The Lopa Tribe

As the saying went, wealth stirred the heart. The bright future of becoming millionaires was within reach, and few could resist such temptation. Even Gale, the most timid of them all, stopped clamoring to go back.

After resting for a while, the group set off again. This time, everyone was extremely cautious, afraid that another giant python might emerge from somewhere. Although Bill had explained that anacondas had their own territories and a second one usually would not appear, Jack and the others still did not dare let down their guard.

As they crossed a patch of grassland, Gordon suddenly called out to Kerr, saying there was something on the back of his neck. The moment Kerr touched it, he was so frightened that he began jumping around wildly. Bill stepped forward, grabbed Kerr, and restrained him until he calmed down.

Kerr asked pale-faced, "What is it?"

Meng Zu stepped forward, took one look, and said, "A leech!"

Jack and the others immediately checked themselves to see whether they had leeches on them as well. After searching, they found that only Kerr had been targeted. Looking at the huge leech on Kerr's neck, Meng Zu frowned and said, "Without salt, it'll be hard to remove!"

A leech could not be forcibly pulled off when it bit into the skin. Otherwise, its sucker could easily break off inside the wound, worsening the injury and even causing an infection. The best and simplest method was to sprinkle salt on it. Once salt was applied, the leech would quickly drop off on its own. However, none of them had any salt.

"It's fine. We can use fire too!" Bill took out a lighter and held the flame to the leech. With a light flick, he removed it from Kerr's neck.

They had thought it was over, but Meng Zu noticed that something seemed to be wriggling beneath the fabric on Kerr's back. He lifted Kerr's shirt and saw more than a dozen leeches attached to his back, writhing as they sucked his blood. Jack and the others could not help drawing sharp breaths.

While Meng Zu and Bill helped Kerr remove the leeches from his back, Jack and the others checked beneath their own clothes to make sure leeches had not crawled in as well.

After Meng Zu and Bill had finished and everyone had rested for a while, they prepared to set off. Just as Gordon was about to put on his shoes, Achuan stopped him and tipped a spider out of one of his shoes.

Pointing at the spider crawling on the ground, Achuan explained, "That's a Stone Spider. If it bites you, your whole body will be paralyzed. You'll be like a stone, unable to move for two days."

Hearing that, Jack took a bottle from his bag, intending to catch the Stone Spider. Before he could make a move, Meng Zu stepped on it and crushed it.

Seeing Jack holding the bottle and staring at him, Meng Zu asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Jack said helplessly, "Evan, this is a very valuable creature. It might be able to make us money."

They really wanted money more than their lives. Meng Zu said helplessly, "Jack, there are mutated giant pythons here. Danger could strike at any time. It's better not to keep such a dangerous spider with us. What matters most right now is finding the Blood Orchid."

Although Jack regretted losing the Stone Spider, Meng Zu was right. Their top priority now was to find the Blood Orchid and leave this damned place.

At four in the afternoon, a massive explosion suddenly sounded in the distance. Everyone turned to look and saw sparks and thick smoke rising into the air. Unease rose in Bill's heart, and he immediately ran toward it. The others hurried after him.

The group quickly reached the scene and found the wreckage of a boat moored by the shore. Gordon spotted a liquor bottle on the ground, picked it up, and said furiously, "He drank, fell off the boat, and now we don't have a boat!"

Kerr immediately shouted at Bill, "This is your friend? What are we supposed to do now?"

Bill was filled with anger as well, but what had happened could not be undone. Complaining was useless, so he could only say helplessly, "There's no point talking about this now. Let's see if we can find anything useful."

After searching, they found only a flare gun and an iron drum of gasoline that were still intact. Everything else had been destroyed. Achuan discovered a Lopa Tribe fishing spot and called everyone over, telling them that there was a Lopa Tribe village nearby and that they could find a boat there.

Kerr asked, "What do the Lopa Tribe do? Why do they live here?"

"They're locals. Descendants of headhunters."

"Headhunters!!!" Kerr trembled.

Seeing that Kerr and the others had been frightened, Achuan smiled and comforted them. "They haven't done that for a century. Don't worry."

Led by Achuan, the group headed toward the Lopa Tribe village. Unfortunately, they encountered Bill's friend along the way—the Livingston Bill had called to bring the boat and pick them up.

Looking at Livingston's twisted limbs and the obvious signs of corrosion on his skin, Meng Zu said, "He was probably swallowed by a giant python, but I don't know why it spat him back out."

Bill explained, "Pythons become very vulnerable after eating. If they encounter danger, they vomit up the food in their stomachs before attacking."

Kerr said in terror, "So there's a hungry giant python wandering around nearby."

Hearing that, Gale was nearly frightened to tears. With a sobbing voice, she questioned Bill, "Didn't you say there would only be one giant python within these few kilometers, the one Evan killed?"

"That's right, I did say that, but the situation is different now." Bill suddenly thought of a possibility. "These giant pythons are in heat."

Achuan added, "Male snakes have their own territories, but when a female goes into heat, they come from all directions after catching the scent. The female mates with the males in a damp, deep pit, forming a massive breeding ball."

"So what do we do now?"

Bill said, "We get to the Lopa Tribe as soon as possible, find a boat, and leave this place."

"Leave? We're about to find the Blood Orchid, and now we're leaving? We have guns. Even if we run into a giant python, we can shoot it dead." Jack raised his gun and immediately objected.

"Evan, what do you think?" Everyone looked at Meng Zu.

What do I think? I'm looking with my eyes. Meng Zu grumbled inwardly. Honestly, as long as he was not caught in a giant python's coils, they were nothing to him. With the firearms in his storage space, he could slowly take them all out.

But Bill had said that the giant pythons were in heat, and many of them had gathered here. He was not afraid, but Jack and the others were ordinary people. If several giant pythons attacked at once, he could not guarantee that he could protect everyone. If even one person died, that would mean losing a hundred Contract Points.

After thinking for a moment, Meng Zu said, "Although we have guns, the giant pythons are in heat, so there must be quite a few of them. If we encounter several at once, people will die. So I agree with Bill. Once we reach the Lopa Tribe village and find a boat, we should leave."

Even so, Meng Zu planned to return for the Blood Orchid after safely escorting Jack and the others out of the rainforest.

Hearing Meng Zu say so, Gale and the others agreed with Bill's suggestion despite Jack's objections. The group carefully advanced toward the Lopa Tribe village through the perilous jungle.

By evening, the sun was about to set and the sky grew darker and darker. In this dense jungle, the light was even dimmer. The tangled vines and weeds nearly as tall as a person made the gloomy environment feel stifling.

Fortunately, the group finally reached the Lopa Tribe village before sunset. A pile of human skulls had been placed at the entrance to the camp, along with a sign made from a human skeleton.

Bill told everyone to stay quiet. They cautiously approached the village, but to their surprise, it was completely silent. Not a single sound could be heard.

Meng Zu suddenly frowned. He smelled a faint odor of decay, like the stench of rotting corpses. The closer they got to the village, the stronger the smell became.

Meng Zu soon discovered the source of the smell. A giant python's corpse lay on the ground, several spears embedded in its body. A large hole had been torn open in its belly, and a pair of black legs protruded from it.

Looking at the giant python's corpse, Bill said grimly, "This should be the python that killed Livingston. Then it ran into the Lopa Tribe. It spat Livingston out, fought with them, and was killed by them."

They searched around but did not find a single member of the Lopa Tribe, and the boat was gone as well. Looking at the remains of several campfires that were still smoking, Meng Zu said, "It looks like the Lopa Tribe left here by boat."

"Then what do we do?"

Seeing that the Lopa Tribe's houses were made of logs and thatch, Meng Zu pointed at them and said, "We can use this wood to build a raft, then leave on it."

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