The choppers landed safely at Melon Air Base. After leaving the passengers briefly, the pilots hurried to alert the commanders.
"Do you think we'll get into trouble?!" Jasmine asked, speaking quietly to his close allies. "We came by two choppers — one carrying Jenny, Lama, William, and John; the other carrying Mikal, Elizabeth, Nick, and me. We all agreed to use the 'getting lost' excuse so as not to trouble the Sultan military camp officials. I bet by now they've gone to report our cases to the officials here!"
"Let's just hope everything turns out right. Don't panic," Elizabeth said, trying to calm her own nerves.
"Guys, the network is strong here!" Nick said, pulling out his phone.
"What?! Seventy missed calls!" Nick exclaimed. He quickly scrolled through them. "Most are from Tiffy! I knew she'd be worried. It's been a long time... I guess everyone's noticed our disappearances by now. I just hope the Sultan military camp doesn't know where we are. It would be worse now that we stole the black gem," Nick said anxiously.
Soon, the others checked their phones and found multiple missed calls. Their phones began ringing again once they realized they had network coverage.
"Guys, what should we do?!" Jasmine whispered anxiously.
"Let's switch them off for now," Nick whispered back. "When we get to our rooms, hopefully, we can talk privately to a few trusted people, one at a time. We don't want anyone to get depressed over our disappearances."
They switched off their phones just as the pilots and the commander approached.
The group was ordered to line up. The commander fixed his gaze on them before speaking.
"It has come to our attention that..." He paused, eyeing their anxious faces, "you were found lost. We hope you're telling the truth. I tried contacting the Sultan military camp to verify your story, but they were unreachable. We'll try again later. For now, you'll be searched before being taken to the guest rooms."
They all complied quietly.
Jenny slowly removed her baby from her bag just as the commander noticed.
"What are you doing with a baby inside a bag?!"
"Sorry, sir. I recently gave birth. The baby is mine—not what you might think! My allies can vouch for me."
"Okay, no problem. We have a lab in the camp. We'll take DNA samples and return the baby as soon as possible."
The baby cried loudly as it was separated from Jenny. Softly sobbing, Jenny whispered, "Don't worry, Billy, you'll come back to me. I'm positive."
The group was led to the lab for DNA tests, then escorted to their guest rooms—each accommodating four people.
Jasmine sought to pass along Nick's message about discreetly alerting trusted people, while Nick called Tiffy to ease her worries.
His phone beeped, and after a moment, Tiffy answered.
"Hello?! Is this Nick Putian?"
"Yes! It's Nick. I'm sorry for worrying everyone with my disappearance. I just want to confirm I'm okay. You don't need to worry."
"Niiiick! What do you mean? Where are you?!"
"I'm at Melon Air Base. We got lost during our missions. But I can't come home—I stole relics, and now we're wanted. I'm not even sure if this call is safe."
"What missions? What relics? Nick, if you ever needed me, it's now. I'm pregnant again!"
"Pregnant again? Looks like I'm highly fertile! Sorry... I wish I could be there to hold my growing family, but right now, Tiffy, I have no choice but to stay away. I'm sorry. I can't say much over the phone."
"Okay, I'm coming to pick you up—if I can."
"Really? Please hurry before tomorrow. How fast can you get here? I'm worried that the camps' captains might communicate about us."
"Tonight, my dad and I are hiring two private choppers. We'll come to rescue you. Hopefully by morning, we can bust you out! How many of you are there? You keep saying 'we.' "
"There are eight of us, including me. Thanks for helping. I know your dad's a government official—please convince him quietly."
"Two choppers, then. Don't worry, my dad listens to me when it's urgent. I'm positive we can get you out. I won't mention the missions. Just stay safe."
"Thanks, Tiffy. You're the best. I love you. I'll update the others. Looking forward to seeing you soon."
"I love you too. Can't wait to pick you up from Melon Air Base."
Nick jumped from his bed and called for a group meeting.
"Guys, good news! I just talked to Tiffy. She's organizing with her political dad to hire two choppers to get us out ASAP. And she's pregnant again!"
"Okay, but how sure are we that the government is after us? Her dad is a politician, but that doesn't guarantee they're involved," Elizabeth asked.
"That's our biggest fear. That's why everything must be rushed before things get worse. Maybe tomorrow morning she'll be here with her dad," Nick said.
"Nick's in trouble again. If your legal wife is pregnant, what if the DNA tests prove you're the father?" Jenny asked softly.
"If the tests confirm it, that means I'm Billy's dad. Pregnancies don't give anyone spousal rights. Kids are blessings, but legally, that's all," Nick replied.
"But we have the right to demand child support," Jenny said.
"True. Support will be sent accordingly—as long as you don't interfere with my marriage to Tiffy," Nick said firmly.
"Fine. I won't interfere. I want you to have a happy marriage. But we'll discuss this when the results are out," Jenny said.
"Another day, another crisis. Nick is right—we have to respect his status as Tiffy's husband. He owes us all. That's something to hold onto," Elizabeth added.
"Yeah, remember our gambling troubles outside? Let's just stay hopeful. People here walk around armed; that makes things safer," Jasmine tried to reassure.
"We're in a camp, but we don't know what will happen if the commanders find out we lied about being lost. We're wanted for stealing relics, and these guys work with the government. Nick's call might have been recorded. We don't know if the secret societies and government are linked yet," William warned.
"Enough with the conspiracy theories! Let's stay hopeful, but yes, it's highly likely that the two sides are connected. That means we're wanted by both," Jasmine added.
Suddenly, an officer appeared.
"Follow me, all of you."
They obediently followed him to the commander's office and sat down.
"I have your DNA results," the officer said, pausing before opening the envelope. "After verifying your IDs, we found out that the real parents are Nick and Jenny."
"May I see a show of hands?" The officer asked. Nick and Jenny raised theirs simultaneously before receiving their results and ID cards.
"You'll get your baby back soon. He's asleep after being fed. I tried contacting Sultan military camp, but no luck. Maybe the captain's unavailable. Are you expecting anyone to pick you up? How will you get back?"
A silence fell. Then Nick answered, "We're expecting helicopter pickups, maybe tomorrow. We're positive our close allies will come."
"Okay, you can stay here for now. Everything you need will be provided. Please, escort them out," the commander ordered, signaling the soldiers.
They were kindly led outside and spent the day orienting themselves around the camp. After supper, they went to their rooms.
Late at night, Tiffy called Nick again.
"Nick! Thank God you picked up. The network here is unstable. We hired the two choppers and convinced my dad about my 'lost husband.' We just started our journey. I'm not sure when we'll arrive, but probably by four a.m. You must alert the camp then to avoid suspicion!"
"Okay, I'll try to find the commander."
"Ni—" The call cut off due to poor network.
Nick sprang from bed and rushed to the guards.
"I need to see the captain!"
"Go back to sleep! It's too early."
"No! It's urgent! Allies are coming to pick us up around four a.m. I want to prepare the guards so they're not alarmed."
"We're in charge outside. No need to disturb the captain now. If they arrive, I'll inform you. Don't worry. You have my word. Now, get some rest."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Nick returned to bed but forgot to update Tiffy.
In his sleep, Elizabeth whispered, "Nick! I forgot to ask—how's your recovery?"
"What? Elizabeth! I'm fine! William and I did stretching exercises during orientation. We're recovering well."
"Good to hear. Goodnight, Nick."
"Goodnight, Elizabeth."