Blood Orchid

Frank's joining made Meng Zu very happy, but he had not forgotten why he had come today. "Randy, have there been any particularly unusual contracts lately?"

"Unusual ones? Let me think." Randy tapped his fingers against the bar as he pondered. "Got one. Five days ago, Jack Byron, the founder of Byron-Mitch Biotech, wanted to hire someone to protect them on a trip into the virgin forests of Borneo. The pay is a little low, though—only a hundred thousand dollars. Interested?"

"Borneo? What are they going there for?" Meng Zu asked. As a mercenary, no matter what kind of contract he took on, he first had to determine whether it suited him.

"You really should read the news and newspapers more often." Randy looked at Meng Zu helplessly. "Byron-Mitch Biotech's business has been declining over the past two years, and their new drug development has run into problems recently. I heard that Weihe Ventures, their major shareholder, wants to sell Byron-Mitch Biotech. They're probably heading into the Borneo rainforest for new drug research."

Why did that sound so familiar? Meng Zu could not help but feel puzzled. After thinking it over, he said, "I'm quite interested in this contract. Have they left already?"

"Then I'll ask." Randy left the bar to make a phone call.

"Frank, this is my company's address. Go there directly tomorrow. I'll be at the office at eight in the morning." Meng Zu wrote down the address of the Free Detective Agency for Frank.

"See you tomorrow morning, then. I'll get going first." Frank accepted the address, drained the alcohol in his glass in one gulp, paid for his drink, and got up to leave the bar.

After a while, Randy returned and said to Meng Zu, "They haven't left yet. I've already recommended you to them. Go directly to New York Airport at ten tomorrow morning. They'll be waiting for you there. This is Jack Byron's phone number. Call him when you get to the airport."

"Thanks, Randy. I'll be off, then." Meng Zu took the note with the phone number on it, left ten dollars behind, and got up to leave the bar.

Meng Zu got up early the next morning and took a taxi to the office at eight o'clock. As soon as he got out, he saw Frank waiting not far outside the entrance. Meng Zu brought Frank upstairs, introduced him to Yang Hai, and had Yang Hai familiarize Frank with how the company operated.

Meng Zu then rushed to New York Airport and found Jack's group after calling them. Jack was somewhat surprised to see that Meng Zu was a young Asian man, but he did not look down on him because of it. Meng Zu had been recommended by Randy, whose reputation in the mercenary business had always been excellent.

The group soon boarded a plane and set off. Since the journey was quite long, it was already eleven at night by the time they landed in Borneo. They found a hotel and settled in for the night.

Including Meng Zu, there were seven people in total. After dinner, they were all gathered in one room. Meng Zu had chatted with them on the plane and had gained a preliminary understanding of the other six.

Jack's group consisted of four men and two women, three Black and three white. Jack Byron was not only the founder of Byron-Mitch Biotech but also the company's chief scientist. He had organized this expedition.

The other three men were named Gordon Mitchell, Kerr Burroughs, and Ben Douglas. Gordon Mitchell and Kerr Burroughs were both Black. Gordon Mitchell was the expedition's financial officer and managed the funding for the operation.

Kerr Burroughs was an engineer and technician. He was responsible for the equipment used in the expedition.

Ben Douglas was a white man and the team's doctor.

Of the remaining two women, Gailstein was a Black scientist. She was also Weihe Ventures' representative, responsible for reviewing the expedition's progress.

The last was a young, beautiful blonde named Sham Rogers, Jack's research assistant.

Meng Zu looked at Jack and said, "Jack, can you tell me now what exactly we're looking for this time?"

Meng Zu had asked Jack on the plane what they were searching for, but Jack had insisted on keeping it confidential and said he would tell him once they reached Borneo.

Jack said, "We're looking for a plant called the Blood Orchid. It grows in the virgin forests of Borneo. The greatest dangers in the rainforest are the wild animals, which is why I asked Randy to hire someone to protect us. Meng Zu, our safety is in your hands this time."

Blood Orchid! No wonder it sounded familiar—it was Anaconda. He could barely remember the movie's plot, but he did remember that the Blood Orchid seemed capable of extending a cell's lifespan. The snakes in the movie had grown so huge because eating the Blood Orchid had extended their lives, allowing them to keep growing bigger and bigger.

This is good stuff. Maybe I can get a few flowers for myself. Looks like I came to the right place this time.

"No problem. I'll do my best to protect you." Meng Zu nodded at Jack. He now understood why the system had assigned such high Contract Points to this job.

Contract: Protect Jack and the other six as they safely leave the virgin forests of Borneo. Contract Points: 100–600 (100 deducted for each death).

The main danger of this mission would come from those giant snakes. Their massive bodies meant their strength could not be underestimated, and their vitality was surely formidable as well. In a rainforest like this, a giant snake posed a far greater threat than a small gang. No wonder each of Jack's people was worth a hundred Contract Points.

Meng Zu asked them, "So where are we heading tomorrow?"

Jack replied, "Palan Province. It isn't too far away. It should take around three hours by car."

At that moment, Gailstein spoke up. "Jack, have you made plans for tomorrow?"

"My plan is to reach Palan Province tomorrow, find a local guide, rent a boat, and head upstream along the river to search for the Blood Orchid," Jack explained.

Meng Zu raised an eyebrow and said skeptically, "Are you sure? It's the rainy season here. Once it rains, the river will become very dangerous. Under these conditions, locals usually won't take boats out."

Jack said confidently, "Don't worry. As long as we pay enough, someone will definitely be willing to take us upstream."

Seeing that all six of them seemed unconcerned, Meng Zu was honestly impressed. They had no idea what the rainy season meant for a tropical rainforest. It looked like he would have to put in more effort this time, lest these people get themselves killed.

Meng Zu said to them, "All right, but once we reach Palan Province tomorrow, we'll also need to find someone who sells weapons."

"Why do we need to find an arms dealer? Are we buying weapons too?" Sham asked Meng Zu in confusion.

Meng Zu: (;￢＿￢)

Was this girl really that naive?

Meng Zu looked at Sham as though she were an idiot. Jack stepped in to smooth things over and explained to her, "There are many dangerous wild animals in the rainforest. We need to buy some weapons for self-defense."

"All right, now that we've made the plan, get some rest early. We're setting out first thing tomorrow morning." With that, they each returned to their rooms to rest.