Xie Sen's team of four continued their journey. The further they went, the more lush the vegetation became. Towering trees towered over the island, and the sky was invisible. All that filled their ears was the chirping of birds and insects, the roars of wild beasts from the depths of the forest, and the occasional human scream.
Alone, this atmosphere would have been terrifying. But Xie Sen, looking at Maine's towering figure in front of him, felt reassured.
Maine would periodically check his wristband, occasionally warning everyone behind him to watch their step and prevent them from stepping into a pit.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of dead leaves, and the soil was soft and damp, with each step a slight sinking sensation. Walking like this was exhausting, and the air in the forest was thick and heavy. After an hour, Xie Sen was sweating profusely, and Maine's back was damp as well.
Xie Sen panted, trying hard to control his breathing to keep up with Maine. He glanced back at Bai Jiao and Long Teng. Bai Jiao remained calm and composed, not even a drop of sweat on her face. Long Teng, like him, was covered in sweat.
Xie Sen glanced at Bai Jiao with envy, then turned back, wiping the sweat from his face as he looked up at the road ahead.
"Wow! So beautiful!"
A short distance to the right, a plant half a man's height rose amidst the green bushes. A flower, the size of a soup bowl, jutted from its apex. Its fiery red color was striking, and Xie Sen couldn't help but admire it.
As he spoke, Maine approached the flower. A beastly maw suddenly opened from between its petals, bending its stem to bite Maine's arm.
Xie Sen was stunned by the sight. He took a deep breath and was about to yell, "Be careful!" when Maine stepped back, raised his foot, and with a side kick, the flower fell to the ground, its mouth facing the ground.
The stem of the flower bent into a tall, thin N-shape, but remained intact. The next moment, it rebounded like a spring, its mouth opening to spit out red juice towards Maine.
Xie Sen's eyes widened. He knew without even thinking that something like this was poisonous.
Maine reacted quickly, leaping forward to avoid the sap. Bai Jiao quickly passed Xie Sen and, just as the sap was about to fall onto the tree trunk opposite the flower, she held an umbrella-shaped object in her hand and pressed it against the trunk.
The sap fell into the umbrella, and Bai Jiao lifted it upside down, quickly detaching the umbrella from the bracket, folding it around the edges, and then securing it tightly with string.
A smile appeared on his handsome face: "I have been interested in carnivorous plants for a long time.
It turns out that I came here for the right reason." Long Teng leaned close to his neck to look at the juice collected in his hand. When he was about to ask something, he put his hand on his shoulder. He immediately forgot what he wanted to ask and looked at Bai Jiao in surprise: "Wow, you feel so cool!"
Bai Jiao took his hand off his shoulder: "I have a naturally cool constitution."
Long Teng's face was full of envy. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and simply put his arm around him: "Let's go like this
. It won't be so hot if I'm next to you." Bai Jiao put the collected juice into the space, tilted his head to distance himself from Long Teng: "No, let go."
Long Teng pouted and estimated the height of the two: "Are you tired? Otherwise, I can carry you on my back. I'm not tired."
Bai Jiao rubbed his eyebrows: "I'm a female, If you do that, I can sue you for harassment."
Long Teng blinked and quickly withdrew his hand, his baby face flushed: "I, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Bai Jiao was a little surprised to see him like this. She smiled, took out a shovel, dug the whole flower out of the ground, and placed it in the space. Then she said to Maine, "Let's get going."
The few of them continued on their way. After walking for almost an hour, at twelve o'clock, Long Teng finally shouted, "I'm so hungry, I want to eat!"
Maine looked at Xie Sen. Xie Sen's black hair was wet with sweat, and he was breathing heavily. Seeing him looking at him, he said with a bitter face, "I'm tired and hungry."
Maine opened his bracelet and took a look: "Hold on, there's a place suitable for rest not far to the left and front."
Five minutes later, the four of them arrived at the place Maine mentioned, a small hill in the forest.
Xie Sen held out some spicy dried meat, and Long Teng immediately approached. Maine patted his shoulder, "I'm going to hunt. You stay here and gather firewood, and keep them safe."
Long Teng patted his chest, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Xie Sen was a little worried, "Are you going alone?"
"No problem, I won't go far," Maine said, disappearing into the forest in a flash.
Long Teng moved quickly, gathering a pile of firewood in a short while. He continued to stare at Xie Sen eagerly. Xie Sen handed him a lunch box and then a portion to Bai Jiao.
"This won't fill you up, it'll just whet your appetite."
Long Teng took out a strip of spicy dried meat and chewed it, slurring his words as he ate it. "Delicious!"
Bai Jiao took a bite and exclaimed in surprise, "Very delicious!"
Xie Sen smiled, "As long as you like it."
Maine soon returned with two prepared rabbits. Xie Sen asked, "Is there water nearby?" "
Yes, but it's not safe near water." He expertly skewered the rabbits, holding one for himself and giving the other to Long Teng to roast.
He grilled rabbit while operating his personal wristband. Three notifications rang out from the wristbands of his teammates. He said, "I've sent you a map of the area. If you get separated, follow it."
Xie Sen clicked on the message. Attached was a highly detailed map, with their current location marked by four small green dots. Maine's
brow furrowed as he finished speaking. He swiped his fingers across the virtual screen above the wristband twice, then glanced sharply to the right. "Someone's approaching."
Long Teng instantly became excited. "I'll go chase them off!"
Bai Jiao stood up. "They caught up during our lunch break. Really dedicated!" He smiled and tilted his head to look at Long Teng. "You grill the meat, and I'll take care of them. It's a good time for me to try out the medicine."
Xie Sen was a little worried. "I'll go with you."
"No need," Bai Jiao smiled. "I'm fine."
He asked Maine to share the real-time location of the incoming people with him, then dashed into the dense forest to the right, disappearing among the tall plants in a moment.
He came back in less than five minutes. Xie Sen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was fine
. He knew that the rabbit meat still needed to be roasted for a while, so he sat down next
to Maine with his legs bent to rest. He had to rest whenever he could, otherwise his body would be out of control and it would be very troublesome. Maine glanced at him, then turned his head to continue roasting the rabbit meat. Long Teng gnawed on the spicy dried meat while roasting it, his face full of satisfaction. Bai Jiao sat not far from him and also began to close his eyes to rest.
The surroundings became quiet, relaxing and comfortable.
"Ahhh... It's itchy!"
"What's going on? Did you get bit by a bug?"
Ten minutes later, screams and roars came from the right. Xie Sen was sleeping soundly, and he couldn't help but frown. He tilted his head and asked drowsily, "What's wrong?" "
It's okay, you continue to sleep."
Hearing Maine's voice, Xie Sen felt inexplicably relieved and allowed himself to continue sleeping.
Long Teng looked curiously at Bai Jiao, who had opened his eyes and a faint smile on his face. He leaned in and whispered, "What did you do?"
Bai Jiao looked at him in surprise, then glanced at the sleeping Xie Sen, his eyes flashing with a smile. He whispered, "Nothing. I just sprinkled some itching powder I made on the road they passed by. It seems to be working well."
Long Teng grinned, revealing his bright white teeth, and gave him a thumbs-up: "You're amazing!"
Bai Jiao smiled modestly, saying, "I still need to study."
Xie Sen slept for half an hour before Maine woke him. He glanced at the time and said angrily, "I wasted time."
Maine handed him a rabbit leg: "It's okay, the meat is good for the test, it's not good to eat it raw."
Xie Sen took the rabbit leg and, while eating, suddenly remembered the screams he had heard in his half-drowsy state and asked what was going on.
Long Teng quickly explained, and Xie Sen gave Bai Jiao a thumbs-up: "Excellent."
The barbecue didn't taste as good as homemade, but thankfully there was spicy dried meat to mix it in, and the four of them were very satisfied. After eating, they continued on their journey.
The further they went, the more animals they encountered. Along the way, they encountered two long-haired wild boar beasts, both of which Long Teng had to deal with.
Maine used a dagger to cut off the best meat from their bodies and stored it in his space, saving it for dinner.
Xie Sen calculated the time in his mind. He had only slept for half an hour at noon, so he only had four hours to spare. At around 4:30, he grabbed Maine's arm.
Maine turned around. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Xie Sen apologized. "Can you carry me for half an hour?" He had no intention of being a drag, but his health meant he couldn't do anything about it.
Maine knelt down, and Xie Sen put his arm around his neck and laid on his back. He said guiltily, "I'm sorry."
His face was pressed against Maine's neck, and his breath brushed against hers as he spoke. Maine stiffened slightly.
"It's okay, you're very light," Maine took a deep breath, speaking steadily.
Long Teng raised his hand and patted Bai Jiao's shoulder. Bai Jiao turned to see a broad smile. Long Teng said, "I'll carry you!"
"No thanks," Bai Jiao smiled. "Thank you."
Xie Sen, who was on time for five o'clock, didn't care about anything else and fell asleep on Maine's back. He'd expected him to be uncomfortable, but he fell asleep quickly.
He was woken by the alarm at five o'clock and instinctively rubbed his face. By the time he realized where he was, his face flushed. Fortunately, it was already dark.
He patted Maine's shoulder. "Thank you. Can you put me down?"
"I can keep carrying you. I'm not tired." Compared to the beast, which weighed hundreds of pounds, Xie Sen was incredibly light.
"It's okay. I've rested well."
Maine set Xie Sen down. Without someone on his back, he couldn't help but frown, feeling as if something was missing. He glanced back from time to time, only to be reassured when he saw Xie Sen.
By five-thirty, the forest was pitch black. The men walked for another half hour, flashlights in hand. The howling of beasts grew louder all around them, and from time to time, they could see green eyes in the distant darkness.
Maine said, "We can't go any further. It's too dangerous."
They were like obvious targets, ready to pounce at any moment.
The four of them found a nearby clearing and started a fire. Bai Jiao and Xie Sen grilled the meat, while Maine and Long Teng gathered enough firewood nearby, enough for the night.
As they were eating, they suddenly heard loud shouts and roars from the right, accompanied by the ground shaking.
Maine's expression froze, and he stood up quickly.
A moment later, four tall boys ran to their resting place, and the one in front yelled, "They've run away!"
"The hyenas will catch up soon, what should we do?" someone behind yelled.
"They must be nearby. We brought the beasts here as instructed. We've completed our mission! Send a distress signal!"
"Damn it, the signal won't go through!"
"Quick, signal flares!"