Beneath The Tiger Gaze - #3 Genma Corporation Series

Chapter 12

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The Tim Rescue The Wild, consisting of a leader, a veterinarian, and two field members, finally gathered not far from the long-tailed monkey that was now behaving well after Labih covered its wooden cage with leaves and provided it with some ripe bananas. Angelina's allergy to Ramaik's presence disappeared after hearing the name Nixon mentioned. Angelina tried to gather additional information, but unfortunately, Ramaik was reluctant to respond, ignoring her demanding gaze.

Nixon is still alive.... Angelina's eyes blinked a few times. The old wounds reopened, causing her pain.

"Doctor, take care of the cat for me," a farewell from the man who sacrificed himself suddenly echoed in her ears. Nixon is still alive....

Angelina's gaze briefly clashed with Ramaik, who suddenly glanced over. The man's lips remained flat as he saw dew in her eyes and turned away.

"Ra—"

"I'll take Longy to the new camp first." Nanjan's voice interrupted Angelina's intention to bombard Ramaik with various questions.

The woman immediately bit her lip when their superior continued speaking. She even observed Nanjan's slightly reddened ears. "Doctor Yuuki is on her way to the camp as well. I might be a bit late to rejoin you." What?! Does he want to woo Yuuki? How about our meal?

Angelina's melancholic feeling vanished instantly. She forgot about the fate of her lifesaver and hissed towards Nanjan, who was blushing on his own. "Mr. Nanjan, we didn't bring food supplies if we have to camp." Nanjan's cheerful expression immediately turned sour. The man roughly pulled a tattered wallet from the dark brown pants pocket and said, "Mr. Labih, this is fifty thousand for all your lunch and dinner, plus breakfast tomorrow morning if I can't catch up."

"Okay, sir!" Labih, who never argued, put their meal budget into his wallet. He patted his pocket and turned to Angelina, who was frowning, silently protesting the limited budget for their meals. "Shall we go now, Doctor?"

"Mr. Labih," Angelina suddenly interjected, "I feel nauseous sitting in the back. Please put the backpacks in the back passenger seat so I can sit in the front. You are driving recklessly."

"But what about Mr. Ramaik? We can't let him sit between the luggage. I think you should sit in the back seat with him." Labih flatly refused Angelina's request. He then casually walked away to open the driver's door and start the engine.

Angelina gritted her teeth in frustration. She stepped towards her unfaithful teammate, saying, "Mr. Labih, it's okay. Let him sit—"

However, someone gently pulled her ponytail, preventing her from finishing her sentence and causing her head to jerk backward.

The dense forest scent filled the air. Angelina suddenly looked at Ramaik. He gave her a blank stare without saying a word.

"See you later!" Farewell from Nanjan, accompanied by the lamentable cries of the longtail monkey, who didn't want to leave his play area.

Labih waved cheerfully to their superior before turning to his two colleagues and shouting, "Come on, let's go! Let's have rice with eggs at the nearest stall!"

"Let's go," Ramaik replied, signaling Angelina to go first by nodding. However, the woman was not willing to obey just like that. She stared at the Source of Her Problems in Life before turning away and walking to the car with wide steps.

Angelina then got into the back seat, closed the door harshly, and fastened her seatbelt, hoping that the man next to her wouldn't have a chance to harass her.

*****

After being force-fed two pieces of chicken by Ramaik during lunch and enduring an inhumane route for an hour, Angelina got out of the car feeling nauseous. Their destination was far from any settlement, in a palm oil plantation.

She tried to control her queasy stomach while observing the remnants of palm oil that pooled in the nearby river.

"The water is brown."

Angelina had no intention of responding to Ramaik's brief comment. She shifted her gaze to the management office, the first brick building that caught her eye after passing the security gate. Three open-bed trucks and five motorcycles lined the still-red dirt parking lot, and in the distance, there were rows of neatly lined palm trees.

"Shh, don't bring it up. Let's focus on the task. This waste issue is sensitive," Labih mumbled softly. However, he then raised his voice to the person who had just approached. "Ah, hello, sir! Did someone sleep over, huh?!"

Ramaik snorted. However, he stayed silent as a man in his forties walked towards them. Labih, acting as Nanjan's replacement, stepped forward with a broad smile, welcoming the host's extended hand.

"Are you from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency?" asked the man in a black T-shirt with 'Sawit Nus' written in yellow on the back and a logo on the right chest with a friendly smile. He glanced at Angelina and Ramaik before returning to Labih, who was still grinning.

"Rescue The Wild, sir," Labih pulled a folded piece of paper from his pants pocket and handed it to the man, who Angelina thought might be the head of security there. "The Natural Resources Conservation Agency team is handling an accident on the highway. There is a truck that hit a proboscis monkey."

The Security Chief briefly read the assignment letter, typed by Nanjan earlier that morning, using the RTW official letterhead, and handed it back to Labih. "I'm Mr. Taryo, the head of security here." Mr. Taryo's self-introduction confirmed Angelina's assumption. "Some workers wanted to kill the orangutan for causing damage, but luckily, I managed to prevent that. Please take it with you now."

"Pongos are protected animals." Labih's cheerful expression instantly vanished. The man who had appeared friendly until now had a hardened expression. "We've had to imprison certain individuals multiple times for harming the orangutans. If one of our employees were to kill them, the government could suspend the company's operating license."

The threatening tone in his words made Mr. Taryo shift uncomfortably. "Well, I've seen on the news, sir. I know about the issue. That's why I called the Natural Resources Conservation Agency. Someone shot it with an air rifle because the orangutan chased a female worker yesterday."

"Where was it shot, sir?" Angelina asked spontaneously. "And where is the orangutan now?"

"The last sighting was in G-5. I think you must meet the victim first to understand the situation. I'll take you there." Mr. Taryo quickly walked to one of the parked motorcycles and started the engine while continuing to explain. "I've already reprimanded the person who shot it. Our company is also trying to protect the flora and fauna here."

Angelina instinctively glanced at the brown puddle, the waste residue, covering the river's surface. However, just like Labih's and Ramaik's reactions, who immediately went to the car, she did not comment and followed the others.

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