Bill

Unexpectedly, a heavy rain began falling in the middle of the night. Early the next morning, the group drove through the downpour toward a small town in Palan Province. As they traveled farther, the road became increasingly difficult to navigate, the original asphalt gradually giving way to dirt.

In such heavy rain, the dirt road had turned into a muddy mess, and the wheels easily slipped. What should have been a three-hour journey took until one in the afternoon before Meng Zu and the others finally arrived.

Wearing a raincoat, Meng Zu stepped onto the muddy road. The weather had put him in a rather irritable mood, and he did not understand why Jack was in such a hurry. "Jack, do we really need to rush this much? Why not wait until the rainy season is over before looking?"

Jack wiped the rain from his face and explained, "Blood Orchids bloom once every seven years, and their flowering period only lasts half a year. This should be the best time for them to bloom. If we wait until the rainy season is over, the flowering period may already be past."

Ten minutes later, the four of them finally reached their destination, a tavern. After asking around, they learned that local captains usually came to taverns to drink. During the rainy season, boatmen were either at home or in taverns. Someone told Jack that during the rainy season, none of these captains would risk taking them upstream. If they insisted on going upstream during the rainy season, they could only find a captain named Bill Johnson at a tavern in a red house. Only he dared to sail upstream during the rainy season, as long as the money was enough.

Jack could not make this decision alone. As the company's review representative, Gale needed to come along. Gordon handled the money and had to pay for the boat rental, so he naturally needed to go as well. This place was not as safe as a big city, and a tavern could have all kinds of people in it. For safety's sake, Jack asked Meng Zu to accompany them to the tavern.

Meng Zu took off the hood of his raincoat and pushed open the wooden door. Compared to the deafening rain outside, the tavern was no less noisy. It was packed with all kinds of people, and the entire place was filled with clamoring voices.

After the four entered, some of the people in the tavern merely glanced at them before returning to their drinking and chatting. Looking around at the crowd, Gordon suddenly had an idea. "Perhaps someone besides Bill Johnson would be willing to take us upstream."

Jack surveyed the various people in the tavern. Some of them clearly gave him the feeling that they were not good people, so he asked Meng Zu, "What do you think, Meng Zu?"

In Jack's eyes, Meng Zu was a mercenary who often dealt with people like this, so he must have experience in such matters.

Meng Zu naturally understood Gordon's intentions. He wanted to save some money. Meng Zu shook his head slightly. "Let's find Bill Johnson directly. There are all kinds of people here. There's no need to create unnecessary trouble."

"Mm. Then we'll find Bill Johnson directly."

The four approached the bar. The bartender was a middle-aged man, and he greeted them with a smile. "What can I get for you four?"

Jack asked, "Excuse me, is there a captain here named Bill Johnson?"

The bartender sized Jack up and said with a smile, "Bill Johnson? Perhaps there is, and perhaps there isn't."

Jack was somewhat confused by the bartender's words. He did not understand what he meant. Was there a Bill Johnson or not?

"Ahem!" Meng Zu coughed twice. When Jack turned around, he saw Meng Zu rubbing his thumb and index finger together in a gesture. Only then did Jack understand what the bartender meant. He took out a dollar and placed it on the counter.

The bartender's smile immediately brightened when he saw the dollar. He pocketed the money and pointed at a man drinking alone at a round table in the corner. "That's Bill Johnson."

The four made their way through the crowd to the round table and sat down. Jack directly asked, "Are you Bill Johnson?"

Holding a beer bottle, Bill looked Meng Zu and the others over. "What do you want with me?"

"I heard you can take people upstream into the rainforest even during the rainy season."

It looked like business had come calling. Bill set down his beer bottle and looked at Jack. "Of course, provided you're willing to spend the money."

Hearing that, Jack felt relieved. The Blood Orchid was his only hope of turning things around. If no one was willing to take him upstream into the rainforest during the rainy season, he would truly be finished. "How much?"

Bill sized Jack up and thought for a moment before saying, "Fifty thousand dollars."

Bill was a shrewd man. It was currently the rainy season, and all the other shipping companies had stopped operating. The upper reaches of tropical rainforest rivers were extremely dangerous during the rainy season. Since these people insisted on going upstream at this time, they must have something very important to do. No one but him dared risk going upstream during this season, so they could only rely on him. Thus, Bill intended to charge a high price.

"No problem."

Seeing Jack agree so readily without even bargaining, Bill's lips curled slightly upward. He stood and said, "All right. I'll take you to my boat now and give you the keys."

Hearing that, Gale stood up. "Wait. Give us the keys? Aren't you coming with us?"

Bill sat back down and said lazily, "It's the rainy season. Going upstream is very dangerous. Fifty thousand dollars is only enough to rent the boat. I'm not willing to risk going with you."

Jack frowned. It was the rainy season in the tropical rainforest. Without a captain familiar with the local conditions to lead them, going upstream would be no different from courting death. He asked, "Then how much would it take for you to come with us?"

Bill said, "If you want me to risk going with you, it'll cost one hundred thousand dollars."

Gale was stunned by Bill's outrageous demand and snapped at him, "One hundred thousand dollars! Are you crazy for money?"

Gale turned to Jack. "Jack, let's find someone else. For fifty thousand dollars, someone will definitely be willing to take us upstream."

"Heh, sure. Go ahead and try. During the rainy season, no one but me will go upstream." Bill looked at Gale and smiled smugly.

"This..." Jack was caught in a dilemma. One hundred thousand dollars was not a huge sum, but they only needed a guide familiar with the local environment. Bill was clearly treating them like fools with money to burn.

At that moment, Meng Zu said, "There's no need to hesitate. Tropical rainforest rivers are dangerous and unpredictable during the rainy season. Even the locals will not risk going upstream. Perhaps he's the only one. Of course, once the rainy season is nearly over, more people will be willing to go upstream."

Hearing that, Jack stopped hesitating. He needed to obtain the Blood Orchid as quickly as possible. He said to Bill, "Then one hundred thousand dollars. You're coming with us."

"Jack! You..." Gale looked at Jack in disbelief.

Jack directly cut Gale off. "Enough. No need to say any more. I'm in charge of this operation. As long as we get what we came for, none of this matters."

Seeing that one hundred thousand dollars was his, Bill said cheerfully, "Then, the four of you, let me show you my boat first—the Bloodthirsty Mary!"