Blood Orchid

Dim light filtered down through the branches.

After hours of travel, dusk had now arrived.

The rainforest had grown dim, and soon it would be completely dark.

"It's just ahead, in a valley. I found a good spot, we can wear them down from a distance first."

Winuo took a few grenade-like devices from his waist.

Given his physical capabilities, these explosive projectiles were undoubtedly powerful weapons and excellent ranged attack options.

"Whoa, that shouldn't be too hard. Our ranged firepower is pretty good."

Yosef said with a relaxed expression. He hadn't been too concerned, he already had a good idea of the giant python situation and it didn't pose much of a threat. He casually turned to Tao Yu, the debtor, and said:

"Brother Tao, your eyesight is still sharp at night, right?"

"Yeah, night doesn't affect me much. I can take the first watch then."

Tao Yu replied while observing his surroundings.

Although he hadn't detected anything approaching yet, he felt a vague sense of unease, as if something was lurking in the shadows, watching their group.

Knowing how troublesome the aliens were, and worried that the two guys from the Inner City might be ambushed and killed before they could even draw any fire, Tao Yu decided to remind them:

"I haven't seen anything, but I feel like something's a bit off. I don't know if it's because I was practicing my shooting earlier and attracted something, but everyone should be a little more careful."

"Don't worry. In a place where giant snakes can appear at any moment, who wouldn't be careful?"

Li Le, standing next to Tao Yu, chuckled.

"Mm, my shooting skill is already Lv2. Even if Brother Winuo charges ahead, I'm confident I won't friendly fire."

"That's good. But I hope we can just keep them from getting close. These things are quite strong."

Winuo's attention was now focused ahead, his vigilance heightened.

Just then, the density of the rainforest ahead decreased sharply, opening up the view to reveal the edge of a cliff – the valley Winuo had mentioned.

Even before they got close, the group could faintly smell a foul odor, which grew stronger as they approached.

The edge of the cliff was lined with greenish stones, similar to granite, covered in moss.

Many of the uneven green stones clearly showed signs of abrasion, with the moss seemingly scraped off. Nearby, palm-sized scales could be seen.

It seemed to be where the giant snakes had rubbed against the rocks while shedding their skin.

Below the cliff was the valley, with a rather steep slope. However, with caution, one could slowly make their way down. The valley was about a hundred meters wide. The opposite bank was a steeper, almost vertical forested area, slightly lower than their side.

A small stream flowed out from the valley.

As the group approached, the setting sun of dusk illuminated the scene within the valley.

Dozens of meters below, in a pool of water, twenty to thirty giant pythons were coiled around each other, forming a massive ball of snakes!

These giant pythons were already terrifying in size, and when intertwined like this, the sight was incredibly shocking.

The slippery snakes tangled together, creating a nauseating feeling that combined trypophobia with megalophobia.

This display of wild, giant beasts seemed to invigorate Winuo.

"There are even more than I saw before, haha. Taking care of all of them will be enough."

He had initially worried about not having enough targets, but now that concern seemed completely unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Tao Yu was crouching down, continuously observing the valley walls.

With his keen eyesight, he quickly spotted a type of peculiar red flower. These vibrant blossoms looked like burning flames in the setting sun, easily noticeable even to an ordinary person.

However, at this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the giant pythons, and no one was looking at the Blood Orchids.

"Should we start now?"

Tao Yu raised his gun, not fixated on the Blood Orchids.

If they intended to kill them from a distance, it was highly unlikely they would be able to get close to the Blood Orchids. As long as they didn't get close, they wouldn't know if these were Wish Power items.

This meant he had a chance to hoard them all for himself.

Coincidentally, they had finished eating snake meat, and his backpack space was now mostly empty.

"You guys don't shoot first. Yosef and I will."

Winuo said calmly, then glanced at Yosef.

"I'll throw first. You snipe when you see an opening. Everyone else waits until Yosef opens fire before you do. I'll intercept the first ones to approach."

It was a simple plan. They hadn't trained together, so a complex strategy would be useless.

"You two with good aim, focus on the heads."

Yosef also reminded Tao Yu and Li Le.

"Understood."

"Get ready, I'm starting."

Winuo's grenades seemed to have a timer that could be set by rotating them.

He leaned on his extraordinary arm strength, continuously throwing seven or eight grenades towards the giant python ball.

Tao Yu could even see the grenades bouncing off the snake's body.

The dropping of these small objects clearly didn't interrupt the python ball's constricting embrace.

But in the next moment, several huge bursts of fire flashed almost simultaneously!

The explosive power of Winuo's high-explosive grenades was far greater than the frag grenade Tao Yu had left. In an instant, the taut python ball was blown apart.

Several giant pythons were directly torn to shreds, flesh and blood flying everywhere!

The dense cluster meant the giant pythons suffered severe damage, utilizing the grenades' lethality to the utmost.

However, precisely because they were all intertwined, some of the giant pythons inside weren't harmed at all.

Suddenly suffering such a blow at this critical moment, even the giant pythons, not known for their roars, let out piercing hisses one after another.

Even without understanding snake language, one could feel their rage.

As the absolute overlords of the rainforest, when had they ever suffered such humiliation?

Boom~

Yosef fired his shoulder cannon, instantly blowing the head off a giant python!

Both its accuracy and power far surpassed firearms.

Tao Yu, who had been observing from the side, could tell from the flames erupting from the rear of the shoulder cannon that it was likely designed as a recoilless rifle.

But it was still a gunpowder weapon, so the ammunition size and reserves should be limited, most likely in the ammo box on his back. However, with this kind of accuracy, there must be some fire control system.

Observing more closely now, one could see numbers flashing in Yosef's seemingly normal pupils.

Brain-computer interface, iris data, truly impressive...

While Yosef's shot killed a giant python instantly, it also pointed the way for the remaining active pythons.

With bloodlust raging, the pythons didn't even consider escaping. One by one, they quickly began to climb towards them.

Water splashed below, and they violently flung aside the large rocks on the path. Even those standing at the edge of the cliff could feel the ground tremble.

This was the commotion created by their massive bodies rapidly approaching.

A single giant python could create immense pressure, but seeing over twenty of them remaining was truly terrifying.

Especially a few of them, covered in blood, still shedding flesh and blood as they moved, were even faster!

At this moment, Tao Yu, Li Le, and Zhang Wei, armed with assault rifles, also opened fire.

Although Zhang Wei lacked marksmanship, with prey this large, he could hit them almost with his eyes closed, just not necessarily the head.

In contrast, both Tao Yu and Li Le were making precise headshots.

Tao Yu merely utilized his eyesight to achieve ordinary shooting standards, not expending mental energy for corrections.

Yet, even so, his long-range sniping ability was no worse than Li Le's, who had more skills. He even had a greater advantage with moving targets, and the number of pythons he shot was second only to Yosef.

As giant pythons were taken down one by one with headshots, soon only five remained!

But these five had already closed to within ten meters!

"I'll deal with the closest one, you guys handle the others."

Winuo crouched slightly, his leg armor visibly bulging. The entire person, along with the armor, moved like a cannonball towards the nearest giant python.

The speed was so fast it stirred up a gust of wind, pushing the armored body far beyond human limits!

He swung his two-handed axe fiercely towards the closest giant python.

The giant python nimbly raised its head, avoiding a fatal blow, but its body was instantly cut with a wound that nearly severed it. Blood sprayed everywhere, fully embodying Winuo's violent aesthetic.

Ranged attacks were not like close combat; their allocation was simpler and wouldn't involve geographical interference.

Once Winuo had chosen his target, the others easily completed their assignments.

Tao Yu continued to lock onto a giant python's head with steady shots, then reloaded his magazine.

Li Le also completed his target, while Yosef took care of the remaining two.

At this point, having bought time, Winuo stopped exerting himself. He quickly retreated following a lunge from the giant python.

The giant python, nearly severed by the axe, angrily knocked Winuo away but was too weak to pursue. It eventually fell under the others' gunfire.

"Hmph, tui, this beast's strength is truly immense."

Even after being knocked away, Winuo slid a considerable distance upon landing, demonstrating the giant python's power.

Despite only briefly engaging one giant python, his voice carried a hint of breathlessness.

The giant python's size advantage was evident. Even if Winuo could win in close combat, it would require considerable effort. Thus, he delayed briefly before disengaging, letting the easier-to-kill firearms finish the job.

Resolving the battle within a minute seemed unremarkable, but if Winuo hadn't called for backup and charged in alone, it would have been a disaster...

"Alright, follow the sequence to confirm if these things are all dead. Don't touch the fangs, I'll do that myself."

Snakes are creatures that don't go limp even after death, so it was quite normal for there to be survivors.

The last one that charged Winuo had already shown the terrifying explosive power of these giant beasts. They naturally valued their own safety and wouldn't go poking into danger blindly!

Cannon fodder, isn't that what places like this are for?

Mindlessly sending cannon fodder to fill the lines is an inefficient waste; this kind of probing for traps is the best approach.

"Alright, but you two big brothers be careful. There seems to be something in the forest."

Tao Yu obediently accepted the arrangement. Despite being further back in the sequence, he took the lead and walked a few steps ahead, settling on a small, raised stone platform.

While occupying the area where the Blood Orchids grew, forcing others to find different footing when they arrived, Tao Yu also turned back to look at the rainforest, which was gradually darkening as the sun set.

This time, he truly saw something moving in the trees, its movements stealthy and its sounds minimal!

It wasn't just that something in the shadows happened to appear; it was highly likely they had already observed the situation here, their cunning nature waiting patiently.

Previously, even during the most intense moments, the cannon fodder who weren't firing stood by the Inner City big shots, gathered together.

But now, they had actively split up!

Therefore, their increasingly close movements were what Tao Yu himself had detected.

After noticing the protagonist had arrived and giving the two targets a heads-up to be on guard, Tao Yu swapped his magazine and brazenly swept the Blood Orchids on the platform into his backpack.

He had been collecting plants everywhere on the way, even relying on roadside plants for water. Such an open act didn't draw much comment from anyone.

If everything went normally, it would likely be easy to ask about them later and take them to examine.

But now, there probably wouldn't be a chance...

[Blood Orchid]: Wish Power item, a plant that can stimulate cell division, increase the cell division limit by a small amount, increase the body's limit by a small amount, and enhance physique.

If the effect is not needed, it can be directly absorbed as Wish Power, calculated at ninety to one hundred units per flower.

Although the increases were all 'minor,' this [Blood Orchid] was undoubtedly a good thing!

Even if simply calculated as absorbed Wish Power, the more than thirty flowers Tao Yu collected were worth at least three thousand. If he took them out to sell, the price would surely multiply several times over!

After carefully storing the most concentrated cluster of Blood Orchids, Tao Yu walked towards the other scattered ones without any pretense.

The commotion in the forest had already made Winuo and Yosef look up. Tao Yu no longer needed to hide!

Big Brother Alien was coming; he would take as much as he could!

If he was discovered, he was discovered. He couldn't let fear of minor setbacks prevent him from achieving major goals!

"Here, I'll help you."

Li Le, also standing in the middle section and waiting for Walter's group to scout ahead, felt a slight stir in his heart when he saw Tao Yu start collecting those alluring red flowers outside.

While saying he would help, he moved with the utmost speed towards the nearest Blood Orchid, plucked it, and kept it.

At the same time, Tao Yu had already abandoned the last few Blood Orchids, pulled on his backpack, and began to quickly dart down towards the valley.

He simultaneously began stuffing the Blood Orchids he hadn't put in his backpack yet into his mouth, handful by handful. Then, he channeled his Blood Essence, gathered his strength, and leaped, vanishing into the nearby shadows.

Like ink dissolving in water, he disappeared in an instant...

Meanwhile, Li Le had just snapped out of his shock from the [Blood Orchid]'s attributes.

It had such miraculous effects!

Compared to Tao Yu, he understood the value of this item even better!

Although each individual increase was minor, it was precisely the points being added that were good. Those who had reached a bottleneck would definitely not be stingy with their Wish Power. Moreover, it seemed capable of slightly extending lifespan?!

Even if one flower didn't extend life by much, its price would at least multiply tenfold, even dozens of times!

And it might be priceless!

This filled Li Le's eyes with greed.

Who would have thought the best thing here wasn't some Giant Python at all? The two from the Inner City didn't know either; there was plenty of room for maneuvering!

Damn it, that country bumpkin took too much. Wasn't he afraid of getting sick from seeing its attributes?

Under the impact of immense profit, his eyes turned somewhat red as he looked up, trying to find Tao Yu's trace.

But soon, his expression froze. Where was he?

Where was the person carrying such a large backpack? How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?!

While frantically looking around for Tao Yu, Li Le quickly walked towards the direction of the last few scattered Blood Orchids.

He couldn't let anyone else know!

This way, he could still keep it under control