Infinite Hunter

Cheng Yijiu picked up the telescope in the cockpit and looked at the silent jungle. In order to see clearly, he even slowed down the speed of the boat. At this time, there was a knock on the door - there was no door in the cockpit, it was the sound of knocking on the wall. Cheng Yijiu saw that it was Gail who came up with coffee. "What are you looking at?" the woman asked. "I'm looking at what kind of beast has made this place so silent."

Cheng Yijiu placed his coffee on the table to the side and raised his binoculars for a closer look. The mission was to hunt a giant python. How big could that be? Ten meters? Cheng Yijiu remembered the largest snake being fourteen meters long. He'd heard that was an exaggeration; the snake wasn't actually over ten meters long. Reticulated pythons are nocturnal, hunting mostly at night. They can only see moving objects, but they have infrared vision...

During the day, pythons usually rest. Cheng Yijiu watched for a long time but couldn't spot a python in the jungle, so he just started the boat again and left. "Lock the doors at night, and be careful—don't open the windows. This not only saves electricity, but also prevents anything from coming in through the windows," Cheng Yijiu said to the group later when he went downstairs to eat. They all started talking, "What happened?"

"There's a python, and it might be quite large. I'm worried it might swim onto the boat at night. So I've decided to drop anchor tonight, and everyone should go back to their rooms, lock the doors, and rest." Cheng Yijiu said. He didn't want anything to go wrong; after all, he didn't want to use these people as bait. That night, he dropped two anchors to secure the boat, then watched as everyone finished dinner and returned to their rooms, locking their doors securely—a bolt would do, no locks needed.

Bill didn't go into his room. This guy was very brave and decided to hang around for a while and drink a bottle of beer before going in. In fact, Gail didn't want to go back to her and Sam's room, but Cheng Yijiu asked her to go in, "Believe me, you don't want to see a big python." Cheng Yijiu had a feeling that maybe he would see a "miracle" tonight. This was the sixth sense he gained after the punishment plot.

With sharp ears and eyes, he was almost as good as a tiger. Cheng Yijiu didn't grab a hunting rifle, but instead placed the Python revolver in front of him—it was enough to deal with carbon-based creatures. At close range, Cheng Yijiu didn't think any animal could withstand a .38 Magnum bullet—unless it had evolved steel armor. The jungle at night was also quite noisy, and you could hear it if you listened carefully.

There were the sounds of monkeys hopping in the trees, nocturnal insects crawling, and, of course, small animals running around in the dense forest, searching for food. Of course, all of these sounds suddenly died down... Bill, a little drunk, was still mumbling to himself, drinking beer under the hanging light, mumbling about his missing monkey friend... "I didn't expect Xiaogang would abandon me, just like a woman..."

"Quiet." Cheng Yijiu said, raising a finger to his mouth. "If possible, go back to your room and lock the door. I think something is approaching us." Cheng Yijiu grabbed the pistol and said, he helped Bill up and pushed him into the room before he could figure out what was going on. "Lock the door."

Cheng Yijiu also opened the door and left it ajar. The lights in the room were not on, and he also turned off the lights outside. Under the moonlight, the boat was still quite bright. This made it easier to see objects in the dark. Cheng Yijiu didn't want to shoot in this place; he needed an opportunity. The sound of rippling water came, and Cheng Yijiu walked out of the room silently, leaning against the side of the corridor and looking at the river under the moonlight.

Something, something quite large, was swimming in the water. Judging by the shape of the ripples, it wasn't a crocodile. Soon, it reached the boat. Cheng Yijiu watched in the moonlight as a head larger than a bamboo basket slowly rose above the side of the boat.

Silhouetted against the moonlight, it was the head of a python. With such a massive head, this python must be twenty meters long. Cheng Yijiu stood still, his palms so slippery that he could barely hold the gun handle. The giant python slowly lowered its head, pressed against the deck, and began to move forward, its body gradually emerging from the water onto the boat. Cheng Yijiu felt the boat tilt slightly. This python must be quite heavy...

The python climbed up to the left side of the bow, where the public room was located. Its body slithered across the deck, bringing down the stool. The sound of the stool falling made the giant python pause, then turned its head, spit out its tongue above the stool, and sniffed the air with its tongue.

Chapter 5 The First Victim

Under the moonlight, Cheng Yijiu had a very clear view of the giant python. "Maybe not twenty meters, but definitely over fifteen meters," he muttered silently. The python's head was enormous, comparable to the head of a three-meter-long crocodile. Its body was long and thick, and now three-quarters of it had climbed onto the boat, making the entire boat seem a bit deeper in the water. "At least a ton," Cheng Yijiu thought.

He pulled out his revolver, moving slowly. The front third of the python hung in the air, its head swaying slowly from side to side. Cheng Yijiu, with his "infrared vision," fired his weapon, then scurried into the room and bolted the door. Due to the design of the hallway, the python couldn't force its way through the door. Given its size, it was a good thing it could swim straight across the hallway.

The shot probably missed, the python's reaction speed was exaggerated and unbelievable for a python. As soon as Cheng Yijiu closed the door, he felt a heavy friction, and the steel plates on the ship's wall creaked. Shouts came from other rooms, but Cheng Yijiu shouted, "Don't come out!" Of course, some idiot still opened the door - because Cheng Yijiu heard the sound of the door latch and the banging, and finally screams and the sound of water falling.

He opened the door directly, holding the revolver and looking around. "Who is it?" The answer was already known - the door of the team doctor Bane's room was wide open, and there was a black man named Cole who had wet his pants inside... At this time, the doors were opened one after another. Some people were terrified while others still didn't understand what was going on. They only heard Cheng Yijiu's shouting and the sound of gunfire. "What is that?"

Cole yelled, "We still have time to get back! What a huge python! We're going to get eaten!" The man's words were starting to become incoherent, genuinely terrified. "Python, a really huge python. That's why I told you to close the door—I didn't think it was right, but I didn't expect it to be a python," Cheng Yijiu said. "How big is it?" Unexpectedly, the team leader, Dr. Jack, was quite curious.

"About fifteen or sixteen meters. It's big enough to drag a person away and swallow them. I've never seen a reticulated python that big—if it's not a mutation, it's a python that's lived for forty or fifty years." Cheng Yijiu said as he put the revolver away. Gale grabbed his hair. "Impossible! How long can a reticulated python live? Twenty-five years? Thirty years? Is there a record of a reticulated python over ten meters long?"

"A python's lifespan is a lifetime, and it takes at least fifty years to reach this length," Cheng Yijiu asserted—he was indeed a semi-zoological taxonomist. The members of the so-called expedition team looked at each other—primarily Dr. Jack, Ms. Sam, and Jordan—and seemed to have reached a conclusion. Gail said, "This expedition is over! Someone died!"

Jordan immediately said, "So you're not curious about how the python grew so big?" Jack interrupted, "I invited Bane here. He's my friend, and I'm sad too. But think about what we're looking for. Isn't this python also evidence? Besides the blood orchid extending the lifespan, what else could allow a python to live for fifty years and grow so large?"

Cheng Yijiu didn't interrupt. "There are a lot of reasons. The python has mutated, and the food here is plentiful and abundant, so it grows fast. Those are all reasons." Of course, the slightly drunk guide, Bill, didn't say anything either; he was probably still thinking about the money. Cheng Yijiu squatted down and picked up a small scale half the size of his palm from the ground—it seemed to have been scraped off by hitting the door lintel. An argument had already broken out over there. Jack insisted that this was evidence of the blood orchid, while Gale felt that the expedition should be over.

Cheng Yijiu let them continue arguing. He stood where he had just been, gesturing at the height and angle of his shot. "Where did the bullet go?" From this direction, if it didn't hit the ship, it must have flown directly overboard and didn't hit the hull. He walked to the common room and carefully examined the marks on the ground. "It's useless." He stood up and said, "I suggest you go back and rest, get a good night's sleep, and then decide whether to stay or go in the morning."

"The python probably won't come again. After it eats a person, it may not need to eat anything for a week or a month." Cheng Yijiu said this almost coldly.

The next morning, when Cheng Yijiu woke up, it seemed that they had already gotten up early and had reached an agreement. "Captain, please speed up. We still have to go here!"

"The water level is rising now, so it won't be easy to get across," Cheng Yijiu said casually. The riverbanks on both sides were no longer visible. The river was at least several times wider during the rainy season. However, his boat was in good condition and nothing would go wrong.

Cheng Yijiu sped up. Pythons have their own territory, and if they left here, they might be safe. The rest of the voyage was not dangerous, and late on the third day, they had already reached their destination. "Unfortunately, the river is flooding, and the place you are going to is temporarily unreachable - I can't continue to drive there and risk running aground." Cheng Yijiu said calmly, "So you have to use an inflatable speedboat. About two kilometers from here, there should be high ground there." Cheng Yijiu marked it on the map.

"Then cross this meadow - I think it's probably flooded, but it's probably only up to your buttocks. After you cross it, you'll be able to see the survey site - if the map is correct." This is what the guide Bill said. Cheng Yijiu was not familiar with the terrain here at all, so he pretended to be calm and said nothing. Gail also slept in his room yesterday, and at this time she quietly walked over, "Can you come with us? We still need your boat to take us back. Instead of you staying on the boat and waiting, why not go together?" She bit her lip, "I can pay you extra money."

Cheng Yijiu smiled, a light smile. Looking in the mirror, he exuded a certain bravery—perhaps this was the reward from the punishment plot… "Okay, but let's not talk about money for now. A trip wouldn't hurt." Cheng Yijiu agreed to Gale's request. Even if Gale hadn't asked, Cheng Yijiu would have found a chance or an excuse to go with him—he didn't think they could find the python by staying on the boat.

Cheng Yijiu returned to his cabin and took the things he had prepared long ago. He put on a long-sleeved shirt with a drawstring cuff and trousers, put on a boonie hat on his head, tied a towel around his neck, and put on his backpack and rifle. "Are you planning to go through the jungle like this?" He looked at the clothes of the group outside and shook his head. "Forget it, as long as you are happy."

Chapter 6 Leeches

These people were still wearing simple work clothes over T-shirts. Even Bill was dressed like Rambo. Cheng Yijiu casually took out a machete and handed it to Bill, "You follow me and lead the way." The two men walked in front, followed by the expedition team. Cheng Yijiu used the machete very well, and those plants blocking the road were usually cut through with a single stroke. "You'd better follow my or Bill's footsteps and don't step outside."

While not a seasoned expert on tropical rainforest survival, Cheng Yijiu did possess a considerable amount of knowledge—thanks to the rapid growth of the internet, with sites like Bilibili, Bihu, and numerous other forums, he could be considered a bit of a know-it-all. He diligently asked Bihu what to be aware of before entering the Borneo rainforest, and a group of experts offered him a wealth of advice, which Cheng Yijiu selectively accepted.

Wearing long-sleeved, drawstring-top shirts and pants to minimize skin exposure was a crucial tip, as was applying insect repellent. "You don't want to walk through the rainforest covered in blood-sucking leeches and other insects, do you?" Cheng Yijiu, wielding his gloved machete, cleared a path. Bill was already a bit breathless. A leech had bitten his arm, and he was yelling and trying to smoke it off with a cigarette.

They finally made it down to the stream below, where Cheng Yijiu unbuttoned his clothes to check for leeches or other insect bites. Screams rang out as everyone on the expedition had been bitten by more than one leech. This guy even laughed out loud—after Cheng Yijiu's extensive inspection, he only found one leech on his arm, which hadn't yet fully absorbed enough blood.

He scraped the leech off with a metal card, disinfected and bandaged the wound. Now he had the leisure to watch the other unfortunate people - let them think they were on a picnic... Gail was screaming at him to help her. Because they had rolled in the sheets, the woman didn't mind taking off her upper body clothes at all. "Wow! Amazing! Let me count, you have seven leeches on your chest and back, and there are even tropical ticks... Gail, did you get the tropical vaccine before coming here?"

He spoke as he scraped off leeches with a metal scraper and ticks with pipe smoke. He rinsed with disinfectant in one hand and applied patches of medical gauze—they all had built-in adhesive tape. Gale finished dressing and then took off his pants. Cheng Yijiu frowned slightly. This woman, sweating in the tropics and not washing herself, had a rather unpleasant smell.

This time, they took them off while hiding in the bushes—Gail was the representative of an investment fund and a member of a team of scientists. Even if she was uninhibited, she wouldn't take her pants off in front of others. Well, her lower body was fine. Aside from three leeches on her calf, there was nothing else wrong. Cheng Yijiu even held her breath as she examined her lower body and anus—because some small leeches could really get inside, which would be very troublesome and might even require surgery to remove.

Fortunately, there weren't any. With Gail's brown face flushed red, Cheng Yijiu cleaned the leech and bandaged her wound—using a completely waterproof gauze. "Hopefully it won't leak. We'll clean, disinfect, and bandage it again when we get to a dry place," he said. Outside, there was also a commotion. A group of men stripped naked and examined each other. Sam, the other woman, had no choice but to let Gail examine her. Cheng Yijiu left behind the metal piece, disinfectant, and bandage.

He walked alone to a rocky spot on the side of the stream and began to smoke his pipe. No pythons had been spotted yet, but the next 500 meters of the route would take him directly through a shallow swamp, a python's favorite habitat. Cheng Yijiu felt it was quite dangerous. Last time, he hadn't wanted to hunt crocodiles by boat, and this time, he didn't want to kill a python in the swamp either—it was too dangerous.

But this time, unless he had a helicopter with unlimited range and a pilot with unlimited energy, he would have to go into the wild, into the swamps where pythons roamed, and kill them. Pythons are harder to spot than crocodiles, which is one reason. Soon, everyone had cleaned up the bugs from their clothes. "Pay attention, shake out your clothes and shoes before putting them on. Don't let bugs get stuck in them."

This was Bill's cry. Only a stinking guy like him could stay among a group of stinking guys. Cheng Yijiu, with his keen sense of smell, had already taken the upper hand early on. These foreigners' sweat glands were truly powerful weapons, no better than those of wild animals. To Cheng Yijiu, they smelled just as bad as wild animals. "It's all thanks to the perfume..." This was when Cheng Yijiu's Han Chinese advantage came into play. Aside from a hint of sweat, he didn't have any strong odor.

Don't underestimate the blonde and brunette beauties. Since they are both Westerners, their body odor is naturally equally bad. In comparison, Bill seems to be a white person with less developed sweat glands. Among these people, he is the least smelly except for Cheng Yijiu. "But he still smells!" Cheng Yijiu said.

Anyway, everyone continued on their way. Ahead lay a shallow swamp. The water was only about hip-deep, but if you took a step into the mud, it would reach your waist. Fortunately, the mud was thin, so pulling it out wasn't difficult. Cheng Yijiu simply took off his rifle and held it in his hand. Bill, the guide, was the first to descend, followed by Jack, the team leader, his assistant Sam, the black guy Cole, the black guy Jordan, Gale, and Cheng Yijiu, who walked at the back.

As the group advanced in the water, the black guy muttered, "I think the water must be full of bugs! And crocodiles!" Everyone was upset, but no one shouted to shut up. Cheng Yijiu felt the water flow... "Crocodile? No, no. Are there crocodiles here?" There should be. As long as a five-meter-long saltwater crocodile came, everyone here would be doomed, even himself.

"We'll be through this soon," said Bill, the leader. "The swamp formed during the rainy season... it's really troublesome." Cheng Yijiu muttered, and suddenly he felt the current. "Don't move! Everyone, don't move! There's something in the water!" The water was not clear, but a little turbid. From Cheng Yijiu's height, he couldn't see through the water at all. If he looked down vertically from a high place, he could see a little bit.

Cheng Yijiu froze, sensing the subtle current—he could hardly be called an ordinary human now... He pulled out a fist-sized sphere from his coat—a homemade "grenade," filled with black powder, which temporarily made it waterproof. He lit it, "Run! Run forward!" and tossed it into the water.

Chapter 7 Village

The power of this "grenade" was actually average, but the main effect was the explosion. After Cheng Yijiu threw it down, he ran as hard as he could. The first few people rushed forward after he shouted. As the water was blown away, a long black shadow also rushed out from the water, moving non-stop.

It was a huge, very large python, shaken out by the explosion in the water. It rolled on the surface, probably because its balance organs were affected. Seeing the giant python, the people ran faster. Cheng Yijiu thought he might be able to complete the task, but looking at the churning water and the rolling body, it was not so easy to kill the python with one shot - he had to accurately shoot it in the head.

And this brain is always moving...

Cheng Yijiu quickly ran to dry land. When the others turned around, the python seemed to have recovered and dived back into the water. They could only judge the situation from the splashes and the few markings on the higher ground. "How big do you think this snake is?" Cheng Yijiu asked, signaling everyone to quickly leave the water.

Bill was probably the calmest of them all. "I can't say for sure. I think it's about sixteen or seventeen meters long? Maybe twenty meters?" Jack, who seemed to be the calmer one, said it was probably around sixteen or seventeen meters. As for the two women and the two black men? The women were screaming, and the black men were talking nonstop.

"Let's go. I hope this python won't catch up. It's not easy to kill a giant snake like this in the jungle. It's very resilient. Just hitting its body won't work. You have to shoot it in the head to blow it apart. Even then, the snake's body might bounce around for a while..."

After Cheng Yijiu finished speaking, he signaled everyone to hurry up—they were supposed to be picking some orchids, and they seemed to be not far away. "Are you saying orchids can break the Highcliffe Limit? Allowing organisms to live longer? That would explain how pythons can grow so large—because they grow throughout their lives. But does this stuff need to be taken regularly? Or is a one-time dose enough?" The expedition team finally spoke up, but they said they didn't know the answer.

"We don't have enough specimens to study, so we can't be sure. But it must be true that they can live long lives – otherwise how could such large pythons exist?"

"If that's the case, there should be quite a few particularly large creatures in the forests of Borneo. Let's count, we have encountered at least two such pythons now - there must be two, because the patterns are different, I can see it very clearly. There is no reason why there shouldn't be giant crocodiles - they also grow throughout their lives. There should even be monitor lizards..." Cheng Yijiu said, almost all reptiles grow throughout their lives.

If this orchid is so rare... why two pythons? That doesn't make sense.

If it needs to be taken regularly, do pythons have the brains to do that? Or are they everywhere? But one was found here in the river, and this one in the swamp here...that can only be where pythons gather regularly each year. And this orchid, I heard from people that it blooms every seven years, so does that mean it only needs to be taken once every seven years?

Cheng Yijiu pondered this, wondering if this could be the mother snake's nest? The place where snake balls form during the breeding season? Is this a natural habit of pythons? He only knew that some rattlesnakes had this natural habit. "So you've already got some orchid samples? So why not clone them? If this thing has this kind of effect, cloning it for a few hundred million or even a billion dollars should be possible, right? After all, it's a plant, not an animal."

Jack and Jordan both shook their heads and spread their hands. "Can't do that. The sample's rotted." Cheng Yijiu didn't say anything. Given the weather in Borneo, even if they managed to collect orchids, sending them back to the US wouldn't be much better. It looked like they didn't even have a liquid nitrogen freezer. Perhaps they were planning to take them back for transplanting, but Cheng Yijiu also knew that many orchids were parasitic and difficult to maintain.

In short, he wanted to hunt pythons, and these people wanted to pick orchids, so it seemed they were on the same path. Pythons could be proven to be related to orchids, so perhaps they could hunt one there more safely. Cheng Yijiu hoped to see a field of orchids with a python coiled beneath them, so he could aim calmly and shoot the snake's head.

The head of this giant python is bigger than a human head. It has no problem swallowing a person alive at this size - from what he saw, the width of the head and mouth of the giant python on the river is as wide as a person's shoulder... "Well, this is the village of the Borneo conservation race. If we just go in like this... it will be against the law." Bill, the leader, looked at the surrounding terrain and suddenly said.

Both Indonesia and Malaysia have laws in Borneo protecting indigenous settlements—also as anthropological specimens. Since neither country offers these indigenous people any welfare benefits, enacting laws to protect them is insignificant. Given Borneo's harsh natural environment, only those with nothing better to do would venture out to see these "living specimens."

Only researchers and conservationists will regularly visit those places to inspect and handle some matters, and those people have actually been poisoned by modern society... Although there is no electricity in the settlement, it does not prevent them from demanding some dry batteries and using things from modern civilized society in their daily lives - such as knives, clothes, food, and of course medicines.

Everyone present scoffed at Bill's suggestion that this might be illegal. He looked like someone who'd been walking the fine line of law for years, so how could he be afraid of this? There was indeed a village nearby, but no one was there—only ancient skeletons and other remains that "accorded with Western anthropological research." It was a tradition of headhunters, and Westerners loved seeing that.

But Bill knew these people had long been wearing T-shirts and jeans... Even those left in the village were mostly elderly and children, many of whom had been sent away for education... It was only when Western anthropologists came to conduct research that some of them would dress up and perform the traditional customs passed down by the elders. Everyone was happy; they got paid, and the other party wrote the paper.

But the stench of decay wafted from the village. The first thing anyone entering saw was a giant, gutted python. The snake was as thick as a water tank and at least 17 or 18 meters long—he hadn't measured it, but Cheng Yijiu had a pretty good idea. Its head had been smashed to pieces, and its body was pierced with spears. "They killed one... but why did they abandon this place and run away?"

Cheng Yijiu said, "If the giant python grew so big because of its long lifespan, the indigenous people here should have gotten used to it long ago." That's right, and the villagers should also know the effect of the blood orchid - after all, they have lived on this island for thousands of years.

Chapter 8 Shooting

Thinking about it more carefully, the problem becomes even greater—how did these people know this orchid blooms only once every seven years? They clearly only claimed to have obtained rotten specimens, right? Where did they hear that this orchid can prolong life? That would explain it. Perhaps they conducted preliminary tests after obtaining the specimens...

Their collection of orchid specimens is also understandable—natural plants, especially those from tropical rainforests like Borneo, have always been an important source of new drug research. Given the enormous benefits these orchids could bring, why would they only organize a "completely unprofessional" expedition team to collect them?

Cheng Yijiu felt that the normal approach would be to deploy helicopters and establish various forward bases. What's the big deal about the rainy season? If helicopters couldn't fly during the rainy season, the American Black Hawks wouldn't have been able to survive in Vietnam. And whether it was Indonesia or Malaysia, would they have the ability to defend themselves against the dollar's offensive? Pharmaceutical companies don't have much else to offer, but money is definitely a given.

"Maybe there is another special team of real investors who have already arrived at the place where the orchids may grow... These guys might have been kicked out by the investors. The integrity of American fund investors has never been trustworthy at all." Cheng Yijiu thought as he walked around the village with a rifle in both hands.

These people were still looking at the map, while Cheng Yijiu was wandering around. He didn't want to ask what he was thinking. It would probably be useless to ask, and all he needed was to hunt the giant python... Cheng Yijiu walked and walked, and finally returned to the center of the village - it was already dark, and wandering in the jungle at night was tantamount to seeking death, so they had to rest.

In this place, dead pythons rot quickly, so Cheng Yijiu and Bill used ropes and straw to drag the python's body to the river and threw it in. This took a lot of effort, and both of them were almost exhausted. The two black people and Dr. Jack were useless, and it was good enough that they could help light the bonfire.

As for a bath? Forget it. Boil the food in clean water, eat it, and then use the firelight to do something, like write in your diary. "Let's light the fire. This large infrared target will also help the pythons not be able to distinguish us. The insects attracted by the firelight will be more troublesome." Cheng Yijiu said as he added wood to the fire.

He pulled out a jar of ointment. "Apply this and go to sleep. Hopefully, bugs won't crawl up your nostrils." Just then, he heard another hissing sound besides the sizzling of flames. Cheng Yijiu's hand reached for the rifle—the .30-06 was more powerful than the .38 Magnum.

"When will we hand-build a Thompson Encore pistol? Considering the balance between power and accuracy, we can use a fifteen-inch or thirteen-inch barrel and load it with .30-06 rifle bullets in a single shot... If the grip is not carefully designed, most people won't be able to withstand the recoil." Cheng Yijiu thought about this problem seriously. After all, carrying an extra gun is the same to him.

When facing a close-range beast, you may only have one chance to fire.

He heard a faint hissing sound and raised his rifle, signaling the others to remain still and silent. Cheng Yijiu tilted his head slightly to listen, then slowly turned until he was facing one side of the village—a cluster of thatched huts that seemed to sway in the firelight. A short black man, with his back to this direction, practically scrambled to the side. He wanted to speak again but stopped under Cheng Yijiu's stern gaze. He was afraid that if he continued to babble, the Asian man in front of him would actually shoot him.

Almost everyone hid behind Cheng Yijiu, staring in that direction with wide eyes. Then the little black man started to shout again, but Bill clamped his mouth shut. Everyone saw a giant python slithering down from the roof of the thatched hut, its head turning between the columns toward the fire.

In the firelight, Cheng Yijiu got a good look at the python. "The one in the river is bigger." The python was probably only about ten meters long, but it looked enormous in the firelight. Cheng Yijiu calmly took aim with his rifle. The python cooperated well, not moving quickly, allowing Cheng Yijiu to steadily lock onto the snake's head with the mechanical sights.

He hadn't been planning on taxidermy the python anyway, so he didn't mind if its head got shattered. After holding his breath, he pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped off half the python's head. The giant snake thrashed around desperately, but after a moment, it stopped wriggling.

"No sign of going back?" Cheng Yijiu thought to himself. Perhaps it wasn't up to standard? Perhaps this snake wasn't even close to being a python? Anyway, the black guy, Cole, then rapped. This must really be their talent. The guy was excited and happy, until Cheng Yijiu reminded him that there was more than one python here.

The one that ate Bane was at least twice as big as this one...

The night passed in silence, with only Gail taking the initiative to move closer to Cheng Yijiu, who stroked her hair. He still felt a certain sympathy for this woman, who might have been abandoned or deceived. Cheng Yijiu felt increasingly confident that there was a 90% chance that their investor, the fund behind Gail, had already sent another team to reach their destination one or several steps ahead...

Gale was undoubtedly completely clueless about this, and when the time came, she would simply be held responsible. Her bosses wouldn't care about her future... Perhaps they were the true, all-consuming pythons. Cheng Yijiu had considered a possible scenario, and he planned to find a chance to talk to Gale about it.

After all, they had slept together, and it was obvious that she had feelings for him. Cheng Yijiu didn't want her to end up in such a miserable state—not just losing her job and money, but also potentially going to jail. So, a little later, he woke Gale up. "Are you here on behalf of the investment fund to verify the truth of what they're saying? Do you know if the foundation won't send another team to search for the so-called blood orchid?"

Cheng Yijiu only said this. Gail, a scientist and investment fund manager, only needed a moment to reflect on it and immediately draw a conclusion. "Oh! Damn it! Those damned sons of bitches!" The woman couldn't help but lash out with a furious curse, but she didn't wake the others who were already sleeping like dead pigs—except for Bill, who was just as alert as Cheng Yijiu. Bill simply glanced at the two of them and went back to sleep without paying any attention to the others.

Chapter 9 Changes

Seeing Gale gritting her teeth, Cheng Yijiu was not going to help her find a solution - he was not a business genius or a lawyer, and he could not offer any suggestions for Gale's current predicament, so she had to find a solution on her own. "Can you?" After venting her anger, Gale looked at Cheng Yijiu and asked, "It's too late. If the other party is taking a helicopter... Besides, I think it would be okay if you pretended to know nothing and went back directly. Just remember to resign in advance."

Cheng Yijiu's words didn't elicit a response from Gale. She simply listened to what Cheng Yijiu said and then fell into her own thoughts. Cheng Yijiu ignored her and fell into a deep sleep. This was only a very light sleep, giving the brain a little rest. When he woke up, his muscles were actually very sore. The first thing he did in the morning was to clean up the bugs, then clean himself up. After breakfast, he continued on his journey.

In just one night, maggots had hatched from the body of the python that was shot... When people leave, some scavengers and a large number of scavenger insects will come to clean up.

Continuing along the direction marked on the map, they found blood orchids in this area, suggesting their distribution center might lie in this area. Borneo is a treasure trove of life, and like the Amazon, it boasts countless species, many of which have never been discovered—especially orchids and insects. Cheng Yijiu remained at the rear, carefully observing his surroundings, wary of any giant pythons.

Through the dense jungle, Cheng Yijiu heard the sound of explosions. Everyone quickened their pace and finally saw a column of smoke rising into the sky. At noon, they finally arrived at the source of the smoke - a broken helicopter appeared before them. Cheng Yijiu said nothing, just walked over to check. "I didn't see any pilot or anyone else." He took a step back to avoid the burning flames. "I didn't see any weapons in here."

Of course, Gail knew where the helicopter came from, but she didn't know how it crashed - helicopters are not considered absolutely safe means of transportation, and there have always been quite a few that have fallen to the ground. Now it is just a pile of burning scrap metal, and it is impossible to tell how it fell. Cheng Yijiu did have some ideas, but he was not sure. "Don't think too much, just look for the blood orchid you want, and then we can go back."

Bill, cigarette in hand, didn't go looking. He didn't know what a blood orchid looked like, and he'd already fulfilled his duty by leading the expedition to its destination. Cheng Yijiu didn't move either, simply standing there with his rifle in hand. He didn't know what the orchid looked like, and he didn't care. He was concerned about when the giant python would appear. The group—primarily Jordan, Jack, and Sam—were diligently searching. Gail and the little black guy, Cole, didn't join them.

Cheng Yijiu looked at Gail, who snorted. "I'm here to monitor whether the fund's money has been misused and to evaluate the progress of this adventure. Well, I don't know what these orchids should look like." As for Cole, Cheng Yijiu thought he was probably a mascot and a jukebox. "Where did these people go?" Cheng Yijiu pointed at the helicopter with his chin. "At least two people, right? Not to mention the passengers in the cabin, there are at least two pilots, right?"

Cole's rap came again, "You mean they were eaten by snakes?" The little black guy immediately looked around as if he had been electrocuted, "Oh, Mom. Will those damn snakes come back? We are in danger. Is there any way to leave here immediately?" Cheng Yijiu shook his head, "Ah, it seems we have to go back the same way - if they find the orchid. If not, then I don't know where they are going to look for it."

The flowering period is seven days. Although Cheng Yijiu didn't know how these people determined the exact starting point of the seven days, today was already the second day according to what they said. If they still haven't found it, there are still five days left. Bill was already thinking that if they gave him money, he would just want to go back - after all, it seemed that he didn't need to lead the way back. Cheng Yijiu was also responsible for sending them back to the original dock. "Actually, Bill, you can't run away either - besides taking my boat, what other ways do you have to leave?"

While joking with Bill, Cheng Yijiu also took out his pipe—a pipe made of briar roots. He took out the dried tobacco and matches from the silver box and began to carefully fill the pipe. If it was really the work of a giant python, then at least the python that had eaten two people would not be interested in attacking people again. Cheng Yijiu's question was, if they went back the way they came, what would happen to the two giant pythons in the swamp and the river...

The three of them searched the area for a long time, but by nightfall, they hadn't found any trace of the blood orchid. After the flames died down, Cheng Yijiu also searched the helicopter wreckage, but again, he found nothing worth salvaging. "No frozen specimen boxes," he whispered to Gale. They'd probably have to rest near the wreckage for the night—the physics of the crash and the flames had flattened the ground, and the fire had dried it out. After cleaning up the wreckage, it would make a good campsite.

Humans can tolerate the smell of kerosene, but insects and wild animals find it difficult, so generally speaking, pythons and the like won't come. Cheng Yijiu built another fire, and the expedition team sat around it, somewhat dejected. Cheng Yijiu used chopped wood to prop up the helicopter's metal plate as a rain shelter, and the flames below warmed everyone present. To be honest, these people all exuded a smell not unlike wild animals, and Cheng Yijiu had gotten used to it.

He continued heating canned food and vegetable soup, cooking rice with filtered water, and filling everyone's kettles with boiling water. Drinking raw water here would instantly infect them with various diseases and parasites. However, the rainwater was still drinkable. The rain pattered against the aluminum sheet overhead. By utilizing part of the debris, the sheltered space was large enough for everyone to sit around without getting wet.

Burning tree trunks rich in water always produced smoke, but fortunately, the ventilation kept him from being suffocated. The python certainly wouldn't come, but that didn't stop Cheng Yijiu from observing with his binoculars. His eyes could see quite clearly at night, perhaps a reward from the punishment plot. And so he saw it, saw a body thicker than a water tank slowly swimming across the jungle floor about 400 meters away... It wasn't the yellowish color of a reticulated python anymore, but black like an anaconda.

Chapter 10: Mud Pit

The ratio of python length to diameter is generally between ten and thirteen to one. The largest, the Titanoboa, was thirteen meters long and about one meter in diameter at its thickest point. The python before him might not be quite as short and thick, but according to the proportions of a reticulated python, it must have been at least sixteen or seventeen meters long. Unfortunately, he couldn't see its head. Cheng Yijiu watched until the python disappeared into the jungle before lowering his binoculars.

Will this giant python attack at night? Cheng Yijiu was not sure. He even felt that it was hard to say whether his rifle could kill the giant python in time. He could only hope to set up a cordon - fortunately, there was wire. Cheng Yijiu inserted branches in several directions, then stretched the wire and found empty cans to hang on it - when those people saw him doing this, the little black man was definitely the first to speak, "Why are you doing this?"

"Yes, there is a big python, I just saw it." Cheng Yijiu said calmly, "Are you going to continue searching for orchids tomorrow? Then you'd better be on high alert." Cheng Yijiu finally gave this answer, "I hope we can kill the giant python in this area at the cost of only one person, find the orchid and go back." He subconsciously turned the bullet in his hand.

Despite everyone's trepidation that night, no pythons approached. Knowing the presence of a giant python, everyone moved with extreme caution in the jungle. "Don't worry too much. A python that size probably weighs over a ton. I don't think it could launch a surprise attack from a tree." The change in size would surely alter the python's hunting methods, likely relying more on ground ambushes. They might even focus more on hunting crocodiles in the water—after all, if they caught and devoured a crocodile, the python wouldn't need to eat for at least six months.

Could a human's worth of food possibly feed a python this size for two months? Cheng Yijiu's first step was to find traces of the python's movements on the ground. He held a lightweight aluminum alloy pole with a hollow spike on the end—a versatile tool that could be used as a stick to stir objects on the ground, or to kill frightened snakes or poisonous insects. He used the pole to knock against the surrounding plants, just to startle the creatures.

Only after alerting the enemy could the expedition team continue to move forward. Sometimes Cheng Yijiu even asked the little black boy Cole to shout loudly, "Why? Why me? Are you using me as bait?" Cheng Yijiu just smiled and said, "Announce to this jungle that humans are walking here. You don't want a snake to fall silently around your neck, do you?"

The python's tracks were discovered by Jack and Cheng Yijiu. "This thing is really big. I hope we don't run into it along the way," Cheng Yijiu muttered. Then he looked up. "Why do I smell a burnt odor?" But he didn't say anything, instead asking the others to continue searching for orchids. There seemed to be a lot of tracks around, and there were no other large animals here. There was also a smell of decay.