The Kapok Nests

"So, any creature still alive in this forest could be the cause of the ecological destruction. Ferns, kapok, pitcher plants, and sundews, these creatures themselves originally came from Earth, so they can be ruled out. But we can't be sure they'll resist the toxins of those creatures, because this humus is synthesized from many substances." Liam slowly analyzed, following the young woman's line of reasoning.

Mr. Smith stared intently at the rough, gray-black tree roots. He couldn't remember the last time he encountered sundews and pitcher plants, as he had mainly focused on observing and searching for traces of animals. Ferns and this type of tree—he had just learned it was called kapok—were almost everywhere.

Too dangerous, that tree was initially so close to him.

Liam continued coldly.

"According to what you said, you discovered it early on before meeting us. Meaning there isn't just one nest, right?"

"That's right." Seraphine nodded slightly, gently dropping a bomb of fear into the crowd. "They are present at every kapok tree."

"What?"

Several people immediately ran as fast as they could to other kapok trees and examined them. They returned one by one with pale faces and sweaty hands.

"What do we do? We don't have any protective suits. We haven't even built shelter yet." Mr. Smith gritted his teeth softly.

"It's a nocturnal creature. No individuals have been lingering around the nests since I started discovering them. The only chance is to find a way to deal with it before nightfall. Nocturnal creatures may be weaker during the day; we can't waste any more time."

Liam suddenly raised his head and spoke.

"You said it's a nocturnal creature. So why did they attack the people with you?"

When it was still daylight.

All eyes suddenly turned to the two women. "You killed someone." Liam said, walking closer to Seraphine, squatting down to look directly at the young woman. The young woman suddenly raised her head.

Facing those wet, light blue eyes full of amusement for the first time, his gaze shifted from sharp to dazed. Before Liam could recover, a hand suddenly placed itself on his firm shoulder blade, and lifted him up, causing him to not even have time to react, and he straightened up following the pulling force.

For a moment, his body was still stunned, as if he hadn't digested what had just happened. Suppressing the urge to step back, the man stood still, behind him Mr. Smith's voice exclaimed in astonishment.

Sensing that everyone had quickly moved behind him, Liam tried to regain his composure, glancing at the woman who continued to massage the young woman's legs. The woman also looked up at him.

That strength—

Liam suddenly shifted his gaze to the ground.

"So what?" Seraphine tilted her head. "It's true that the blood on me belongs to someone else because she..." The small hand pointed to the person beside her. "...killed them with her own hands."

Sweeping her gaze over the wary faces in front of her, she explained softly.

"They wanted to rape me. Raf helped me. If I hadn't lied, we wouldn't be able to stand here and talk peacefully, would we?"

Mr. Smith took a breath, sounding slightly annoyed as he said, "You could have told the truth from the beginning. We wouldn't have abandoned you two either." He paused for a moment, then softly gritted his teeth. "And were they crazy? Just appearing in the arena and already acting lecherous, as if they drank an aphrodisiac—"

The deep voice suddenly stopped. Mr. Smith, and everyone else, all focused their gaze on Seraphine.

The young woman suddenly stood straight on the tree root, using both hands to smooth back her messy hair, revealing her small face. Even though her whole face was covered in blood, her light blue eyes, pretty nose, plump mouth, and an enchanting slender figure—they created a strange combination, as if wanting to吸走 the souls of those facing her.

The bloodstains only made the beauty in front of them even more captivating.

Seraphine carefully observed the expressions of each person. Not normal! Just like the initial group, they were starting to show signs of being mesmerized. But the person she needed to test. The young woman looked directly at the tall man opposite her.

The person she needed to test was Liam—who had undergone thousands of brutal mental training sessions.

Special forces.

Facing the young woman's gaze, Liam instinctively lowered his eyes, avoiding that enchantment. As if realizing his strange action, he raised his head again, observing the young woman.

What she suspected was correct. Her body—had become increasingly bizarre.

There needed to be a wake-up call, like the initial group.

"Raf tore off the left arm of the one who wanted to humiliate me, then twisted his head backward."

Crack. She cracked her knuckles, creating a sound.

"And he turned into a corpse."

The young woman's words were like a bucket of cold water splashed on everyone's heads.

"But what if this nest isn't from the creature that secretes the toxin you just mentioned but something else... Everything is just speculation anyway." Liam cleared his throat slightly and spoke.

"If it's not the danger, then it's also the parasite that can only live on this humus with the new danger. And I will also need a sample of them to find a way to..."

Small lips suddenly curled up.

"No need to swim across the river."

He suddenly turned his face away, avoiding that smile.

"What we need to do is just cross the river." After a moment of thought, Liam spoke. Then he turned around and shouted.

"We will swim across the river in 15 minutes!"

"Swim across the river? To die in the dark? What privilege do you think you have that just swimming across the river will win the game? This side of the forest, in the river, or the other side of the forest." The young woman slowly stared at Liam's back, enunciating each word. "The level of danger is the same."

"Ah, at most it's like dealing with a pack of Murak. Still better than a creature with terrifying venom." Liam sneered.

Catching the gloomy gazes mixed with a hint of heat in front of her, Seraphine continued to raise her hand, pointing at the nest.

"Between a creature that has been predicted and another mysterious creature. Which one do you want to choose? At least if you deal with what's in this nest, you don't need to sacrifice some lives to explore."

Was there any need to hesitate? Hesitating about such an obvious choice.

Why was this bald man insisting on crossing the river? A pack of Murak? Talking as if Murak were his guard dog.

A sharp, shark-like jaw and a 3-meter-long armored body of some creature suddenly flashed in her mind…

Seraphine shuddered.

Mr. Smith also felt that Liam was too ridiculous, even if he was a special forces soldier. There was nothing to hesitate or consider, because the golden moment was now, before dark. He didn't hesitate to blurt out.

"That's right. Dealing with one species is still better than fighting two species at once."

Looking directly at Liam with a sharp, uncompromising gaze, Mr. Smith continued to retort.

"Clearly, that river is more dangerous. Just take a gamble for once, Liam. If we win, we'll survive."

He knew what Liam was thinking. He just hoped to see Murak—the crocodile-like creature in that river. Suicide, maybe, revenge, maybe.

Mr. Smith sighed, walked over, and patted Liam's shoulder, whispering something in his ear, causing his face to suddenly become sorrowful.

"But we still need to prepare in case we need to go into the water."

Liam said coldly, turning abruptly towards the crowd.

The sunset was so beautiful, but no one wanted to enjoy its beautiful colors. For them, it was a harbinger of the coming darkness. That creature would be active at night. That meant the first night in this forest could be their last.

The tall man with the shaved head looked up at the sky; he felt like he was on a death slide. Less than 3 hours had passed since they woke up, but it already seemed like dusk. If they remained ignorant of this danger for these 3 hours, death could engulf every individual here in just a few hours. If not—

But no, he had originally planned to swim across the river; he wouldn't die without her.

What was wrong with him anyway?

Liam secretly glanced at the young woman resting her head on the shoulder of the woman beside her. His eyes swept over, suddenly catching the nonchalant gaze of someone. Those eyes were full of amusement, even a slight eyebrow raised as a greeting. Just a fleeting glance, but Liam felt fear as if every pore on his body was being scrutinized, and everything was naked under that lazy gaze.

This person—luckily no one noticed that he was "forced" to stand up earlier.

Quickly lowering his gaze to the ground, Liam tried to ignore the goosebumps on his neck and walked closer, speaking slowly.

"Do you have any suggestions, Seraphine?"

"No."

Actually, with his experience in the forest and dealing with strange creatures, Liam had a few methods. Everyone had already begun preparing, their eyes occasionally glancing at the young woman. He didn't intend to let Seraphine say anything more in front of everyone; it would slightly shake his leadership position. He honestly just wanted to hear that voice with its charming tone a little more.

Knowing it was ridiculous, Liam didn't understand what was wrong with himself either. Clearly, she was just a disheveled girl with an unclear appearance, yet she made him feel restless and eager to… ever since he caught that gaze.

What a beast! He cursed inwardly.

Everyone was ready. They smeared the liquid secreted from crushing fern leaves, pitcher plants, and sundews all over their bodies, from head to toe, leaving no spot untouched. Then they scraped off some pieces of kapok bark from a nearby self-secreting resin tree, smeared resin all over the bark to make weapons, and used some larger pieces of bark as skewers. A 1-meter-long fire barrier near the riverbank had been erected. Every action was carried out extremely quickly, without a single unnecessary movement.

Considering their physical fitness and limited space, everyone unanimously excluded some people from the "ambush," including all the women and some of the weak, scholarly men. Seraphine happily took a few large leaves and tightly wrapped them around her legs and neck, clutching Raf's waist tightly, ready for any situation. Her eyes watched the tall figures surrounding the base of the Kapok tree. Especially the figures very close to the nest.

Liam smeared Kapok resin over most of the tiny holes, then decisively threw a burning piece of bark into the nest. The young woman frowned slightly at his action. Within 5 seconds, a pungent smell rose from the flowing slime. Accompanied by an increasingly loud buzzing sound.