Roy promptly replied, "Yes, Sir!"

That was when a soldier from Ten Thousand Armies hurried inside, informing Charlie and Merlin, "Mr. Wade, Captain Lammy, we spotted a car approaching the compound. A lone driver."

"Are you sure he's alone?" Merlin promptly asked warily.

"Yes, Sir. It was definitely one person in one car," the soldier replied. "Antric had a solid vantage point from high ground, and we are able to see anything moving within a radius of ten kilometers."

As he finished, his satellite phone vibrated, and he turned it on to display the image he had just received from Antric—a photo of the driver's face.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief once he saw it. "That's the cannery owner. Probably came to check on my progress. Tell Antric to ignore him if he's just looking around, as long as he's not coming inside. But if he does, stop him. I'll go out to talk to him if he mentions me by name."

"Yes, Sir!" The soldier promptly relayed Merlin's orders.

-

Meanwhile, the cannery o