With the giant ants not having caught up, the group took a moment to regroup; only eighteen remained. The accompanying members from the MR nations were almost entirely wiped out, whereas thanks to the protection of four individuals, Qiu Sihai and his bodyguard remained unscathed.

Professor Jiten Gang lost a finger—a minor injury he could endure. Meiliya, Zhenni Maffei, and the Japanese woman, Miyuki, were uninjured due to being shielded. Everyone else was suffering from compounding wounds; I felt that if this continued, they would nearly be dead even if they survived.

Looking at their gear, almost everything was lost, and only a few bullets remained. With the path ahead unknown, they were defenseless. Even Kamino, whose plot it was to murder everyone and seize the Blood Blossom for himself, wore an expression of blank confusion; apparently, he hadn't accounted for these eventualities.

After quickly bandaging their wounds, the group began to eye the narrow path leading deeper into the jungle. I distributed the helmets, instructing everyone to wear them, as navigating at night without them was extremely inconvenient. Even Hua Qingqing put one on, though, regrettably, I had no spare for Qiu Sihai.

Professor Smode rallied the group. "Friends from every nation, the road ahead is perilous, but we must press on. There is no need for concealment now that matters have reached this point. Once we pass this settlement of the indigenous dwarves, the Blood Blossom will be close. Success is within reach; we must persevere!"

Jiten Gang glanced at the dark, bottomless path illuminated by the lights and asked Professor Smode, "Shouldn't we rest here and set out at dawn? Our weaponry and personnel cannot withstand another common attack, and the darkness works strongly against us."

"No," Professor Smode countered. "Quite the opposite. We must use the darkness to advance. Furthermore, the longer we linger here, the greater the chance of an attack from the natives. It is much safer to move through quickly."

Since Professor Smode controlled the location of the Blood Blossom, Jiten Gang, despite his objections, had no choice but to comply. Moreover, with several corpses dangling and swaying overhead, spending a night here was worse than fighting their way in.

Given that our Great Dragon Nation contingent was strong and numerous, the vanguard was changed to Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er, with Jack and Kamino bringing up the rear.

Turning on the helmet's illumination, Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er gasped in unison, "Wow! That’s bright! Even more powerful than the Japanese military's searchlights!"

Hua Qingqing held my arm as she walked beside me. She said to the two men, "Be polite. What if they understand Chinese?"

Mida and Cai Bao'er tossed aside their AK-47s, each wielding a hunting knife as they walked. "Forget it, Director Hua. We're the ones risking our lives at the front. They can tolerate a few curses."

The road deepened, the silence grew heavier, and fear settled more deeply in everyone’s hearts. Thinking of the dried corpses offered a clear indication that these natives would not be friendly, yet their continued absence was agonizingly suspenseful.

The atmosphere was too still, so Zhu Da tried to start a conversation with me. "Commander Zhao, how do you think those giant ants appeared? Did everyone carefully survey the surroundings earlier this evening? There seemed to be no anomalies."

"Perhaps they came from underground," I suggested. "They are burrowers, after all, and the soil here is soft. It wouldn't be strange for them to dig tunnels into our camp overnight."

Cai Bao'er wondered, "But how did they grow so large? Was the food supply here simply too abundant?"

I asked the guide, Kissinger, in English. He replied, "These giant ants have been captured before, but they are extremely rare. Nothing like what happened tonight has ever been heard of."

I then inquired, "What about these indigenous dwarves?"

Kissinger said, "They are very mysterious and never interact with outsiders, so the outside world knows very little about them. We've only heard rumors of people seeing them hunt animals with peculiar small crossbows."

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er, walking ahead, suddenly waved their hands backward, causing everyone to stop immediately. Zhu Da whispered to me, "Energy fluctuation! Damn it, there are too many of them—at least a hundred—and they’re flanking us!"

Cai Bao'er hopped around anxiously, hacking with his machete. "Damn it, if only we had a submachine gun again."

Kissinger and Winston, naturally, couldn't have foreseen the natives' presence so soon. I informed them of the situation in English, and they swiftly roared to the rear, "Everyone find cover! The natives are surrounding us!"

Hua Qingqing clutched my arm and whispered, "Zhao Qian, I'm scared."

I noticed Hua Qingqing had become increasingly prone to acting spoiled throughout the journey. Had the stifling climate altered her temperament? I crouched down. "Climb on quickly; I'll carry you."

Hua Qingqing instantly leaped onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Mmm, your back is the safest place."

Taozi, perched on my shoulder, remarked sarcastically, "It's over. This woman has fallen too."

Just then, noise erupted from behind as everyone scrambled for cover. These natives were truly fast; a moment ago they were distant, and now they were close. Sounds of swoosh, swoosh came continuously from the undergrowth, followed by consecutive screams from within the ranks.

The natives were firing arrows—short and thin, yet launched with immense force. These despicable creatures! The brush was too thick; even with my and Taozi’s agility, dealing with them instantly was impossible.

I cleaved through several incoming short arrows with one strike and shouted back to Professor Smode, "Professor, tell everyone to charge out immediately! Staying here means certain death!"

Smode shouted back loudly, "Right! Everyone keep pushing forward! At this critical moment, you must rely on yourselves. Anyone left behind means death!"

Thus, Zhu Da, Cai Bao'er, Xia Huren, and I blocked the arrows and cleared the path at the front, while the rest followed closely, sprinting down the path. Fortunately, Xia Huren had also undergone physical modifications; otherwise, even with his speed, resisting such a dense volley of arrows would have been difficult.

The main group soon clashed with the natives. Zhu Da cleaved off a small dwarf's head with a swing; the spinning head tumbled toward Cai Bao'er, who snatched it. He glanced at it and exclaimed, "Oh my god, what a ghastly appearance!"

I managed a quick peek while fighting: the small severed head had deep-set eyes, and its nose and mouth were two gaping black holes—terrifying was an understatement.

Zhu Da cursed at Cai Bao'er. "Throw that thing away! Are you planning to take it home for your sister to play with?"

Hua Qingqing shouted from my back, "You two big brothers, what time is it for idle chatter? The people behind us are almost all dead!"

I looked back and saw Jack, Kamino, Guide Kissinger, and Winston hacking at the natives like they were slicing watermelons. The remaining members were in bad shape, bodies peppered with arrows like hedgehogs. I presumed these short arrows weren't poisonous, or at least not highly toxic, or everyone would have died already.

I told Taozi, "Go help them!"

Taozi jumped out somewhat reluctantly. With its involvement, the natives attempting to flank from the rear were quickly dealt with, and the main party rapidly pushed forward.

After proceeding a short distance along the path, they reached an open clearing. Xia Huren suddenly grabbed Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er, who were still charging forward. "Trap ahead! Follow me!"

Having served as a sniper, Xia Huren was highly adept at spotting pitfalls and hidden pits. If he said there was danger, there was danger. I didn't even need to use my terrain vision. Hua Qingqing called back to the others in English from my back, "Follow our footsteps exactly! Don't step wrong by half an inch!"

Easier said than done; one American member misstepped and plummeted into a pit. A scream echoed up, letting everyone know there must be sharp implements like bamboo spikes below. He was skewered.

Passing the clearing, they soon entered a small village—evidently deep within the native territory. Angered by the natives' ferocity, Zhu Da set fire to a thatched hut, and the flames immediately roared up.

Under the firelight, numerous small figures darted about, allowing the main group to slip away amidst the chaos. At daybreak, we arrived before a small hill and stopped in an open, level area.

When personnel were counted, the result was astonishing. Our own group had six survivors. Qiu Sihai had been struck four or five times in the rear; his bodyguard had sacrificed himself just moments ago—a true pity that after accompanying us for so long, he couldn't last.

The other side fared even worse. Besides Professor Jiten Gang and Kamino, even Jiro Yamayama and Miyuki were gone! On the American side, besides Professor Smode and the leader Jack, only Zhenni Maffei remained! Thankfully, the two strong guides were still present. The entire team now numbered thirteen!

We had been leading the charge and hadn't paid close attention to changes behind us. Besides, as long as Smode lived, the deaths of people like Kamino and Miyuki didn't matter much; it saved them the trouble of plotting against others.

The most urgent matter was treating the wounded. Even Zhenni Maffei had three short arrows lodged in her thigh. Smode, a pharmacologist, smelled one of the extracted arrows and determined there was no potent poison, only a certain amount of anesthetic, albeit low-grade, which wouldn't have an immediate effect but could lead to limb weakness and unconsciousness over time.

Smode consulted briefly with the two guides and decided they must depart immediately, as they were still very close to the natives, who might pursue. They needed to find a safe haven before the anesthetic took full effect.

Smode established the general direction of travel, and guides Kissinger and Winston quickly led the group over the small hill into another valley. This area had few trees, offering good visibility, and the steep mountainsides on either side made climbing difficult. If they could hold the valley entrance, they could resist the natives for a while even if attacked.

Smode took a scalpel from his bag and handed a second one to Hua Qingqing. "Young Mistress Hua, you are the true doctor; everyone's wounds depend on you."

Hua Qingqing nodded solemnly. I stood behind her as an assistant, and we began extracting the short arrows. Except for the five of us, everyone had been struck, and the anesthetic was already taking effect; Professor Jiten Gang, with his weaker constitution, was already becoming delirious.

Zhenni Maffei was also running a fever. I stopped Hua Qingqing when she moved to administer an injection. We didn't know the Americans' true intentions; revealing too much about our capabilities might not be beneficial. Moreover, Zhenni Maffei likely only had an infection, which standard antibiotics should treat.

Hua Qingqing swiftly cut out the arrows from Zhenni Maffei. Zhenni Maffei managed to blink and look around. "Where is Meiliya? Why hasn't she caught up? We agreed to advance and retreat with the Professor."

Professor Smode comforted her from the side. "Don't be sad, Zhenni. Meiliya has already sacrificed herself. None of us wanted this, but now that it is so, we must pull ourselves together and find the Blood Blossom to make this trip worthwhile."

Guide Kissinger stated, "Miss Meiliya is probably not dead. When we passed the native village, she and Miss Miyuki were separated from the group and cornered by about a dozen dwarf natives. The situation was too chaotic and dangerous at the time; we simply couldn't rescue them."

Kamino chimed in from the side, "Even if she didn't die then, so what? She might already be mounted on a boundary marker as a warning by now. We should focus on finding the Blood Blossom and leaving this jungle. It's far too dangerous here; if we delay, not a single person will get out alive."

Zhenni Maffei suddenly grabbed Hua Qingqing's arm. "Young Mistress Hua, I know your boyfriend is incredibly capable. Please beg him to help me rescue Meiliya. We are good friends; I cannot abandon her."

Hua Qingqing looked conflicted. Returning to the native settlement was extremely perilous. Those natives were like the giant ants—all reckless, unafraid of death, and an unstoppable force when charging en masse.

Zhu Da, not understanding English, guessed the gist of the situation. "Commander Zhao, don't be sentimental! Even you have limits. We can't save everyone, especially since they are already showing signs of drowsiness; we'll need manpower to defend if danger strikes."

Rescuing Miyuki was irrelevant, but Zhenni Maffei's concern for her companion was moving, and someone as kind as Hua Qingqing was easily touched. Hua Qingqing turned to Zhu Da. "Big Brother Zhu, perhaps we can sneak back to check? If there's a chance, why not save them? After all, we are teammates; mutual support is expected."

Charmed by the beauty's words, Zhu Da became slightly embarrassed. He pointed at the people on the ground. "What about them?"

Hua Qingqing considered. "You three stay here to protect everyone. Zhao Qian and I will sneak back to observe the situation. If possible, we will bring them back."

Zhenni Maffei gratefully squeezed Hua Qingqing’s hand before succumbing to drowsiness. "Thank you, Miss Hua, you are a good person. God will bless you."

Hua Qingqing looked at me. "Zhao Qian, what do you say we do?"

I replied, "We'll do as you suggest. My wife has ordered me to follow your lead."

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er sighed and shook their heads. "A femme fatale..."

I told Xia Huren, "Tiger, you, Old Zhu, and Old Cai stay here. If anything happens, try contacting us via the communicator. Taozi, Qingqing, and I will go back for the rescue. If we aren't back by tomorrow morning, leave a marker and proceed ahead; we will catch up."

Xia Huren nodded. "Be careful."

Hua Qingqing jumped onto my back again and exclaimed, "Let's go!"

As I walked, I remarked to her, "You don't seem scared at all."

Hua Qingqing wrapped her arms around my neck. "What is there to fear when you are here? People modified by Substance B are truly powerful. Say, can I get modified too? Would I become as strong as those two fatty guys?"