Ambushed

Once they entered the correct channel, most of the people relaxed. They were on the right path now, so they believed things would go smoothly from here on out.

The jungle survival expert gathered the mercenaries and began explaining the various dangers they would face.

If he were entering alone, the jungle survival expert might not have gone to so much trouble. He was confident he could make several trips through this jungle, but protecting a boat and the nearly ten people aboard it required help.

"We've entered the jungle now. From this point on, we need to be careful with every step. There are far too many dangers here that we can't even imagine. We can't eliminate them all; all we can do is be as careful as possible. First, you need to check who has any wounds. Anything that smells of blood counts. This is key to surviving in the jungle. Some dangers here are incredibly sensitive—even the slightest trace of blood can attract trouble."

Several of the mercenaries had fought in the wilderness before. They knew that the smell of blood could attract trouble when the wind was blowing their way, but the jungle expert's grave tone made them take the warning seriously.

The mercenary leader questioned everyone aboard in detail. Only after that did the jungle survival expert speak solemnly.

"Good. None of you are wounded, so we've cleared our two biggest hurdles: Army Ants and Blood Mosquitoes. These little things are hard to guard against, but as long as they don't find us, I can guarantee everyone will return safely."

Then the jungle survival expert added, "Also, if you don't want to be gnawed down to a skeleton, stay out of the water if you can."

The mercenaries nodded, showing that they understood what the jungle survival expert meant.

Then the jungle survival expert took out some stuff that looked like medicinal oil and handed it to the mercenaries, telling them to spray it on themselves.

"Spray it on every six hours. It'll effectively mask your scent. If you don't want to use it, stay in the cabin and don't come out."

"What about them?" The mercenary leader held the bottles of medicinal oil and pointed toward Perkin and the others.

"They don't need to keep watch at night like we do, so it doesn't matter whether they use it. All right, I'm going to get some sleep. Tonight, send someone to join me on watch every two hours. I'll teach you the most basic dangers to look out for at night."

With that, the jungle survival expert went off to sleep, while everyone else turned to take care of their own business.

Liu Zhi, who had served as a human map, returned to the cabin assigned to him and began another exercise for the Z-Secret Sword.

Footwork practice.

Compared to the sword technique that let him thrust three times with a flick of his wrist, the footwork known as Night Strike Counter was the true key to the Z-Secret Sword. Night Strike Counter increased the user's evasion when surrounded, and each time he successfully dodged before striking back, the Z-Secret Sword dealt twice the counterattack damage to his attacker.

In that respect, the Z-Secret Sword could be considered a martial art that gained the upper hand by waiting for the opponent to act first.

There wasn't enough room to keep practicing his thrusts, so Liu Zhi focused his efforts on the footwork instead.

He practiced for nearly an hour. When it was almost time for dinner, he finally stopped, stretching his legs as he prepared to rest before going to eat.

Just then, a scream rang out from the deck.

Liu Zhi grabbed his rapier and hurried out of the cabin. As soon as he emerged, he saw Lloyd, who had rushed out at the sound of the cry.

Lloyd glanced at Liu Zhi, then quickly charged toward the deck. Liu Zhi noticed that Lloyd was carrying a long rapier that glinted silver.

When Liu Zhi reached the deck, he saw that the mercenaries had gathered by the side of the boat. Looking closer, he noticed that the boat captain's second son was missing.

"What happened?" Perkin came out just then.

"Here's what happened. William wanted to catch some fish for dinner. The wind was still favorable, and there was no need for anyone to keep an eye on the sails, so I let him go. But when I turned around, William was gone."

The boat captain was worried, but he understood that this was no time to break down and weep. He did his best to explain exactly what had happened.

After hearing him out, the mercenaries hurried to the side of the boat and peered down. But all they could see was the murky river water—nothing else.

The jungle survival expert rushed over. He looked tense as he peered over the edge of the deck for a while. At last, he said gravely, "Did any of you hear anything unusual just now?"

But no one had paid attention to the finer details.

The jungle survival expert's expression turned grim. "Something's got its eye on us. We don't know what it is yet. If it's just a beast, that's not so bad. Once it's eaten its fill, it won't come back. What worries me is that we might have run into something more dangerous."

Before the jungle survival expert could finish, the boat captain hurled something at him.

"What do you mean, it won't come back once it's eaten its fill? My William isn't food! Tell me what did it, and I'll avenge him!"

"Then go find it yourself! I didn't see anything. How am I supposed to know? There are crocodiles and anacondas in this river. Who knows what ate your son? You can either stay here and wait or keep going. Either way, I'm not afraid of this stuff."

Perkin came over and stepped between the boat captain and the jungle survival expert, who were squaring off like fighting roosters. Then he turned to the jungle survival expert. "Mr. York, how likely is it that this was a beast?"

"Sixty percent. I just don't understand how William was swallowed in an instant. He was pretty strong, so there's no reason he should've been taken out that quickly."

While the jungle survival expert was puzzling over it, Liu Zhi came to the side of the boat. He stood where William had been fishing and carefully examined the details.

The boat had come to a stop. Looking down from there, he saw nothing unusual apart from the river.

But the fishing gear William had used was still lying there. Liu Zhi casually picked up the rod and inspected it. It was made from an ordinary piece of wood, with a little raw meat still hanging from it.

Liu Zhi picked up the meat and sniffed it. A strong, fishy stench hit him.

"Mr. York, what does this smell like to you?"

York took the item from Liu Zhi and sniffed it, then said dismissively, "He mixed egg into the meat. Wait—egg. I think I understand... We need to leave at once! We can't stay here! Move, quickly!"