Chapter 13 Deadly Exploration 1

• “There are a few coconut trees ahead. Coconuts contain amino acids and vitamins that are essential to the human body and can boost our energy, so it’s an excellent source of food for us.” I surveyed the scraggly group and smirked, “Now, who’s going to get it for us?”
• They gaped at the towering trees and didn’t reply.
• “Then I’ll do it!” I walked toward the coconut trees and said, “Actually, I wanted to teach you to climb trees. When you’re out in the wilderness, you are bound to face animal attacks. Your chance of survival will increase by at least 80% if you know how to climb trees. Watch what I do!”
• “This is one of the easiest methods. Wrap an arm or a leg around the tree and boost yourself up. Then, alternate your arms and legs to move. You can lessen the burden on your arms by hooking your thighs and calves on branches.”
• I climbed a short way up in an exploratory manner before sliding back to the ground.
• “Like I said, this is the easiest way to climb a tree. However, there is a con—it only applies to trees with slimmer trunks. If the beast rams into the tree, the thin trunk cannot withstand the impact. So, if you’re trying to get away from wild animals, select a tree with a thick, sturdy trunk and climb it. In that case, you’ll have to use this method.”
• I took a couple of steps backwards, then charged at the coconut tree. Once I got near, I leapt toward the tree and grabbed the trunk, propelling myself upward with my legs.
• “This method will require a lot of core strength, but it’s speedy and can be used in all situations. You should all give it a shot!” I picked a few coconuts and let them fall to the ground before sliding back down.
• I smashed a coconut open and passed it around for everyone to share. After eating, I urged them to try out the methods I had demonstrated earlier.
• It was easier said than done. Although I walked through the steps in detail repeatedly, they could not master the second method. In the end, I called a halt and told them to practice in their own time as we needed to find food now.
• “This forest floor is scattered with mushrooms. Mushrooms that are dull in color, odorless, larger in size, and have no secretions are usually safe to eat. Look for them in shadowy areas!”
• The group followed my directions and dispersed to search for mushrooms.
• Pretty-Eyes was still following me. I frowned at her, but she responded with a sweet smile and a wink.
• “I’m Allie. What’s your name?”
• “Zayn.” I replied before asking, “Why aren’t you looking for mushrooms?”
• Allie batted her eyelashes and looked at me seductively. “The shroom I want to search for the most is on you. Will you let me look for it?”
• A mushroom on me? It took me a while to understand the hidden meaning.
• F**k, is this some kind of kinky foreplay?
• Is this woman always this lascivious? Or does she have something up her sleeve?
• Either way, her behavior set off alarm bells.
• “Aww, this frog is adorable!” A woman cooed. I whipped around and saw a frog sitting on a wide arbor leaf, staring at the woman with its beady eyes. It was tiny, about 2-3 centimeters long, and it was a bright, vibrant yellow.
• The frog was indeed eye-catching, so it piqued the interest of several people, and they surrounded the tiny amphibian. “Watch out!” I yelled.
• The words had just passed my lips when the frog sprayed a cloud of mist.
• The woman that was closest to it instantly slumped to the ground and convulsed. A few seconds later, she became motionless.
• “Don’t touch her! Everybody move back!” I bellowed at the group as I approached hurriedly.
• As I passed by a man, I snatched a wooden rod from his hand and swung it horizontally.
• The rod met its mark. Like a golf ball that had been hit by a club, the frog catapulted away in a perfect parabola.
• I threw the rod on the ground and glanced at the woman. Her face had already turned purple, and her chest was no longer rising and falling.
• “That was a poison dart frog. Its poison can kill up to ten people in one go, and there’s no cure for it! In the olden days, the Native Americans would smear their arrowheads and javelins with this poison. A small graze would be enough to cause a grown adult’s throat to close up!”
• Sighing, I gestured at the corpse. “Dig a hole and bury her!”
• These people had been delightfully picking plump mushrooms just moments ago, accepting nature’s blessings with open arms. They had naively thought that the rainforest was a generous, welcoming philanthropist. Now, they were finally uncovering the dangers that hid behind nature’s superficial hospitality.
• Somberness hung in the air. After all, they had just witnessed the life leave a warm, breathing body in a matter of seconds. I snickered internally; This is only the prelude!
• After giving the woman a simple burial, I told them to pierce the mushrooms with thin sticks and tie the skewers to tree trunks so that we could continue our trek without additional load.
• They were losing their motivation and began to whine, saying that the mushrooms would be enough to fill their stomachs, so there was no need to go on.
• “There is no way to be certain if the light of tomorrow or an accident would first arrive, so we should grasp the opportunity while things are going well and stock up on food. The mushrooms can be dried and stored as rations,” I calmly explained.
• “Besides, I’m bringing you deeper into the forest so that I can share my knowledge on wilderness survival. ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.’ I’m doing my best to increase your chances of survival. This way, if anything happens to me in the future, you’ll still be able to live!”
• I had won them over with my little spiel, so their protest died down. We continued to traverse the forest with me in the lead. Soon, we reached the edge of an area I had previously scoped out.
• Forging on, we emerged from the thick forest and arrived at a wetland. A hush fell over the group as they took in its entrancing beauty.
• I did not let them linger for long. We maneuvered around the wetland and continued our trek.
• We entered the forest once again, but this time, the trees were denser than before, and the atmosphere was humid. A thin sheen of sweat formed on our skin, making it sticky and uncomfortable.
• I had never explored this part of the forest. Truthfully, I brought the group here to test how far we could go.
• If we happened to meet any fatal dangers, I would fall back immediately. The group would surely lag behind me, so I should be able to make it out alive.
• If any of them survived, I would stick to my promise and make sure they stay alive, moving forward. Conversely, if they could not withstand this adventure, I would see it as an atonement for their sins!
• Simply put, these people were no more than sacrificial pawns in this expedition.
• It took about half an hour for another to fall.
• The bald man had died from a venomous spider bite.
• The arachnid was huge beyond imagination—it was almost the size of my fist. Hanging from its silk, it dropped from a tree and landed on the bald man’s shoulder. It then proceeded to bite his neck.
• The bite was too close to his brain. The man barely whimpered before crumpling to the ground and dying.
• Horror spread through the group, and they turned to me with pleading eyes, begging me to retrace our steps.
• I twirled my axe and made a slash on a tree trunk. Hardening my heart, I shook my head. “We have found nothing of value! If we go back now, it’ll make our journey thus far a complete waste!”
• “So, what is valuable?” The crowd asked inquisitively.
• I snorted, “Whatever I think of as valuable is valuable! If you have any objections, you’re welcome to voice them!”
• No one dared to speak up. I swung my axe to clear the path and continued the journey.
• We trudged on in silence. Soon, an area with shorter trees appeared before our eyes.
• The plants were known as Cistanche herba. Huge bunches of ripe, yellow bananas hung from their branches. I broke off a small segment, peeled its skin, and took a tentative bite.
• It had a soft, mushy texture and was not very sweet. Instead, it had a rather astringent flavor.
• This was unsurprising. The bananas we ate normally had undergone extensive genetic modifications, so it was only natural that the bananas found on a deserted island would taste different. In any case, it was not poisonous, and that was what mattered the most.
• I ordered them to pick the bananas. These could also be dried and stored for future consumption.
• The group spread out to pick bananas. I untied a coconut from my waist and drank its juice to quench my thirst. I was about to climb a tree to scope out the area from above when I felt a gentle tug on my arm.
• I turned my head and saw Allie. “Zayn, I have something important to tell you. Follow me,” she whispered.
• I was not worried about any ploys she might have, so I followed her to a secluded area, putting some distance between us and the rest of the group.
• Hiding behind a large tree, Allie turned to face me and blinked at me forlornly.
• “Please, don’t let me die!”
• She tore the front of her shirt open, and her milky white breasts popped out. Everything was in full view for my appraisal. Allie puffed her chest out, then grabbed my hand and placed it on her breast.
• “If you wish, I’ll be your woman from now on! I’ll make sure you experience bliss like never before! I’ll fulfil all your desires, just please... don’t send me to my death!”
• I stared at her in astonishment. I had never expected her to see through me and figure out my true intentions. This woman was incredibly intelligent! I guess brains and beauty were not mutually exclusive.
• Feigning ignorance, I said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
• Instantly, tears welled up in Allie’s eyes, and she hugged me tightly.
• “I swear to God, I didn’t eat human flesh, and I never went against you! Never!”
• This woman was way too astute. She had seen through everything. No wonder she had been breaking her back trying to please me!
• I contemplated on murdering her. If she were to expose my hidden agenda, things would get ugly quickly.
• “You can kill me, but you’ll feel guilty if you do because I never ate the meat!” Allie looked at me with mournful eyes as she rambled on, “I’ll be of good use to you! I promise your nights will never be lonely, and I’m pretty clever. If I say so myself, I can help you solve some problems. I swear on every divine entity that I’ll pledge my life to you!”
• “Tell me, how did you figure out my motives?” I asked dispassionately.
• Allie knew I was testing her to see if she was truly that intelligent. She smiled through her tears and parted her lips to answer when suddenly, a commotion erupted among the rest of the group.