Beneath The Tiger Gaze - #3 Genma Corporation Series

Chapter 4

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The team continued their journey after Nanjan and Labih returned with full stomachs. They brought a bag of fried snacks for Angelina, who had just used a bright light to dazzle the pongo's eyes, while Ramaik vehemently refused the non-meat treats.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me from there," Ramaik's words echoed repeatedly in Angelina's mind. She disregarded the radio's song playing in the background. Her gaze stared blankly at her entwined hands resting on her lap.

Is it fair to lay all my problems on him?

A sense of melancholy enveloped Angelina. Ramaik's sincere expression when he expressed his gratitude made her feel guilty.

Is it time to forget the past?

"Doctor, aren't you eating the fried snacks? Mr. Nanjan deliberately bought them for you," Labih said, noticing his colleague still looking gloomy. "Mr. Nanjan said these fried bananas are delicious. It would be a shame if you didn't try them before heading to Papua."

Angelina's brow furrowed in annoyance. She temporarily set aside her inner struggle and roughly snatched the five-thousand-rupiah bag of fried snacks.

Angelina took a warm piece of fried banana and shamelessly devoured it. Not bad at all.

Labih smiled with satisfaction as Angelina ate four fried snacks. He maintained his innocent expression and casually said, "Doc, since you've filled your stomach, Mr. Nanjan suggested we head straight to the Release Forest. You can eat after the pongo is out of the cage."

A mouthful of fried snacks Angelina was chewing almost blocked her airway. She quickly grabbed a bottle of mineral water and drank it all.

Angelina coughed a few times, wiping her lips with the back of her hand, then slowly turned her head towards her annoying spokesperson. "So, you're saying my lunch is just fried snacks?"

Labih'sorthodontically challenged teeth were on full display for a few seconds. Angelina let out a heavy sigh. She reached into her oily paper bag on her lap, resignedly saying, "Mr. Nanjan must treat me nasibakapoor with well-cooked earthy meat and orange juice later."

"Oke, Doc."

Labih signaled twice with his turn signal to indicate that the negotiation had concluded. Angelina rolled her eyes at her annoying companion's antics, then grabbed Ramaik's snacks by taking a piece of rissole.

*****

The Release Forest that Labih mentioned lay across a crocodile-infested river, which required an hour's journey by a speedboat. The two vehicles and the restless sleeping animal, bored from the long trip, reached the crossing point at 5 p.m.

Angelina stepped out of the car, carrying her backpack. She stretched her body and let out a tired yawn. The roads they had traversed were predominantly dirt tracks, and the jolts often sent pains deep into her bones.

"Doctor Angel."

A sweet voice made Angelina turn around. Her lips broke into a smile as she saw a twenty-five-year-old Japanese-Indonesian girl approaching her. A backpack containing medical equipment hung on the petite woman's 148-centimeter frame.

Yuuki glanced at the transport cage, which three men from Angelina's team were lowering, and asked with curiosity, "Mr. Nanjan said today's pongo is male, right?"

"Yes, Doctor," Angelina replied warmly. After spending almost a whole day with four ill-mannered males, the presence of her gentle and sweet colleague made Angelina feel a little better.

However, to her dismay, Nanjan had similar thoughts. That man suddenly appeared and caused Angelina to stumble backward and bump into someone.

"Doctor Yuuki, have you eaten? If not, would you like to join us? There's a good restaurant nearby."

Angelina's hair stood up as her stingy boss tried to coax Yuuki with a piece of rendang. She turned her body and stuttered, "S-sorry..."

However, Angelina halted her words as she realized who she was talking to. Ramaik's head tilted. He smiled as he replied, "That's fine."

"Uh, well, next time, sir. It would be a pity for the pongo to wait for me to eat," Yuuki refused with a sweet smile.

Angelina shifted away from Nanjan and Ramaik. She was about to check on her patient to hand it over to Yuuki—the doctor responsible for the next three days in the Release Forest—when she heard her name mentioned in Nanjan'ssentence.

"Doctor Angelin is going to check the pongo's condition first. There's still time if Doctor Yuuki wants to eat first."

Nanjan's honeyed voice made Angelina's face became sour. She ignored his favoritism and headed toward the transport cage near the motorboat.

Labih and three of Yuuki's team members were there. Those other team members were all wearing life jackets over their brown uniforms.

The river's current seemed calm, and there were no traces of crocodile footprints or holes where they could bury their eggs on the sandy banks near the dock.

"Doctor, the pongo is still asleep," Labih reported as Angelina knelt in front of the transport cage.

She nodded slightly, unzipping the bag and rummaging through it to find her flashlight.

Bright light streamed through the gaps, and just as Labih had reported, the primate as tall as Angelina, covered in long, unkempt black fur, was comfortably snoring next to three empty banana peels.

"Is the pongo healthy?"

A sudden whisper from Yuuki made Angelina turn quickly. She found the half-Japanese, half-Indonesian girl bending down to sneak a peek at their patient.

"Healthy," Angelina replied, glancing at Nanjan. That man was looking at Yuuki from a distance with a longing gaze. "Aren't you going to eat first? It's hard to find good food in the forest, right?"

Yuuki's youthful cheeks turned rosy as she peeked and smiled sweetly at Angelina before whispering, "I already ate earlier. While the pongo is still asleep, we'll head out."

Angelina didn't object. She turned off the flashlight and tidied her backpack as Yuuki approached one of her team members to ask for a life jacket.

"Feeling hungry?" Ramaik's voice suddenly entered Angelina's left ear, startling her. Ramaik's lips instantly thinned when he saw her reaction. However, he didn't comment. He fell silent for a moment before repeating his question. "Angel, do you want to eat?"

"Not yet," Angelina replied quickly. The woman who hadn't finished sorting out her feelings stood up while carrying her backpack.

"We'll attach the floats to the cage, Doctor," one of the uniformed men from Yuuki's team stepped forward, carrying floats and a nylon rope.

"Sure, please," Angelina replied, moving away from there. She ignored Ramaik, who finally joined in helping to attach the cage.

She was about to approach Yuuki when Nanjan suddenly passed before her, almost colliding with her.

"Doctor Yuuki, be careful during the journey. This pongo is very strong, so don't get too close when it's time for the release,"

Angelina's eyes rolled when she heard Nanjan's low-quality seduction.

However, her lips curved when Yuuki lowered herself like Oshin in the television series and politely said, "I'll go first."

"DokterYuuki, inform me when you've arrived, okay?" Angelina said as the cage lifted onto the boat.

"Yes, I'll see you in three days."

The half-Japanese girl waved back at her colleague. They waited for the group to depart before returning to the camp located five kilometers away.

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