Chapter 27: Night Raid

“Take care of this bird. After we eat, we’ll go search for York.” Gazing at the foolish bird that had fallen from the sky, Perkin made his decision. “Without York, not only would we have no hope of reaching our destination, but we wouldn’t even be able to retreat safely now.”

Everyone understood how crucial York was to their survival. Their earlier argument had stemmed only from reluctance to venture out in the middle of the night to find him. Now that Perkin had made his request, no one objected.

The guide, Lai, began to prepare the bird, working as quickly as possible to get the food ready. The swordsman and the female knife-thrower, meanwhile, sat back down. They could see plainly enough that, though it was phrased as a group search, the task of actually finding York would ultimately fall on them. If they didn’t rest now, they’d be too exhausted to defend themselves should danger arise.

As they waited, Perkin occasionally lifted his gaze toward the direction York had disappeared, an uneasy premonition growing in his heart, though he refused to trust his own instincts. He knew all too well how perilous their destination was—without the protection of a jungle survival expert, not one of them could hope to make it out alive.

This thought further darkened Perkin’s expression. Pressing a hand to his chest, he took a deep breath, as if bracing himself to stand.

Just then, the guide Lai, muttering under his breath, seemed to sense something amiss. He looked up, realizing that, aside from Perkin, everyone’s wide-eyed, startled gazes were fixed on something behind him.

Lowering his head to the half-prepared bird in his hands, then glancing again at his companions, Lai felt an ominous sensation—a brushing, as though something was gliding along his neck. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stammered, “No, it’s nothing, it’s not real…”

He didn’t finish. In the next instant, a massive serpentine maw clamped down on Lai’s upper body, dragging him into the depths of the jungle.

After the giant snake vanished, the group stared in shock at the bird lying on the ground, their faces vacant, as if questioning who they were, where they were, and what had just happened.

It was only then that Perkin, finally registering the scene before him, blinked in confusion. In the brief moment he’d zoned out, someone had vanished. Where was the guide? Where had he gone?

Before Perkin could voice his question, the others—momentarily stunned—began to react. Lloyd, heedless of their jungle surroundings, opened his mouth and screamed.

The swordsman quickly lunged to Lloyd’s side, clapping a hand over his mouth. “Quiet! Do you want to die out here? Perkin, you can see our situation now. We may not be able to go any farther. If you still trust us, we can protect you on the way back—just help us get out of this cursed jungle.”

Perkin understood the mercenaries’ reluctance, but he clutched his chest and replied, “No, it’s too late for that. I must go on.”

“Why, Perkin? We have no guide, no survival expert. Pressing on is too dangerous,” the swordsman tried to reason with him.

“I said no. I’m out of time. That place is my only hope of survival. So now, immediately, as I say, we set out.”

Seeing Perkin’s resolve, the swordsman could only sigh and release Lloyd. “Fine. But with only the two of us, I can’t guarantee we’ll get you there safely.”

“Just protect us. I’ll handle finding the way,” Perkin replied.

With that, the swordsman had no choice but to agree, for to refuse further would be to insult their employer. The female knife-thrower, meanwhile, stood silently aside, staring dazedly at the bird on the ground.

“Stop staring. Pack up—eat quickly, and let’s be on our way.” The swordsman, noticing his companion’s fixed gaze, felt awkward. They were all hungry, but there was no need to focus so intently on the bird.

But the knife-thrower shook her head. “That’s not it. I’m just thinking, this bird dropped down right in front of us—could someone be plotting against us?”

The others exchanged uneasy glances and instinctively edged away from the half-prepared bird.

Finally, Lloyd forced a laugh. “Who would go to such lengths in a place like this? You’re overthinking it. Let’s just pluck the feathers, take the meat, and eat as we go.”

Though Lloyd said this, he made no move to touch the bird, nor did the swordsman or the knife-thrower.

In the end, Perkin shook his head and set his pack down. “Forget it. It’s just a bird—barely enough meat for two bites. We’ll find something else to eat once we reach a safer spot.”

With that, he pulled out some dark, nondescript food from his bag—the same as he’d eaten earlier. It was a local specialty, high in calories and sweet but not particularly filling.

Perkin had intended this as his own energy supply, but since no one else had eaten, he divided it among the group.

After eating a little of this food, called “bitterwater” by the locals, both the swordsman and the knife-thrower revived a bit. Glancing up at the sky, the swordsman asked, “Are we leaving now?”

“Yes, we can’t linger here. I’ll release something to guide us, but the dangers along the way will be up to you.”

As he spoke, Perkin rummaged in his pack and produced a jar filled with firefly-like creatures. The jar was clearly valuable, painted with strange and colorful symbols.

He sighed as he drew it out. “I’d meant to use this to pinpoint our destination, but now it’s our only option. Listen carefully—these creatures are nearly impossible to follow in daylight, so we must stick close.”

With that, Perkin opened the jar, releasing the glowing insects. They flew off in a specific direction, forming a luminous arrow in the air.

Perkin slung his pack over his shoulder and pointed. “Hurry, follow them!”

The group quickly set off, the knife-thrower taking the lead, the swordsman bringing up the rear.

Watching their hurried departure from his perch high in the nearby trees, Liu Zhi was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Perkin to have so many tricks up his sleeve. Even without a guide or jungle survival expert, he’d found a way to forge ahead.

Yet, they still underestimated the dangers of the forest. Venturing deep in the jungle in the dead of night, they might not even know how they died.

Amused, Liu Zhi silently trailed them from afar.