Fibonacci's Path

"Phew..." Shen Feng let out a long breath.

Thankfully, the worst-case scenario had not happened.

Fortunately, this was not a high-intensity radiation environment above 1,000 microsieverts.

Short-term exposure to radiation levels of 100 to 500 microsieverts could cause ongoing damage to and reduction of white blood cells, but it would not produce any overly severe immediate reactions.

As for whether it might trigger latent cancers such as leukemia in the future, that was something to worry about later.

They had to get out as quickly as possible.

Shen Feng walked over to Firefly and checked her breathing, discovering that she had merely fallen asleep.

He immediately patted her cheek, and Firefly opened her eyes at once.

"We're in Death Forest right now!?" Firefly's face turned deathly pale, and a flicker of fear crossed her eyes.

Everyone who had survived in the wasteland for any length of time understood one thing: never enter a cursed land.

The curses of cursed lands were far more terrifying than the most vicious bandits. Even the legendary savages who ate people could not compare to those invisible curses.

Many people who entered cursed lands did not even know what had happened before their entire bodies began bleeding and rotting, until they died.

And they died horribly.

Death Forest was one of the more famous cursed lands.

Aside from its invisible curses, it was said to contain terrifying prehistoric monsters, even dreadful savages living in the corners of Death Forest.

Other than the mayor, no one had ever returned alive.

And whenever someone mentioned his experiences in Death Forest, the mayor usually went pale and refused to recall them at all.

And now, they were here!

Shen Feng patted Firefly on the head reassuringly, took a bottle of iodine tablets from his backpack, and poured one into her hand.

"What is this?" Firefly asked doubtfully as she looked at the little blue pill in her palm.

Shen Feng swallowed one himself and said, "It's an iodine tablet. It can ward off the... curse here to a certain extent."

Radioactive iodine in radioactive dust could be directly absorbed by the human body. If it accumulated over time, it could directly cause thyroid cancer.

By taking iodine tablets, the iodine levels in the body could be saturated, preventing it from absorbing radioactive iodine any longer.

Hearing Shen Feng's words, Firefly hurriedly swallowed the iodine tablet.

She might not know much else, but she knew that this outsider Shen Feng had nothing but good things on him!

Shen Feng then took out two simple gas masks and two pairs of disposable gloves from his backpack. He put on one set himself and handed the other to Firefly.

He had bought these things directly online. They were nothing compared to the heavy tantalum radiation-protection suits he had previously custom-ordered from a manufacturer, but they were better than nothing—at least they offered some psychological comfort.

"Let's go. We need to leave this place as soon as possible." Shen Feng held a Geiger counter as he scouted the way ahead, while Firefly clung tightly to his heels.

After falling from the cliff, they had not suffered any serious injuries, but they were still bruised and battered. Right now, though, they could not care less. They only wanted to get out as quickly as possible.

Watching the readings on the Geiger counter, Shen Feng carefully avoided several powerful radiation sources and wound his way toward the cliff.

"Why did the Crow Tribe want to capture you?" Shen Feng abruptly asked. While they had been fleeing earlier, he had vaguely heard Gray Feather shouting. Gray Feather had seemed to place great importance on Firefly.

Firefly froze, then stammered, "I... I don't know either... Maybe the Crow Tribe's leader is a pervert who likes middle-aged women?"

Shen Feng narrowed his eyes but said nothing more.

They were only a few kilometers from the cliff, but after walking for over half an hour, Shen Feng gave up completely.

The route to the cliff crossed a high-radiation zone. The closer they got, the higher the Geiger counter readings climbed. Some radiation sources exceeded 1,000 microsieverts, even approaching 2,000.

Who knew whether they had been exposed to intense radiation while drifting over from that direction?

That path was blocked, so they could only go another way.

Guided by the Geiger counter's readings, the two of them traced a winding route through the twisted, spiraling forest.

Firefly had initially been intimidated by Death Forest's dreadful reputation, but she gradually realized it was not much after all. It was just a forest with curses.

With Shen Feng's "curse detector," they could perfectly avoid areas with powerful curses and leave safely.

Yet the farther they went, the more solemn Shen Feng's expression became.

The Geiger counter readings showed that there was clearly a low-radiation passage through the forest, and it advanced in a spiral, closely matching a Fibonacci curve.

When they reached its end, they would arrive at the heart of the forest!

This path looked as though it had been artificially created.

Moreover, Firefly's mental state was very strange. She seemed inexplicably excited, running and jumping about as if infected by the frenzied forms of the surrounding trees.

Shen Feng casually stepped forward and grabbed Firefly's arm. It felt scorching hot beneath his hand, like a burning coal.

She had a fever!

After finding fever reducers and anti-inflammatory medicine in his backpack and giving them to Firefly, Shen Feng did not tell her about her condition. He simply continued observing her.

Aside from her excitement, Firefly remained perfectly lucid, with no other changes at all. Everything seemed normal. She did not look feverish in the slightest, which left Shen Feng even more puzzled.

Night came quickly. They had spent half the day circling through the forest and were completely exhausted, so they found an open patch of ground, built a campfire, and prepared to rest.

The Geiger counter readings had remained around 300, but Shen Feng automatically ignored that now.

Even if cancer came for them, it would take months or years. They had to survive the present first.

Shen Feng did not have much canned food left. A can of braised hairtail fish and a can of braised beef were heating over the fire, along with rice porridge in an enamel mug.

The fragrance filled the air. Firefly was already drooling, and her stomach began growling traitorously.

Looking at the food, as well as the "magic" lighter Shen Feng had used to start the fire, Firefly could not help praising him from the bottom of her heart.

"Shen Feng, you're really amazing. I think you'll definitely live a long life—at least until you're forty!"

Shen Feng burst out laughing. "Why, thank you." He took the food off the fire and used the cans themselves as lunchboxes, splitting everything evenly between them.

Firefly did not care that it was scalding hot. She immediately began eating, asking between bites:

"Do you really want to find the temple of Lord Jingwei and the others, then destroy it? They say they all live within curses, and ordinary people can't find them at all."

Shen Feng nodded.

"It's something that must be done."

Firefly nodded as if she half understood. "Oh..."

Then she looked at Shen Feng's wristband and asked, "What's this?"

Shen Feng smiled faintly.

"It's something designed by a certain pervert. I still don't know whether he means well or ill, but he's far harder to deal with than any three great gods."

"That powerful..."

The two chatted as they ate, and the shadow of radiation that had weighed on Shen Feng's heart faded considerably.

Aside from the trees being somewhat strange and twisted, the forest was fine. It was not nearly as terrifying as the legends claimed.

Suddenly, Firefly let out a soft "Huh" as she looked at the smooth metal lid of the can in her hand.

"What is it?" Shen Feng asked.

Firefly's voice trembled. "Look at our reflections in here. It looks like... there are three heads..."

Every muscle in Shen Feng's body tensed instantly. He drew the dagger from his waist, spun around, and plunged it into a gaping, blood-red maw behind them!

The internet at home went down today and was only just fixed, so the update was late. Please forgive me.