Chapter 88: Golden Medicine Beetle

Sten was the foremost warrior under General Baran’s command. Not only did he lead the most elite special operations unit, but he was also responsible for a group of unique operatives serving directly under the general. The Devil’s Jungle—an untouched, perilous expanse of primeval forest nestled in the mountains under Baran’s control—was now alive with tension. Sten, accompanied by five hundred of his finest commandos and thirteen inner strength masters from the special team, had deployed his forces throughout the Devil’s Jungle.

Someone had dared to steal General Baran’s most cherished treasure—a jadeite worth five hundred million dollars! The audacity of this theft had enraged the general, and Sten was equally incensed. His fury was not just directed at the thief who had stolen the jadeite, but even more at the fact that the scoundrel had fled into the Devil’s Jungle—a vast, trackless wilderness that spanned hundreds of kilometers. Finding a single person in such a place was an almost impossible task. Even with all his elite troops, Sten found himself at wit’s end.

The local people called it the Devil’s Jungle for a reason. Its dangers were myriad and often beyond explanation, having claimed countless lives. The name was earned in blood, not in jest. In these parts, if a child cried incessantly, even a whisper about the Devil’s Jungle would silence them immediately—a testament to the terror it inspired.

“Damn it!” Sten muttered, surrounded by five inner strength experts, while the rest of his forces were spread out. Just moments ago, the thief had slipped through his grasp again, and three of Sten’s commandos had perished at the thief’s hand. Non-combat casualties already numbered over thirty. The Devil’s Jungle was slowly revealing its true, dreadful nature—quagmires, wild beasts, and even the trees themselves posed lethal threats impossible to fully guard against.

Sten was no stranger to danger, a veteran of countless battles, many of them in jungles. Yet he had never encountered a place as lethal as this. A jungle with the word “primeval” attached to it was synonymous with unimaginable peril.

“Chief! The encirclement is complete. We’ve suffered losses, but the thief can’t escape now. There’s no need to be angry!” Kabo, an expert at the third level of inner strength, remained optimistic. The advantage was theirs; even wings would not help the fugitive now. Victory seemed within reach.

“General Baran is already deeply dissatisfied with our progress! I have every reason to be anxious. Send the order—everyone is to close in, tighten the encirclement even further!” Sten forced himself to remain calm as he issued a series of commands. Orders rippled out, and deep within the jungle, the noose drew tighter.

But Sten and his men did not know the truth: their quarry was not just Kamikaze alone, but also Hetian and Chou—the two godlike killers. Even more alarming, these two had silently torn open a gap in the encirclement from the outside.

***

Hetian gestured at Chou with a thumbs-up. In their advance of just three kilometers, within a lateral span of a hundred meters, they had already dispatched seven fully armed commandos. The density of the patrols revealed the level of importance placed on Kamikaze—and made Hetian and Chou’s task that much harder. Had they not been masters themselves, it would have been impossible to silently eliminate so many guards. But now, a breach had been made. Like ghosts, Hetian and Chou slipped through the perimeter.

A razor-sharp dagger flashed through the gloom; in a heartbeat, Hetian sliced a thick, meter-long patterned python clean in two. Before the severed halves could writhe and make noise, his blade flashed again, and soon the giant snake was cut into a dozen pieces.

“Hurry! The scent of blood will draw them soon,” Chou signaled urgently.

Hetian nodded. He had no choice but to kill the python—after all, it had chosen him as prey, a fatal mistake.

“Kamikaze is just ahead!” Hetian checked the location on his wristwatch—it showed Kamikaze’s position, which was shifting rapidly, a sign that things were not going well for him.

“Let’s go!” Chou, sniper rifle in hand, sprang lightly, his toes brushing a leaf as he glided forward with astonishing speed. Hetian watched him with envy—inner strength at the fourth, nearly fifth, level allowed for such feats, but Hetian, only at the third level, was not yet capable.

***

Kamikaze was in a desperate plight—more desperate than ever before. He was close to hating this damned jungle. It was no place for any sane person. Even running was a struggle; unexpected hazards from nature itself struck without warning. If not for his own skills, Kamikaze would have perished many times over in these woods, regardless of his enemies’ pursuit.

“Boss, why aren’t you here yet?” Kamikaze muttered. A bullet had grazed his shoulder—a shot meant for his head, miraculously dodged. Blood streamed from his leg, where a black mark betrayed the bite of a venomous snake. Only by cutting away the flesh around the wound in time had he prevented the poison from spreading. Otherwise, things would have been far worse.

“Damn it!” Kamikaze tightened his backpack, relieved to find it still intact. He had endured all this torment for that massive piece of jadeite; if he lost it, all his suffering would have been for nothing—an agony worse than death for one as greedy as he.

He stumbled and fell. Suddenly, from the decaying leaves, a small golden insect darted out, its body glinting. “Oh my god, what the hell is that thing doing here?” A surge of mingled joy and terror rose in Kamikaze’s chest.

The joy was because this golden bug, known to inner strength practitioners as “Golden Elixir,” was a rare and precious aid to cultivation. No one cared about its scientific name; its value was all that mattered. Kamikaze himself was a practitioner, and now, encountering such a treasure, how could he not be overjoyed?

But joy gave way to terror. The Golden Elixir bug was incredibly dangerous. If it latched onto him, its tiny body could drain him dry of blood in moments. Kamikaze, now slowed by his injuries, watched in horror as the insect appeared right beside him—an encounter both a blessing and a curse.

He tried to swat it away, determined to forgo the opportunity rather than risk his life. But the bug was swift—though it couldn’t fly, it was master of the jungle, dodging his slap with ease and darting straight for the blood on his leg, drawn by the scent.

“Get lost!” Kamikaze kicked out, ignoring the pain in his leg. The kick was powerful and precise, sending the bug flying. He did not care where it landed—self-preservation was all that mattered now.

“Crazy kid, how could you toss away something so valuable?” Suddenly, a voice called out behind him, followed by the sound of something slicing through the air. Kamikaze turned, and saw Hetian catching the Golden Elixir bug in a net.

“Boss!” Kamikaze’s eyes filled with tears. Thank the heavens, all the gods—his boss had finally arrived!

“Good find! Take this and sprinkle it on the bug to put it to sleep. It’s ready to lay eggs—using it now would be a waste,” Chou appeared, tossing Hetian a small bottle.

“What’s this?” Hetian looked at the white powder inside.

“Sleeping powder,” Chou replied nonchalantly.

“Sleeping powder?” Hetian looked at him in surprise.

“Why not? As long as it keeps the bug from escaping, anything’s a good medicine,” Chou answered with a grin.

“Alright.” Hetian shook his head, amused, and sprinkled a little onto the bug. Immediately, the insect stopped struggling and fell into a deep sleep.

“Good stuff!” Hetian laughed, tossing the bottle back to Chou.

“Boss, who’s that?” Kamikaze asked, eyeing the formidable Chou with curiosity.

“That’s Chou. He’s now your most trustworthy comrade, just like me,” Hetian replied solemnly, stuffing the net into his backpack.

“Get moving—they’re getting closer,” Chou said suddenly.

“Chou, listen. You take him and go—I’ll find you. In standard combat, I have the advantage,” Hetian said confidently, hefting his weapon and nodding at Kamikaze. “Right now, the kid needs your help. You’re much better at treating jungle wounds than I am.”

“Be careful.” Chou glanced at Kamikaze’s leg, frowned slightly, then hoisted Kamikaze onto his back and disappeared into the forest.

“Come on then.” A fierce light flashed in Hetian’s eyes as he melted silently into the shadows, ready for what would come.