Originally, according to Panzi’s estimation, if we hurried through the night and walked for another five or six hours without any major accidents, we could reach the signal smoke location before midnight today. However, plans often go awry. What we didn’t account for was that before sunset, the temperature changed, and fog unexpectedly appeared in the forest after the heavy rain.

As a result, we were unable to advance at all. We relied on the compass and continued to move through the forest for another twenty minutes. Although Panzi was anxious and frustrated, he dared not press on any further. While our direction remained correct, we could not move in a straight line through the woods, and with visibility now further reduced, it was very likely we would pass by San Shu’s camp without noticing, and we might even be walking in an S-shaped route.

Additionally, with the reduced visibility, traveling through the rainforest became extremely exhausting, reaching a level that was almost unbearable. We could only walk a few meters before needing to stop and catch our breath. The surrounding grayness also heightened our anxiety.

The fog grew thicker, and by the time we stopped, visibility had nearly dropped to zero. Beyond a meter, we could only see a shadow. The canopy, which was already dark, now felt like the dead of night. We had to turn on our headlamps, feeling as if we were not in a jungle but in a cave filled with trees.

Panzi said that according to the original plan, reaching San Shu was now impossible. We could only find a safe place to rest temporarily and wait for the fog to lift a bit before continuing. Generally, this kind of fog gradually dissipates after nightfall. It comes quickly and goes quickly.

Panzi, who had jungle experience, made a point that was hard to argue with. I felt a great sense of relief, as if I had returned from the gates of hell. If we continued on, I might collapse from exhaustion and literally die from fatigue.

We found a dead tree that had fallen into the mud. When this giant tree collapsed, it had taken down nearby trees, creating a slightly larger space around us. We rested on it. At first, Panzi said we shouldn’t start a fire, but eventually, feeling uncomfortable all over, he collected some dry branches and vines nearby, doused them in oil, and made a campfire.

These dry branches and vines were actually wet, and at first, they produced black smoke. After drying out, the campfire finally blazed up. Panzi seized the opportunity to roast more dry vines on the side, tossing one into the fire as soon as it was dry.

We were utterly exhausted, and even the usually restless Panzi fell silent as we each took a moment to rest. I took off my shoes and discovered that my socks were completely worn through, resembling a net, and my feet were covered in blisters. After returning from Changbai Mountain, my feet had developed a thick layer of calluses, and I had thought I would never get blisters again. I didn’t expect that this journey could be even harder.

As I massaged the muscles in my feet and calves, Panzi recalled the route we had taken earlier. He said that since we couldn’t see the smoke tonight, it would surely be extinguished by tomorrow morning. We could still roughly determine our position and needed to make good markers. Panzi redistributed the gear, moving items from my backpack to theirs.

I felt a bit embarrassed, but at this point, I couldn’t worry about appearances anymore; my stamina simply couldn’t keep up. Panzi told me to sleep for a while, saying that tensing up while resting would only make me more tired. Not wanting to push myself, I closed my eyes.

However, by this time, I was already exhausted, and the surrounding environment was truly difficult to calm down in. After squinting for a few minutes and feeling dazed, I just closed my eyes to rest.

Just as I was starting to feel sleepy, I heard the fat guy softly ask Panzi, “Da Pan, to be honest, if we get to that place and your third uncle isn’t there, what are you planning to do?”

Panzi replied, “If he’s alive, I want to see him; if he’s dead, I want to see his body. Of course, I have to go look for him. Why are you thinking about these things?”

The fat guy said, “I came here to make money, not to clean up after your third uncle. Your third uncle hasn’t acted according to plan and has messed things up. Although I haven’t mentioned it while Xiao Wu is awake to spare his feelings, I can’t hold back any longer. I want to say this upfront: if your third uncle isn’t here, once I get my share of the gear, I’m going to do my own thing. This forest is so big; I’m not going to follow you to look for them.”

Panzi coldly laughed and said, “Parting ways? This forest is full of mysteries. We haven’t encountered any trouble yet; if we do, do you think you can handle it alone? Besides, the vast Gobi desert is hundreds of kilometers outside. Even if you manage to find something and get out alive, do you think you can cross the Gobi by yourself?”

The fat guy chuckled and didn’t respond directly, saying, “What kind of person do you think I am? I have my own plans for these things. I’m just giving you a heads-up, so you don’t have to worry.” However, from his tone, it seemed he was quite confident about the situation.

Panzi shook his head and sighed, “I won’t force you on this matter. If you want to leave after getting the gear, that’s up to you. But don’t expect us to come to your rescue when you’re in trouble, and don’t expect to get a share of what we find.”

“You’re trying to scare me, but you should know who you’re dealing with. I’m not easily intimidated,” the fat guy said. “I’ve already figured it out: your third uncle isn’t here to look for Mingqi. If I want to find something good, I can only go solo, just like that little brother. He’s gone missing twice before, and who knows, he might have found something good while we were left in the dark.”

Hearing this made me unable to hold back my laughter; I could be certain that the reason the silent oil bottle had left us wasn’t for money.

When the fat guy saw I wasn’t asleep, he stopped talking and said, “Children should listen when adults are talking. Go on, go to sleep.”

I felt that the fat guy knew I was pretending to sleep, and his words seemed to have a hidden meaning directed at me. It was as if he was reminding me of the times the silent oil bottle had disappeared. Did he notice something and want to talk to me alone?

However, in this situation, I couldn’t avoid Panzi, so I just kept quiet and waited for the right moment. Besides, I was too exhausted to think about these complicated matters.

After that, everyone fell silent again. I leaned against a branch and gradually calmed down, falling into a deep sleep without even realizing how I had fallen asleep.

During that time, I must have had some dreams, but I was sleeping too deeply, and the dreams were all fuzzy. I didn’t know how long I had slept, but when I woke up, I found that the fog around me had cleared a lot. Looking at my watch, I realized I had slept for less than three hours.

I slept quite well, and my spirits lifted considerably, but my body felt as sore as rusted iron. It seemed worse than before, and I had thought that such muscle soreness would never happen again in the future, but I found I couldn’t escape it after all.

I moved around a bit to stretch my muscles and felt much better. Then I saw the fat guy sitting there, looking up at a tree. I didn’t see Panzi anywhere around.

I was puzzled and asked him, “Where’s Panzi?”

The fat guy immediately gestured for me to be quiet and pointed up at the tree.

I pressed my hands on my waist, enduring the soreness all over my body as I stood up and walked over to him. Looking up, I could see the vague shadow of the moon through the mist, and it seemed like someone was up in the tree—Panzi had climbed up there.

I asked what was going on. Has this kid started acting like a monkey, enjoying resting in trees? The fat guy whispered, “There was some noise earlier, so he climbed up to take a look.”

Before he could finish his sentence, we heard a “shh” from the tree, indicating us to be quiet.

We quickly focused and remained silent, watching him. After a while, we saw Panzi signaling us to come up the tree immediately.