Chapter 1136: Don’t make me ask you again

Meanwhile...

Restlessness slowly consumed Penny, making it impossible for her to settle in her seat. She kept massaging her nape, sighing from time to time.

"First Brother and Second Brother already went out to bring them back," Zoren remarked quietly, noticing that his wife had been a bit restless. "Mark is also with them."

"I know," she whispered, snapping her gaze back to him. "But for some reason, I can’t seem to shake this feeling."

Zoren nodded, understanding his wife. He, too, had the same feeling that he couldn’t shake. Still, someone needed to remain calm between them. He reached for her hand, squeezing it to give her the slight reassurance he could offer.

"They’ll be fine," he reassured, nodding at her. "They will be."

Penny pursed her lips and nodded back at him. "They will be... I know that."

With that, the couple turned their attention back to the group, who remained unaware of the two missing people in their midst. Not that they didn’t know Slater and Benjamin weren’t around, but they didn’t think much about it.

Why would they?

Slater and Benjamin were two grown men. It wasn’t like they would get lost or anything. They were sure they’d come back soon. They also knew that Hugo, Atlas, and Mark only went out to fetch them because the night was growing deeper, and they were missing the good conversation and laughter they had been sharing.

Penny and Zoren tried their best to remain calm until they saw Mint returning.

"Oh, Minty~!" Lily greeted sweetly as soon as she caught sight of Mint. "Where’s Ray?"

But Mint ignored Lily and walked closer. As she neared the bonfire, her eyes scanned each face around. There were a few people missing.

"Where’s Benjamin?" she asked, her gaze returning to Lily.

"Uh, I think he left earlier to go to the bathroom," Lily mumbled. "Don’t worry, Senior Hugo and Senior Atlas, along with Mark, went to fetch them."

"Them?"

"I think Slater is with him—I’m not sure though. I think Slater left first, so we’re not really sure if they’re together," Ginnie answered this time.

"Miss Mint, is everything okay?" James asked, noticing that Mint didn’t seem like her usual self. If anything, Mint looked a little... restless.

Mint nodded, trying her best to look as normal as possible. "Of course. But you guys might need to exhume Ray."

"What?!"

"He’s over there." She waved a finger in the direction where she had left Ray. "He was still breathing when I left him."

James furrowed his brows, only to see Max ruffle his hair in irritation.

"This is what I told him," Max hissed, getting up to retrieve Ray. "Women is gonna be the death of him!"

Seeing this, James perked up and yelled, "I’ll help, Senior!"

"Exhume Ray?" Lily mumbled before her eyes twinkled, grabbing Ginnie’s arm. "Ginnie, let’s go check out Ray. I want to take a photo of him and print it for our fan club retreat."

"What—" Before Ginnie could say anything, Lily had already dragged her with her.

Now Max and James left the bonfire to help Ray, while the other two (Lily and Ginnie) tagged along to enjoy the sight of them.

Meanwhile, Mint watched the group leave before sitting down on a log beside the couple.

"Something’s wrong," was the first thing Mint said to the couple. "I don’t know what, but I can feel my gut twisting. Where are Benjamin and Slater?"

Penny and Zoren exchanged a brief glance before focusing on Mint.

"We don’t know," Zoren said coolly. "But as Lily said, my brothers-in-law and Mark went to fetch them."

"Are they together?"

"No." Penny shook her head. "Third Brother left first, then Benjamin left a few minutes later. He said he was going to the public bathroom."

"However, they haven’t come back," Zoren added. "That’s why they left to check on them."

Mint nodded, picking up a randomly opened bottle of beer to chug it down. After gulping two mouthfuls, she glanced at the couple.

"Mint, we’re a bit worried now too," Penny remarked as she was just this close to leaving the bonfire to search for her brother. Like Mint and Hugo, her gut feeling had been screaming at her to look for Slater.

"But... let’s just wait a bit," she added with great reluctance. "I’m sure nothing bad is going to happen. I mean, Benjamin and my Third Brother are adults. They could’ve just gone somewhere and ended up shopping. Besides, this town is safe for tourists, right?"

"It should be," Zoren nodded, but his gaze sharpened as he studied Mint. "...Or not? Tell me, Mint, is there something we should know about the town?"

When that question left Zoren’s mouth, Mint’s face hardened. Even before she could respond, Penny and Zoren immediately felt a surge of urgency.

There was something Mint hadn’t told anyone yet.

They knew it just by looking at the deadly look on her face.

Slowly, Mint lifted her eyes to meet theirs and exhaled heavily before speaking.

---

Back at the pub, Atlas was seated on a stool at the bar while Mark and Hugo went off to check the area. But when he saw Hugo coming out of the restroom with a grim expression, Atlas immediately knew they hadn’t found Slater or Benjamin.

"He’s not here," Mark said as he arrived beside Atlas. "I checked everywhere."

At the same time, Hugo reached them, shaking his head. "I checked the bathrooms, everyone, and even asked almost everyone, but no one’s seen the two of them."

"I see." Atlas nodded and glanced at the bartender.

Sensing a glance from Atlas’s direction, the bartender sighed and rested his hand on the counter. "Gentlemen, if your brother had been here, I would’ve known. However, I haven’t seen them either. Though, I’m sure nothing bad will happen if they stay around the area."

"What do you mean by that?" Hugo frowned, earning only a shrug from the bartender.

The bartender smirked smugly. "I’m just saying, this is no lost and found. People come and go here, and we can’t keep track of everyone. Who knows? Your brother might have gotten wasted with his friend and passed out on the street."

"They’re not like that," Hugo scoffed, detecting the arrogance in the man’s voice.

"Well, that’s what most people say until they’re crawling out of the pub—HA! HA!"

"You—"

Hugo stopped when Atlas suddenly raised his hand to stop him. "Calm down," Atlas said, his tone making Hugo feel a little bitter. But then again, he understood that they all needed to stay calm.

"Thank you for your help," Atlas remarked, taking out his wallet and placing a bill on the counter.

"You’re welcome," the bartender said happily, reaching for the bill. But then, Atlas grabbed his arm, stilling it on the counter. The bartender froze and looked up, only to see Atlas’s eyes glinting malevolently as he leaned closer.

Even Mark and Hugo were taken aback by Atlas’s sudden aggression.

"My little brother is missing, and my second brother is trying his best to act decently. Mock them again, and I assure you, this will be the last time you wear that smug look," Atlas breathed out, his eyes unblinking as he stared at the bartender. "Now, straighten up, fix your tone, and don’t make me ask you again. What do you mean by ’if they stayed around the area’? What is it that we need to know?"