Shekh loved to praise, and on the way back, he fed Shi Jinzhe a whole banana.

"I wish we had some mulberries to eat."

"They'll be available when we get back. Once we leave, the mulberries will be on the market in about ten days to two weeks. The ones grown during the normal season will be sweeter than the ones you ate last time."

Shekh agreed, filled with hope for the mulberries outside. These berries weren't purely sweet, but rather had a slightly sour taste that made your mouth water and then sweeten.

Carrying two kinds of fruit, the two walked a few steps and found a third thing to eat, which was the very rare West African arrowroot.

Shi Jinzhe picked up the triangular orange fruit from the ground. "Have you ever eaten these in your original world? They're incredibly sweet, so sweet they'll make your teeth fall out."

"I've seen it, but because it's a bit sticky, I didn't want to touch it, so I didn't eat it."

“Take these back and try them. Soak them in water, and you’ll be able to drink sweet water every day.” Shi Jinzhe took all the fruits he could see with him. “And for two hours after you eat them, everything you eat will taste sweet.”

Shekh exclaimed with delight, "They're all sweet? Then let's hurry back!"

The two followed the light back to the car, where the aroma of fish soup wafted out, filling the air with its delicious flavor.

An unexpected guest was found on the roof of the car, which made Shi Jinzhe quite unhappy.

A green tree python, slightly smaller than yesterday's anaconda, was coiled on the tree above the car. Its bright green scales had some blue tinge, and its rostrum scales were yellowish, creating a dreamlike appearance. Even people who are afraid of snakes would have to say it was beautiful.

In short, yesterday's visitor was a disheveled brute, while today's visitor is a meticulously dressed nobleman.

Shi Jin said in a serious tone, "I have quite a few suitors."

They've all come to defend their territory.

Sheh's territory is marked by her aura, which other animals are afraid to approach, but for these snakes, this area is as if it has been specially reserved for her to choose a mate.

Shekh: "You like me, so isn't it normal for them to like me too?"

In this gigantic animal world, these two snakes have far more insight than the snakes in the forest where they used to live.

After thinking about it, Shech actually did some serious hypotheticals and came to a conclusion.

“If I had lived here before, you might not have been a part of this at all.”

“Both are pythons and anacondas, there’s no way you can be with them,” Shi Jinzhe told her calmly and bluntly. “There’s a term called reproductive isolation.”

“We’re practically species isolated, and I haven’t seen you say it’s not okay.”

This person is so hypocritical.

"You've made me very sad." Shi Jinzhe felt that this wasn't enough, so he added, "I'm extremely sad."

Shekh looked at his expression upon hearing this and saw that he did indeed seem quite sad.

"I was just saying, whether it will work or not, I don't know."

She shooed the green tree python away with her tail and pointed to the collar of her clothes: "You only ever touch this spot, so I can't give you a definitive conclusion."

“It’s not my fault,” Shi Jinzhe disagreed. “It’s a game, there are so many uncertainties.”

He can't just ignore everything else and keep this kind of thing on his mind all the time.

Teachers worry that early romantic relationships in high school will distract students and hinder their studies; bosses worry that family life will divert their energy when they get married. Once a person's focus is shifted by something or someone, they will inevitably be affected.

He wasn't sure if his infatuation with Sheikh, as the relationship progressed, would lead him to become so engrossed that he would become complacent and oblivious to danger.

Her allure was so strong that even the serpent in the Garden of Eden would concede defeat; once the forbidden fruit was tasted, it led to utter ruin.

Shi Jinzhe: "In a game where life and death are at stake, if you can't distinguish between what's important and what's not, it's no different from actively courting death. Between a moment and forever, I prefer the latter. Man proposes, God disposes. If something happens to me, where will you go?"

If Shehe were to be recycled by the system or sent back to her original world, that would be one thing, but if she were to be picked up by someone else, Shi Jinzhe could not accept that outcome.

He drops items upon death; he can die, but Shekh cannot become someone else's.

"I'm afraid I'll get too distracted, it's not that I don't want to."

He's already absurdly jealous of a snake, so what's impossible for him?

Shehe listened attentively. She understood what he meant. Although Shi Jinzhe said to prioritize, she was the main reason.

She threw down what she was holding and reached out to hug Shi Jin's neck: "I'll protect you."

"That's great." But after Shi Jinzhe finished speaking, he made her turn around and look behind her.

"But before you can protect me, you need to deal with your third suitor first."

"This is not my fault."

Shekh swung its tail and whipped away the new red-tailed boa behind it.

Shi Jin stroked her hair twice, and a line from a song came to mind: "It's your fault for being too beautiful."

He patted Shekh on the shoulder, signaling her to take her hand off. Picking up the fruit from the ground, Shi Jinzhe said, "It's late, let's go back to the car."

He really didn't want to see a fourth male guest.

.

Day 8 of the game.

After a day of rest, the two regained their energy and set off again at seven in the morning.

After traveling for three hours through the dense forest, Shekh suddenly gripped the wooden box tightly. "Time has come, and this golden cocoon has changed course."

The golden butterfly on the map changed direction and flew back the way they came. It crossed a lake, indicating to the two that their destination had changed to another rainforest.

This means that all three hours they spent walking were wasted.

Shi Jin threw away the wooden stick he had been using to probe the way, taking three seconds to calm himself down.

Three seconds later, he picked up a new branch from the side.

As a result, the thing he was holding moved, and its long, segmented legs, like withered wood, trembled and stretched out in the air twice.

“That’s a stick insect,” Sheikh pointed out to him.

"...I took the wrong one."

Shi Jinzhe discarded the stick insect he had mistakenly picked up, then picked up another one to confirm that it was a real tree trunk. He and Shekh then turned around and walked back.