Chapter 268: Fresh Mushrooms! Traces of Wang Yun Found!

Mushrooms?

Three or four mushroom stems were scattered around the crevices of the rocks, with a few bits of mushroom flesh still clinging to them. 

On top of that, there was a small puddle of dark brown liquid on the ground, with a trace of oil that had partially dried out. It was obvious that someone had cooked and eaten here recently.

“Judging by the color and smell, these mushrooms were consumed less than ten hours ago. The dark brown liquid on the ground is soup. It hasn’t gone bad yet,” said Ying Yuezi, as she crouched down and wiped a bit of the liquid with her fingers, then brought it to her nose for a sniff. Her expression was one of surprise.

“Ten hours ago? We’ve had the entire forest on lockdown since the early hours of this morning. No residents have come in, and no one has left either. If anyone had exited, our team would’ve reported it,” Wu Yaoming mused, deep in thought.

“If that’s the case, there are only two possibilities. Either a local resident was here looking for herbs or dangerous creatures to sell, or it’s Wang Yun and his group,” Wu Mingyu chimed in.

“I’m leaning toward the second possibility. Before we arrived, I had our team ask around. The forest floor is slick and dangerous after the recent rain, and the number of poisonous creatures has increased. Local residents wouldn’t venture into the forest under these conditions,” Ying Yuezi said, standing up with a glint of excitement in her eyes.

“It’s Wang Yun. It has to be them! They’re really here,” Wu Mingyu exclaimed, his entire body buzzing with excitement. 

The team members behind him were equally energized.

For them, this was a ray of hope breaking through the darkness. Just when they were about to give up, they had stumbled upon fresh evidence of Wang Yun’s presence. If Wang Yun was indeed here, they were confident they could catch him this time.

“Everyone, let’s push forward. Just a few more hours. Wang Yun is close, he’s somewhere in this area,” Wu Mingyu said, filled with determination. “He hasn’t had the chance to buy materials for making a disguise, so he’s most vulnerable right now.”

“If anyone spots anything suspicious or hears any unusual noises, report it immediately,” Wu Mingyu rallied his team, his voice full of resolve.

“Yes, Captain!” 

“Yes, Captain!”

Came the enthusiastic response from the team.

This surge of motivation reignited everyone’s fighting spirit. Even Zhao Youcheng, watching from the control room, felt his hope rekindled. He no longer held them back but instead reminded everyone to stay cautious and safe. Meanwhile, he kept his eyes glued to the screen, determined not to miss a thing.

The entire team’s exhaustion vanished as soon as they received the news that Wang Yun was in the forest. Their pace quickened, and everyone seemed to be filled with new energy. 

They moved faster, and three hours later, Wang Yun spotted them in the distance.

“They’re here. Brother Hu, no matter what you see or what happens, don’t make a sound. Even if I get caught, you still can’t say a word,” Wang Yun said.

He stood beneath the tree where Brother Hu and the others were hiding, quietly reminding them.

Brother Hu and the others were lying awkwardly on the tree branches, but by now they had grown accustomed to the position. In the distance, they could see the beams of flashlights sweeping back and forth.

“Boss, what are you planning to do?” Brother Hu asked nervously, noticing that Wang Yun hadn’t climbed up yet.

“I’m going to speed things up a bit,” Wang Yun said.

He then turned on his flashlight and picked up four large stones, each as wide as his shoulders. He stood by the riverbank, forcing himself not to look down.

Because, at that very moment, his feet were surrounded by wriggling poisonous creatures—snakes, centipedes, toads, spiders—all crawling out from the undergrowth. The swarm of snakes was even larger than what they had encountered the previous day.

Wang Yun had spread the powder that attracted these creatures, and within the last five hours, it had drawn in an entire horde of venomous animals. 

They slithered through the grass, their sinister gazes fixed on him.

Wang Yun, meanwhile, kept wiping himself down with a wet cloth, trying to lower his body temperature. But no matter how much he tried, it didn’t help. The snakes had encircled him completely.

The only thing keeping them at bay was the fact that Wang Yun had covered himself in sulfur powder and wasn’t holding any snake flowers. So, while the snakes didn’t attack, they continued to hiss and flick their tongues, sizing him up, as if trying to figure out what this large figure was up to.

“Boss, get up here! They’re getting closer!” 

Brother Hu could see the flashlights inching nearer, but Wang Yun still hadn’t moved. The tension made Old Hu extremely anxious.

“Almost there,” Wang Yun said calmly, still not moving. 

He listened closely to the footsteps coming from the distance.

After several seconds, Wang Yun took out a leaf. Gathering all his strength, he puffed up his cheeks and placed the leaf between his lips.

Screeech—

Just then, a sudden, sharp sound pierced through the quiet jungle.

Screeech—

Screeech—

Wang Yun blew the sound three times before grabbing his flashlight and aiming it at the group of people about two to three hundred meters away. The beam of the flashlight couldn’t actually reach that far, but in the pitch-black jungle, even at a distance of three or four hundred meters, any light was highly noticeable—especially after the noise from the leaf earlier.

***

“Captain, there’s someone over there!”

“I saw a light! There’s someone, Captain!”

“It’s just ahead, I saw it too!”

Three hundred meters away, the team of inspectors immediately noticed the flicker of light in the distance. After flashing for a couple of seconds, the light quickly disappeared.

“Move! Hurry!”

Wu Mingyu waved his hand, and the whole team sprinted toward the spot. Meanwhile, as they closed in, Wang Yun grabbed the stones next to him and lifted them with all his strength.

“Argh!”

He let out a low grunt as he hurled the rocks into the river in front of him.

The loud splash echoed across the area. One after another, four rocks hit the water.

After finishing with that, Wang Yun turned to the snake flowers nearby, and in one swift move, he yanked off five blossoms. Clutching them tightly, he darted toward the nearest tree.

The moment Wang Yun plucked the snake flowers, the snake swarm that had been watching him lost it, immediately slithering after him, though they weren’t as fast.

Whoosh, whoosh!

In a flash, Wang Yun seemed to move like a skilled martial artist. He jumped up into the tree. Once he was securely on a branch, he quickly pulled out a handful of sulfur powder from his pocket and frantically scattered it down below.

Snakes can climb trees, but not today. 

Some had already started making their way up the trunk, only to be met with an unexpected cloud of sulfur. They recoiled, tumbling back to the ground.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed closer, drawing the attention of the snakes. They sensed a new wave of warm-blooded creatures heading their way, which instantly caught their interest. And right as this swarm of snakes started focusing on the approaching group, their sacred snake flowers came flying at them—hurled by Wang Yun with an unnervingly precise slingshot, landing right at the feet of the oncoming crowd.

Wang Yun let out a deep breath. He had thrown the last snake flower just in time, launching it into the middle of the group.

It all happened within seconds. Any slower, and today might have ended with Wang Yun becoming the snake’s dinner.