Chapter 86 86: Bumpy Road.

Snow drove the car, while Leo put on his glasses on the driver's seat and fell asleep. In the back, Lily was also secured in her travel seat, and she was sleeping soundly as well. Snow made sure to drive carefully and even when she made any turns the movement wasn't too strong. After five hours of driving, Snow felt a bit tired, because she didn't have the habit to cruise this long and that too when two people were sleeping next to her. Sleep was very contagious, she patted Leo's shoulder and the young man woke up from slumber. They parked the car in the rest area, Leo stretched his body and washed his face before he took control and drove ahead. He was steady in his driving and after a couple of hours, Lily woke up, she wanted to eat something. Snow had packed some snacks to munch on the way, however, Leo still asked, "Should I park in the coming rest area so that she can move around a bit? She hasn't got any exercise today." The young lady thought for a bit and agreed, as she said, "Yes, that should be fine." The highway had a lot of exits to go to various cities and Angkor City happened to be located in the northern part of the Clover Nation. There were many resting zones, at every one hour or sixty kilometer gap. Apart from this, there was an emergency zone, however, one could not and should not stop in that lane unless it was an emergency. They came to the resting zone, and Leo parked the car in the slot. Snow said, "I will go and get it refueled. You should take Lily to the store and see if we should buy some more snacks." Leo nodded, and then he and Lily made their way to the convenient store in the rest area. The young man understood that Snow wanted him to accompany Lily because it was a new place, they didn't know anyone and if they came across any trouble, then Leo was more apt in protecting Lily than snow. The little girl walked inside the store and the first thing she said was, "Baba, I need to go to the washroom." Leo was surprised but quickly looking around he located the washroom and took Lily over. The little girl went in and Leo stood outside like a guard. He saw many people in the surroundings, but he didn't trust anyone. What if any of these decent looking people turned out to be a predator? After ten minutes, his anxiety peaked and he was about to dash inside, he saw Lily coming out, and heaved a sigh of relief. He hurriedly checked and asked, "Baby, are you alright?" Lily nodded and chuckled as she said, "Baba, I went in the toilet and not some battle." Leo sighed and said, "Yes, you are a big girl and Baba is stupid." Lily smiled and hugged him tight. She knew that he was just concerned about her. The two people picked up a few snacks and paid the bill before heading out, where Snow was already waiting for them. They put the stuff inside the car, but didn't get in, Leo guided Lily to follow him in a set of stretching exercises, and Snow joined in. After fifteen minutes, they got inside the vehicle and headed to the mountains. In the car, Lily asked, "Baba, where will we camp?" Leo smiled while driving, he said, "First, we will drop a package to the Utopia Research Center, and then we will camp on the mountainside nearby." Lily was curious and asked, "What is the Utopia Research Center?" Snow replied, "It is a place where a lot of scholars try to come up with new things like medicine, technology to help society become better." Lily exclaimed, and asked, "So what are we going to deliver there?" Leo chuckled and he said, "Well, I will tell you if you promise to keep it a secret for me." Lily nodded quickly and enthusiastically said, "Yes, yes, I promise Baba." Leo smiled and said, "Well, what we are going to deliver is the information on how to fly closer to the moon and the stars." Lily was shocked, she opened her eyes wide and asked, "Then can we touch the moon one day?" Leo nodded and said, "When you grow up, we would be able to touch the moon, and who knows, we might be able to live there as well?" Lily clapped and said, "I wonder if the Moon is just as beautiful as it looks from here." She raised her head and through the panoramic sunroof she could see the stars. The mountains weren't densely populated and the light pollution was low, the stars shined brilliantly and as they drove deeper in the mountains the roads became darker and the sky became brighter. Lily watched the stars, and gradually she fell asleep. After a few more kilometers, Leo suddenly stopped the car and Snow asked, "What happened?" Leo looked at the road and turned the lights to high beams. Snow was surprised, because she noticed half a dozen men standing in the middle of the road. She asked in a soft voice, "Who are these people?" Leo turned on the fog lamps as well, and found that the people were holding sticks and machetes. His expression turned grim and he said, "Mountain Raiders." Snow was surprised and asked, "In this age? There are still people who do such things?" Leo nodded, he undid his seat belt and said, "They won't give up easily, and we would be left to fend for ourselves in this wilderness. So, I am going to confront them, don't worry I can take them. However, when I go out, take the driving seat and be ready." Snow understood his meaning, and she saw that the few men were now approaching the vehicle. From the corner of her eye, she saw Leo bending over, and taking out a black stick like object from under the seat. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He said, "Don't worry, I have a firearm license. The dash cam will record everything." That said, he opened the door and got down the car. Snow knew that it was not the time to bicker, or question, so she swiftly changed positions, locked the car and assumed a ready to drive away position. … Outside the car, Leo didn't approach the men quickly, he took out the kokri and hid it behind his back. He did all this while he stood behind the light throw, because he didn't want the bandits to see he had a knife. He approached the men and asked loudly, "Folks, what's the matter? It is dangerous to stand in the middle of the road when it is dark, you know." The six men were surprised, usually people saw them and either they turned away quickly or they shivered, however, this was the first time they have seen someone so brave to call them out. One of the men said, "Yo, pretty boy, I didn't think you would be so brave. Come on, now, hand over the valuables, and the car keys, we don't want to harm you and your family." Leo sighed and asked, "Brother, you all want money right? Even if you take all the valuables and sell the car it would fetch around a hundred thousand, yes? How about I give you all fifty thousand ren each, instantly? Can you let me go? My daughter is just a four year old, brothers, please be merciful." His offer shocked a few people. They looked at each other and one of them said, "Fools, if he walks away, what will the boss do to us? Just rob him as we were told." Leo smirked, and after the dialog, the bandit charged at him with a machete in his hand. Leo took a step forward, he bent down, and slashed with the Kokri. However, to prevent trouble, he used the blunt edge of the blade and hit the knee of his opponent. The sudden movement caught the bandit off guard, and his knee was hit hard. So hard that everyone heard a ting sound. The bandit fell on the ground groaning and wailing, "Bastard! Kill him all of you!" The rest of the bandits also charged over, but Leo displayed great agility and counter attacked each one of them. His movements confused the bandits and within two minutes, they were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain. The young man sighed and said, "You should have taken the money. No? Now would you like me to give you all ten thousand each so that you can seek medical attention, and also tell me who set you up for this?" Five minutes later, Leo came to the driver's side, and Snow shifted back to her seat. The young man got in the car, and they drove away after the bandits moved to the side. Snow asked, "What happened?" Leo shook his head and replied, "Just an insect back home. I will deal with that guy upon returning." After an hour, it was eight in the night when they came upon the entrance of the Utopia Research Center, the guards were surprised when Leo told them that he was here for an appointment with Professor Amina Yulu.