the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart-Chapter 1038: Don’t Scream, Okay?

Lucas Thorne is a bona fide research expert, but he is rather indecisive, wavering when everyone expressed differing opinions.

Crystal Landon had lost all patience and assertively said, "Lucas, as the sponsor of this expedition, I have the right to demand you set up camp here and wait for rescue. All your compasses, GPS, and electronic devices are failing; only my equipment is working. If you want to die, keep moving; otherwise, stay with me."

After she spoke, a flicker of impatience crossed her cold and beautiful face. She removed her backpack and, while the daylight hadn’t entirely faded away, began setting up her tent.

Everyone was shocked. Crystal Landon was the sponsor? This field expedition was sponsored by Crystal Landon?

Seeing her decisive attitude, Lucas Thorne finally felt some assurance, nodded, and said, "Quickly set up camp, build the tents close together."

Everyone hurriedly set up their tents. Jagger Lloyd gathered wood around the area, ready to start a fire.

"Don’t light the fire," Crystal Landon said softly.

"What if snakes or insects bite us during the night?" Jagger Lloyd was now completely lost, in the deep mountains where no one responds to our calls for help, modern equipment failing, suppressed, lonely, and terrified, having lost all faith.

Now this group of people had completely rallied around Crystal Landon, unconsciously following the commands of this first-year student.

"If we really are in the Golden Triangle region, it’s better to keep a low profile." Crystal remembered Uncle Hao saying this place wasn’t peaceful, and also recalling what he had said about the Warlord’s Domain cutting through the Golden Triangle territories, she softly continued, "This area often experiences warlord skirmishes. If discovered and captured, none of us will survive. I have insect repellent here; use it inside the tents while sleeping. We must have someone on night watch in shifts. If an emergency occurs, take action accordingly, escape if you can."

"Crystal, is what you’re saying true?" Catherine Webb, who initially disliked her, had now transformed into someone dependent on the strong.

Crystal Landon nodded gently, not wanting to say more, she calmly said, "I’ll go to sleep first; take turns for night watch, wake the next person when you’re exhausted until morning."

After speaking, she simply ate some dried food from her backpack, drank some water, and went into her tent to sleep. By now, darkness had completely enveloped the surroundings, silent as death. In the middle of the night, Catherine Webb woke Crystal Landon, then lay down, weary and scared.

Crystal Landon took out a flashlight from her backpack, then fished out the small pistol Uncle Hao had equipped her with before she left, eyes open, listening to the outside sounds. Their noise was tiny, and since it was night, generally nothing would happen, but always worried about the unexpected.

When the first light of dawn appeared, Crystal Landon, looking at the dim glow outside the tent, finally breathed a sigh of relief, unzipped the tent, bent to go out, then froze suddenly, grabbing the flashlight and hurling it at the shadow outside.

Her actions were swift, yet her wrist was suddenly restrained. As she was about to cry out, her mouth was covered. A low voice whispered in her ear, "It’s me."

Familiar yet slightly unfamiliar, the man’s grip was strong, holding her still, making her chest ache.

"Don’t shout, okay?" Richard Shaw whispered softly, only releasing her when she nodded her little head.