Chapter 1 A Glimmer of Light

A sliver of light appeared on the horizon. Dewdrops on the damp leaves brought morning nectar to the animals of the rainforest, and the calls of the rainforest birds awakened its vitality.

Derek pried a few huge fangs from the great python, then slit it open and completely skinned it, stowing the hide in his backpack. Then, he took the best pieces of its meat, skewered them on branches, and roasted them over the campfire.

After a half-night of struggling in a tense battle with the great python, everyone was exhausted and hungry.

Having witnessed the great python swallowing a person whole, they really had no appetite for its meat.

Although the great python was cruel, the roasted meat was quite fragrant, much more so than the small water snake they had roasted the night before.

Derek sprinkled some salt and a pinch of spices on the snake meat, and the aroma wafted into the noses of Dodge and the two mercenaries. They couldn't resist, and each took a skewer of snake meat from Derek's hand and ate it without ceremony.

Derek continued to roast the excess snake meat that they couldn't eat, then sprinkled several layers of salt on it, turning it into snake jerky and stuffing it into his pack for later consumption.

The first rule of wilderness survival is to gather as much food as possible, even if the process is disgusting, to ensure you don't starve to death.

The fatty and Zoey had no interest in the snake meat and dryly ate a little compressed biscuit to satisfy their hunger.

The night's turmoil hadn't affected Jennifer, but her condition was still poor.

In the morning, the medic's assistant and Derek examined Jennifer again and concluded that she had missed the best opportunity for surgery and had basically no chance of recovery.

The fatty disagreed with their conclusion, and he couldn't bring himself to abandon his savior, so he insisted on taking Jennifer with them.

Derek reported the current situation to the advance team, who felt that Dodge's team was in a critical situation and requested to turn back and reunite with Dodge's team before proceeding together.

Dodge, who had experienced a nightmarish night, immediately agreed to the advance team's request, and they agreed to meet at the twentieth marker.

Because Dodge's team had lost two mercenaries, they reluctantly abandoned some equipment and supplies when they set off again. Even so, everyone's burden increased by about 20 percent, and their movement speed slowed down a lot.

The team used to be large and powerful, with eight strong men out of ten people. In two days, three people had died, and Jennifer had fallen ill (mainly slowing down the fatty). The team's combat power was directly halved.

The road ahead was deeper into the rainforest, and Dodge was extremely nervous, unsure of what dangers lay ahead.

In the depths of the rainforest, finding a clear path is extremely difficult.

Mud, dead branches, vines, and various plants were intertwined, so they could only use their hunting knives as scythes, hacking in all directions to clear a path. Derek led the way, pushing aside the stems of dense plants and thick leaves, and cutting off branches blocking the way, gradually clearing a passage for everyone.

Of course, some of the obstacles along the way had already been cleared by the advance team, so Dodge's team faced much less resistance than the former.

Half a day later, the advance team informed Dodge's team via communication equipment that they had reached the designated location and were waiting for Dodge's team to arrive. At this time, Dodge's team had only reached the eighteenth marker.

Seeing that they were about to reunite with the elite team familiar with the rainforest environment, Dodge and the others felt much more invigorated and sped up their pace.

At that moment, a bug bit Dodge on the back of his exposed hand. He slapped it away, and the bug was smashed to pieces, splattering yellow-green juice.

Derek heard the "splat" and subconsciously looked back, and what he saw startled him.

"Quick, wash it off with water!" Derek said to Dodge.

Dodge looked at Derek in confusion, not knowing what had happened.

Derek took out his water bottle and poured it directly onto Dodge's hand, which was covered in bug debris and yellow-green liquid.

Seeing Dodge trying to brush off the bug debris with his hand, Derek warned, "Don't touch it! This is a poisonous bug. Its blood is poisonous. You can only drive it away, not kill it."

Dodge panicked and said in a trembling voice, "Ah… what do I do?"

Derek picked a thick, wide leaf and used it to slowly wipe away the bug remnants and yellow-green liquid from Dodge's hand, then washed it again with water.

Dodge asked with a hint of doubt, mixed with a bit of luck, "I don't feel anything right now. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Derek didn't answer. He took out a small clay pot from his bag and poured a yellow and red mixed powder on the area of Dodge's hand that had come into contact with the bug debris and liquid. Then, he tightly wrapped the powder on Dodge's hand with white gauze.

After taking care of it properly, Derek gave Dodge a painkiller and told him to take it.

Dodge impatiently refused, scolding Derek for making a fuss.

Seeing that Dodge didn't seem to believe him, Derek said to Dodge, "If you can't stand it later, just ask me for it."

Dodge didn't take Derek's words to heart at first.

But after a few minutes, Dodge's hand swelled up and became unbearably painful.

Dodge quickly grabbed Derek and asked what was going on…