Chapter 105 Veronica disliked the photo very much and wanted to delete it. The next moment, however, Matthew snatched her phone out of h er hand. âNever mind, let me take a photo of you.â After taking her phone away, he took a photo of her alone and showed her the photo.
Veronica nodded in satisfaction, but as she scrolled through the photo album on her phone, she asked, âWhereâs the photo just n ow?â
Holding the umbrella in his hand, the man walked ahead of her and replied with a casual air, âI deleted it.â
âOh, okay. Itâs fine that you deleted it. It didnât look good, anyway,â Veronica muttered, before setting the photo Matthew had taken as her phoneâs lock screen wallpaper.
That night, the rain poured down heavily, accompanied by flashes of lightning and claps of thunder.
Veronica lay wide awake in bed until about four or five in the early morning before drifting off to sleep. At some point in time, how ever, she was woken from her dream by Melissa, who shoved her a few times, saying, âGet up, Veronica! Something bad happe ned. Veronica, get up!â
Veronica asked in a sleepy daze, âWhatâs the matter?â When she opened her eyes, she saw Melissa looking incredibly worried a nd anxious.
Melissa explained, âThe rain was too heavy, and it caused a mudslide that took down the school on the hillside. The teachers an d a few kids who went to school this morning are still there, so some people have been gathered in the village to rescue them. T hey asked us to tell those in Goon Village to evacuate.â Dawnpol Village was situated between two mountains that were very far apart, so it wouldnât be affected even if a mudslide occurred. On the other hand, Goon Village was situated close to the foot of th e mountain. If a mudslide occurred, the consequences would be disastrous.
âA mudslide, you say?â Veronicaâs heart skipped a beat. Startled awake, she sat up in bed at once. âHow could this have happen ed?â
Melissa replied, âYouâre right! Iâm scared to death. Many of the volunteers who came we want to leave, but the rainâs too heavy at the moment. Even if they want to leave, dey canât. She was anxious as well. After all , she had always lived in comfort without ever having to do manual labor or fend for herself. She only came to Almeida this ume because she got bored with staying in the city and wanted to experience life, but she never thought she would come across a mu dslide.
Getting out of bed at once, Veronica got changed and walked out of the house with Melissa. Standing under the eaves of the doo rway, she watched the rain outside, which never seemed to stop as though the sky had cracked open with water pouring into the crack. The sight was worrying. Worried about the school, Veronica asked, âWhat about Matthew and the others? Are they on their way to the school already?â
âYeah, they are.â
âIn that case, letâs hurry to Goon Village. Something badâs gonna happen if weâre late,â Veronica said to Melissa.
The two ladies walked out of the yard and stepped on the muddy road together. However, neither of them had time to care for th eir shoes, which became sopping wet in an instant, as they hurried toward Goon Village.
They hadnât gone far when a voice rang from behind. âMelissa? Melissa! Stop right there, Melissa!â
Upon hearing the voice, the two looked back to see Hendric coming their way in a raincoat. Pointing at Melissa, he questioned a ngrily, âWhat are you doing in such a heavy rain?â
âThe village chief asked Veronica and me to tell the villagers at Goon Village to evacuate. Are you coming with us, Dad?â
Big raindrops were pattering loudly on the umbrellas in the heavy rain, forcing everyone to shout at the top of their voices so that the other party could hear them.
âI just knew youâre going to Goon Village. Itâs too dangerous over there. Go back with me!â Hendric grabbed Melissaâs arm without giving her the opportunity to say no. âItâs enough that she goes alone. Go back with me!â
âLet go of me, Dad! Iâm going with Veronica. Itâll be dangerous for her to go alone instead!â Melissa usually seemed unreliable, but she was worried about Veronica and didnât want to let the latter risk her life by going to Goon Village alone. She argued, âHow co uld you be so selfish, Dad? There are still many people over there. If weâre late, theyâll be in great danger.â Hendric was worried about Melissa, but Melissa was a kindâhearted child at heart, so she was, of course, worried about Goon Village, the situation of which was unknown.
âWhau nonsense are you talking about? Youâre my only daughter. How am I supposed to explain myself to your mom if anything happens to you? Go back with me!â Hendric chastised Melissa angrily while dragging her back without allowing her to protest.
Melissa kept struggling while looking back at Veronica. She yelled, âVeronica, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and lend me a hand!â
âYouâd better go back with your dad.â Veronica shook her head; she wasnât planning to take Melissa to Goon Village. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Melissa was very delicate. If she went to Goon Village with Veronica, she would only be a drag on the latter, which wasnât a good thing. Moreover, Veronica supported what Hendric did very much.
Holding the umbrella, she quickly headed for Goon Village. Surprisingly, as soon as she reached the villageâs entrance, she saw the masked man coming her way with an umbrella in his hand. âYouâre going to Goon Village?â he asked her, his back bent.
âThe school on the hillside has been taken down by a mudslide, so the village chief asked us to hurry up and tell those in Goon Village to evacuate.â
âIâll go with you,â the masked man said eagerly.
At that instant, Veronica frowned slightly. She shook her head in refusal, saying, âYouâre in poor health, and you walk slowly.
Best if you rest at home. Itâs more convenient for me to go there alone.â
However, the masked man reminded her, saying, âGoon Villageâs households are scattered throughout the village. How are you gonna notify all His words knocked some sense into Veronica. In the end, she could only say, âIn that case, just be careful. Iâm going first to the ea âOkay.â The masked man nodded slightly.
The two went all the way to Goon Village while holding their umbrellas.
Marsi, Veronica thought the masked man would walk slowly with his stick, but she realized that he could keep up with her no matt Thunder rumbled as the two headed quickly toward Goon Village. The rain was pouring down heavily all around them, causing the to cross at a time.
Veronica hesitated for a moment while looking at the wooden bridge. Then, she looked back at the masked man and shouted, âYo that the masked man couldnât hear her.
With his stick in one hand and his umbrella in the other, the masked man watched as river water surged rapidly down the canal an Seeing that everything was safe and sound when the masked man calmly stepped onto the bridge, Veronica couldnât help but dou