In the evening, Jake and Alan appeared once again on the street at Princeton University, with a barbecue stall that had accompanied Jake for over a month by their side. In front of the barbecue stall, as usual, there were quite a few people gathered.
"Everyone, today is our last day here, and tonight, everything here is half price!" Jake announced loudly to the crowd after setting up the stall.
"What? Boss, you're not doing barbecue anymore?"
"Jake, where are you going?"
"Jake, I only like your barbecue now. If you don't do it anymore, what am I going to eat?"
The people around reacted strongly and unexpectedly to Jake's words. These were all Jake's loyal customers who had grown accustomed to his barbecue. Eating from other places would feel tasteless to them, so they naturally didn't want Jake to leave.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Jake apologized. "I'm opening a restaurant, and it will officially open in a few days, so I won't have time to come here and do barbecue anymore."
"Jake, you're opening a restaurant? That's amazing."
"Jake, where is your restaurant? We'll definitely come to support you if we have the chance."
"Boss, you're so good at making barbecue, I'm sure your restaurant will be a hit. I'll definitely visit your restaurant."
Most of the people were genuinely delighted for Jake when they heard that he was opening a restaurant. Many of these customers were students at Princeton University, and they had watched Jake build his barbecue business to its current success. Seeing Jake take another step in his career made them genuinely happy for him.
That evening, Jake's business was exceptionally busy. One reason was the discounted prices, and the other was that everyone knew Jake was no longer going to do barbecue. This was their last chance to eat Jake's barbecue, so even those who hadn't initially planned to eat barbecue that day changed their minds and stayed. Jake and Alan worked tirelessly until late at night, selling out all their ingredients before finally leaving.
In the evening, in the gaming world, Jake lay half-reclined on top of a cart filled with food, gazing boredly at the sky. The sky here was very blue, the air was fresh, and in the absence of danger, looking up at the sky allowed one's mind to completely relax. However, Jake's relaxed and bored journey was coming to an end because they were about to reach their destination.
Around noon, Jake, who was sitting on top of the cart, could already see a dense collection of white tents in the distance, connected together like a handful of white snow on the grass.
"We've finally arrived," Jake said as he jumped off the cart. "They're supposed to deliver the grain within the specified time, so the mission can be considered complete."
"Who goes there?" As Jake and his group approached the camp, they were stopped by a group of soldiers. These soldiers were dressed in standard uniforms, holding long spears, standing in neat formations, and their faces bore a stern expression. In contrast to Skylark Camp, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes who the regular army was and who the irregular troops were.
"We're from Skylark Camp, and we've been ordered to escort supplies," Eli dismounted and said to the soldier.
The lead soldier nodded and glanced back at his men. Then, they proceeded to inspect Jake's cart while the lead soldier accepted the identification token handed over by Eli.
"Captain of Skylark Camp? Where is your commander?" The lead soldier, although only holding the rank of a squad leader, belonged to the regular army. They had the psychological advantage when dealing with makeshift troops like the one escorting supplies. So, when facing Eli, he didn't seem the least bit nervous and even had a sense of superiority.
"We encountered some unexpected events on the way, and our commander died en route. I will provide General Hank with a detailed report on the specific circumstances," Eli replied.
The squad leader saw that there were no issues with the search of the cart by his squad, and then he granted passage to Skylark Camp.
Jake and the others were now officially inside the camp.
Inside the camp, groups of soldiers patrolled back and forth, standing in impeccable military formation, and their expressions were stern. Jake even felt a strong sense of hostility from them.
"The regular army and the makeshift troops are indeed quite different," Jake thought to himself.
Although their Third Battalion had undergone some basic training before departing from Pergamon County, there was still a noticeable gap between that level of training and that of the regular army. Compared to these regular soldiers, the Third Battalion, along with the other battalions, didn't appear significantly different.
As Jake was pondering the remarkable differences between the regular army and the makeshift troops, a group of people approached from the distance. Along the way, the soldiers stopped and saluted as the group passed. High-ranking individuals were coming. The group headed straight for Jake and his companions, moving quickly.
"Has the grain arrived? How much did you bring? Where did you bring it from?" The leader of the group quickly reached Jake and asked eagerly.
"General, we've come from Pergamon County, and we've brought a total of one hundred and twenty carts of grain, with none missing," Eli replied as he stepped forward.
"Only this much?" The man looked disappointed and then turned to Eli, asking, "Do you recognize me?"
"While I was with the Fly Male Army before, I had the privilege of meeting General Hank once," Eli replied.
"Oh, I remember now. You were a captain in the Fly Male Army. I do recall some impression of you. What brings you here to escort grain now?" General Hank replied. This General Hank was the commander of the camp.
During this period, Hank had been deeply concerned about the shortage of grain in the camp. He watched as the supplies dwindled day by day and were about to run out. What made him even more anxious was that none of the supply convoys had arrived yet. If the camp ran out of food before the supply convoys reached them, they would collapse on their own without any need for an attack from the otherworldly beings.
Now, finally, one supply convoy had successfully arrived, and Hank rushed over in excitement to see it for himself.
Hank hadn't expected to find a familiar face in this supply convoy. They weren't exactly close acquaintances; they had only met briefly, but the encounter had left some impression on Hank.
"I am no longer a captain in the Fly Male Army. I am now the commanding officer of the Third Battalion of Skylark Camp," Eli responded.
Hank nodded and then turned his attention to the ragged rebel soldiers who had come along with the convoy. "What's the situation with them?"
"General Hank, I was just about to report this matter to you," Eli said. He proceeded to provide a detailed account of the events that had transpired on the journey.