Lopa Tribe

As the saying went, wealth moved people's hearts. The bright future of becoming millionaires was within reach, and few could resist such temptation. Even Gale, the most timid among them, stopped shouting about going back.

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

As they crossed a patch of grass, Gordon suddenly called out to Kerr, saying there was something on the back of his neck. The moment Kerr touched it, he jumped around in fright. Bill stepped forward and held Kerr down, forcing him to calm 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 inspecting themselves, they found that only Kerr had been affected. Looking at the huge leech on Kerr's neck, Meng Zu frowned. "Without salt, it'll be a little hard to remove."

When a leech bit into the skin, it could not be forcibly pulled off. Otherwise, there was a high chance that its sucker would break off inside the wound, worsening the injury or even causing an infection. The best and simplest method was to sprinkle salt on it. Once salt touched the leech, it would quickly fall off on its own. Unfortunately, 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 gentle flick, he removed the leech from Kerr's neck.

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

While Meng Zu and Bill helped Kerr remove the leeches from his back, Jack and the others checked beneath their own clothes to see if leeches had crawled in as well.

After Meng Zu and Bill finished, everyone rested for a while before preparing to leave. Just as Gordon was about to put on his shoes, Achuan stopped him and poured a spider out of one of them.

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

Hearing that, Jack took a bottle from his bag, intending to catch the Stone Spider. But 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."

He really wanted money more than his life. 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 around. What matters most right now is finding the Blood Orchid."

Although Jack regretted losing the Stone Spider, Meng Zu was right. His priority was to find the Blood Orchid as quickly as possible and leave this damned place.

At four in the afternoon, a huge explosion suddenly rang out in the distance. Everyone turned and saw flames and thick black smoke rising into the air. Unease filled Bill's heart, and he hurried toward it. The others quickly followed.

The group soon 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 have no boat!"

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

Bill was also filled with anger, but what had happened could not be undone by complaining. He could only say helplessly, "There's no point saying 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 there was a Lopa Tribe village nearby where they could find a boat.

Kerr asked, "What is the Lopa Tribe? How can they live here?"

"They're locals. Descendants of headhunters."

"Headhunters!!!" Kerr trembled in terror.

Seeing that Kerr and the others had been frightened, Achuan smiled and reassured 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 on the way—the Livingston Bill had called to bring the boat and pick them up.

Looking at Livingston's twisted limbs and the obvious corrosive marks on his skin, Meng Zu said, "He must have been 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 spit out the food in their stomachs before attacking again."

Kerr said in horror, "So there's a hungry Giant Python wandering around nearby."

Hearing that, Gale was so frightened that she nearly cried. With tears in her 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 a little 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 her scent. The female forms a huge mating ball with the males in a deep, damp pit."

"What do we do now?"

Bill said, "We need to reach the Lopa Tribe as quickly 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 immediately objected, raising the gun in his hand.

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

What do I think? I think with my eyes. Meng Zu grumbled inwardly. To be honest, as long as he was not constricted by a Giant Python, they were nothing to him. With the firearms in his Storage Space, he could slowly take care of all of them.

But the problem was that Bill had said 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 he would be able to protect them all. If even one died, that would mean losing one hundred Contract Points.

After thinking it over, Meng Zu said, "Even though we have guns, there must be quite a few Giant Pythons during mating season. If we run into 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 was planning to return for the Blood Orchid after safely escorting Jack's group out of the rainforest.

After hearing Meng Zu say that, Gale and the others agreed with Bill despite Jack's objections. The group cautiously made its way through the danger-filled jungle toward the Lopa Tribe village.

By evening, the sun was nearly setting, and the sky grew darker and darker. In the dense, airless jungle, the light was even dimmer. Wild vines and waist-high weeds grew everywhere, and the gloomy surroundings could not help but feel oppressive.

Fortunately, the group finally reached the Lopa Tribe village before sunset. At the entrance to the camp was a pile of human skulls, along with a marker made from human skeletons.

Bill told everyone to stay quiet, and they cautiously approached the village. However, the village was eerily silent. They could not hear a single sound.

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

Meng Zu soon discovered the source of the odor. A dead Giant Python lay on the ground, several spears embedded in its body. Its stomach had been ripped open, and a pair of black legs protruded from the hole.

Looking at the Giant Python's corpse, Bill said grimly, "This Giant Python must have killed Livingston. Then it encountered 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 boats were gone as well. Looking at the remains of several campfires that were still smoking, Meng Zu said, "It looks like the Lopa Tribe has already left here by boat."

"What do we do now?"

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