Navigating the primeval jungles of Pandora was never as comfortable as the scenery suggested. Though the planet's vistas were undeniably breathtaking, the foliage alone was astonishing, featuring leaves of every conceivable shape adorned with vibrant, strange patterns of yellow, red, purple, and blue—a truly eye-opening spectacle.

However, in nature, bright colors often serve as warnings of danger. Several curious Contractors had already been stung by the perils hidden beneath the beauty, resulting in nasty after-effects such as uncontrollable bleeding, poisoning, or severe lacerations. It was only their tough constitutions that kept them from being carried out.

The jungle floor was still and windless, and having just endured a torrential thunderstorm the previous day, the sun now beat down, causing hot, humid air to steam upwards, leaving everyone drenched in sweat.

Compounding the misery, the air on Pandora was toxic, necessitating the use of rebreathers, which made even deep breaths feel stifling.

This was the moment for the formidable Akaphir to display his superior resistance; he swaggered ahead, taking off his mask to puff on a cigar, only reluctantly replacing it for a breath every five or six minutes. Zesen Yan suddenly realized Akaphir would be the perfect match for that Stallo they encountered earlier, yet Akaphir's frail offensive power remained a critical weakness against the terrifying Ice Barrier.

Even for powerful Contractors, progress through the dense thicket was severely hampered; thus, after an hour, they had barely advanced twenty kilometers. Fortunately, a refreshing breeze suddenly blew from ahead. Emerging from the jungle, the space opened up dramatically before them, revealing wide clearings, the sound of rushing water, and a floral fragrance drifting into their noses. Stepping out, they found the riverbank blanketed in vast fields of blooming flowers.

These flowers resembled Earth's Bird of Paradise, rising nearly a meter high. The leaves were broadly curled like lotus pads, and the blossoms flared like trumpets. The deep green foliage contrasted beautifully with the pale yellow flowers and the delicate, finger-like sepals resembling a maiden’s pointed digits, creating a truly pleasing sight. The air was filled with a rich, sweet perfume, which, even filtered through their masks, felt invigorating.

Scattered among the flowerbeds were large, flat slabs of rock, dried perfectly clean by the previous day's rain and the current sun, making for ideal resting spots. The river beside them ran crystal clear, and a cool breeze periodically swept by. The command to halt and rest echoed from the front, and many Contractors gratefully slumped onto the stones, finding the order immensely welcome.

At that moment, Fang Senyan watched Yuan Zhan briskly bend down, grasp the bloom of a nearby Bird of Paradise flower, tilt it toward his mouth in a pouring motion, and then express profound enjoyment on his face.

Fang Senyan knew that these elite Summoners were almost universally biologists or at least graduate-level researchers in the real world, so he imitated the action, plucking a flower. He instantly discovered that the bloom held a remarkably fragrant nectar. Though only a tiny drop trickled down his throat, it combined the coolness of mint with an exhilarating sweetness, instantly dispelling much of the oppressive heat from their march.

Having tasted the benefit, Fang Senyan was not shy; he proceeded to consume the nectar from seven or eight flowers. And where there were flowers, there were also bees. Due to Pandora's low gravity, most flora and fauna were proportionally larger than their Earth counterparts, and even the size of the bees had increased.

The most noticeable among these were a type of entirely fiery-red bee, nearly the size of small swallows, acting like petty tyrants. If one lingered on a particular flower, it would aggressively drive away other butterflies or bees, stinging and buzzing with savage intensity. Fang Senyan personally witnessed a palm-sized, brilliantly colored butterfly clipped by one of these fire-bees; its wings were shredded into tatters, and it died shortly after flying a short distance.

Undoubtedly, Fang Senyan’s aggressive flower-plundering had angered one of the fire-bees. It dove toward him with a buzzing roar like a bomber, clearly intending to teach the nectar thief a lesson. But Fang Senyan was no pushover; calmly, he flicked his finger out. To his surprise, the creature deftly dodged, then circled back in a wide, angry arc for a second pass.

Watching its aggressive posture, Fang Senyan actually felt a hint of genuine threat, swatting it away with an open palm. The bee slammed into a rock behind him, spinning dizzily on the ground.

Yuan Zhan happened to turn around just then and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that a Hellfire Bee (H*)? Those things have precise targeting systems, using their olfactory organs to detect the pheromones of nearby creatures. I heard that some Earth technology in this world even borrowed its tracking system. Its flight is incredibly agile—how did you handle it?"

Yuan Zhan approached as he spoke, capturing the stunned Hellfire Bee. It looked similar to a hornet but was quite large. Yuan Zhan promptly ripped off its head, wings, and all six long legs, then chuckled, "Of course, in my opinion, the most important use for the Hellfire Bee is eating it. Thanks for knocking this one out; frankly, they are too agile for me to catch."

Saying this, he tossed the unfortunate insect directly into his mouth, and they could clearly hear the "crunch, crunch" sound as he chewed through the exoskeleton, spitting out the remnants like melon seeds. Fang Senyan was utterly dumbfounded by this brutal display and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"

Yuan Zhan adopted an expression of ecstasy. "These creatures don't have venom glands or stingers. For them, their razor-sharp mouthparts and sheer brute strength are more than enough to dominate."

Fang Senyan was unwilling to be left behind. Seeing Yuan Zhan eating with such gusto, he immediately began searching around. The Hellfire Bees were different from the other bees; they seemed to prefer solitude and demarcated their territories strictly, making the search quite arduous. After finally locating a Hellfire Bee, Fang Senyan moved to chase it. Just as he was about to grab it, his foot sank into uneven ground, causing him to wobble precariously, nearly falling.

Fortunately, Fang Senyan had excellent balance and reacted instantly, bracing himself with a hand on the ground and flipping over in a somersault, managing to avoid total embarrassment. He finally caught the unfortunate bee and, mimicking Yuan Zhan's actions, boldly tossed the insect into his mouth. To his surprise, the shell shattered with a loud crack, and the bee's large abdomen immediately burst, releasing a thick, intensely fragrant nectar.

The internal muscle tissue of the fire-bee was actually quite delicious and chewy, much like the meat on a chicken drumstick, offering a slight springiness with every bite. There was none of the expected fishiness or foul odor. If a comparison were needed, it felt like biting into the claw of a large sea crab.

At this point, Fang Senyan remembered the strangely uneven ground he had just stumbled on. While vigorously chewing the Hellfire Bee, he walked back to investigate. Pushing aside the dense undergrowth, he discovered that the uneven depressions were, in fact, a dozen massive hoof prints, prints that seemed familiar—likely left by those gigantic Armored Horses.

A realization struck Fang Senyan, and he immediately tasked Mogansa and Jiaoshi with scouting the vicinity. They soon confirmed a large number of tracks spread throughout the sea of flowers. Their activity did not escape the notice of the others; everyone left alive in this place was sharp-witted. Soon, their findings accumulated: Yuan Zhan was the first to estimate that the horse herd here numbered at least three hundred, whereas a normal Armored Horse herd rarely exceeded one hundred.

Secondly, beneath the roots of the Bird of Paradise flowers, there were signs of recently disturbed soil, revealing buried animal carcasses—clearly cultivated intentionally.

These two facts strongly suggested that this "riverbank," or more accurately, this "flower field," was artificially cleared by some form of higher intelligence to raise Armored Horses. If grazing was the horses’ staple food, then consuming this nectar was their form of leisure and seasoning. Furthermore, the intelligent beings raising these horses were highly likely to be Na'vi. Given the size of this herd, this specific contingent of Na'vi likely possessed an established cavalry force exceeding two hundred riders!

The moment this thought occurred, all Contractors dared not linger. Na'vi themselves were manageable, and the Armored Horses weren't overwhelmingly strong, but the combination of the two created a synergy of speed and archery skill—in short, mounted archery, the devastating technique Genghis Khan used to sweep across Eurasia! Engaging such a large organized group of Na'vi without preparation was clearly an incredibly foolish decision.

Consequently, the group moved on immediately, the Illuminati producing pre-prepared inflatable kayaks, and they began drifting downriver. Those without gear had to hastily construct their own rafts.

The river water remained perfectly clear throughout, and they often spotted strangely shaped fish swimming below. Those scouting ahead occasionally flushed out massive swarms of purple Stinging Bats, which, from a distance, looked like purple clouds drifting away.

The float trip lasted less than half an hour before they spotted thick, turbid gray smoke rising on the distant horizon. The menacing haze sharply outlined an ugly scar against Pandora's clear, white sky and clouds, looking utterly out of place.

Everyone who witnessed this sight instantly understood: the destination was just ahead.