Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, David slammed his fist on the table in frustration. However, these guys never had the habit of cleaning, and thick dust filled the whole room.
"Damn it, can't you guys just shut up for a bit?"
David knew that his men were good at killing and arson, but if they were cooped up in these treehouses every day, something was bound to happen sooner or later. Who knows, maybe one day his delicate boss would get his ass kicked by some guy with excess hormones?
After thinking for a moment, David took out a piece of animal hide that looked like it had been dried from a leather bag he carried with him. He spread the hide out on the dusty table, then waved to the two energetic guys and said, "We've been in this forest for quite a while now. Look at this, can you find the places marked on it?"
After they wiped out the tribe, they found many exquisite gold and silver artifacts in the chief's residence. Of course, these uncouth fellows didn't know what antiques were, and they melted them all down when they took them outside.
However, David kept another animal skin that looked like a map. This map, made of some kind of wild animal skin, was covered with various lines and looked very mysterious.
Unlike these simple-minded fellows, David thought more deeply. These almost primitive black people could not possibly have made such exquisite utensils. There was only one explanation: they obtained these things from elsewhere.
Therefore, David attached great importance to this seemingly old animal hide. However, he had been enjoying himself outside and had not paid attention to the secret on the hide. Now that he was forced to hide in this primeval forest, David was somewhat tempted.
"David, do you want to go on an adventure?"
Ralph never expected that his older brother, who was only good for eating, drinking, gambling, and womanizing, would have such thoughts. However, just as he was about to grin, David glared at him and made him shut his mouth tightly.
Markram, a former Russian special forces veteran, considered map reading a basic skill. After examining the animal hide on the table for a while, he said, "David, this should be a map. This location seems to be where we are right now..."
After hearing Markram's words, David pointed to a spot on the map and asked, "Then this circled area must be where the map's secret lies?"
"Yes, but David, you don't really want to go there, do you? It involves crossing hundreds of kilometers of forest..."
Although he was bored out of his mind and enjoyed seeking thrills, Markram didn't want to venture deep into the forest.
You must understand that in this vast primeval forest, every step forward means fear and death. There are ferocious beasts and venomous snakes, savage cannibalistic tribes, the risk of getting lost, and other threats.
Markram's initial idea was simply to wander around the area within a radius of ten miles around the village. He was actually a little apprehensive about going deep into the forest to deal with the savages.
"Perhaps... there are countless treasures there? Mountains of gold and silver, and countless diamonds and jewels?"
David's words made Markram and Ralph's eyes light up.
Chapter 1252 Forest Overlord
Although they own countless US dollars in Swiss banks, that money is currently just data, and they cannot enjoy that enormous wealth with peace of mind until they get out of their current predicament.
It's important to understand that while Swiss banks didn't cooperate with the US government in freezing the money, they didn't object to providing them with some leads. These factors were also involved in their previous leaks of information in Siberia.
So after arriving in Central Africa, David never withdrew a single penny from the bank. Fortunately, they had withdrawn nearly $100 million while in Siberia, enough to live a carefree life for a long time.
But nobody in this world would complain about having too much money. The scene David described made Markram and Ralph's eyes widen. "Mountains of gold and silver, countless diamonds and jewels?"
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
"David, are you serious? Is there really so much treasure there?"
As the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food. These guys who risk their lives for money probably love money the most in their lives. Compared to paper money, real gold and silver can better ignite the greedy desires within them.
"Uh, of course it's true. Didn't you notice? When they conquered this tribe, they had a lot of gold and silver artifacts. I suspect they got them from this map..."
David was just talking nonsense at first, but as he talked, he started to believe that what he was saying actually made some sense.
To bolster his own and the two simple-minded fellows' confidence, David continued, "Do you know about Solomon's treasure?"
"I know, it was some kind of king, right?"
Ralph scratched his head; the name just sounded somewhat familiar.
"Yes, it's a very old story. I've heard it from others..."
Markram was clearly not a studious person, but the adventure novel published in 1885 was so widely circulated that he had heard the story when he was a toddler, though he had forgotten most of it by now.
To demonstrate his extensive knowledge as the leader, David lowered his voice and said, "Do you know that Solomon's treasure is in Africa, and I suspect that this map is the map to Solomon's treasure?" "Really?"
"Done."
Two voices rang out simultaneously. They completely ignored David's doubts and directly took the marked points on the map as Solomon's treasure.
In fact, David was a complete idiot. He had no idea that the legendary Solomon's treasure, according to novels and historical records, should be in South Africa, not in the primeval forests of Central Africa.
However, as the saying goes, those who are uncultured don't know fear. After whispering among themselves for a while, the three guys finally decided to temporarily transform their identities as terrorists into explorers and see what secrets were hidden at the end of this map.
After making the decision, Markram announced the operation to his men. Upon hearing that they were going to search for treasure, the bandits immediately roared with excitement, all vying to go.
Of course, the stronghold still needs to be guarded, after all, there are still quite a few spoils of war inside, such as the Xuande incense burner with a faint glow that was stolen in the United States, as well as some other things that were stolen in Africa, all of which need to be looked after.
So, after eliminating three "unlucky" individuals by using dice to determine the winner, the eighteen people, including David, began preparations to enter the primeval forest. ...
The roads in Africa's primeval forests are easier to traverse than those in Myanmar's Savage Mountain. There are no mountains here; you just need to clear away any branches blocking your path.
However, the trees here are much denser. The tropical rainforest climate makes the trees taller, completely blocking out the sky. Even in the morning, the light in the forest is somewhat dim.
Since entering the forest, King Kong had become extremely excited. After pounding his chest and roaring, King Kong ran directly into the depths of the forest, as if some voice was calling him from there.
"King Kong, slow down, don't run so fast..."
Compared to ordinary gorillas that appear clumsy, the gorillas in the jungle are exceptionally agile, their massive bodies moving swiftly through the forest.
Although King Kong was also a skilled tree climber, he abandoned this activity as soon as he entered the forest. It should be noted that King Kong weighs nearly a ton, and no branch could support his weight when he moved through the trees.
After breaking two not-so-thick broad-leaved trees in succession, it stopped jumping from the trees. However, even when traveling through the forest, Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei could not keep up with its speed.
The weeds and branches blocking their path had no effect on King Kong. Its steel-like body simply rolled over them, creating an unobstructed road. So Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei weren't worried about it getting lost. Moreover, once inside the forest, King Kong wasn't as obedient to Zhuang Rui.
"Brother Zhuang, let's call King Kong back. It's caused too much trouble..."
Looking at the natural passage ahead, Peng Fei couldn't help but shake his head. They had originally planned to sneak into the village without firing a shot, but with Jin Gang's actions, they could hear the commotion even from several kilometers away.
Hearing Peng Fei's words, Zhuang Rui smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's alright. King Kong is probably a little excited to be back in its hometown. Let it fuss around for a while, then it'll be fine. Let's hurry up..."
Since entering the forest, Zhuang Rui has maintained his spiritual energy at its maximum range of detection, and no humanoid object within a ten-kilometer radius can escape his eyes.
Zhuang Rui did not stop Jin Gang's actions because there were no anti-government forces or terrorists in this area who could threaten them.
As for the animals? King Kong is absolutely at the top of the food chain in this forest. Even lions and tigers can only give him a wide berth when they see him.
"What a freak! He was carrying so much stuff, yet he still ran faster than me..."
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui speed up his pace, Peng Fei couldn't help but mutter something under his breath. You see, they had brought over a hundred kilograms of supplies into the jungle this time, and all of these supplies were now on Zhuang Rui's shoulders.
“Woo...wooo, hoo!” Suddenly, a low growl, carrying a threatening and warning tone, came from the distant jungle.
"Peng Fei, faster..."
King Kong's roar made Zhuang Rui's speed increase even more, and the more than 100 pounds of weight had no effect on him at all.
"Squeak, quack, hoot..."
The roars ahead grew louder and louder, mixed with the calls of other animals. Birds took flight from the branches, and many small animals ran right past Zhuang Rui. In an instant, the once quiet forest became bustling and lively, like a sports meet.
"What...what's going on? Damn it, is it a world war?"
After running for a full five minutes along the path cleared by King Kong, Zhuang Rui was stunned by what he saw.
In front of Zhuang Rui was an open space of about thirty or forty square meters. The ground and the surrounding tree trunks were covered with blood and corpses, and the strong smell of blood filled Zhuang Rui's nostrils.
Zhuang Rui was stunned by the bloody scene before him. When he realized that it was all caused by the huge figure in the middle of the forest, he shouted, "King Kong, what's going on? Stop it..."
However, King Kong couldn't stop, because figures kept jumping down from the tree and pouncing on him, tearing at his body. Those guys weren't really as good-natured as gorillas.
At this moment, King Kong was like a god of death, waving his arms. One by one, the thin figures crashed into the trees like cannonballs as King Kong swung his arms, breaking their bones and crying out in pain.
"Damn, it's baboons! What did King Kong do to offend them?"
Peng Fei, who arrived later panting, was also startled by the ferocious King Kong. However, Peng Fei, who was very familiar with the forests of Central Africa, quickly recognized the identity of King Kong's enemy as another primate in this forest... a baboon.
After looking around at the trees, Peng Fei's expression became much more serious. He quickly pulled Zhuang Rui aside and whispered, "Brother Zhuang, step back... step back a little..."
"What's wrong? Go help King Kong, umm, you...umm..."
Zhuang Rui was furious when he saw the baboons attacking King Kong relentlessly. Although he didn't want to kill these animals, he didn't want King Kong to get hurt even more. However, before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, Peng Fei covered his mouth and dragged him into a jungle.
What are you doing?
Peng Fei only released his hand after pressing Zhuang Rui down to squat.
"Brother Zhuang, keep your voice down! If these baboons find us, we'll be torn to shreds..."
Peng Fei, who was usually audacious, turned somewhat pale at this moment.
Zhuang Rui didn't know, but he was very clear that baboons were the only animals in nature that dared to fight lions, and usually 3-5 baboons could kill a lion.
Although Peng Fei had brought enough ammunition, he had just observed that there were hundreds of baboons in the trees ahead. If they all rushed over at once, by the time others found his and Zhuang Rui's bodies, they would probably only be able to play a jigsaw puzzle game.
"Then...what about King Kong?"
Upon hearing the terrifying description of the baboon troop, Zhuang Rui's expression changed drastically.
"It's alright, didn't you see? Those baboons are no match for King Kong. They're no match for him at all. I reckon if a few more die, the baboon leader will start ordering a retreat..."
Peng Fei observed very carefully; the powerful long arms of those baboons striking King Kong were almost as effective as tickling him.
Chapter 1253 Massacre
King Kong is clearly very different from ordinary gorillas. Its defense is extremely strong. The bronze skin under its long hair is as hard as steel. Even the sharp claws and teeth of baboons are helpless against King Kong.
The baboon troop couldn't handle King Kong, but King Kong was no match for these "little guys!"
They were slapped one by one, like swatting flies; basically, they died as soon as they touched them.
"Aww... Aww..."
King Kong's fighting spirit was completely ignited by the baboons. In its frenzy, it stopped dodging the baboons' bites and instead grabbed any baboons that pounced on it with its arms and tore them apart.
King Kong's arm strength was more than a thousand pounds. With this tear, he directly ripped the baboon in two, and blood rained down, staining King Kong's fur red. The ground, which was only a dozen meters in diameter, was covered with sticky blood.
Fortunately, King Kong had gotten used to cooked food in recent years; otherwise, the sight of it devouring baboon meat would have made Zhuang Rui want to vomit. After all, while baboons are a type of monkey, they are still close relatives of humans.
Like tearing paper, after tearing apart seven or eight baboons in succession, even the baboons that dared to fight the lion became timid.
These baboons, known as "brave little warriors," finally retreated. Before a forest overlord like King Kong, courage only meant death.
The battle lasted only seven or eight minutes, but a group that originally had more than a hundred baboons was reduced to only fifty or sixty, hiding high in the trees, emitting sharp roars, but no longer daring to pounce.
The ground was littered with the corpses of baboons. Even those that were still alive were barely clinging to life. Wounded baboons were destined to be eliminated by the law of the jungle.
"Awooo... Awooo!" Seeing the baboons hide in the trees, King Kong, caught up in the killing frenzy, refused to give up. He actually grabbed a tree as thick as an arm with both arms and pulled it up.