MTLNOVEL Chapter 458: 455: Poisonous Wood! (Two in One)
Chapter 458: Chapter 455: Poisonous Wood! (Two in One)
In the rainforest, Bi Fang leaned on a tree stick, fumbling through the woods at a not-so-fast pace.
“Many people think that there’s no lack of water in the rainforest, but that idea is actually wrong. Although the humidity here is high, the temperature is even higher, and the scorching heat causes the body to lose moisture rapidly.”
Bi Fang pointed at Leonardo nearby, and the audience could easily see that the thin, beige shirt he was wearing had been soaked through.
Even Leonardo’s lips had cracked and were peeling, a clear sign of dehydration.
Luckily, Leonardo had brought his own water supply, or else he might’ve already been desperately searching for something to drink. For the moment, being used as an example, he couldn’t help but take out his water bottle and take a sip.
“All methods of finding a water source never really change; in essence, it’s still about terrain, living creatures, and special landmarks, these three major directions…”
“Terrain is simple, water flows downhill, so we head towards the lowest ground. Yunnan has mountainous plateau terrain with many steep slopes, and by following these slopes…”
Bi Fang led Leonardo to climb atop a huge rock, a high point within their field of vision.
Although you need to look for water in the lowest areas, beforehand, you must discern where the true depressions are. Many times, what you think is a low-lying area might not be one at all, especially in the mountains.
Therefore, it’s necessary to judge the lay of the land in advance.
After taking a sip, Leonardo put his water bottle back into his backpack. He wasn’t sure when Bi Fang would find a water source, and he was somewhat reluctant to drink more.
The experience right now was something Leonardo had never encountered in his more than forty years of life. He had acted in many movies, movies with many dangerous scenes, but their realism didn’t come close to the profoundness of these short hours.
Keep in mind that there’s a helicopter on standby just above his head, ready to arrive within ten minutes in case of danger. Even so, Leonardo could still feel an unshakable sense of crisis in his heart.
“If you’re someone who’s not accustomed to wilderness adventures, when you enter a place like this, you’ll feel extremely terrified, very afraid, and immediately want to run away.”
Leonardo suddenly remembered the words Bi Fang had said to him before they jumped from the plane.
The environment of the rainforest, the green that meets the eye, the towering trees blocking out the sunlight, insects everywhere, and the occasional wild animal—on their way, they had already seen venomous snakes from a distance several times.
The complex terrain, steep cliffs, rapid rivers—well, they hadn’t come across that yet—and the unpredictable weather during the rainy season, everything in reality fulfilled Leonardo’s imagination of the rainforest.
And his imagination of danger.
One cannot comprehend the feeling of being completely isolated and cut off from human society unless they’re in the midst of it—no amount of imagining can produce it.
The scarcity of resources, ever-looming perils, and the foreboding of being lost is no less daunting than knowing you’re slowly dying.
People who have lived in the comfortable confines of a city would inevitably have their nerves stretched tight in such an environment, taut to the point where they might snap at any moment.
Even the desire to run away is indicative of nimble limbs and a robust psyche; if it were someone who loafed around all day long, they’d probably just collapse and wait for death.
“What are you thinking about?” Bi Fang extended a hand and waved it in front of Leonardo.
“Nothing.” Leonardo gathered his thoughts, “I just feel like I’ve gained a lot. This sensation of danger that could strike at any moment—it’s quite unique.”
Bi Fang asked curiously, “What kind of gain is that?”
“I’m an actor,” Leonardo said with a smile creeping onto his face, “Many people never experience the real jungle in their lifetimes. How could they know the true sensation of death?”
Bi Fang too smiled: “How does it feel?”
Leonardo thought for a moment before speaking, “It’s like walking in a valley, with death blowing against me. Do ordinary people really stand a chance of escaping to heaven in such an environment? Even water here can be deadly.”
Not to mention, Leonardo himself was so thirsty at the moment. If they couldn’t find a water source soon, would he succumb to the urge to drink from those dark puddles?
Even if they reeked awfully.
But such water would be teeming with rotting leaves, stinking insects, countless germs, and myriad parasitic eggs waiting to infest. Just one drink, and you wouldn’t ascend to heaven, but you’d come close enough.
Even distillation couldn’t guarantee safety.
“It’s not that exaggerated. If you really can’t find a water source, collecting dew in the rainforest is still relatively easy. All you need is a large, watertight leaf or a plastic bag to collect it. The water is quite clean, it’s just that the amount you gather totally depends on your skill.”
Bi Fang thought about it, lacking water was indeed troublesome. The rainforest was filled with danger and ferocious animals; very few dared to wander carelessly.
However, dew could only solve an emergency and barely provide sustenance; it was simply not enough to collect a sufficient amount of water.
Although people have always found the rainforest to be mysterious, once you’re lost inside, with its complex terrain and waterways, environment fraught with danger, and significant temperature differences between day and night, the average person has very little chance of escaping or waiting for a rescue.
“But it’s not completely impossible. Human potential is difficult to define scientifically, and many times, it is the will to survive that is key.” Bi Fang cited an example casually.
“In 2015, two Dutch girls in their twenties went missing in the jungles of Panama. It was early April, right in the rainy season. They entered the jungle wearing shorts and short sleeves, merely as tourists, not survival experts. They didn’t plan to spend the night in the jungle, they didn’t even have a tent.”
[As soon as I heard “spend the night,” I knew something bad would happen.]
[Spending the night without a tent? I knew this was no simple matter.]
As expected, Bi Fang’s next words confirmed the audience’s suspicions.
“And then there was no ‘then.’ They strayed into an uninhabited path and got lost in the vast rainforest.”
[As expected, I knew it. This is a hellish little tale.]
“The only useful things in their backpacks were a water bottle, a camera, and a cellphone. In a situation with almost no assistance tools, at least one of them survived for about eleven days.”
What does it mean that at least one person survived for eleven days?
Leonardo, listening on the side, was taken aback and felt a sense of foreboding.
Bi Fang continued, “When I saw the news, I looked up some information and read many netizen analyses. It seems that, in this incident, the most likely scenario was that they got lost.”
The most likely scenario?
Not just Leonardo, but the audience also felt a sense of foreboding.
If it was reported in the news, especially from 2015, shouldn’t it be established fact? Couldn’t the truth be known from the people involved?
Why is there so much uncertainty?
“Ever since the two left the continental divide, it’s possible they fell off a cliff from the start and had no chance of climbing back up, only to take an alternative path. The worst part is that one of them broke her leg, with multiple fractures in the foot, making it impossible to walk.”
“When crossing a river, there was just a rudimentary monkey bridge made of three ropes, which could break at any moment. To return, they had to cross the river, but for someone who could barely walk, this was an almost impossible task, not to mention maintaining balance. You should know, there are crocodiles in the rivers of the Panama jungle!”
“But in the end, the traces they left showed they had traveled a great distance. It’s guessed that the girl with the broken foot persevered for six days.”
[Okay, I understand.]
[A negative story every day.]
[Is this really suitable to be told as an inspiring story? Laugh cry.jpg.]
“From the seventh day on, only the other girl remained, carrying the despair of being the only survivor, guarding her companion’s body, with a cellphone running out of battery, lost and clueless, and all the worst situations you can imagine.”
“Within eleven days, they made a total of 77 emergency calls from their cellphones, but not a single one was connected.”
In the beginning, netizens could still crack jokes, but by now, they could no longer laugh.
Looking at the dark environment surrounding Bi Fang, everyone asked themselves, what would I do if I were trapped here?
The grand scene fell completely silent.
Cao Lifeng, Ge Liyang, and others were glancing at each other with looks that revealed deep despair.
All around you, not a single person can help you, possibly for thousands of kilometers, you’re the only human.
Your companion lies silently next to you on the ground. The temperature outside is scorching hot, but your companion’s body grows colder inch by inch.
In the rainforest, microbes are exceedingly active, and in just two days, the body…
As night fell, you were still dialing the distress number over and over again. You’d lost count of how many times you had tried; perhaps it was hundreds, but not once did you receive a response, leaving you to watch as your phone’s battery slowly drained away.
In the darkness, the last glimmer of light vanished, and from not far in the jungle, that strange, rustling sound emerged once again. Perhaps a predator had set its sights on you days ago, ready to savor its treat in these final moments.
“[What a pity, such a pity not to have encountered Master Fang.]
Some recalled the incident in Mohe. It had been similar: people were in danger, and if not for the fortunate encounter with Master Fang, they might have frozen to death in the blizzard or been torn to pieces by wolves.
Just thinking about the despair those two young girls faced when they got lost made the audience feel a twinge of regret.
“[Not every time someone is in danger will they be lucky enough to run into Master Fang.]
“[Better keep watching Master Fang’s videos; you never know when you might face danger.]
“[Master Fang is awesome!]”
“[Could these become instructional videos in the future?]”
Leonardo fell silent.
He subconsciously touched the phone in his pocket, his last bit of security gone, and let out a bitter laugh, “I was expecting you to tell some kind of inspirational story, but instead…”
“But that’s just how the rainforest is,” Bi Fang spread his hands, the odds of getting lost and then rescued in the rainforest were pitifully low, “But this indeed is an inspirational story. Don’t give up, keep going. Staying alive gives you the greatest hope.”
Leonardo felt helpless but had to accept this reasoning, “Let’s continue talking about searching for water sources, the terrain, and then what?”
“Then, it’s about the wildlife. Many animals live near water, like frogs, snakes, and finally, there are special cues, such as weather. If it happens to rain, then you’re lucky, and you won’t have to worry about finding water for the next few days. During that time adrift at sea, I put my hope in that,” Bi Fang explained.
“However, this requires a bit of luck and you can’t blindly depend on the weather. I made that conclusion because I understood the climate of the Atlantic and the frontal systems at that time; in that month and location, there should be a rain within a week. But rain doesn’t always mean good luck,” he added.
“Besides, there are also certain special terrains to consider, like cracked rock fissures, which are also likely to have water sources.”
Finding water sources is crucial for wilderness survival.
Outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking take potable water on every trip.
Especially when traversing the mountains for extended periods. It’s just not realistic to carry over ten liters of water. You’ll either die of thirst or of exhaustion. So it’s important to have some methods for finding water sources.
“You carry only a portion of your water, replenishing the rest from the wilderness. Generally speaking, finding springs in the mountains is quite easy…”
Mid-explanation, Bi Fang suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a large tree in front of him, his body motionless.
“What…”
“Don’t move!”
Leonardo, who was still tense from the frightening story, turned around just in time to hear this command, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin as his sweat-soaked forehead began to cool.
What’s happening?
Is there danger?
Upon hearing Bi Fang’s shout, Leonardo instantly thought of a standoff with a wild beast. Were there wild animals nearby? Or had he unknowingly approached a venomous snake, now within its striking range, which is why he couldn’t move?
In an instant, Leonardo’s mind raced with numerous thoughts, even recalling the snake venom serum factory mentioned earlier in Yunnan. Large beads of cold sweat slid continuously down his forehead, but he didn’t dare to so much as swallow.
The next moment, Bi Fang himself moved cautiously, even tenderly touching the nearby tree, his eyes filled with astonishment. “This is a Blood-Sealing Throat Tree!”
Seeing Bi Fang’s reaction, Leonardo also came to understand but still didn’t dare to make a move, asking, “What’s going on?”
“Step back two paces,” instructed Bi Fang.
Leonardo did as he was told, and only then did Bi Fang pat the tree trunk, his eyes gleaming with joy: “This is an Arrow Poison Wood! This thing is highly toxic; if you accidentally get cut by this in the wild, you might die within half an hour.”
“Was I that close to it just now?” Leonardo looked at Bi Fang continuously slapping the tree trunk, somewhat in a daze.
To die within half an hour of being cut?
Calculating, it would take at least ten minutes for the helicopter to arrive, and then another half an hour to reach the hospital…
What does that mean?
Was I on the edge of death just now?
Bi Fang glanced at Leonardo and knew what he was thinking, shook his head, and laughed, “Don’t overthink it, there are no branches around here, you couldn’t have been cut.”
The tree trunk was very smooth, and the tree stood over twenty meters tall, with branches starting ten meters up.
“Then what were you doing just now?”
“Just scaring you a bit.”
Leonardo: “…”
[This actor can’t take a scare, so funny.]
[Arrow Poison Wood, Poison Dart Frog, the names say it all.]
[Someone’s always a step ahead of me on Baidu, the world’s most poisonous tree…]
[Netizens are always faster than me!]
“The milky white sap of the Blood-Sealing Throat Tree contains potent poison. Once it comes into contact with wounds on humans or animals, it can cause the victim’s heart to paralyze, blood vessels to close, blood to coagulate, and lead to asphyxiation and death. In Banna, there’s a saying about this, called ‘seven up, eight down, nine knock to the ground.'”
Bi Fang had already started looking around the tree trunk for something, speaking as he searched.
“Legend has it that in Yunnan Province, Banna area, a Dai ethnic hunter was the first to discover the toxic nature of Arrow Poison Wood sap.
Once, while hunting, the hunter was desperately chased by a huge bear and climbed a large tree, yet the bear persisted in pursuit.
At the critical moment of life and death, with no way out, the hunter smartly broke off a branch and stabbed it at the bear climbing up the tree. Then, miraculously, the bear immediately fell down dead.
Since then, the hunters of Banna learned to apply the sap of the Arrow Poison Wood to their arrowheads for hunting.”
“America also had this tree. Allegedly, when ancient Indian tribes faced enemy invasions, the women and children would apply the sap of the Blood-Sealing Throat Tree to arrowheads at the back and send them to the front lines for the men to use in battle.
Thanks to this, the Indians won battle after battle, leaving the invading enemies lying dead all over, with their souls scattered and courage shattered, fiercely protecting their ancestral homeland.
Whether they managed to keep it in the end, well, that’s a matter of opinion.”
Bi Fang sounded a bit excited.
Leonardo, who had been with Bi Fang for four or five days, could distinctly feel it and asked, “You seem very happy? Planning to use it to make weapons?”
Poison wood, something that could make Bi Fang this happy, must be for making weapons, right?
Such a poisonous tree, indeed it would make a fine weapon.
“Make weapons? That’s one aspect, yes.” Bi Fang shook his head, “Do you still remember what we’re looking for?”
“Water source and red soil?”
“That’s right. I originally thought we would find both the water source and red soil together, but I didn’t expect to find the red soil first.”
Bi Fang was scraping away the grass and soil on the ground, and after digging through a layer, a striking red soil suddenly came into view for everyone to see.
“Hehe, got it!”