were. It was a great distance from the nearest town. But when she took out her phone, she found that the signal here was not stable.
So how did Nathaniel find out from his phone that there was a shop nearby?
Mango's heart was filled with happiness, but there was also a bit of bitterness and heartache.
Fortunately, she didn't finish the water, or else the consequences would be unimaginable.
When Nathaniel saw Mango looking at him and holding onto her phone, he knew that she saw through his lie.
However, he said innocently, "Why are you so smart? You should have just drunk it."
Mango glared at him in annoyance as she gestured. "What are we going to do now?"
"Find a place to wait, or scout forward. You decide."
Mango knew that Nathaniel had once again given her the power to make the decision.
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