Chapter 273: A Formidable Foe! Zhao Lao Leads the Team into the Forest Himself!

“Snake flower?”

When Ying Yuezi heard this, she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine.

“So you’re saying Wang Yun purposely placed that snake flower there and scattered the paper scraps nearby, all just to make me pick up the flower?”

Her voice grew a bit shaky as she spoke, realizing what had just happened. The moment she thought about grabbing that flower, she suddenly felt like her hands were filthy.

“Exactly. The snake flower speeds up the reproductive process of snakes, releasing a scent that encourages them to breed quickly. I underestimated Wang Yun. Every move he made was calculated, a chain reaction all leading us into his trap,” Zhao Youcheng said, his voice carrying a note of regret.

At first, Old Zhao had thought his plan was flawless, without any gaps. But who could have predicted that Wang Yun had been watching his every move, and in such a short time, had already retaliated?

Think about it. They’d only been in the jungle for ten hours. Within that time, Wang Yun had managed to find the snake flower, use sound to mimic animal distress, create splash sounds and flashes of light, and leave behind uneaten food and garbage bags. 

None of those things were random.

Each one was a step in luring them deeper into his trap.

“Terrifying.”

After a long pause, Wu Mingyu finally broke the silence.

It was unclear if he was referring to the horrifying situation they had just experienced or to Wang Yun’s terrifyingly meticulous mind.

“Don’t overthink it,” Old Zhao said, trying to calm the team. “As clever as his trap was, he can only pull it off once. I’ll be there soon. We’ll talk more in person.”

With that, Zhao Youcheng ended the call.

Wu Mingyu, Ying Yuezi, and Wu Yaoming exchanged glances, each one of them wearing the same look of shock.

They were genuinely scared now.

Before, when Wang Yun had set traps that cost them a few team members and captains, they hadn’t felt this level of fear.

Sure, the traps had been clever, but they’d failed to capture him every time. They knew how to set ambushes too, it was part of their training. 

But this… this was different.

Now, in the face of a deadly, unfamiliar jungle, they realized that if they had been in Wang Yun’s shoes, they never would have been able to set up such an intricate trap.

Only a naturalist would know which sounds trigger aggressive reactions in animals.

Only a botanist would know which flowers release scents that cause snakes to breed.

These were skills from entirely different fields, and no one in their team could have possibly mastered them all.

Even if someone mastered all those skills, mimicking that sharp sound so accurately would be incredibly difficult. Yet, Wang Yun managed to do it.

With just three or four sounds, he had successfully drawn out the wild monkeys. It was practically a hundred percent success.

“How on earth did he manage that?” Ying Yuezi’s voice was full of disbelief, and her expression was dazed. She was starting to doubt herself.

She had gone up against Wang Yun before, and back then, she thought he was smart—really smart. But no matter how high someone’s IQ was, they couldn’t know everything, right?

She hadn’t even heard of snake flowers or sounds that could provoke animals.

“A true adversary. A real formidable foe!” Wu Mingyu sighed, breaking the silence after three or four seconds. He looked up at the dark, moonless sky and let out a long, deep breath.

***

“Boss, slow down a bit! It’s getting kinda slippery.” 

At that moment, Wang Yun and his crew were walking along the steep hillside. As they progressed, the path got narrower and narrower, until it practically disappeared. They were almost rock climbing on a slanted surface. Luckily, they all had climbing gear and ropes with them.

Brother Hu was in second place, but his slow pace caused Wang Zi and Xiao Gang to lag behind. 

Meanwhile, Wang Yun had already left them several meters behind.

Wang Yun moved easily and gracefully, like a wild monkey himself, quickly swinging from rock to rock. On the other hand, Brother Hu looked far clumsier.

As he climbed, Brother Hu kept nervously glancing down at the rushing water below. The current seemed endless, with the constant roar of the river surrounding them. Occasionally, small rocks would tumble down, barely causing a splash before being swept away.

“Brother Hu, you’re not usually such a coward. What’s going on with you? Ever since we got to Yun City, you’ve been acting more and more like a scaredy-cat,” Wang Yun teased, pausing to catch his breath while hanging in mid-air. 

Under the faint light of the flashlight, Brother Hu’s body trembled, making his nervous expression almost comical.

His whole face practically screamed one word–scared. Scared to the point of panic.

“Brother Hu, even the boss says you’re acting like a wimp. Did you have a personality change or something after coming here?” Xiao Gang chimed in from the back, laughing.

“Shut up, shut up! Everyone’s got their weak points. I’m not afraid of heights or water, okay? But this is a tropical region! You don’t know what might be lurking in that water. If it’s a crocodile, fine, I’ll just get bitten and die. But if it’s leeches, man, I’d rather just off myself right here!” Brother Hu made a disgusted face, clearly shuddering at the thought.

Wang Yun couldn’t help but laugh. Watching Brother Hu like this was just too funny.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say. You’re the manliest guy around. Just hurry it up, I can see a spot up ahead where we can rest,” Wang Yun glanced ahead. 

He could make out a flat area on the mountainside, enough for the four of them to take a short break.

They’d been moving for an hour and a half straight, and everyone’s energy was running low. On top of that, Brother Hu looked like he was on the verge of a meltdown. 

Who knew how much further they had to go? Even Wang Yun wasn’t sure.

Half an hour later, the four of them collapsed onto the ground. Their arms were shaking from the exertion. Climbing without any safety gear was seriously a test of endurance.

“Phew, how much further is it? This forest is way too big,” Brother Hu said, sounding frustrated.

Wang Yun looked ahead. All he could see was more of the mountainside and the water below. Nothing else in sight.

“We should be close. Let’s rest here for the night. There’s no way those guys can catch up this fast,” Wang Yun guessed.

Where they stopped was actually a pretty nice spot. It was like a natural cave, with a view of the river below and dense forest ahead. The area was just big enough for them to lie down and get some decent sleep. Plus, there was a rocky overhang above them, so they wouldn’t have to worry about rain.

“I’m crashing, I’m beat,” Brother Hu said, and he was out like a light as soon as his head hit the ground.

“He’s not so scared of snakes now, huh?” Xiao Gang joked from the side.

Without opening his eyes, Brother Hu turned over and muttered, “Snakes can’t climb this high. If they do, they’ll starve to death on the way up!”

Everyone burst out laughing. 

He had a point. They were at least ten meters above the river, and the mountainside near the water was practically a sheer drop, smoothed out by the constant flow. Even a fly would slip right off.

Xiao Gang and Wang Zi soon drifted off as well, but Wang Yun wasn’t feeling sleepy at all. His mind was racing, thinking about what the program inspectors might do next if he were in their shoes.