Shipwreck

After dinner that night, they sat together chatting when Xiaogang, Jack's monkey, suddenly jumped down from the roof, giving Jack and the others quite a fright. Gale's reaction was especially dramatic—she nearly jumped straight up on the spot. With that interruption, no one felt like chatting anymore, and they all returned to their rooms to rest.

However, Jack did not immediately return to his cabin. He went into the wheelhouse and discussed some matters with Bill before going back to rest.

The next morning, a sudden noise came from beneath the boat, and it jolted to a slight stop. Achuan, who was steering, suddenly found that the wheel would not turn. He hurriedly said to Bill beside him, "Bill, the boat's stuck!"

Bill tried it and found that it really was stuck. He cursed under his breath, then hurried down into the cabin, slapping several cabin doors as he went. "Everyone, get up!"

Meng Zu had gotten up early and was sitting at the stern with Sam, playing with Xiaogang. Seeing Bill's frantic expression, he asked, "Bill, what happened?"

Bill lifted a wooden panel, revealing the boat's engine beneath it. After inspecting it, he said grimly, "The engine liner is broken!"

Sam, standing nearby, asked worriedly, "Will we be okay?"

"Bill, what happened?"

Jack and the others emerged from the cabin and began asking questions. Bill only answered that they were in trouble before hurrying back to the wheelhouse.

Not knowing what had happened, Jack asked Meng Zu, "Evan, what happened?"

Meng Zu shrugged. "Seems like there's a problem with the engine."

Jack's expression turned unpleasant when he heard that. He said unhappily, "If there's a problem with the engine, why did Bill go to the wheelhouse instead of fixing it?"

Meng Zu rolled his eyes speechlessly. I'm not Bill. How would I know?

Sam comforted Jack, "Jack, panicking won't help. Bill is the captain. He'll naturally find a way to solve it."

That was indeed the case. None of them knew how to repair a boat, so they could only wait patiently for Bill to solve the problem. After a while, Meng Zu seemed to hear the sound of a waterfall flowing ahead. He quickly went to the side of the boat and looked forward, only to see a great deal of mist hovering above the river not far ahead.

Damn it! Meng Zu cursed inwardly at the sight. The drifting mist was clearly spray thrown up by a falling waterfall. He hurried into the storage room, took the long gun case from his Storage Space, packed the seven double-barreled hunting rifles and some ammunition from the floor into it, then put it back into his Storage Space.

Just as Meng Zu came out, Achuan also came down from the wheelhouse and shouted at Jack and the others, "Everyone, hold on tight!"

By then, Jack and the others could clearly see the waterfall ahead. Their faces went pale as they hurriedly found things to grip tightly. Meng Zu also clung firmly to a rope so he would not be thrown out when the boat fell over the waterfall.

Amid Sam and the others' screams, the boat plunged down from the waterfall and hit the water with a splash. Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat struck a large boulder on the waterfall's rock face. The falling water slammed against its hull and flipped the entire boat over. When everyone surfaced and swam to the boat, they discovered a huge hole in its bottom, with river water continuously pouring inside.

Seeing this, Bill shouted, "The boat is sinking! Swim for the shore!"

The group swam toward the bank. Just as he was about to reach shore, Meng Zu took the long gun case out of his Storage Space. The moment it appeared in the river, it was soaked through.

After everyone got ashore and checked their belongings, they found that only a few things had been brought out. Kerr said dejectedly, "Other than one satellite phone that still works, all the equipment is ruined."

Gale wanted to call the police and wait for rescue, but Bill said it would take several days for rescuers to arrive. They had no food, only water, and even if a rescue team came for them, they would first have to get past that waterfall. Finally, Bill pointed at the map and said, "I have a friend who runs a boat on the Toku River. I can contact him and have him wait for us at Danaga Rock. We can cross the jungle and reach Danaga Rock before evening."

Jack's eyes lit up. "We can take his boat and keep looking for the Blood Orchid!"

Bill nodded. "Yes, I'll take you to find the flower!"

"Evan, what do you think?" Gale asked Meng Zu.

Meng Zu still had the Blood Orchid on his mind and naturally did not want to give up just like that. He kicked the bag by his feet and said, "I agree with Bill's plan. I brought this ashore just now."

Bill opened the bag and found it full of guns and ammunition. Delighted, he said, "Great! With these, our safety is guaranteed."

Bill gave each of them a double-barreled hunting rifle. When he saw the Remington M870 Shotgun at the bottom and reached out to take it, Meng Zu handed him the last double-barreled hunting rifle instead and said with a smile, "Bill, I saved that one for myself."

"Fine." Although he coveted the Remington shotgun, Bill still took only his double-barreled hunting rifle.

With guns in hand, Jack and the others gained some confidence and agreed to Bill's plan. While Bill called his friend, Meng Zu had everyone load their guns so they would not be too late to do so when danger came.

After Bill contacted his friend, they set off. Bill gave his gun to Achuan and took the lead, using a machete to chop away the vines and branches blocking their path and clear a route through.

Since beasts in the primeval jungle liked to attack prey from behind, Meng Zu walked at the rear to protect Jack and the others.

Jack and the others had lived in the city all their lives. After walking through the jungle for only half an hour, they were already tired and panting as they struggled to keep up with Bill and Achuan.

Ben, the doctor traveling with them, had fallen in love with his female assistant Sam at first sight. After helping Kerr carry a backpack, he passed Sam and said with a smile, "Only in a crisis can you see what a real man is like."

"Yes, I can tell," Sam replied as she looked at Bill's figure ahead.

Ben naturally noticed the way Sam was looking at Bill and said awkwardly, "Well... that's nothing special!"

Ben walked to the front and took the machete from Bill's hand. He raised his brows at Sam, meaning that he could do it too. Watching this, Meng Zu thought sympathetically, A simp who simps to the end will get nothing in the end.

Suddenly, Meng Zu felt a weight on his shoulder. Xiaogang, the white-throated capuchin monkey, had leaped down from a tree onto his shoulder and wrapped its arms around his neck. Meng Zu turned to look at the monkey, and it stared back at him with wide eyes. Man and monkey locked eyes like that. Seeing that Xiaogang had no intention of leaving, Meng Zu realized it apparently did not want to walk anymore. Amused, he said, "You really are one lazy monkey!"

In the end, Meng Zu did not chase the monkey away and simply carried it with him as they continued onward.

After advancing for three hours, a large river blocked their path. Bill went down first to test the depth and found that the water only came up to his waist, so they slowly waded across. The monkey did not like touching the water, so it jumped onto the branches and crossed through the trees.

When they reached the middle of the river, Meng Zu's Danger Sense suddenly reacted. The monkey in the trees also screeched a warning at them. Thinking the monkey was making a fuss again, Bill sternly told it, "Hey, stop messing around."

Animals sensed danger several times better than humans. Xiaogang's screeches were warning them that danger was approaching. Although Meng Zu did not understand what the monkey's cries meant, since his Danger Sense had reacted, something capable of threatening him must be nearby. He hurriedly shouted, "Bill, get everyone across the river now! There's danger in the water!"

"Evan, what's wrong?"

"What danger?"

Unlike Jack and the others, who asked curiously, Bill and Achuan saw Meng Zu's serious expression and knew that he was not joking. They immediately told Jack and the others, "Stop asking questions! Everyone, get ashore!"