Jungle Fraught with Peril

At dawn, when the sky had just begun to brighten, Colonel Packard dragged the soldiers out of their sleeping bags.

Colonel Packard had a strong military bearing, cold-faced and iron-blooded, with strict demands for his subordinates. But the soldiers did not dislike him, because he led by example and deeply valued every one of their lives.

As the sun rose, Skull Island’s primitive scenery was intoxicating!

Mountain peaks clustered together and rolled into the distance. Towering ancient trees rose from the ground, while an unshakable blanket of white mist covered the forest sea. Beneath cliffs carved as if by knives and axes lay deep, shadowy ravines, from which startled flocks of birds occasionally burst forth.

Yet beneath this beautiful landscape lurked deadly danger.

For example, the dark masses of birds sweeping across the sky—upon closer inspection, they turned out to be an extremely ancient aerial predator, similar to pterosaurs, with sharp, serrated beaks.

As the group ventured deeper into the jungle, the Dog Pack surrounding Shan immediately became lively. It was as though they had spotted a freshly renovated home, with enemies everywhere.

Huskies were energetic creatures. If you did not let them go wild, they would drive you wild instead. So Russell did not stop the fifteen dogs and let them fully unleash their home-wrecking instincts.

The fifteen dogs ran off like the wind and vanished from sight. Before long, roars and snarls rang out from the direction in which they had disappeared.

The dogs had carelessly pissed around to mark their territory, enraging the original owners of the area—more than thirty Blade-backed Hyenas.

They were called hyenas, but they resembled four-legged velociraptors more. The bones along their backs had grown excessively, protruding from their bodies like steel spikes. They had long remained in a ferocious, cruel predatory state and were not creatures to be trifled with.

Skull Island had many bizarre savage beasts: long-legged Giant Spiders, Stick Insects that looked like deadwood, Swamp Squids. They were merely some of them.

Unlike the bully-like velociraptors that picked on the weak and feared the strong, Blade-backed Hyenas were violent by nature. With territory at stake, they launched a fierce battle against the dogs, unwilling to retreat a single step.

By the time the group arrived, the battle had already ended. The sight at the scene was almost too dreadful to look at.

More than twenty male Blade-backed Hyenas were dead or injured, curled up at the edge of the battlefield as they licked their wounds, trembling with grief and indignation. Meanwhile, the dogs sat atop their spoils and celebrated their victory. Since there was not enough to go around, several of them were sitting in line waiting their turn.

Russell: "…"

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but it felt as if everyone had silently moved a few steps away from him.

Especially Ying Yingying. Her face was written all over with disgust, as if silently saying, A dog reveals its owner. Whatever kind of dogs you have, that is what kind of owner you are.

Russell was embarrassed to death. He drew his Desert Eagle and fired a shot into the sky, chasing away the disgruntled dogs before continuing through the jungle, leaving behind a pack of Blade-backed Hyenas fiercely licking away their tears.

The soldiers did not slaughter them. No matter how one looked at it, they were the victims.

This was only a small snapshot of the group’s journey through the jungle. The dogs tyrannized the local wildlife, charging recklessly ahead and leading everyone over mountains and across rivers. At last, in the afternoon, they passed through this jungle "fraught with peril."

More accurately, it was the departure of a calamity that allowed the jungle to return to its usual state of being fraught with peril!

"Mr. Jason, I never knew people like you still existed in this world. Could you tell me about the world you belong to?"

Professor Rand had been trying to ingratiate himself with Russell all along. The "you people" he referred to meant Russell and Ying Yingying. Although the latter looked like a Little Lori around ten years old, no one truly thought of her that way. She carried four large bags on her back, stuffed full of Tyrannosaurus Rex fangs.

On Earth, a girl who could carry seventy kilograms and hike through a jungle was not called a loli.

When Professor Rand had first encountered Russell and Ying Yingying, after his initial shock, all that remained was excitement. He believed Russell surely knew information about monsters, and building a good relationship with him was crucial to the Monarch Organization.

"Our world is very dangerous. That is all I can tell you; I cannot say more. Trust me, it is for your own good!" Russell brushed him off. He did not think much of Professor Rand. The man had organized an expedition team yet concealed the truth, causing many people to die miserable deaths.

As for the Monarch Organization behind him, Russell found it even more ridiculous. If they had not repeatedly courted disaster, Earth would have remained peaceful all along.

"Mr. Jason, you should not hide the truth. Humanity is in an extremely dangerous situation. We need—"

"Then I definitely cannot tell you. The world we belong to is even more dangerous. If ordinary people rashly set foot in it, it will only bring about the destruction of civilization." Black mist rose from Russell’s face as his shadowy eyes fixed on Professor Rand. "If I told you that humanity’s true enemy was the gods, what would you do?"

Dr. Rand was rendered speechless. Russell’s few words had led him straight into a ditch, and he could not climb back out for a long while.

After walking for half an hour, the group crossed a secluded valley, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Swampland stretched before them, presenting a tranquil scene of green mountains and lush fields. Signs of native activity appeared once again nearby. Smoke curled from cooking fires, and a settlement could vaguely be seen among the mountains. Grim stone statues had appeared again.

The tribal settlement Jason had mentioned was not far away. It was backed by rivers and lakes, and between two mountains stood an enormous wooden wall built by human hands. The wall, dozens of meters high, was nothing short of a miracle. Its scale was astounding, and it was difficult to imagine how it could have been constructed through manpower alone.

What followed was a transitional stretch of the plot. In the settlement, the group encountered Mark, a World War II veteran who had been stranded on the island after a plane crash. Having wandered in a foreign land for nearly twenty-nine years, Mark broke into excited tears when he saw people from modern society.

Russell did not interfere with this part of the story. He spent the night in the settlement with the others. His appearance was highly intimidating, and the tribespeople all regarded him with great awe.

That night, Colonel Packard and James stood watch. Mark was too excited to sleep and began chatting with them. When he learned that the Research Team intended to venture deeper toward the center of the island, he hurriedly warned them not to throw their lives away.

Mark had lived on the island for twenty-nine years and had nearly become one with the place. As he described the island’s dangerous regions, he said the central area was a forbidden land of death, where Skull Crawlers were most active.

As for Kong, who had wiped out the helicopter squadron, Mark called him the island’s guardian deity. It was precisely because Kong fought the demons beneath the earth that life on the island had survived.

Colonel Packard, consumed by vengeance, said nothing. He did not care about Kong’s importance to the island; he only wanted revenge for his soldiers who had died miserably. Dr. Rand, the leader of the Research Team, refused to give up. Burdened with the mission assigned by the organization, he insisted on entering the dangerous region.

The soldiers obeyed Colonel Packard’s orders, while the Research Team followed Professor Rand’s lead. Both leaders insisted on courting death. No matter how much Mark tried to persuade them, he could not turn things around. He longed to return to the real world, but despite knowing this was likely a journey with no return, he could only follow them into danger.

"I wanted to ask this earlier. Who is that guy dressed like a devil?" Mark glanced at Russell’s tent and asked in a lowered voice, "It has only been thirty years. When I came in back then, the outside world was not like this!"