The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 279 - 286: A Lifetime

Chapter 279: Chapter 286: A Lifetime

James Brown had not expected such an accident to happen, but his reaction was quick enough. He stretched out his arms and directly caught Lucy Campbell, and due to gravity, both of them sank under the sea. Only after kicking his legs did they resurface again.

"Hey, are you okay?" James Brown surfaced and immediately asked Lucy Campbell anxiously.

At this time, Lucy Campbell held tightly onto James Brown’s neck, her whole body supported horizontally by him. Still in shock, she took a few breaths before complaining, "It’s all your fault, causing me to fall."

Her tone and expression were clearly coquettish, which made James Brown’s heart flutter and feel even more guilty. He avoided Lucy Campbell’s gaze and said, "Be a bit more careful this time."

"What careful? You didn’t support me from behind. This time, don’t let go."

"Alright, I definitely won’t let go."

The smartest thing about Lucy Campbell was that she gave people a way out, now giving James Brown not only a way out but also a good reason to touch her.

However, when he saw that James Brown was still hesitant to touch her while helping her climb the rocks, Lucy Campbell glared at him and said, "Stop being so cautious. We hugged earlier anyway, which part haven’t you touched?"

James Brown awkwardly chuckled and then let go, first holding Lucy Campbell’s waist to lift her up so she could grab onto the rocks, then he held her legs, and finally, he let Lucy Campbell stand on his shoulders, successfully helping her get onto the top.

Having stabilized herself, Lucy Campbell said to James Brown: "You should wash up too, let’s head back earlier. I’ve been soaked all day, it feels like my body is swelling."

James Brown, having been soaked in the seawater all-day, wasn’t feeling great either, especially with Lucy Campbell’s delicate skin. So, he hurriedly washed and now with only his torso bare and in pants, he did a quick clean up.

After climbing the rocks, Lucy Campbell was already dressed, and the two walked along the shore on the rocks. However, the rocks were very sharp, and both were barefoot, which made walking quite challenging.

James Brown hesitated and said, "I might as well carry you across."

Lucy Campbell nodded and leaned on James Brown’s back, saying, "Are your feet okay?"

"Don’t worry, I have calluses, I can handle walking this route."

"Well then, I won’t be polite."

Carrying Lucy Campbell, James Brown supported her thighs with both hands, now completely indifferent to such physical contact.

Even with thick-skinned feet, walking over such rocky terrain still stung painfully. When they finally got to the road and he wanted to put Lucy Campbell down, he realized she had fallen asleep on his back.

This left James Brown quite amused yet frustrated. That time he went to protect Lucy Campbell, she fell asleep on him in such a hazardous situation, and now she was asleep again. He wondered if his back was particularly similar to her own bed or if she was just naturally sleep-prone. But considering how physically demanding the day was for her, it made sense that she was exhausted.

James Brown didn’t wake Lucy Campbell and continued walking along the coastal road. The place was remarkably secluded; although there was a road, there was not a single car passing by at that time. James Brown could only carry her for more than half an hour until he found a coin-operated public phone booth - the only building he had seen from the sea.

Having a phone booth was better to avoid having to explain to anyone who might pass by. Thankfully, James Brown’s wallet was still with him, along with a few cents - James Brown always had the habit of carrying some coins which sometimes came in handy when money didn’t.

There were a few people he could call for a pickup, but not many who knew Lucy Campbell, so James decided to call Gina Lopez.

"Hello!" It took a while for Gina Lopez to answer the call.

"It’s James Brown, I need a bit of help."

"What’s wrong?" Gina’s voice immediately rose, clearly concerned.

James Brown genuinely felt a warmth in his heart. Regardless of how he felt about Gina, her concern brought them closer. He immediately smiled and said, "It’s nothing serious, just that there are no cars where I am, and I need you to pick me up."

"Tell me your location, and I’ll come to get you."

"Sure!" James Brown saw an address on the phone booth and quickly relayed it.

"It might take half an hour for me to get there. Don’t wander off, so I can find you."

"Got it, I’ll wait right here by the phone booth."

After hanging up, James Brown turned to look at Lucy Campbell. SSUP Country’s foremost beauty was sound asleep on his shoulder, showing no signs of waking.

James found himself reluctant to wake her, so he simply stood there with her on his back for a full half hour until Gina’s car arrived.

As the car stopped, the passenger door swung open and Grace Lopez hurried out, asking anxiously, "Brother-in-law, what happened?"

James Brown knew that Emily Lopez would definitely follow, so he didn’t ask Gina Lopez not to bring Emily Lopez because she definitely wouldn’t miss it. He chuckled and said, "She and I accidentally fell into the sea."

"Fell into the sea... Who is she?" Seeing that James Brown was alright, just a bit disheveled, Emily Lopez immediately shifted her attention to Lucy Campbell.

Before James Brown could answer, Gina Lopez hurried over and asked, "How is Chairman Smith?"

James Brown smiled and said, "It’s fine. She’s just exhausted and fell asleep."

Gina Lopez sighed in relief and quickly said, "Then get in the car quickly."

James Brown carried Lucy Campbell into the back of the car, placed her down, and Lucy Campbell, still not awake, slid and ended up lying on James Brown’s legs, even letting out a small hum before grabbing his waist and continuing to sleep soundly.

Gina Lopez and Emily Lopez also got in the car at this point, both turned their heads to look at them, with similarly peculiar expressions on their faces.

James Brown quickly explained, "Don’t get the wrong idea, she’s just too tired, and we’re totally innocent."

Emily Lopez giggled, "Brother-in-law, the fact that you’re explaining to us means you care a lot about us."

Gina Lopez glared at her sister and said, "He cares about me, not us. Please make it clear."

Emily Lopez chuckled, "Whether it’s caring about you, me, or us."

Seeing the sisters starting to bicker again, James Brown quickly said, "Let’s just get going, I’m exhausted too."

Gina Lopez quickly turned to start the car, while Emily Lopez curiously asked about their ordeal today. James Brown roughly shared their adventure, making Emily Lopez’s emotions fluctuate, particularly incensed when he got to the part about Christopher Taylor ramming them with a speed boat, and suggesting that James Brown was too merciful and should have let their boat leak to leave them adrift at sea too.

Upon hearing that James Brown and Lucy Campbell swam such a long distance back, Emily Lopez’s face showed admiration, puckering her lips and saying, "That’s really romantic, brother-in-law, take me for a swim sometime too."

James Brown gave Emily Lopez a look, "I was almost dead tired this time, another time and I might as well ask to live a few more years."

"How about we just swim a bit less, maybe just a hundred or eighty miles."

James Brown almost spat out blood hearing that, causing Emily Lopez to burst into laughter.

Amidst the laughter and teasing in the car, Lucy Campbell remained deep asleep.

"James, where to now?" asked Gina Lopez.

"Let’s go to my place," James Brown replied without hesitation.

"Your place? You’re taking her to your place?" Emily Lopez immediately exclaimed.

"She’s just my neighbor."

"Oh, she’s your neighbor?" Emily Lopez glanced at the sleeping Lucy Campbell, feeling like there might be some scheming involved.

Following James Brown’s directions, Gina Lopez drove the car to the entrance of James Brown’s residential complex. James Brown carried Lucy Campbell, with Gina Lopez and Emily Lopez, the twin sisters, following him right to the doorway of his apartment. James Brown thought Lucy Campbell’s bodyguards would show up, but since none appeared, he had no choice but to carry Lucy into his own home for now and wait for her to wake up before sending her back.

Gina Lopez helped James Brown get Lucy Campbell onto the bed in his bedroom, then the two of them stepped out.

Emily Lopez was curiously looking around James Brown’s house; this was her first time here, and she was quite interested in seeing the place where her admired brother-in-law lived.

"You guys sit down, I’m going to change," said James Brown as he came out of the bedroom with clothes in hand, greeted them, then went into the bathroom.

Changing into big shorts and a tank top, James Brown came out and handed the two women drinks while grabbing a bottle of ice-cold water for himself, drinking it all in one go.

"Brother-in-law, your place is really nice. Although not big, it’s very tidy. Do you usually clean it yourself?"

Sitting on the sofa, James Brown smiled and said, "At your place, I have to tidy up, so of course I can’t let my own house be messy."

"Hehe, and to think I thought you were just pretending in front of me. So it’s really a habit of yours, brother-in-law, you’re really too good. Not many men nowadays clean their rooms."

James Brown sweat a little, as it seemed to him that Emily Lopez would magnify any small good trait of his to something extraordinary, making tidying up seem like a great feat.