Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er didn't grasp why I kicked Kojiro Yamashita, but they held no fondness for any Japanese person anyway, so they watched with amused smiles, and no one intervened.

Professor Smord urged everyone, "Mutual aid and peace are the first principles now. Let's not bring up grievances between nations, or the one who ends up dead in the rainforest will be him!"

Jiteng Gang addressed us: "Kojiro is a right-wing youth, but he isn't usually so agitated. He must be delirious from the fever. Please, everyone, don't take it to heart. Uniting together is the highest goal right now."

These Japanese right-wingers were the most aggressively ambitious faction; they incited national expansionism, deified war criminals, and even erected a lighthouse on the Divine Fish Island of the Great Dragon Country, using it to guide the government in asserting sovereignty over that island. As for the ritual of visiting a shrine or spouting nonsense every other day, those instances were countless.

I said to Professor Jiteng Gang, "I don't wish to kill him yet, or I wouldn't have gone back to save him. But please inform all Japanese right-wing elements: your end is not far off!"

Hua Qingqing translated my exact words to Jiteng Gang. His and Kame-no’s faces changed dramatically, especially Kame-no, who sprang to his feet. Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er were faster; since I spoke in Mandarin, they naturally understood that friction had erupted between the members of the two countries. Their two massive crab claws pointed simultaneously at Kame-no.

Kame-no glanced at the pair, who were fat as twin mountains, and sat down, his face ashen. Even if he had a gun now, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble. After these recent dangers, every member of the team had sustained injuries, but only these four had emerged unscathed. They claimed it was Chinese Kung Fu, Qigong—who knew for sure—but one thing was certain: if they intended harm, dispatching someone would be frighteningly easy.

"Everyone, stop this!" Professor Smord stood up. "Do you still want to find the Blood Flower? If not, we turn back immediately. If you do, from this moment forward, national grudges must be set aside!"

The guides, Jixin and Winston, chimed in, "We've sacrificed so much to get this far; it wasn't easy. Everyone calm down. Arranging our future plans is the proper task."

Jack suggested, "I think we should split into two teams. One team stays to guard the camp and care for the wounded, while the other penetrates the basin to search for the Blood Flower. Only through this cooperation can we maximize efficiency."

Everyone agreed with the plan. For the members staying behind, the Great Dragon Country would send two personnel, and the guide Jixin would also remain. Smord, Jack, Jiteng Gang, Kame-no, and Winston would accompany the four members from the Great Dragon Country into the basin.

Regarding who stayed behind, Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er adamantly refused to remain. There was no choice but to leave Xia Huren and Qiu Sihai. For Qiu Sihai, this was perhaps making use of a useless resource; he hadn't helped much along the way, so serving Xia Huren and Jixin by caring for the injured now counted as a good chance to earn some merit.

As for Qiu Sihai himself, he was eager to stay. His legs had been trembling since he first saw the Great Jing crab claws. Now, he was filled with regret. He had intended to display his manly valor in front of Hua Qingqing, only to suffer such profound humiliation. Although Hua Qingqing hadn't criticized him over the incident, Qiu Sihai was a successful man and possessed a degree of self-awareness.

Everyone hurriedly picked at some crab meat. Though it was delicious and tender, no one paid it much attention except Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er. After eating, everyone anxiously began preparations. Besides the necessary medicine and food, they took all the remaining equipment. Jack and Kame-no sharpened some branches into makeshift weapons with their machetes. Professor Smord had two bullets left in his gun, and after some thought, he handed the firearm to Xia Huren.

For safety, we found another cave dwelling carved into the cliff face and moved the injured inside. After all, the rainforest weather could change in an instant, and it would be difficult if it started raining. Everything settled, the main party departed down the river valley at two in the afternoon.

Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er proactively took the lead, which naturally delighted the members of the other nations. However, they had witnessed the almost monstrous capabilities of these two and knew that they were probably treating this expedition like a holiday trip.

The river valley offered no path whatsoever—it was choked with stones and scrub brush, with bizarre, grotesque insects occasionally buzzing before their eyes. Although the previous expedition team had traversed this area, heavy rains had washed away all traces; they could only charge forward blindly.

They encountered none of the man-high crabs along the route, but around five in the afternoon, trouble struck as they passed a small pool. Kame-no went to the pool to wash his face, when suddenly the water erupted, and a giant crayfish, taller than a man, leaped out, its two huge pincers clamping down on him simultaneously.

Caught completely off guard, Kame-no staggered backward, tripping over a stone into the water. At that moment, the massive claws were right upon him. Instinctively, he raised his arm to block. Crack! His arm was neatly severed just above the wrist by the crayfish's pincers.

Winston jabbed at the giant crayfish with a sharpened tree branch, while Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er swept their blades. Swish, swish—two cuts sliced off the creature's claws. The other team members swarmed in, and in moments, the giant shrimp was hacked to shreds.

Kame-no had lost a limb. Jiteng Gang urged him to return to the camp to wait, but he refused outright, no matter what. After binding the wound, he struggled back onto the path.

To save time, everyone walked until total darkness before finding a flat patch to set up camp. After a simple dinner, they quickly retreated into their sleeping bags to rest and recover stamina. Hua Qingqing and I took the first watch.

Sitting by the campfire, Hua Qingqing held her knees and said to me, "Zhao Qian, this trip has made me see you in a new light."

I tossed a branch into the fire. "Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"

"I can't quite articulate it, but somehow, being near you makes me feel comfortable, very relaxed. What if I become dependent on you? What am I going to do about that?"

I laughed. "What's there to be afraid of? Whenever you need me in the future, just give me a call. I promise to come running."

Hua Qingqing asked seriously, "Won't your wives get jealous?"

"No, they won't. You saw how well Xiao Rou got along with everyone. They are all wonderful girls, very understanding and yielding. Although every one of them complains that I should spend more time with them, they never get angry at me for being with another woman."