Hua Qingqing was slightly excited. "Quick, let's find a way in and look around. I'm certain the secret is in there. Perhaps the previous team never even made it to the center of the basin. Maybe we are the first visitors in thousands of years."

We switched on our helmet lights, circled the pyramid for about half its circumference, and found an entrance. After a brief inspection, Hua Qingqing slipped in behind me.

The space inside the pyramid wasn't large; after only a few steps, we reached the end of the corridor. Before us stood a low stone door, intricately carved with patterns. I tried to push or pull it, but it wouldn't budge. In my eagerness, I put force into my palm and shoved the stone door over!

Hua Qingqing chided me, "And you destroy ancient architecture from thousands of years ago like that."

I laughed. "Who knew it was so flimsy? Ugh, what is that smell?"

Hua Qingqing covered her nose too. "It's probably like this whenever a stone chamber is first opened. Let's go out and let some air in first."

Though I was anxious to see what was inside, safety came first, so I agreed to wait outside. We emerged from the pyramid and sat on a large boulder nearby. Hua Qingqing mused, "I wonder who built the pyramid here. Could there have been a lost civilization in the rainforest?"

"That's hard to say," I replied. "This area has always been remote. There must be plenty of things here that have never been discovered."

Hua Qingqing suddenly made a soft sound. "I can't feel half my body. I... I think I've been poisoned."

My heart leaped. I grabbed Hua Qingqing tightly. "How can this be! Quick, where is the B-needle?"

Hua Qingqing’s healthy complexion suddenly turned ashen. "Too... too late, Zhao Qian, Blood... Blood Flower, I... I'll wait for you..."

I fumbled for the B-needle in my pack and jabbed two syringes into Hua Qingqing’s arm simultaneously. Just as she had said, it was too late. Hua Qingqing had stopped breathing. This sudden turn of events left me frozen on the spot. How could this happen? It was impossible! With me protecting her, how could anything happen to Hua Qingqing!

A wave of immense loss washed over me, and tears streamed down my cheeks. Since entering the rainforest, my bond with Hua Qingqing had grown closer daily. Her deep dependence on me had made me incredibly happy, yet now I couldn't even protect someone who trusted me so completely!

Could the culprit be the putrid air released when I opened the stone door? Because my constitution was different, I was immune to the poison, but Hua Qingqing was tragically infected. What should I do? What could I do? Hua Qingqing couldn't die; I absolutely would not allow her to die!

Blood Flower. I must find the Blood Flower! I need to save Hua Qingqing. She said she would wait for me; I cannot disappoint her.

I tied Hua Qingqing onto my back and turned back into the pyramid. I stepped past the doorway and walked a few paces into a stone chamber. Under the bright beam of my helmet light, everything shone with a golden hue, stunning me into silence.

There was no Blood Flower in here! The chamber wasn't large, nor were there any other hidden rooms. Everything golden was just artifacts and vessels of gold! In a fit of rage, I kicked and smashed several priceless objects nearby. This was likely just a place where ancient people stored valuables, completely unrelated to the Blood Flower!

I had been too careless, too confident, believing my infinite power could protect anyone. But the world holds too many unknown dangers. Even with all my caution, some threats are impossible to guard against. I had failed Hua Qingqing; I had betrayed her trust. Where could I find the Blood Flower now?

Hua Qingqing’s dark face held no trace of fear. On the contrary, a faint smile graced her lips, as if she had merely fallen asleep, waiting for me to wake her. I couldn't give up. I would overturn this entire basin if I had to, just to find the Blood Flower!

Carrying Hua Qingqing, I ran wildly through the basin. I don't know if my speed approached light speed, but the whirlwind I left in my wake uprooted trees, and smaller rocks near me were instantly pulverized into dust. My physical abilities surged instantly, perhaps reaching Level High-B. If I couldn't find the Blood Flower, nothing would grow here again!

The edge of the basin was the end of the river, where a waterfall plunged down into a deep pool. Giant stone figures lined the pool's edge, and behind those statues bloomed patches of crimson red, like blood! Could this be the Blood Flower?

I placed Hua Qingqing in a safe spot and carefully examined the blood-red growth. The flowers before me were much larger than the ones I had seen in recordings—perhaps two to three meters in diameter—and their color was even more vibrant. Their leaves and vines were noticeably thicker and larger than ordinary plants. Judging by their spread, the root system must be behind the waterfall, and the clusters on either side of the pool were merely offshoots.

I wasn't sure if this was the Blood Flower we sought, nor if it possessed the power to restore life. But I was certain this strange flora was no simple thing. For it to be so conspicuous and yet completely untouched in the rainforest suggested it possessed adequate means to defend itself against threats.

I scanned the surroundings meticulously with my energy fluctuation detector. There were absolutely no energy readings. Did this Blood Flower truly have no guardian? Did it rely only on the natural defenses outside to protect its territory?

Time offered no room for further consideration. I stepped into the area encircled by the statues. A dozen more steps, and I could pluck the Blood Flower. If this was indeed the flower the ape had found, Hua Qingqing might be saved.

Whoosh! A hand slapped down toward my head! The statue had moved! I blocked with my arm while simultaneously delivering a punch. Bang! The sensation in my hand told me this wasn't stone! It was a real animal whose outer skin merely resembled rock. It had stood motionless by the pool, which is why I hadn't noticed it before. But the fact that they eluded the energy wave detector was truly bizarre.

I hadn't calculated the force of my punch, but even a massive boulder could be pulverized. Yet, this giant creature I knocked to the ground with one blow immediately scrambled up and resumed its attack! Simultaneously, the other 'stone statues' along the bank closed in.

After a fierce struggle, I finally understood: these creatures couldn't be killed. Like me, no matter how much force they absorbed, their bodies sustained no damage. Fighting them like this would take an eternity. However, the 'stone statues' moved far slower than I did. There was no need to fight them to the death here; plucking the flower and saving the girl was the priority.

I launched myself up, soaring over the heads of the statues, and landed before a cluster of the Blood Flowers. I reached out with both hands to embrace the giant bloom, intending to pluck one to test first. If it worked, I'd destroy them all later.

As I gripped the flower to tear it free, its petals suddenly swooped down over my head. Then, the stems and leaves tightened around me, enveloping me completely. Damn it, was this a plant or an animal! How could it move?

I considered myself incredibly strong, with astonishing bursts of power, yet here I was, at a stalemate with this thing—I couldn't break free, and it couldn't pull me tighter. As we struggled, the stone statues were slowly lumbering toward me, splish-splash, splish-splash. If they managed to land a punch on my side, I’d be finished.

Having no weapons left, I panicked and instinctively ducked my head, biting down on the stem and leaves restraining me. The first few bites nearly shattered my teeth, but I discovered the petals were much more tender than the stems. I crunched off several mouthfuls, my mouth filling with blood-red juice. I must admit, it smelled wonderful. Perhaps it was some potent tonic that grants immortality? After spitting out a few mouthfuls, I swallowed the juice down reluctantly.

When several petals and leaves were bitten off, the Blood Flower emitted a shudder. Did it possess a developed nervous system like a human? Even better—I’d keep biting! See if you let go!

After two more bites, the stone statues were upon me. Thud! A punch slammed down toward my head. In desperation, I lunged forward and sank my teeth into a particularly thick branch. The Blood Flower suddenly trembled violently. Then, a miracle occurred: the giant flowers began to retract, and the thick, fleshy leaves also shrank. Following this, the vines on both sides of the pool, carrying the gradually shrinking Blood Flowers, rapidly retreated back toward the waterfall.

By now, I was free and no longer feared the attack of the stone statue monsters. I knocked a few down with two quick punches and swiftly darted toward the space behind the waterfall, chasing after them. I didn't know the mechanism by which the Blood Flower retracted automatically—I just couldn't let it escape! Hua Qingqing was counting on it to save her life.

The roar of the waterfall deafened my ears, and the mist soaked my clothes. Following the path where the Blood Flower vines had retracted, I pressed close to the cliff face and plunged straight through the curtain of water. The light from my helmet illuminated a world of dazzling white.

I touched the surface; it wasn't real snow. It was merely that the stone walls possessed the color and transparency of white jade. The Blood Flower vines were heading toward a recess in the cave wall. I rushed forward, taking two steps in the space of three, and followed them.

Running twenty or thirty meters along the wide, white cave wall behind the waterfall, I was stunned that the Blood Flower’s lair was so hidden. How could it have grown here without sunlight? And why did the energy fluctuation detector register nothing? Was its energy form something entirely different from Earth's existing types?

The white stone cave soon reached its end, opening into a chamber that wasn't exceptionally large. The cave walls here were even whiter and more transparent than outside. All the Blood Flower vines had fully retracted inside. In the exact center of the chamber was a pool, from which snow-white, transparent fluid was steaming. It appeared identical to the substance of the cave walls, except this was liquid in the pool, while the walls held the solid form.

A clean, white, human-sized tuber floated upon the snow-white liquid. Its roots extended out as the Blood Flower outside the cave opening. It was shaking continuously, its thick, fleshy branches and leaves gradually shrinking back into the tuber. I feared that if the flower retracted completely, it would never reappear, which would surely cost Hua Qingqing her life. So, I plunged heedlessly into the snow-white, transparent fluid and grabbed the rapidly shrinking tuber.

The tuber shook faster and retracted quicker. Just then, a small Blood Flower drifted past my eyes, about to be swallowed back into the tuber. In a panic, I opened my mouth and clamped down on it, tearing hard. Snap! I tore off that Blood Flower—identical to the one the ape had collected.