Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Following the methods in the herbal guide, Evan sprinkled pre-prepared wormwood and sulfur powder over himself, the pungent smell kept most insects at bay. As he bent to pass through a low thicket, he suddenly heard a sharp crack of breaking branches ahead, followed by a muffled cry of pain. Cautiously hiding behind a tree, he parted the leaves in front of him—in a clearing not far off, a young native guy in a rough-spun short jacket had his leg wrapped up by a python as thick as a bucket. The python had no horn on its head, clearly not his target, but its scales had a dark purple sheen, indicating strong venom; the guy’s calf was already swelling up and turning black.

A wooden token carved with a shark pattern hung from the young man’s waist, identical to the token Old Shark had given him—it was Kalu! Evan’s heart jumped, and just as he was about to run out, he saw Kalu pull a stone axe from his chest and hack at the python’s weak spot. The python, pissed from the hit, released his leg, opened its mouth to reveal venomous fangs, and lunged at Kalu. Without hesitation, Evan grabbed a poisonous vine from the ground and swung it at the python’s eyes, the barbs scraping across its eyeball. The python let out a hiss, turned, and charged at Evan, its fangs dripping with sticky venom.

Evan dodged and jammed his belt dagger into the python’s weak spot—though the iron dagger was sharp, the python’s scales were crazy tough, so it only sank in half an inch. Just then, Kalu, gritting through the pain in his leg, raised his stone axe and struck the python’s head, embedding the axe deep into its skull. The python convulsed a few times, then went limp, its body slowly collapsing.

Kalu grabbed his blackening calf, panting, and looked at Evan: “You’re the one Old Shark sent… Evan?” He pointed to the token at his waist. “Old Shark said you’re looking for the Unicorn Python, but not now. The Colonial Force has already gone deep into the rainforest; they’re searching for the ‘Sea Heart Stone.’ They’ll shoot anyone they come across.”

Just as Evan was about to speak, the sound of steady footsteps and soldiers yelling echoed from far off. Kalu’s face went pale, and he pulled Evan toward a nearby cave: “Hide! They’re coming!”

“Stay close! Step only where I step!” Kalu’s shout mixed with the buzz of rainforest bugs as he dragged his slightly swollen leg, moving like a nimble antelope, diving into a thicket draped with aerial roots.

Evan followed closely, and as he stepped over a fallen log, he heard a splash behind him—one of the soldiers chasing them had stumbled into a swamp Kalu had flagged, muddy water instantly came up to his knees, his curses muffled by the thick humidity.

Kalu didn’t look back, pulling Evan down a steep slope, deliberately brushing against a few “rattle-leaf” plants along the way, their leaves rustling like someone running in another direction. He also tossed his stone axe diagonally upward, hitting a tree trunk with a dull thud, successfully luring the remaining soldiers off course. By the time they hid in a thicket of white-flowering poisonous shrubs, the sounds of the chase had been swallowed up by the rainforest’s noise.

“This way, the ancestors will watch over us,” Kalu said, wiping sweat from his face, pointing to a shadowy silhouette breaking through the canopy ahead. Evan followed his gaze, his heart jolting—it was a towering tree far thicker than the surrounding ones, its trunk at least five to six meters in diameter, with dark brown bark covered in furrows like an old dragon’s scales. Its crown was invisible above, its branches spreading like a small forest, truly requiring ten people holding hands to encircle it.

At the base of the giant tree, Kalu patted a protruding knot on the left side of the trunk. With the pressure of his palm, a hidden vine ladder slowly emerged beside the knot—the vines were deep green, their surfaces polished smooth and shiny from generations of use by native hunters, entwined with tough parasitic grass at the connections, nearly invisible to the untrained eye. “The Colonial Force idiots think climbing trees is too much effort; they never search here.”

Kalu grabbed the vine ladder and climbed first, his injured leg furrowing his brow with each effort, yet his movements remained steady, his fingers precisely gripping the vine’s nodes. Evan followed, the vine’s load-bearing capacity far exceeding his expectations; he could feel the rough texture against his palms, mixed with the rainforest’s dampness. At about ten meters up, thick side branches began to appear on the trunk. Kalu used them to gain speed, while Evan kept an eye below to ensure no one was following.

After climbing roughly thirty meters, a massive tree hollow appeared before them—its entrance blocked by layers of broad leaves. Pushing through the leaves and crawling inside, they found a space spacious enough for three or four people, the floor covered with dry palm leaves, and in the corner, a pile of fire-starting stones and animal hides left by native hunters.

“This is the ‘Lookout Nest’; you can see most of the rainforest from here,” Kalu said, collapsing onto the palm leaves, pulling chewed medicinal herbs from his pocket to reapply to his blackening calf.

Evan walked to the edge of the hollow, parting the leaves to look down. The rainforest canopy stretched like a rolling green sea, the distant soldiers’ figures reduced to moving black dots, eventually vanishing into the dense forest.

He touched the compartment in his pocket watch; the silver badge that had been burning hot earlier was now cool to the touch, signaling they were temporarily out of danger. Just then, he noticed Kalu staring at the “Thornbird” wooden token at his waist, his eyes full of scrutiny.

“Everyone in the Palm Leaf Club works for money, yet you dared to help me hide from the Colonial Force,” Kalu said suddenly, tapping the blade of his stone axe with his finger. “You’re looking for the Unicorn Python’s gall, really just for a potion? I’ve heard it can neutralize the Sea Heart Stone’s poison, and the Colonial Force is searching for the Sea Heart Stone to brew stronger elixirs for the Empire’s Supernaturals—they’ve already killed three of our tribe’s shamans guarding the Sea Heart Stone.”

Evan was taken aback. He only knew the Unicorn Python’s gall was a potion ingredient, not that it could neutralize the Sea Heart Stone’s poison.

Just as he was about to explain, he noticed the canopy in the distance sway—not from the wind, but from the weight of something heavy pressing through the branches. Kalu instantly tensed, grabbing his stone axe and moving to the hollow’s edge, lowering his voice: “It’s the Unicorn Python’s trail! It’s heading toward the Sea Heart Stone, and the Colonial Force will follow!”

Evan’s eyes fell on Kalu’s swollen, shiny calf—the anti-swamp herb wasn’t doing much good; the skin around the wound had turned a purplish-blue, and even walking required leaning on the stone axe, let alone navigating the perilous rainforest.

Just as he was about to speak, Kalu pulled his leg back, tightening his grip on the stone axe until his knuckles turned white: “Don’t give me that. Sala people always use ‘concern’ as an excuse to boss us around.”

Evan didn’t argue. He pulled a small bottle of basic anti-venom potion from his pack—one he’d traded for with points at the Palm Leaf Club, its label simple and crude. He placed the bottle on the palm leaves in front of Kalu: “Old Shark says you’re the best guide in the rainforest, but your leg can barely walk now. I won’t force you. This potion can suppress the snake venom, more effective than your herbs.”