I craned my neck to look out of the cavern entrance; a faint glimmer of light was already showing in the night sky. "Let's go. I wonder how Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er are doing. Don't mention the Blood Flower incident to them later, and let's keep Xue'er's secret between just the two of us. Otherwise, it'll be a major problem for her safety. You know how those two blabber all the time; who knows when they might slip up."

Hua Qingqing nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Those two bicker constantly. Even if we weren't keeping it secret from others, we'd have to keep it from them. Let's hurry over and check on them quickly. I wonder how the Professors are doing; hopefully, nothing has gone wrong."

I reminded Hua Qingqing, "Comrade, they are our class enemies. You must always keep this in mind, or you'll easily make a fundamental ideological mistake."

Hua Qingqing hugged Xue'er and then held me close. "Are you going to criticize me now? Could you bear to? I'll cry, you know."

I jumped out of the waterfall, holding Hua Qingqing. The giant stone beasts surged toward us again, but with a single leap, we were flying clear, leaving them clawing and roaring by the pool's edge. Hua Qingqing looked deeply worried. "Do you think these monsters will break out of the basin? If they get out, it could be a disaster. (Fastest updates http://wap.16k.cn)"

I replied, "Probably not. If they could leave, they would have done so long ago. Besides, their hides are too thick; even if I wanted to kill them, I couldn't do it instantly without a laser gun, and we didn't bring one."

Xue'er pointed down at the monsters and shook her head. It seemed these creatures needed a very specific geographical environment to reach such a size; if they went outside, they would surely fail to adapt to the environment. We were perhaps overly concerned.

By this time, the sky had brightened, and I slowed my descent. Hua Qingqing pointed ahead. "Giant mosquitoes! Careful!"

I looked up, and sure enough, there were people riding on the mosquitoes!

"Commander Zhao! Where are you?" Two giant mosquitoes, each carrying two people, were circling the basin.

I quickly shouted, "Commander Zhu! Commander Cai! We are here!"

Hearing the shouts, Zhu Da and Cai Bao'er immediately urged their giant mosquitoes toward us, shouting, "Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up!" It seemed they were using the mosquitoes like horses and oxen.

I landed gently on the ground, but those two were another matter. After all, the giant mosquitoes weren't battle-trained steeds. Their mounts circled overhead for a long time, refusing to land. Zhu Da got rough, slamming his fist and knocking the mosquito out of the air. Naturally, this free ride was instantly totaled.

Cai Bao'er was a little reluctant; flying on that thing had been exhilarating, but the mosquito wouldn't descend no matter what unless he hit it. He couldn't exactly stay airborne forever.

Cai Bao'er also knocked his mosquito down with a punch. The two rushed over and grabbed my hands. "Commander Zhao, we thought you'd gone to report to the Great Leader. We didn't expect you and Chief Hua to sneak out and come back with a baby. That speed could qualify for the Guinness World Records."

Hua Qingqing blushed furiously. "If you two keep talking nonsense, I won't treat you if you get sick later. Her name is Xue'er; we found her by accident."

Zhu Da laughed. "Heh heh, sorry, Chief Hua. It'll be hard for us to get sick in the future. Look how fierce that giant earthworm was last night, yet it couldn't even scratch us. Impressive, right?"

Hua Qingqing shot Zhu Da a charming glare. "I know you two have been modified. Stop boasting."

Cai Bao'er looked surprised. "Huh, Chief Hua, you seem like a different person after one night. You feel… more approachable."

Zhu Da corrected him. "Dumpling, can you even choose your words? 'Approachable' is used for leaders. You should use 'playful and adorable' to describe her."

Cai Bao'er retorted, "Who says 'approachable' is an exclusive term? 'Playful and adorable' describes my sister..."

I quickly cut them off. "Stop messing around. Where are the others?"

Zhu Da shrugged. "No idea. After you left last night, those giant earthworms went berserk and churned up the ground until there wasn't a single smooth patch. Baozi and I realized things were bad, so we climbed trees first. Then the trees got uprooted too. That's when the giant mosquitoes appeared. We each grabbed one and flew around for half the night. If I could, I'd really like to catch two to raise at home; then we wouldn't need a car when we go out—it’s like riding a helicopter."

I asked, "What about Taozi? Weren't you two together?"

Cai Bao'er said, "Don't mention it. He gets airsick. He found a place to throw up by himself and should be back soon."

Hua Qingqing said anxiously, "Let's go find the Professors quickly."

Zhu Da shrugged dismissively. "Anyway, those devils never had good intentions; they were trying to pry information about our helmets. I won't tell them a damn thing; it’s better if they die."

I knew Hua Qingqing's temperament, so I coughed and said to Zhu Da, "Comrade, how about some international sympathy? The US also has Communist International organizations. In critical moments, we must extend a helping hand to our comrades in other countries. As long as they support our nation's unification and world peace, they are our comrades!"

Hua Qingqing shot me a look with a smile. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's go."

The location where the three of us stood was not far from where the incident happened last night. After walking a short distance, we entered an area that looked like it had been plowed by a giant plow. Zhu Da shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hello! Is anyone still breathing?!"

A voice called out from behind a large rock, "We are here!"

The group hurried over and saw Smother, Jitenggang, and Jack lying on a flat stretch of stone. Kameyano and Winston were nowhere in sight. Jack was seriously injured, and Jitenggang was barely breathing, only able to manage shallow gasps. Only Smother was in slightly better condition.

Seeing that we were all safe, Smother said, "Your country's Qigong is truly formidable. I am completely convinced. Victory is imminent, yet we are powerless to advance further. It seems this success belongs to your Great Dragon Country."

Hua Qingqing wasn't good at lying, and while I wasn't fond of it either, deceiving foreigners didn't bother me. I said to Smother, "Professor, actually, we've searched the entire basin and found nothing at all. It seems we were all tricked."

Smother glanced toward the distant jungle and sighed. "I have the will but no strength. Even if we wanted to conduct further investigations, we’d have to wait until next time. If your country is willing to stay and search for the Blood Flower, we have no objection, but we implore your nation to lend aid and send us out of the rainforest first. My leg is broken, and we have so many seriously wounded now; everything depends on you."

Hua Qingqing said, "Don't worry, Professor. We will help you."

It was only then that Smother noticed Xue'er, and he looked surprised. "Where did this one come from?"

I quickly interjected, "We found her in a cave. Probably a lost indigenous child."

Smother frowned. "But the skin color is completely different? That’s very strange; she doesn't look like an indigenous child to me."

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