Chapter 123 The Mystery of the Second Day
You fell like a bird that had fallen, crashing straight into your sleeping bag.
Holding my breath, I slowly pulled the sleeping bag up with one hand and completely tucked myself inside.
Close your eyes.
But you heard it—
A sound came from behind the plastic film.
He hasn't left yet. He's talking.
You can't hear clearly through the layers of tent membrane.
His accent was heavy, and in the rainforest at night, it wasn't just humans who were still awake.
And... you have a gut feeling he won't say anything good.
I won't listen, I won't listen, you're just spouting nonsense.
By diverting your attention like this, you won't remember when you fell asleep.
When you wake up, there are already sounds of pots and pans clattering outside.
Logistics officer Freddy called out, "You bunch of sleepyheads, get up! If you're any later, there won't be any food left!"
You sat up, your sleeping bag damp, the smell of sweat mixed with the stench of mud. You rubbed your temples, your throat felt like it had swallowed mud, and your head was still spinning, as if you'd just survived a night of fever.
But you still slowly crawled out of the tent.
Tsk.
You saw Carlos at first glance.
He sat by the fire, hopping around as he peeled a boiled, whitish ear of corn. He looked lazy and joked with Becca, saying, "I dreamt that I jumped into the water yesterday, and when I woke up I found that my leg was still broken."
Becca laughed a few times: "Very good, your physical condition is excellent, so you won't miss our schedule today."
“It’s good to be young,” Freddy grumbled as he stirred the porridge in the pot. “I might have been able to do that when I was young, but now I can only cook and look after the packs in the army.”
You stand there, stunned, the sun shining on your face, your hands soaked with sweat, your mind still stuck on that face pressed against the window film at dawn.
Is that him?
In fact, after a night, you're no longer sure if you had a dream.
And who knows, if it's just a dream, how would you interpret the potential warnings that such a bizarre dream might bring?
If it was just a dream, why do you still remember the "light pressure" of the screen protector being applied? The smell of that misty layer? The whisper behind your ear?
You reluctantly accepted Freddy's comment and offered a few compliments. After grabbing your breakfast, lost in thought, you heard a laughing voice behind you:
"Wow, your eyes are so blatant."
You were startled, and then realized that you were probably not in your right mind early in the morning, because you had been staring at Carlos for a long time.
It was Tony who said those words.
She took a bite of a wild fruit with a morsel in her mouth, smiling to reveal eight teeth, but her arms crossed over her chest gave her a rather distant air.
She tilted her head and looked at you: "I get it, Carlos is really sexy. I almost cried when he got hurt."
You paused for a moment, then blushed bright red and quickly waved your hands: "No, no, it's not like that—I'm just, uh, just a little curious that he recovered so quickly."
Tony completely ignored your explanation, just gave you a knowing look, and patted your shoulder with a grin: "Of course, of course, I'm worried about that too. Especially since I don't know if his muscles, lines, and physique have changed!"
How could this person think of so many things...?
Could it be that...?
Look at Tony's lively, swaying ponytail, then look at Carlos, and you feel like you've guessed something strange.
"Alright, little crush, I'll take you to chat with the sexy little boy." After you finished eating, Tony immediately put his arm around you and headed towards Carlos.
"No, you don't want to—" As soon as you said that "you," you felt Tony's eyes roll around, as if they were glued to you.
You immediately became alert, your tongue tied, and you changed your words: "I don't think we need to make things so complicated. I'm not interested in him; I'm just concerned about my fellow travelers."
Tony's expression returned to normal. She released you and shrugged, "Okay, in that case, I'll go check out today's plans with them. You're free to do as you please."
You breathe a sigh of relief.
The displeasure I felt earlier stemmed from being coerced by Tony, being misunderstood, and the fact that she ultimately didn't believe me. All of that has been replaced by the joy of you seemingly finding the meaning of "I" and "you" in the universal rules.
So that's what it means.
Instead of talking about how others are, express how I am.
Even if what you say is offensive, or even if you criticize others, as long as your starting point is "my" opinion, it is respectable; and even if you are defending your own position and opinion, it is wrong if you rudely point out how "you" are.
However, your happiness didn't last long before trouble came knocking on your door.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Carlos asked, just trying to get closer to you. "Your tents are in such a great spot; it seems like the wind was blowing right there all night. I'm so envious."
“…Hmm, it’s alright,” you replied.
But how does he know where the vents in your tent are located?
You pretend to bend down and tidy your backpack, but your eyes unconsciously dart over to him out of the corner of your eye.
His legs were still wrapped in bandages, and blood was already seeping through the bandages that had just been put on right in front of you, yet he sat upright and relaxed, without even a trace of pain.
Just yesterday he was someone who would yell and scream at the slightest pain, but now he can only lie there weakly groaning.
Whether or not what happened in the early morning was a dream, you're certain that something's wrong with Carlos.
You don't care what happens to him, but you're worried about yourself.
You probably fell for something when you tried to help him yesterday.
As always, apart from you, no one in this "local" team questioned Carlos's form.
You can only rely on your own observation to have any thoughts or concerns.
However, I don't know if it's because the air here is too humid, or if you were really affected by something.
All day long, you feel like clothes soaking in a basin of water, so heavy you can't lift them up.
Your ears feel stuffy, and your eyelids always feel hot. You know you're awake, but you keep having the illusion that you haven't woken up from a dream.
You keep looking at Carlos, even though you'll drift off into your own thoughts a moment later because of your own sensory experiences.
But the more this is the case, the more you need to force yourself to carefully observe what Carlos will do and what he intends to do, while also completing today's scientific expedition tasks.
You need to find the problem with Carlos. His current state, his continued presence in the team, must indicate he has other motives.
And the negative state you have can only be eliminated after you find the root cause.
You shook your head to clear your mind.
The terrain in the place we're going to today is more complex, so you have to be careful not to fall.
The professor led you to a fault zone, saying that this was the site of last year's landslide, and that comparative photography here is of great significance.
“We’ll use drones for modeling,” she said. “We need to capture the complete fault texture from the top of the cliff to the bottom. Carlos, since you’re here today, fly well; there’s a lot to record.”
Carlos grinned and raised his hand: "Yes, ma'am, I guarantee high quality!"
“The slope is steeper on the other side of the cliff, but the wind is better.” Ramon pointed to a steep slope covered with vines. “You can climb over there and set up a vantage point.”
Tony patted Carlos on the shoulder: "Today you're the director, and we're all actors."
Everyone burst into laughter, but you just looked down at what was in front of you.
There was a patch of hanging vines—long, slippery, and unevenly spaced, which at first glance looked like the ribs of a giant scattered in the rainforest.
For the first test flight, everyone needed to help.
Tony is in charge of synchronizing timestamps, you assist Mina with data recording, and the professor is watching the real-time monitor to guide Carlos.
When Max had nothing else to do, he was in charge of taking photos for everyone.
He also enjoys taking photos, but it seems that ordinary angles don't satisfy him.
"Dora!" he called out.
Dora is collecting samples on the ground—she is meticulous and careful, and Professor Shia trusts her to handle the collection alone, especially when the professor is in a hurry.
"?" Dora looked up.
Max gestured exaggeratedly a few times, and Dora understood, pointing to him with her hand.
They probably thought they were moving very quietly while carrying the professor, but to you, who was trying not to faint, they looked like monkeys that could sign language, jumping around.
You're feeling unwell and irritable. Just as you were trying to get Max to behave, you saw him dart up the vine in no time.
The vines were swaying violently. Max held onto the tree trunk with one hand, and used the other to point the camera at you below.
You're still looking at him when he suddenly waves his arm at you: "Hey! Catch!"
Before you can react, something dark comes flying at you. You grab it and realize it's a camera.
You looked at him, puzzled.
He pointed to Dora, who was engrossed in her work again, then to himself, making a "please" face.
Okay, he just wants you to take a picture of him too.
You raise the camera—
Then he fell.
No, the vine broke.
With a soft thud, Max's body flipped over, like a puppet in the air, his feet still entangled in several vines, hanging upside down above your heads, his body swaying violently in mid-air.
Your reaction was much slower; upon seeing this, you instinctively raised your camera to focus on him—in that instant, all you could see was his upside-down face, sweat dripping from his forehead into his eyes, his lips curving upwards, his teeth clearly defined.
He smiled at the camera.
You feel intense dizziness for a moment.
My hair stood on end, my feet felt like they were sinking into thin air, I couldn't stand steadily, and I almost dropped the camera I was holding.
Max then broke free of the vines and jumped down.
"Hey, girl from the Flower Kingdom, are you alright?" he asked, seemingly out of concern.
You wave your hand and return the camera to him.
He scratched his head, opened the camera, and started taking selfies.
While filming, he said to you, "Honestly, were you scared by me just now? Aren't I very manly? Look at my muscles! I was a little worried that not being able to go to the gym these past few days would cause my muscles to sag, but now it seems that as long as the professor doesn't catch me, I can do anaerobic training anytime!"
This man, oblivious to everything else, spread his wings like a roc in front of you.
You can only laugh awkwardly and then turn back to your work.
Oh, and you also need to keep an eye on Carlos.
I don't know if you missed something because Max interrupted you, but Carlos acted perfectly normal the whole time.
The professor was also very happy to have obtained such excellent aerial footage.
She high-fived everyone until she reached you, at which point her expression suddenly turned serious.
"What's wrong?" She puts her hand on your forehead.
You feel that her lip movements and voice are out of sync when she speaks, and the more you try to listen, the less you can hear her.
"Don't move." The professor's voice was calm and crisp.
You see her squat down, and oh, you're pulled down to sit too. The guide, Ramon, and the others join in.
“Her face is flushed, her skin is dry and hot, she has stopped sweating, and her eyes are unfocused…” she said, pressing your forehead and wrist. “She has heatstroke; these are early signs of heat exhaustion.”
Heatstroke?
Your lips are dry, and your tongue feels sticky in your mouth: "I...I'm fine...I..."
“Alright, don’t talk.” Professor Shia stood up and said to Ramon, “Wet cloth, electrolyzed water, quick.”
You want to resist, but a blast of cold air suddenly presses against the back of your neck.
Before the guide Ramon could react, Dora had already brought over an alcohol-soaked towel and pressed it down on him.
You felt a jolt and began to tremble slightly.
The professor's voice is like a stick gently tapping on the boundaries of your consciousness.
"Don't try to tough it out. Do you think this is just your problem? If you faint, we'll be the ones carrying you out."
You were forced to lean against a tree trunk, arms outstretched, as Becca held a dropper and dripped a mouthful of liquid electrolyzed water into your mouth. It tasted salty and bitter, but you did feel better.
Ramon returned then, bringing a whole barrel of alcohol for disinfection.
An alcohol-soaked towel was wiping you down. You felt the heat rising from your chest, finally… finally…
You finally caught your breath, after more than two hours had already passed.
The professor didn't seem to care much about these things, after all, this morning your small team had already achieved results beyond her expectations.
The main group is cooking lunch and resting.
And with your hair still wet, and your coat draped over your shoulders to keep cool, another mosquito bites you.
Your lips are pressed against a bottle of warm oral rehydration solution, and Becca is staring at you, urging you to drink it properly.
You silently did as instructed, and then you understood something in your heart.
Carlos didn't affect you; you just got sick because you weren't used to the environment.
So, should we continue to keep an eye on Carlos?
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Author's note: Hehe
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