Chapter 281
Chapter 281:
Kailey paid no attention to him. She snapped several photos with her phone, then turned to examine the rock wall beside her.
Quite a few raw crystal fragments were scattered across the ground, though the concentration within the wall itself didn’t appear particularly dense. “This was probably meant to be a mining tunnel. They must have stopped before reaching the main vein, which is why it was left unfinished.” Quentin stepped up beside her, his tone steady again. He rested his palm against a jagged section of stone. “But there’s definitely a deposit here. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many fragments lying around p>
Kailey considered his explanation briefly, then crouched down, selected a few larger pieces from the ground, and slipped them into her bag. “That’s not something we need to worry about. These samples are enough for me. We should head back — if we stay too long, the others will start looking for us p>
Now that her goal had been met, her voice carried a noticeable lightness.
Quentin remained where he stood and watched her move ahead. The lively figure in front of him overlapped with a silhouette from many years ago. The resemblance unsettled him. Before he could stop himself, he asked, “Does this place not ring a bell p>
Kailey stopped short and turned around.
With the light behind them, neither could clearly see the other’s expression.
𝘋о𝗐𝘯l𝘰𝘢𝗱𝗮b𝗅𝖾 𝘗𝖣𝖥𝘴 𝘰𝗻
She looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’ve honestly never been here before p>
Quentin drew in a quiet breath and steadied himself, aware that he had spoken too quickly. “I didn’t mean anything specific. Caves like this tend to resemble one another. Considering your background, I thought you might have come across something similar p>
Background? What part of her life did he think he understood?
Before she could question him further, Quentin had already taken two long strides toward her. “We should head back. They’re waiting for us below p>
He moved ahead without giving her another chance to respond. As Kailey followed, her eyes lingered on him and caught the brief shadow that flickered across his expression. This wasn’t the moment to press him. She let the thought go and kept pace behind him.
The group eventually descended the mountain together.
It was a little after four in the afternoon when they reached the road. On the drive back, they stopped at a small roadside diner for a quick meal before continuing toward the city.
The outing had gone better than expected, and much of the credit belonged to Quentin. The time spent together on the mountain had eased the usual workplace formality. Zaria laughed and said, “Mr. Shaw, thank you so much. You’ve helped us a great deal p>
Quentin waved it off with a light smile. “It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, I benefited from catching a ride with all of you p>
“Oh, that’s right.” Zaria glanced ahead as the city skyline came into view. “We’re almost at the city limits, Mr. Shaw. Just tell us where you live, and we’ll drop you off first p>