Jack, who appeared to be the most seriously injured, didn't receive the sa treatnt. The girls stepped aside, and JJ reached out to support him.
Because he was worried about being discovered during a later examination of his wounds, and since they were only superficial injuries, Jack hadn't used his healing skills, causing the blood to clot and stick to his clothes.
JJ took him directly to the small bathroom on the third floor, cut open his torn clothes and pants with scissors, and cleaned his wounds with clean water. She frowned as she prepared to disinfect and bandage them.
"Your waist wound is quite deep; it needs stitches."
Jack didn't want to suffer twice, and removing the stitches would be painful anyway. Seeing a needleless suture kit in his dical kit, he handed it to her. "Use this; my wounds always heal very quickly."
The needleless suture kit consisted of two pieces of adhesive tape attached to both sides of the wound, connected by a flexible thread in the middle. After the tape was applied, gently pulling the thread would bring the two sides of the wound together, achieving a suture-like effect.
Seeing the girl with her head down, carefully disinfecting and cleaning his wounds, then cautiously applying the tape, adjusting it little by little, as if worried about hurting him, Jack's breathing beca a little rapid.
"Jennifer, that was dangerous."
"I know, I was worried about you too. I only relaxed when I saw you co back."
JJ was still looking down, fiddling with the thin threads, seemingly not finding it strange that he suddenly called her by her na.
"Uh, I an, I almost died just now. That bastard Shebeck only detonated those mines at the last mont."
Jack's shalessness was reaching the peak now.
"I heard. The PMCs left a communicator for us. Everyone was very worried about you. When you returned to the communication range, everyone cheered."
Seeing that she was still looking down, fiddling with those damn needleless sutures, seemingly not understanding his hint, Jack's breathing beca slightly rapid.
"I an, I was very nervous just now…"
Jack shut his mouth, as if feeling that continuing would seem a little too shaless.
JJ didn't speak, seemingly too focused to notice Jack's words. After a while, she looked up happily.
"It's done! This is my first ti doing this. Does it still hurt? Is there anything uncomfortable?"
Seeing the concern in the girl's eyes, Jack couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
"I'm fine. I'm going to find Brie Terry and ask about her communication with Garcia and Tyler Kelly."
Just as Jack was about to get up, JJ forcefully pressed him down, swinging her legs and sitting directly on him, asking with a fierce look.
"Who are you going to see?"
Jack's lips curled into a mischievous smile. Trying to play mind gas with him? Her neck and the base of her ears were already red; did she really think he couldn't see that?
...
A successful sneak attack and an even more successful ambush made the second night on Jolo Island much easier for the plane crash survivors.
With several PMCs taking turns on night watch, Jack could finally relax and get a good night's rest under his mosquito net.
At dawn, before the rainforest mist had fully dissipated, a plu of smoke rose again from the abandoned mine, and several parachutes blood in the air — the SEAL team had finally arrived.
However, compared to the PMCs' initial drop, the passengers were much calr now, each thodically carrying out their assigned tasks.
Jason Hayes, still sporting a full beard and a sinister gaze, exuding a distinctly military air, extended his hand to Jack this ti.
"Long ti no see, old friend."
Jack didn't reciprocate, but instead opened his arms and gave him a warm hug.
"Since we're old friends, isn't this a bit too formal?"
After he greeted Clay, Sonny, Ray, and the other team mbers, Shebeck stepped forward, looking at them suspiciously.
"Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel like these guys are much more enthusiastic towards you than towards ?"
Jack shrugged. He didn't know the extent of Shebeck's relationship with the team mbers, but they had once shared the spoils together — and it was real money, no more. Few had a deeper bond than that.
The team had received the latest intelligence before arriving. If the previous rescue mission was A-level in difficulty, and could potentially escalate to S-level, it had now been downgraded to a D-level or even E-level mission.
So everyone seed relatively relaxed, because the largest ard force on the island had been largely dismantled, and even their leader had been captured alive.
The Abu Sayyaf group was, after all, just a guerrilla-style terrorist organization, not a well-trained regular army.
Whether the various factions vied for a new leader, or soone stepped forward, put aside their differences, and rallied the remaining forces to rescue their leader, it wouldn't be sothing that could be accomplished in a day or two. The people here were so disorganized; neither the Philippine governnt nor the anti-governnt forces were efficient whatsoever.
Two days had passed, and the Philippine governnt hadn't even issued a proper official statent, let alone anyone proactively contacting the plane crash survivors who had restored communication with the outside world.
With the SEALs landing, JJ began organizing everyone to prepare for evacuation.
The evacuation point was on the coast closest to the abandoned mine, less than 10 kiloters away; a destroyer had already arrived in the open sea.
Accompanying the SEALs in the airdrop were two all-terrain vehicles. Six SEAL team mbers rode in these two vehicles, each equipped with a heavy machine gun, to lead the way, while five PMC mbers covered the rear.
At 10:00 AM, all preparations were complete, and the long convoy drove out of the abandoned mine. All supplies and ammunition that could not be carried away were burned.
Jack's pickup truck was in the very center of the convoy, driven by Gaspare, with JJ in the passenger seat, and the two pilots in the back. In the middle was their only prisoner, the one-ard old man, Radulan Sahiron.
The old man had been suffering from a high fever since the previous night, and the wound on his forehead was clearly infected. Jack didn't want to do it himself, and the others were not capable of removing the steel pellet embedded in his skull.
JJ only gave him so anti-inflammatory dication, but without surgery as soon as possible, his life was already on a countdown.
However, neither the US governnt nor the military had any interest in this old man. As for handing him over to the Philippine governnt, even Captain Torrance just shrugged at the suggestion.
The decision not to leave the old man to die in the jungle wasn't out of humanitarianism, but rather Jack's caution; in case they were ambushed on the way, at least he'd have a hostage.
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