Chapter 25: The Kill

"According to your calculations, we're still three days away from that place, but without a map, it's hard to be certain."

In front of Perkins, York and the guides estimated their current position.

"I see. Then let's rest here for today. York, could you try to find us some food? Most of our supplies were left on the ship. We didn’t bring much with us."

York understood the situation they were facing. He also knew night was fast approaching, and in this jungle, he was the only one who could safely forage for food.

He agreed without hesitation. "No problem, I’ll head out to find something. Lai, you’re in charge of starting the fire—but keep it small. This jungle is dangerous. Also, sort out the watch for tonight. I need to conserve my strength, so I won’t be on duty."

The others were taken aback by York’s request, but Perkins spoke up, "That’s reasonable. Lloyd, get some rest and take the second half of the night."

Lloyd didn't quite understand why Perkins arranged it that way, but he nodded his agreement with utmost seriousness.

The rest understood, too. It wouldn’t be fair to expect York to both hunt and keep watch, so they quickly settled down to rest, not wanting to be too exhausted to stand guard when York returned.

After assigning the best spots for rest, York slipped away into the jungle.

This jungle was different from the ones he knew, but York’s skills were still more than enough here.

Before long, he found traces left by small animals, and also came across some edible plants.

His aim was to catch a small animal—rabbit or otherwise—anything edible. They needed protein and energy; fruit alone wouldn’t suffice.

As he searched deeper, he noticed a small hollow in a tree not far off—a squirrel’s nest.

York’s eyes lit up at this discovery. Squirrels, though small, were good sources of meat, and once you blocked off their nest, catching one was easy. Even better, squirrels often collected edible nuts, so finding a nest usually meant finding a stash of food.

He glanced around, gripped his knife between his teeth, and scrambled nimbly up the tree.

Reaching for the nest, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

From inside the hollow, something shot out and jabbed into his hand.

The sensation was nothing like a squirrel’s bite; it felt more like a sharp piece of metal piercing his skin.

York reacted instantly, yanking his hand back and preparing to leap to the ground.

At that moment, a heavy whoosh came from behind him—as if something had been hurled at the back of his head.

York’s instincts kicked in. He twisted, stabbing backward with his knife.

He struck nothing, but the next instant, something crashed into the back of his skull.

The blow was powerful, but there was no follow-up attack.

Looking down, York saw it was a broken branch, hurled with such force it drew blood.

He realized he’d walked into an ambush, though he had no idea who lay in wait.

He didn’t hesitate. Turning on his heel, he sprinted back the way he’d come. He was far from the others now; even if he shouted himself hoarse, no help would come.

His only hope for survival was to make it back to the main group.

He had barely managed a few strides when something snagged his foot—a vine rope that whipped him up, leaving him dangling upside down.

York bent at the waist, hauling his torso up and slicing at the vine with his knife.

But just as he did so, Liu Zhi, who had been hiding in the branches above, sprang into action.

Liu Zhi’s movements were quick and precise, as if he were leaping between ship masts.

He landed a solid kick to York’s face, driving his head down with the full force of his body weight and the drop.

Liu Zhi didn’t pause. Gripping his wooden club, he brought it down with all his strength on York’s arm, the one holding the knife.

The blow was delivered with everything Liu Zhi had, honed by training and system enhancements. His strength now reached 3.2, matching his mental capacity, both far beyond that of an ordinary man.

With a sickening crack, York’s arm bent at an unnatural angle, and the knife fell to the ground.

Only now did York see Liu Zhi. He stared at him in bewilderment.

"You—how are you here? Weren’t you—"

"Eaten by the giant serpent?" Liu Zhi sneered. "You think you’re the only jungle survival expert? In this jungle, as long as you’re willing to give some things up, you can make it just fine. And now, what you’ll have to give up is your life."

He stared into York’s eyes as he kicked the fallen knife up off the ground.

Catching it, Liu Zhi flicked his wrist. A cold flash, and the blade sliced easily across York’s throat.

As York’s eyes filled with disbelief, Liu Zhi said coolly, "Sorry, I’m not in the habit of explaining myself."

He wiped the blood from his hands with a handful of dirt, sheathed the knife, and watched silently as the light faded from York’s eyes.

In the jungle, even a trace of blood could bring trouble. Even a survival expert had to heed such details.

Just as Liu Zhi was about to leave, something caught his eye. He paused and glanced back at York’s hanging corpse.

‘+33’

[Valuable soul detected (white). Collect or absorb?]

Liu Zhi noticed that if he looked away, the prompt disappeared, but as he focused on York’s body, the prompt returned.

He considered for a moment, then checked the explanations for Collect and Absorb.

[Collect Soul: Gain 1 standard unit of soul. Level 1 ghost creation success rate +37.5%. Level 1 skeleton creation success rate +22.7%. Level 1 zombie creation success rate +1.22%.]

[Absorb Soul: Jungle survival knowledge experience +3,176. Toxicology knowledge experience +2,199.]