Sudden Incident

Just then, Gale's frightened cry suddenly rang out from the cabin. Meng Zu and Bill hurried to their feet and went inside. Meng Zu saw Gale cowering in Gordon's arms in a panic and asked, "What happened?"

Gordon said, "She said something attacked her?"

A sound came from one of the rooms in the cabin, like the cry of some animal. The moment Bill heard it, he headed for the room. Gale hurriedly grabbed at him to stop him from going in, but Bill ignored her and walked straight inside. A few seconds later, Bill came back out with a white-throated capuchin clinging to his neck and crouching on his shoulder.

Bill slowly walked out with the monkey and said to Gale rather speechlessly, "You scared it half to death!"

When everyone saw that it was only a monkey, they all smiled helplessly. But Gale found it rather embarrassing and protested, "I scared it? A monkey suddenly appeared in the room!"

Bill introduced it to them. "This is Xiaogang. It lives on the boat. You're guests, so be nice to it!"

After saying that, Bill returned to the wheelhouse. Seeing that there was no danger, Meng Zu went back to the bow. He had to admit that since arriving in this primitive rainforest, he had felt an unprecedented sense of peace. There was none of the city's noise here; everything was quiet. Only the occasional birdsong came from the dense forests along both sides of the river, while the damp scent rising from the water made him feel as if he had become one with nature.

Time slowly passed. Just as Meng Zu closed his eyes and lost himself in nature, he was suddenly awakened by the sound of Gordon and Gale making phone calls. One was a company representative, the other a financial executive. Even though they had come out to search for the Blood Orchid, they still had plenty of work to handle. Holding satellite phones, they contacted their subordinates and dealt with company matters.

By now, the group had gradually entered the depths of the rainforest, so even the satellite phone signal had become poor. The two of them shouted into their phones while constantly pacing around the boat, searching for a spot where they could receive a signal.

First mate Achuan sat beside Meng Zu, carving a wooden figurine. Seeing Meng Zu awake, he said, "They really are busy. Even in the rainforest, they still have so much to deal with."

Meng Zu smiled at Achuan. "They're both company managers, so naturally they have more things to worry about. You like carving wooden figures?"

Achuan explained, "You have to find some way to pass the time on a boat."

There were no entertainment facilities on the boat, so Kerr and the others could only pass the time by playing cards. After dinner that night, they chatted aboard the boat when a miserable cry suddenly came from the darkness.

Hearing it, Kerr could not help asking, "What was that?"

Bill said, "Something probably got eaten."

"Eaten by what?"

Bill answered matter-of-factly, "This is the primitive rainforest. Everything can become prey. Probably a leopard, a python, something like that."

"Alright, nature really is cruel," Kerr sighed.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Meng Zu got up and went to the bathroom to take a dump. He had to admit that Bill's bathroom was truly memorable. There was a hole cut into the wooden floor, wrapped in sheet metal, with the river directly below it. If the boat had not been moving, squatting there to take a crap would definitely have splashed water all over his ass.

While Meng Zu was playing cards with Ben and Kerr, Bill came over and asked, "Evan, have you seen Xiaogang?"

Meng Zu shook his head. "No. I haven't seen it since last night."

"Alright."

Bill sighed and went elsewhere to continue looking for his monkey.

A little later, Gale, who was searching for a signal while making a call, suddenly let out a scream. It was followed by a SPLASH as she fell into the water. Meng Zu, Jack, and the others jumped in fright and hurried to their feet, rushing toward the side of the boat.

Seeing Gale already drifting behind the boat, Meng Zu looked up at the wheelhouse and shouted, "Achuan, stop the boat! Someone fell overboard!"

Achuan immediately stopped the boat. Everyone saw that although Gale was thrashing about in the water, she clearly knew how to swim. Instead of immediately jumping in to save her, Gordon and the others began joking with her.

"Gale, can you hear us? Is the water warm?"

"Swim over here already!"

Watching Gordon and Bill joke around with Gale, Meng Zu was speechless. Rivers in the primitive rainforest were not like city rivers. Though the surface looked calm, there were plenty of dangers beneath it—crocodiles and piranhas, for example.

Without another word, Meng Zu jumped straight into the water. He swam to Gale, grabbed her arm, and headed back toward the boat. Bill stood on the wooden platform at the stern and reached down to pull Gale aboard.

Just as Meng Zu grabbed Bill's hand and stepped onto the platform, water suddenly exploded behind him. A huge, blood-red maw burst from the river and snapped at Meng Zu.

"Ah!"

Seeing the crocodile suddenly emerge, Sam and Gale screamed in terror. Just as everyone thought Meng Zu was about to be bitten, he braced both hands against the wooden railing and launched himself into the air. Then, while still airborne, he drove a vicious kick into the crocodile's head, kicking the beast back into the river before flipping himself onto the boat.

Seeing that Meng Zu was safe, Jack and the others all spoke up.

"Oh my God, that scared me to death."

"Evan, your reaction was so fast."

Meng Zu said nothing. Instead, he stared at the surface of the river. Several armored backs emerged from the water before disappearing again. Each movement sent ripples spreading outward, and those ripples were getting closer and closer to the boat.

Meng Zu said to Bill, "Bill, the crocodiles have their eyes on us. Go get the gun."

Bill had naturally noticed the situation as well. He hurried to the storage room and brought out a hunting rifle. Raising it toward the water, he fired decisively the instant a crocodile raised its head. The bullet punched straight through the crocodile's skull, and it sank helplessly beneath the water. Blood spread through the river, and the surrounding crocodiles immediately caught the scent. They turned and swam toward the dead crocodile.

Bill put away the gun and said, "Alright, the crocodiles have been drawn away. Achuan, get the boat moving."

The boat sailed forward, putting distance between them and the crocodiles. Jack and the others no longer looked back at the churning river behind them and all returned to the cabin.

After changing clothes and coming back out, Gale thanked Meng Zu. "Evan, thank you so much. Otherwise, I might have been attacked by the crocodiles."

"It was nothing. Just part of the job," Meng Zu said with a smile. Then, his expression turned serious as he told Jack and the others, "This is the primitive rainforest, not the city. Dangerous wild animals are everywhere, whether in the forest or the river. What you did just now was truly gambling with Gale's life. From now on, you need to stay alert at all times. I can't look after all of you every second."

Hearing Meng Zu say this, Jack and the others realized that they were in a dangerous primitive rainforest. What had just happened had frightened them as well, and they all nodded to show that they understood. Gordon then apologized to Gale, "Gale, I shouldn't have joked with you just now."

Gale smiled. "Fine. Then when we get back, you can treat me to dinner as compensation."

"No problem!"