"Shekh, give me the fuel packet and lighter from your pocket."

Shi Jin wrung out the wet cloth strips, wrapped them around the slightly dry end of the stick, and then tightly tied the clothes into a cloth bag.

He held the dry end of the stick in his hand the whole time. This end was not very wet, while the other end, because it had been soaked in water, was damp and not easily flammable, which prevented the flames from spreading downwards, making it suitable as a handle.

Shekh opened the zipper of her down jacket pocket, took out a fuel pack, and waded into the water. Before she could even take her eyes off the wrecked body, she asked, "It's so wet, will you be alright?"

"Yes, I discovered that this stuff can burn in water when I was roasting lamb the other day."

"Then hold the torch tight, and I'll lead you across the river."

"Hmm." Shi Jinzhe left a strip of cloth to tie his hand and the wooden stick together, to ensure that the torch would not slip from his hand.

The river is wide, with many small whirlpools on the surface, so it must be quite deep.

He worried that the river was also alive, and if he were accidentally dragged down, the torchlight would be his landmark.

With the rain so heavy and the air so pungent, Shekh might not be able to find himself in the river immediately. This was more important than providing light or a temporary deterrent, which is why Shi Jinzhe had to make a makeshift torch.

He ran a hand through his hair, took out his prop, the "Inextinguishable Lighter," and lit the oil-soaked cloth bag.

Flames suddenly burst into flames, and Shekh grabbed his wrist, and the two of them entered the surging, turbulent river together.

The murky yellow water was so cloudy that nothing could be seen. Relying on his last memory of the map, Shekh led Shi Jinzhe to the place indicated by the golden butterfly.

Shi Jin shone his torch down, but could not see the riverbed; the river was very deep.

In the water, some small fish, whose brains did not receive Sheikh's threatening signals, swam fearlessly toward him.

Shekh brushed aside the school of fish, his long tail swam steadily in the water: "My tail didn't touch the bottom; this river is very deep."

Shi Jinzhe said, "With such deep, flowing water, even if you were here, it shouldn't be able to keep out even a few small animals. I think there might be a problem."

“Yes, there are some.” Shekh felt his tail being touched by something cool and fishy just now.

Touching the scales, she recognized it as a snake, perhaps quite large.

After swimming for a few more minutes, the snake touched Shekh again. Shekh flicked her tail underwater to drive away the snake that was bothering her.

The water stirred, and Shi Jin asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"There are snakes in the water, be careful," Shekh said, slapping his tail for the third time in the water.

After wading through the rapids for half an hour, Shi Jinzhe and Shehe finally stepped into the mud.

The river narrows, and ahead lies a rainforest.

The lush greenery obscured the night sky, and the riverbanks were covered with thick layers of leaves.

The two followed the river deeper into the water, and after swimming several dozen meters, they came out and walked upstream.

Shi Jinzhe emerged from the water first. Behind him, Sheh paused, his murderous gaze fixed on the water.

The half of her tail that remained in the water was entangled by a huge anaconda, thicker and extremely powerful than her.

It was the one that had been bothering her in the water.

At this moment, the anaconda has triggered a life mission and is trying to stick its tail on something.

Despite being whipped several times underwater, it refused to give up and followed us here.

The scent molecules collected by its forked barbels tell it that this is a snake in heat and she is craving a mate.

She might have just been a little irritable, which is why she hit herself.

Shekh had no idea what the anaconda was thinking. She curled its tail back and flung it away with a whoosh.

The anaconda's body crashed into the water, and it was only when it was almost shoved to the bottom by Shekh that it came to its senses. Realizing it couldn't win, it had no choice but to give up and go find its next mate for the year.

After quickly dispatching the anaconda, she swished her tail in the water, turned around, and continued towards the riverbank.

Shi Jinzhe was soaked to the bone. He stood to the side, taking a deep breath, not even in the mood to wipe the rain off his face.

How annoying! Crossing a river only to find myself facing a rival who isn't even from the same species.

When the anaconda hooked up with Shekh, their two wild tails touched, and he thought he was watching something about man and nature.

They are nature, he is human, they are incompatible.

Standing there, I could only serve as a narrator at best.

The gigantification of animals certainly includes snakes, especially heavyweights like the green anaconda, which would certainly be even larger.

With a heavy heart, Shi Jinzhe untied the strip of cloth from his hand and walked into the rainforest with Shehe.

The water's edge is a place where animals frequently come, but with the water level rising sharply, it's no longer suitable for them to stay there. They have to move further in to find a more suitable place to rest.

Tall, dense rainforest shrubs blocked some of the rain, and twisted or thorny vegetation was everywhere.

Birds chirped in the bushes, and in the deep rainforest, the two of them stepped on dead branches and fallen leaves with every step.

After walking for a long time through winding paths, Sher could still hear the sound of the rushing water outside.

They weren't far enough from the river, but the rain overhead kept intensifying, hitting their faces uncomfortably, and they needed to rest.

Shekh said to Shi Jinzhe, "Let's rest here."

The road underfoot is too slippery, and there's no guarantee of finding a suitable place to rest.

It was damp at night, so Shi Jin had to get clean clothes from the car to change into. Along the way, she had helped him get rid of several palm-sized leeches.

"Okay, let's rest. It must be very late now," Shi Jinzhe replied, brushing away the spider that had fallen onto his shoulder.

The two found a barely open space, cut down a few trees, and made room for the car.

The trailer was unloaded, and the cargo box and cab were crammed with stuff.

Shi Jinzhe opened the back door, and some food and other odds and ends fell out. He held the door open and used his ring to clear the things out.

After clearing out a suitable place for them to stay, he let Sheikh get into the car first, and then followed closely behind.

The temperature inside the carriage was still the same as it was in the morning, 22 degrees Celsius, neither too hot nor too cold, just right, as comfortable as if I had returned to the human world.

The car's clock showed it was 2 a.m.

For the last ten kilometers from the cliff, they walked for eleven hours in cold water.

He took out the golden cocoon and compared its location with the map to make sure he hadn't gone to the wrong place. He breathed a sigh of relief before entering the bathroom to relax with hot water.