The vanguard had already stormed across the river, some still clinging to the monstrous, biting fish they'd managed to catch. Upon reaching the bank, they snatched up branches and began beating them away. We too neared the waterline, the depth now reaching our waists, which ironically offered a slight measure of safety.

Suddenly, a sharp cry erupted from Hua Qingqing; several piranha-like monsters had leaped from the water and lunged at her. Fortunately, Hua Qingqing had just finished reloading my weapon for me. A full burst swept across the water, obliterating the creatures until nothing but shreds of flesh remained.

Finally reaching the shore, the four of us set the women down. Someone couldn't help but laugh, then looked down: their tough trousers had been chewed to tatters. Zhu Da clutched his lower region, groaning, "One of those beasts was a real hooligan; it bit me right here."

Meiliya suddenly lunged at Zhu Da, planting a kiss on him. "Darling, I love you."

Zhu Da, understanding those two English phrases, pushed Meiliya away and appealed to me, "Commander Zhao, hurry and help me find some underwear to change into."

A headcount revealed that thirty-one had entered the water; now only twenty-seven remained. Four had been swallowed by the fish, and several others bore bites. Kissinger and Winston commented, "These fish aren't native to this stretch of water, but since last year's massive increase in rainfall across the rainforest, many river channels have shifted or converged, leaving the schools of fish displaced and making them impossible to predict."

Professor Smolder didn't blame the two guides. If they had known of such danger lurking here, they wouldn't have risked swimming across, even if it meant backtracking to find another route.

Smolder offered high praise to Hua Qingqing. "Miss Hua, your country's team impressed us greatly when they navigated the bomb forest completely unscathed. This time, not only did they fend off the piranha attack, but they also successfully rescued three of our female team members. They are the pride of your Great Dragon Country!"

Hua Qingqing replied, "Professor, you are too kind. Since we are all one team now, mutual assistance is simply what should be done."

Jack, the leader of the M contingent, also came over to shake my hand. "You are very capable; your marksmanship is better than mine."

Jack had a bite wound on his leg from a piranha, but it didn't appear to hinder his movement. I told him, "That was because my brother held the weapon steady; otherwise, if it were shaking, I wouldn't hit a damn thing."

Jack asked me, "Judging by your attire, the piranhas must have attacked you underwater too, but why weren't you injured? I’ve wanted to ask this since we left the bomb forest."

I slapped my chest and replied to Jack in English, "Chinese Kung Fu. We practice Hard Qigong; those things are useless against us!"

Jack gave the four of us a thumbs-up and headed off to set up camp. Chinese Kung Fu is so complex; if he had asked any more, I would have been exposed. After all, I only know one set of military self-defense drills, and I haven't practiced it in so long that I’m not even that proficient anymore.

The atmosphere at the night camp was even more somber. Qiu Sihai, having suffered another shock, lacked the mood even to talk to Hua Qingqing and retreated early into his sleeping bag.

Hua Qingqing, however, was in high spirits. She pulled her sleeping bag right next to mine and insisted I tell her stories from my time in the military, only drifting off to sleep reluctantly near midnight.

After the loss of so many lives, the subsequent journey became unexpectedly smooth. By noon two days later, we reached the prearranged embarkation point. Although we were two days late, the boat captain was still faithfully waiting for us.

It was an iron-hulled diesel vessel, not large in displacement, but certainly capable of carrying fifty or sixty people. Since time had already been lost, no one argued much about boarding; everyone was eager to get onto the vessel and leave the riverbank behind.

The river section where we boarded was already part of the main current of the Congo River. Although the river surface was wide and the current flowed freely, this was a sparsely populated tropical rainforest wetland, and we encountered no other boats on our way.

The diesel boat traveled downstream for two full days. On the noon of the third day, the current began to speed up fiercely. Kissinger went to question the captain and returned to inform us, "There is a major bend in the Congo River ahead. Recent heavy downpours caused the water level to overflow the bend and rush into the valley below, which is why the current is so rapid now."

Jack looked ahead through his binoculars with some anxiety and asked Kissinger, "With the current this fast, will the boat be swept off the bend and pulled down into the valley?"

Winston chuckled. "The captain has been running this river for years; he knows his business. When we reach the diversion point, he will engage the diesel engine to increase the boat's drag and steer us into the bend; we won't be shot straight down into the valley floor."

Easier said than done, as the saying goes, fate is unpredictable. Just as the diesel boat was about to enter the diversion point, it roared the throttle open, surging toward the bend. After the engine screamed its lungs out, it suddenly sputtered and died.

Immediately, everyone who understood the situation, including the captain himself, turned deathly pale. Kissinger burst into the cabin, "What happened? Start it up! If we're late, we'll miss the diversion and be pulled into the valley!"

The captain looked crestfallen. "I was cheated by that bastard Dipake who was supposed to service the boat! He told me he installed a more powerful engine; it turned out to be a piece of junk!"

Kissinger's face darkened. "You've doomed us all!"

Upon hearing the terrible news, the team members instantly descended into chaos. Many frantically ripped open their packs searching for life jackets. Jack fired a shot into the air and yelled, "Everyone calm down! The bottom of the valley must just be a large pool; we're just going down for a swim. Take your essential gear, hold on tight when the boat drops, and if you fall in the water, don't panic—surface quickly and scramble ashore. If you get separated, follow the river out of the valley, and we will meet at the mouth of the ravine."

Xia Huren tightened the parachute pack on his back and told Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er, "You two hang onto me; I'll take you for a little ride."

Hua Qingqing looked at the panicked crowd and clutched my arm without saying a word. I handed her a peach. "Don't be nervous; I'm here."

Hua Qingqing replied, "I'm not nervous for myself, but for them."

Qiu Sihai was so frightened his pants were damp. He peered out over the side at the bottomless, roaring current surging forward, grabbed my coat, and pleaded, "Consultant Zhao, save me! Consultant Zhao, save me!"

What a hassle. If I were taking only Hua Qingqing, entering supersonic flight would be no problem. But adding Qiu Sihai and his bodyguard behind him—I couldn't be sure. Xia Huren was already burdened with two heavy bodies; he certainly couldn't look after Qiu Sihai as well.

I said awkwardly to Qiu Sihai, "Mr. Qiu, I advised you to stay back, but you insisted on coming. Now what? I can only save Director Hua. You need to figure something out for yourself quickly."

Qiu Sihai panicked completely. He threw caution to the wind, knelt on the deck, and kowtowed to Hua Qingqing and me. "Save me, save me! I'll do anything if you just save me!"