The tribe brought Dodge's team to their camp.

The tribal camp was built on a clearing at the edge of the rainforest, hidden so well that you wouldn't notice it until you were close.

A rushing stream flowed near the camp. The area around the camp was free of swamps, and the high ground prevented water from accumulating. It had a wide field of vision, allowing easy advance and retreat, and was easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an excellent location for a camp.

Most of the structures in the camp were made of wood, covered with a layer of dry grass and leaves, suggesting that the tribe had lived there for a long time.

The men in the camp went out hunting, while the women dried fish and meat products on wooden racks or did chores.

Naked children crawled around the camp, peeing and playing in the mud. A woman watched over them to prevent them from accidentally eating poisonous insects or getting lost.

The women in the tribe dressed similarly to the men, using only a small piece of cloth to cover their private parts, and their upper bodies were bare, without any reservations.

When the people in the camp saw the outsiders, their eyes were filled with vigilance. They gathered around, watching this group of "strangely dressed" men and women, and the bolder ones even reached out to touch them.

The leader of the tribe was also attracted by the arrival of the outsiders.

The leader of the tribal team made "咿呀" (yi ya) sounds and waved to clear a path through the camp. The tribal leader walked straight to the group.

The tribal leader was a sturdy middle-aged man. The decorative feathers on his head were clearly more numerous and more colorful than those of the others, and he wore more cloth and bone ornaments.

The tribal leader spoke with the team leader for a while. The tribal leader was very wary and didn't seem to trust them easily.

Zoe observed their communication process and realized that their exchange had reached a bottleneck and needed someone to explain. So, Zoe took the initiative to communicate with the leader.

The leader was surprised to find that Zoe also knew their tribe's way of communicating.

Zoe explained that she was not an enemy, but a traveler who had gotten lost after encountering danger in the rainforest and was separated from her friends.

Gift—Derek suddenly thought of a way to deal with the primitive tribe—offer gifts to show sincerity and express friendship.

Derek immediately opened his backpack and took out the snakeskin he had just peeled off that morning and hadn't had time to dry, as well as the hook-like snake fangs.

Derek respectfully presented these rare items as gifts to the tribal leader.

When the leader saw the rare and huge snakeskin and fangs, he was first shocked, because he had never seen such a large python skin.

The leader realized that the strength of these people in front of him should not be underestimated. However, since the other party had shown sincerity and had not provoked them in any way, after weighing the pros and cons, the leader decided to accept the team.

In fact, Dodge's team didn't necessarily have to stay in the tribal camp, but under the current circumstances, they desperately needed someone familiar with the rainforest to help them find the advance team. Relying on the tribe's strength to find the missing advance team was the best option.

The tribal leader suddenly noticed Jennifer, who was lying weakly on Fatty's back. He pointed at Jennifer and gestured to Zoe, asking what was wrong with her.

Zoe replied that Jennifer had caught a rain in the rainforest and then became like this.

The leader was very happy to receive the gift. He told Zoe that he was very good at witchcraft and could help heal Jennifer.

"Witchcraft?"

Fatty's eyes instantly filled with hope.

...

The leader of the tribe's hunting team always made an "a yi ya" sound before speaking to Zoe, so Zoe later referred to him as "A Yi."

When the tribal leader said that he could use witchcraft to save Jennifer, Zoe and Fatty were very excited, thinking that Jennifer was finally saved.

Zoe specifically asked A Yi about the origin of the leader's "witchcraft." A Yi scratched his head, feeling strange about Zoe's question, because in his memory, the tribal leader's witchcraft was inherited from the previous tribal leader.

In the tribe, witchcraft is a symbol of power.

Zoe then asked A Yi if the leader had any successful precedents of performing witchcraft before.

A Yi thought carefully, and the answer he gave to Zoe was "all successful."

Zoe didn't understand what he meant, so she asked in detail what "all successful" meant.

Only after A Yi's "a yi ya" and exaggerated gestures did Zoe understand the meaning of "all successful."

Zoe told Fatty, "The people in the tribe will go to the tribal leader to perform witchcraft for any major or minor illness. 'Success' has two meanings. The first meaning is simple and direct, which is that the patient has recovered. The second meaning is that the patient's soul has been sent to the depths of the Amazon rainforest, returning home."

"Damn it! So whether you live or die, the final interpretation belongs to the tribal leader?"

Fatty complained helplessly.

After all, they were trying anything to save her, and Zoe and Fatty were still hoping for a miracle.

The tribal leader said that the witchcraft had to be performed at night and with the power of fire. Fatty's right eyelid twitched wildly, and he felt a faint unease in his heart.

...