In the dense jungle, looking around, all you see is dense vegetation, and even the sky above is blocked by the tree canopy, with only a few stars visible through the gaps in the branches and leaves.
We had originally planned to go to Ping'an Village, but we wasted a whole day and ended up back where we started, getting lost in the jungle.
Fortunately, we were well-prepared this time. We cut down the obstructing bushes and set up the tents in an open area.
Beside the campfire, Lin Que poured drinking water into the iron pot that was boiling water and said, "The food we brought this time was originally enough for seven days, but when we were attacked last night, we lost a travel bag containing food, so the remaining food can only last for three days. If we can't leave this forest within three days, we will run out of water and food!"
"Young Master Duan, if all else fails, let's set it on fire!"
The monkey glared at me fiercely: "Let's set this forest ablaze, and then let's see what can stop us!"
"Let's put aside whether your method is feasible. Even if we're not afraid of the consequences, it's very difficult to start a fire in this humid area. And once the fire starts, the thick smoke could very well kill us!"
I rejected the monkey's plan: "Let's get practical. Generally, people get lost in the forest because there are no landmarks, and the forest is full of trees. Similar scenes can easily confuse a person's visual system, which is why they get lost. I think we were misled by our vision."
Jiang Man, munching on a compressed biscuit, responded, "I don't agree with that statement. While we were traveling, we were all consciously correcting our course. Moreover, the tracks we left behind cannot be changed. Under these circumstances, if we were to return along the same tracks, perhaps one person could make a mistake, but how could so many people make a mistake? If you want your argument to hold water, you must first explain the situation of the tracks along the way."
"This place cannot be explained by common sense. Otherwise, all our electronic devices would not have malfunctioned, and even the compass would not have worked. I think there is something wrong with the magnetic field here."
I picked up a burning branch from the campfire, lit a cigarette, and continued, "Although I don't know why we can't get satellite signals here, there must be a reason why the compass is malfunctioning. Magnetic fields have a great influence on the sense of direction of living things, just like migratory birds. Perhaps we are also affected by this, which has led to an imbalance in our sense of direction."
Having experienced the events of the day, Lin Que had become somewhat delusional: "We've been going in circles, and now we're back to the hypothetical scenario Miss Jiang mentioned! Even if people lose their sense of direction, the traces we left behind are still there. I think this place is definitely haunted! Otherwise, there's no way we could be circling around here!"
I exhaled a puff of smoke: "As I said, what we encountered was a visual illusion. The previous traces were most likely not left by us, but by some wild animal. And we just happened to encounter this while we were disoriented. You can consider it a coincidence."
Lin Que disagreed with my statement: "We were five people walking together before. It's easy to distinguish between human traces and wild animal tracks, isn't it?"
"Let's try again tomorrow. Although we're stuck in this jungle, it's not like we're doomed. We can use a simple method: leave a trail every few meters and then adjust our course to ensure we're always walking in a straight line. It's a bit clumsy, but luckily we're not too deep in this forest. As long as we stick to one direction, we'll eventually find our way out."
"At this point, we have no choice but to try this method."
Jiang Man nodded and said to me, "Since I met you, I have come into contact with too many things that are difficult to explain with science. The closer I get to these ancient civilizations, the more I realize how ignorant I am."
"Ancient technology can never compare to modern technology. It's just that civilizations at different times are different, and in some special periods, those ancient skills have been lost. As laymen looking at experts, we naturally can't explain many things clearly."
I threw the cigarette butt into the campfire: "It's getting late, everyone should get some rest. We'll be busy tomorrow."
"I'll take the first shift for the night watch."
The monkey picked up a piece of toilet paper from the side: "I'm going to the toilet, then I'll come back to keep watch."
After everyone had their shifts arranged, they prepared to rest. I was exhausted and went back to my tent to sleep.
As soon as I crawled into the tent, I heard the monkey roar, "Holy crap! Who is it? Get out here!"
The environment we were in was rather strange, and the monkeys' shouts really cheered me up.
When I rushed out of the tent, Manjing had already rushed ahead. As I ran, I also took off the safety of my pistol and held it in my hand.
The monkey, still crouching in the grass, hadn't even had time to wipe its bottom before it stood up, pulled up its pants, and shone its flashlight ahead: "Young Master Duan, someone ran past that way!"
"Let's chase them together!"
I knew this forest was eerie, so I didn't dare let everyone separate easily. I was the first to rush through the swaying bushes.
Because the monkey spotted us in time, the guy in front didn't leave us too far behind.
I ran about a hundred meters along the woods and could see the figure ahead.
The other person was wearing a bright red outfit and a melon-shaped hat.
We had been wandering in this forest all day when someone suddenly appeared and ran away as soon as they saw us, which made me even more suspicious of their identity. I raised my gun above my head and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The gunshots echoed, startling countless birds into flight. I shouted back, "Stop! Don't run, or I'll shoot!"
The people in front ignored my shouts and instead sped up.
"Bang bang bang!"
I saw that the other party ignored my advice and kept pulling the trigger while lowering the muzzle of his gun.
"Splash!"
As the gunshot rang out, the running man fell into the bushes.
"Grab him!"
Upon seeing the man shot and fall to the ground, the monkey exclaimed with delight and was the first to rush forward, followed by a startled cry: "What the hell is that?!"
The rest of us arrived quickly, and when I saw what was on the ground, the hairs on my body stood on end.
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