I was lying in the water, and Hua Qingqing, unsure of what she was thinking above, remained silent. Our quiet contemplation was finally broken by the rumble of our stomachs announcing it was time for lunch.

"Zhao Qian, I’m starving," Hua Qingqing pleaded from atop the large boulder.

I climbed out of the water, stripped off my clothes to dry them, and replied, "Lunch is coming right up."

Because the sun was quite fierce, I fetched a few large tree branches and laid them across the stone to create shade. Our main lunch consisted of compressed biscuits soaked in meat broth. Hua Qingqing must have been truly hungry; she devoured more than half a pot before I finished the remainder.

Hua Qingqing watched me finish my meal. She asked, "You don't mind eating what I left, do you?"

I shook my head. "It still smells wonderful. Besides, I benefited from you—it's like an indirect kiss."

Hua Qingqing was delighted. She stretched out triumphantly on the large boulder and shouted to me, "I’m taking a nap! Don't disturb me!"

This hardly felt like rainforest scientific exploration; it was more like a vacation!

We decided to wait here until noon the next day. If Professor Smod didn't arrive by then, we would follow the river upstream to search for them. As evening approached, Taozi returned, having made a quick foray into the jungle to exchange greetings with the African rats and ants.

Dinner was grilled fish and roasted meat. Never mind how clumsy the Water Pig was; the meat was truly exceptional—fresh and tender. Hua Qingqing let out satisfied exclamations as she ate. After dinner, I went out to gather some dry grass and spread two assault jackets over it. Hua Qingqing settled onto this makeshift bed beautifully and fell asleep.

The next day, just before noon, Professor Smod finally arrived. They floated downriver on three inflatable rafts. Once on the raft, Smod recounted the events following the waterfall plunge to Hua Qingqing.

The boat captain’s vessel was shattered along with him, and several crew members had been killed by striking rocks. Most of the fragile equipment was destroyed, and many people were injured again. That was why they had rested by the pool for a day before setting out this morning.

I quietly counted the heads. Including Qiu Sihai and the bodyguard, there were 20 people, plus Xia Huren and his group who had walked ahead. Five people died when the boat sank, including the captain, but the main team members were safe. I wondered how many would last until the end.

Traveling downstream was fast. By evening, we encountered Xia Huren and Zhu Da on the riverbank. The large group stopped to make camp. There were too many injured to travel at night, and the river conditions ahead were unknown, making night marching impossible.

Since many team members were wounded, Jack organized rotating guard duties after dinner, and everyone else went to sleep. Due to my alertness, I remained in a state between sleep and waking. In the latter half of the night, a faint sound startled me awake.

I squinted and watched two figures emerge from the Japanese camp before quietly rising and following them. The two stopped only after moving a considerable distance from the camp. Although there was no moonlight, it didn’t prevent me from seeing them clearly: one was the Japanese leader, Kameyama, and the other was Yoshitomo Gō’s assistant, Miyukiko.

Kameyama whispered, "Have you managed to extract the coordinates from Smod yet?"

Miyukiko replied, "No. I tried to approach him, but Americans are naturally wary of us Japanese, so I couldn't gather any intelligence."

Kameyama snorted softly. "Then let them live a few more days. This time, the military command is determined to obtain that flower of resurrection. It has profound significance for realizing our imperial expansion plans. If necessary, you must succeed at any cost!"

Miyukiko responded, "I understand, but Smod isn't a lecherous man, and he has two female students with him—female charms won't work on him. I suggest Captain Kameyama wait until we reach our destination before making a move."

Kameyama chuckled. "Female charms might not work on the old man, but they work on me."

Miyukiko understood and crouched down, reaching to unzip Kameyama’s trousers.

Kameyama grunted contentedly while saying, "The Americans won't be unprepared. Be cautious of Jack; I fear he won't let things go easily when the time comes."

Miyukiko responded with a nasal sound. Kameyama continued, "Don't approach Smod again for the next two days to avoid arousing Jack's suspicion. Focus on those four from Great Dragon Country. Their identities are mysterious, and each possesses unique skills. Find an opportunity to learn their background."

Miyukiko released Kameyama’s arousal and spat out, "Everyone actually knows that this entire expedition is aimed at that flower. Great Dragon Country has always produced talents. You saw in the first two incidents that they are not easy to deal with. We shouldn't provoke them unless absolutely necessary."

"What? Are you worried because that boy saved you once?"

Miyukiko frowned. "No. Our manpower is currently insufficient. If we deal with the Americans and then stir up trouble with those from Great Dragon Country, don't you think that’s too dangerous? We could cooperate; it would benefit both sides."

Kameyama scoffed. "The Americans are no good, and the people of Great Dragon Country are our eternal enemies! Once we locate the exact position of that flower, we must move quickly to eliminate the team members from both sides. If you dare show mercy or hesitation, the first person I kill will be you!"

After watching the act of intimacy for a while, I returned to camp to sleep. The Japanese were dreaming ambitiously, thinking they could monopolize the Blood Flower. Truly overestimating themselves. Never mind Jack, who was an experienced Navy SEAL; any one of the four of us is no ordinary person. In the end, they would be left weeping before they died.

What no one expected was that the length of this river valley far exceeded our imagination. We floated for three days before reaching the confluence of the two rivers. At that point, it was hard to distinguish where the bank was and where the water was; most of the forest was submerged. Professor Smod checked the coordinates using a positioning device, and then, led by the guides Kisin and Winston, we turned into a tributary.

After another day of travel, the riverbed was entirely choked with deadwood and branches, making further travel by inflatable raft impossible. Fortunately, the terrain on the banks was gradually rising, unlike the flooded plains at the confluence.

We landed, stowed the rafts, and rested for the night before proceeding into the rainforest on foot. The temperature here was several times hotter and muggier than in the surrounding rainforest we had skirted earlier, and the vegetation was even denser, filled with countless unknown plants. After marching for half a day, we were attacked by venomous snakes three times. Thankfully, Jack and the guides were leading the way; otherwise, we would have suffered heavy losses.

Around 4 PM, the main group suddenly halted. The guides, Kisin and Winston, turned back to find Professor Smod. "Professor, the front leads into the territory of an indigenous African tribe. We cannot proceed further, or we risk great danger."

Smod led everyone forward to observe. They saw a swath of trees had been cleared in the forest, creating a demarcation line, and a winding path disappeared deep into the dense woods. A gust of wind carried a foul, fishy stench. Zhu Da suddenly looked up and shouted, "Corpses!"

The latecomers finally noticed the bodies hanging from the felled tree trunks overhead. Most were desiccated and rotten, but one was still dripping dark red blood. Strangely, these corpses were small, not resembling normal humans—only reaching about the height of a normal person's waist, and their skulls were only half the size of a human's. They looked like a race of diminutive people.

Kisin advised Smod, "Professor, the indigenous people of the rainforest are notoriously fierce. I suggest we bypass this area. This corpse hasn't been hanging long; it’s likely a warning to us. We are under-armed and have many wounded; we must not take the risk."

Professor Smod calmly stated, "Retreat 500 meters and set up camp for the night. We will pass through this tribal settlement early tomorrow morning. We cannot turn back; time will run out.

"What!" Many were startled by the Professor's decision. Although everyone had guns, the natives were not easily dealt with. They lived year-round in the harsh rainforest, possessing tenacious vitality, coupled with their intimate knowledge of the terrain—all extremely dangerous factors.

Professor Smod glanced at the bodies hanging from the tree trunks and said coolly, "Anyone who does not wish to proceed can stay behind; I won't force you."

The group retreated a distance to camp on a dry patch of ground. Given the proximity of the mysterious natives, two people stood guard armed at all times, and Jack even doubled the night shift posts. Their equipment originally included infrared thermal imaging automatic defense machine guns, but those were all destroyed when they fell into the valley, leaving only two machine guns intact.

Knowing unknown danger awaited them tomorrow, everyone tried to rest early to replenish their energy. Unexpectedly, screams rang out again in the middle of the night. This time it wasn't Qiu Sihai, as the sound originated from the Japanese camp.

Lights and gunshots erupted simultaneously. Qiu Sihai scrambled over, dragging his sleeping bag, and asked, "What’s happening? What’s going on?"

Hua Qingqing was also groggy and confused. She asked, "Did the natives attack us? They are so untrustworthy; we didn't violate their boundary!"

This was not the time for discussion. I pulled Hua Qingqing onto my back and told Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er, who were still dazed, "Everyone, grab your gear quickly, form a tight circle, and don't rush out recklessly!"

In fact, not just Hua Qingqing, everyone assumed the natives were launching a surprise attack. But when they regrouped with Professor Smod, they were met head-on by a monster half the height of a man. It moved rapidly on all fours, its two front limbs powerful and hard; with one swift swipe, it cleanly decapitated an American team member.

Cai Bao'er exclaimed in alarm, "What is that thing? How could the natives look like this!"

Zhu Da hefted his AK47 and squeezed the trigger in a short burst. The creature rolled and fell to the ground. He turned back to Cai Bao'er and snapped, "Screw that, they aren't natives! They aren't human at all."

Xia Huren, peppering four attacking monsters with precise shots, told me, "They look a bit like giant ants."

I had already seen their size. They were much larger than the mutated giant rats. If they were scaled down by several hundred times, they would indeed resemble ants. This level of mutation was too absurd.

Hua Qingqing clung to my back and shouted, "It's ants! Ants! How did they get this big!"

I told everyone, "We can’t worry about that now. Let's focus on breaking through!"

The teams from the three nations converged while fighting. Jack, holding a machine gun, swept a path open. "There are too many of these things, and they move fast. We need to retreat."

Professor Smod used a pistol, firing short bursts before switching to a full clip. "Into the natives' woods! Let the natives figure out how to deal with the giant ants!"

Upon reflection, the only viable option was to head into the natives' territory; otherwise, they would have to turn back, which felt too costly after sacrificing so many people. Therefore, no one objected to Professor Smod’s suggestion. The group clustered together and headed toward the woods where the corpses were hanging.

As they retreated toward evening, everyone felt that 500 meters was still too close to the native territory. Yet now, everyone thought they had retreated too far back then. At this rate, when would they ever break free of the giant ant encirclement?

Zhu Da kicked away a giant ant attacking from the side and said to Cai Bao'er, "It must be because you peed near an ant nest when you relieved yourself this evening. Now look, you’ve really angered them!"

Cai Bao'er fired back while shooting, "Go to hell, you big potato! I don't drown ant nests when I pee. You must be the one who did it, playing the victim first!"

Hua Qingqing, still on my back, asked me, "How do they still have the mood to bicker right now?"

I handed Hua Qingqing my empty gun so she could reload, saying, "That’s just how they are; they get restless if they don't argue for a while."

Hua Qingqing rummaged through her backpack. "Oh no, I'm out of bullets!"

It wasn't just us; most of the group had wasted ammunition in wild firing. Their firepower was waning, and gradually, only two or three guns were still firing.

Those giant ants clearly didn't value their lives. We couldn't figure out what we had done to provoke them, as they stepped over their comrades' corpses and kept targeting us relentlessly. They were still about a hundred meters from the native territory, but the giant ants were closing in. Zhu Da emptied his magazine and thrashed around wildly with his bare fists. Despite their tough exoskeletons, any hit from his powerful punches left the giant ants either dead or disabled.

Kameyama shouted to Jack, "You lead the way, and I'll cover the rear! We need to charge out, or we’ll die at the hands of these monsters!"

So, the two machine guns took the front and rear positions, sandwiching the group as they bolted forward. The giant ants attacking the center of the formation had to be fought off by hand. Within a few steps, several more M and R team members had their heads sheared off, causing Meliya and Jennimafei to tremble uncontrollably.

Hua Qingqing was terrified at first, but when she saw the giant ants couldn't get close to the few of us, she relaxed somewhat, sitting on my back and directing Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er to block the attacking ants.

The number of pursuing giant ants dwindled. When we leaped inside the native perimeter, the giant ants stopped far out on the periphery and ceased their attack, seemingly wary of the natives' boundary line. I truly wondered if taking refuge here was the right choice or not. At that moment, the corpses hanging overhead began to sway slightly, as if moved by an unseen current.