Unmasking the Danger

The air carried the rich moisture of water and decaying leaves, mixed with a faint fishy smell. The sound of the rushing river began to echo, initially like a distant whisper, then becoming clearer, more vibrant. The group slowly stepped through the low ferns, careful not to shake the dew-laden pointed leaves.

The riverbank appeared suddenly, full of vitality but also tinged with unease. The murky gray water stretched out, reflecting the reddening sky above. A few uneven stones scattered on the damp ground were illuminated by the afternoon sun, becoming as sparkling as bright jewels.

Looking further away, a lush green color mixed with fiery red amidst scattered ancient trees. They were flame trees—an extremely effective insect repellent, blooming beautifully against the verdant background of the vegetation. Seraphine slightly narrowed her eyes, looking at the fertile land on the other side of the river, then down at the deadly black humus under her feet.

Two completely different shades.

Too simple, just swim across the river, and they could avoid the deadly humus under their feet.

Was it really that simple?

The young woman squinted, watching the figures gradually become clearer. Near the shore, there were several tall men. One group was leaning against tree roots, while others sat on protruding root sections. Even the fire they had lit was just a small flame.

As if they could hear the sound of the group returning from the deep forest, a tall figure who had been squatting facing the river suddenly turned around. He stood up, put his hands on his hips for a moment, then softly called out something, causing the others to gradually gather.

"How was it, Smonkid? Did you find any safe land?" The man leisurely walked closer, his upper body clad in a tight black long-sleeved shirt, and his lower body in camouflage military pants. Although he asked Mr. Smith, his eyes stared intently at the two strangers.

Or more accurately, he was staring intently at the young woman whose face was bowed.

Covered in blood.

The young woman kept her face bowed, her hands lightly gripping Raf's shoulders, listening to Mr. Smith recount their exploration.

"Within a 2-kilometer radius, it's all this humus. What about your group?"

"Same on the west side. There are some caves, but they're also full of this flesh-eating soil."

"No animals?"

"No."

"Damn it! It can't get any worse than this."

Mr. Smith gritted his teeth and suddenly jutted his chin towards Raf. He spoke in a frustrated tone.

"They belong to another group who woke up in the forest. They encountered—"

Some people became panicked, their faces falling, while others' faces were filled with suspicion. Only Liam—the tall, handsome man with a shaved head—didn't change his expression upon hearing about a deadly danger lurking. He just patiently listened to Mr. Smith without interrupting, his eyes occasionally glancing at the young woman's figure huddled behind Raf.

As soon as Mr. Smith finished speaking, he immediately asked softly.

"Madam, are you a biologist?"

The surrounding air had become colder sometime ago, probably because of the winds near the riverbank. The young woman nodded and shivered slightly.

"Then can madam make some judgment about that terrifying flying creature?"

Exploding arms? Appearing suddenly? What was there to judge? It was just a made-up story. But she could judge another creature.

A creature that truly existed.

"Everyone, what do you think this humus contains that allows it to corrode organic matter?"

Everyone completely focused their attention on the two strangers after hearing the story about the mysterious creature. But no one spoke to answer Seraphine's question. Perhaps they had some guesses in their minds based on compulsory education. But that was all.

Lily pondered for a moment and then said.

"It's either a strong acid like sulfuric acid found in nature or a special biological enzyme." Hesitating slightly, she continued. "It's possible that this forest has a mineral deposit that creates pyrite oxidation. But I've tried a few tests; it's highly likely that it's some kind of microorganism in the soil, possibly fungi that secrete enzymes that corrode organic matter. Any possibility could occur."

"No, that hypothesis lacks practicality. Not to mention that the conditions for pyrite oxidation usually require a combination of many factors. The fact that forest soil is usually rich in organic matter and has high buffering capacity, which helps neutralize natural acids, is enough to make the acid in the humus not that strong." The young woman slightly wiggled her stiff toes. "My feet didn't even directly touch it, but they were blistered and burned."

"What if the plants here aren't Earth creatures, but alien creatures with similar shapes to ferns and Kapok trees... like the two-headed monster in the qualifier? Maybe they can survive in a humus containing strong acid? That's also a possibility worth considering." Facing Seraphine's amused smile, her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a whisper. Even Lily herself wasn't confident in her words.

This was an E-level battlefield. They were essentially just outstanding individuals among ordinary people. If they were dropped into a forest surrounded by a pile of alien plants, it would probably be game over long ago.

Pretending not to hear Lily's "alien plant" argument, the young woman continued.

"What about enzymes from microorganisms? Agreed, they decompose organic matter, but the speed and scope of activity aren't enough to turn the entire land into such a terrifying corrosive area. Enzymes only work locally, not spreading throughout the entire area."

The young woman slightly tilted her head, looking at the black man behind her.

"Mr. Smith, I apologize for hiding this from you. I just wanted to gather with a crowd as quickly as possible; it gave me a sense of security. But there's something we urgently need to discuss, and that's the nest of those terrifying creatures."

"?" The black man's face was full of question marks.

"Nest? Do you mean their lair?"

"Where? Tell us quickly—"

"Nearby?"

Different from the suspicious silence when the fabricated story was told, continuous exclamations of surprise mixed with fear rang out. After the young woman mentioned the nest, those who had been casually thinking about something else simultaneously flinched. Everyone tensely looked at a small, fair finger being raised, then pointed towards Mr. Smith.

Under Mr. Smith's "What the hell are you talking about" gaze, the young woman sighed softly, uttering a sentence that made him dart forward in a flash.

"The nest is behind you."

Raf turned around, and under everyone's puzzled gaze, carried Seraphine past Mr. Smith's former position, walking straight to a nearby Kapok tree. The young woman's small finger slightly moved downwards, pointing directly at the huge winding roots of the tree.

"That's it."

Many people immediately retreated, their wary and suspicious eyes staring at the rough, gray-black roots. Only a few people moved closer to observe.

Liam squatted down, intently looking at the nest. The base of the tree had several tiny holes, with a section of the root darker than the others due to a layer of black-gray slime covering it. Even for his trained eyes, if not observed carefully for a long time, it would be very difficult to distinguish this difference from a normal root.

He was secretly horrified. Those light blue eyes… were not normal!

"We've been walking in this forest for so long. If there was acid vapor rising, our skin should be very dry and itchy." A fair arm formed a fist, constantly massaging her thigh muscles. Raf had just placed her on the tree root above the nest under everyone's terrified gaze. Seraphine comfortably stretched her legs, constantly explaining, as if the nest "under her butt" was just an ant nest.

Liam's eyes flashed, and he blurted out. "This hummus doesn't contain acid."

"That's right, but rather a highly permeable organic solvent." That's why it easily penetrated the 2 or 3 layers of silk wrapped around her feet. Gently licking her lips, Seraphine continued.

"Based on the current forest soil environmental conditions, it can be identified as DMSO. In other words, the nature of the land under our feet is a normal humid tropical rainforest soil." The young woman pulled the person next to her to sit down together. "And it has very high biodiversity."

"We are in an ecological environment similar to Earth, or it may even be Earth itself; this is obvious. But if it were just that, it would be too ordinary for the selection of the most outstanding individuals. This forest may have had some species of creatures released into it."

"Alien." Liam softly continued the young woman's words.

"That's right. Look at what they've done—slaughtered all kinds of creatures. A series of decomposed animal and plant corpses, leaving only this black humus filled with DMSO. It may be combined with protease, lipase, cellulase, or more dangerously, a biological compound that available Earth knowledge cannot explain…" A warm hand reached out, gently pressing on the numb spots on her thigh, causing Seraphine to flinch.

"...contained in their venom." She glanced at the face of the woman beside her.

"They have turned this land into a dense, corrosive mudflat like an acid lake but without affecting the inorganic structure. They wash away all traces left by feeding." Not a single footprint or animal or plant corpse.

"But there are still plants that exist. They are resistant to the toxins of these creatures. Well… we can use them somehow." A young man spoke.

A familiar voice. It was Arthur. Seraphine didn't raise her head and continued to speak.

"You're right. In terms of ecological balance, there will be relationships like parasites and predators; competitors; decomposers; symbiotic species, predators, and prey. But almost 3 hours have passed, and we haven't detected any traces of animals or flying birds except for this nest. This shows that there are creatures in this forest destroying the ecological balance. But some plants survive, like this Kapok tree."

The young woman patted the tree root, trying to explain in the simplest terms.

"And ferns, sundews, and pitcher plants. These species are either habitats or belong to predator, symbiotic, or intermediate detoxification relationships. But they must all share the same property. That is, the chemical and physiological characteristics that help them protect their cells from this humus environment. And if what is predicted is correct, then the kapok tree is the supporting species, or in other words, the habitat of that creature."

Humanity was all on the same side. There was nothing worth hiding or deceiving each other about. At least for this moment. Because there had been no suggestion of needing to fight each other.

Mr. Smith raised his head to look at the sky, his face hardening.

"We are accused of destroying the ecology. Is being dropped here an act of atonement? Do they want us to eliminate this creature? To restore the ecological balance to this land?"

Responding to Mr. Smith's question was Liam's mocking laughter.

Good heavens, he didn't expect Mr. Smith to like dramatizing everything so much. Who cared? The important thing was to survive. Whatever this damn trial was, they could think about it after they survived.