"Damn it, how did they catch up?"
This was the most perplexing question for Zhuang Rui. In his spiritual energy survey, those people did not hesitate or stop at all while moving forward, and they chased straight towards him. Could it be that one of them also had a third eye?
"Perhaps there are some very skilled tracking experts among them?"
Peng Fei's expression grew increasingly serious. He was good at offense, while Li Zhen was good at defense and tracking. Judging from the opponent's current performance, the tracking expert in their team was no less skilled than Li Zhen.
"I'll keep watch again tonight, Peng Fei, you should go to sleep..."
With such a team hanging behind us, no one knows whether it's a blessing or a curse, but it's best if we don't run into each other in this primeval forest.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei shook his head and said, "Brother Zhuang, no, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night. You should get some sleep first, I'll wake you up at 2 o'clock..."
Although Peng Fei was also very tired, Zhuang Rui had stayed up all night yesterday. If he didn't sleep for two consecutive days, Peng Fei estimated that he would have to carry Zhuang Rui on his back tomorrow.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep now..."
Zhuang Rui observed the group that was still seven or eight kilometers away from him. They had already prepared their sleeping bags and tents and started to rest. It was unlikely that they would be able to reach his campsite that night.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui was really running out of energy. His spiritual energy could relieve fatigue, but it couldn't eliminate drowsiness. The four or five hours of sleep he had yesterday were far from enough to replenish his mental energy.
The insomnia most common among city dwellers is probably caused by boredom and restlessness. Don't believe me? Try walking through the forest for a day like Zhuang Rui did. The moment his head rested on his backpack, which he was using as a pillow, he drifted off to sleep.
The tree they were on was over two meters in diameter, and the forked part at the top resembled a treehouse, with enough room for Zhuang Rui, Jingang, and Peng Fei to sleep comfortably.
At two o'clock, Peng Fei woke Zhuang Rui up. In this dangerous place, Peng Fei would not be reckless. Every extra minute of sleep would allow him to recover more energy to deal with any unexpected situations the next day.
There were people watching intently from over ten miles away. Zhuang Rui didn't dare to doze off today, constantly using his spiritual energy to observe the situation. However, apart from one guy being bitten by a snake, nothing else seemed to have happened. ...
The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Zhuang Rui. The various creatures that were active at night disappeared as soon as the sun appeared, and the forest returned to its tranquility and silence.
"Let's go, let's set off early so the people behind us don't catch up..."
The next morning, Zhuang Rui woke up Peng Fei and Jingang because he discovered that the group of people more than ten miles away had also packed their bags and were ready to set off. If he fell asleep again like he had the day before, he might not even know if someone sneaked up to him under the tree.
Today, King Kong was unusually excited, and its speed was much faster than yesterday. It ran nearly 30 kilometers in just one morning. If Zhuang Rui hadn't used his spiritual energy to survey its location several times, he would have almost lost it.
Compared to Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei, the team behind them moved much slower, and after more than an hour, they had already fallen out of Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy detection range.
"Ram, I think... we should go back. This place is too eerie. Richard was bitten out of nowhere, and if he hadn't brought snakebite medicine, he would be done for..."
Walking on the soft forest floor, David's face was somewhat gloomy. He wondered if he had lost his mind, how could he have incited such a group of people to search for some "treasure"? Heaven knows he could have just made up whatever came to mind back then.
Yesterday, a venomous snake kept them awake all night. Poor Richard, despite being injected with antivenom, was still lying on a makeshift stretcher, being carried by two other people.
“David, there are only fifty kilometers left, just fifty kilometers. If we walk for another day, we can get there by noon tomorrow. Do you think... there might really be gold everywhere there?”
David clearly underestimated the greed of Markram and his men. Markram, who was walking in front of him, was already fantasizing about what it would be like to find the treasure, and even the guys next to him had longing expressions on their faces.
David seriously doubted whether these guys' grandmothers had some kind of platonic relationship with the gorillas in this forest. Anyone could easily display an intellectual superiority complex in front of them.
"Uh, of course... I don't know either, Ram, you were the one who found this map back then..."
Seeing the excited expressions on Markram and the others' faces, David couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. What if these rude guys found out that there were only a few piles of animal droppings there? Would they take their anger out on him, their boss?
“David, you’re right. Those barbarians couldn’t possibly make such exquisite gold and silver artifacts. They must have found Solomon’s treasure…”
People who are single-minded are hard to change once they've made up their minds, and Markram was no exception. David's previous description had convinced him that this was a treasure map, and that it was Solomon's treasure.
David knew he couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of these stubborn guys, so he could only nod and say, "Alright, but everyone be careful. It's better to go slowly than to let any more of the brothers get hurt..."
David was quite adept at winning people over. With just a few simple words, he softened the gazes of these men, most of whom came from the iron-blooded army, and they were all secretly relieved that their leader was a kind-hearted fellow.
Of course, they had no idea that David was secretly thinking about whether he should kidnap a few Black women next time, so he wouldn't have to rack his brains to keep these energetic guys occupied.
After a short rest at noon, urged on by Jin Gang, Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei continued their journey deeper into the forest. By around 4 p.m., they had covered nearly 50 kilometers.
You know, although the forests of Africa are not as rugged as those in Myanmar, they are still not easy to walk through. Looking at King Kong stretching out his arms and walking through the thick broad-leaved trees ahead, Zhuang Rui was envious from the bottom of his heart.
"Awoooooo..."
Suddenly, King Kong, who had just climbed up a big tree, pounded his chest with both hands and roared to the sky. His loud voice carried far and wide, startling a flock of birds in the forest.
Immediately afterwards, King Kong's body leaped down from the tree, ignoring Zhuang Rui's rule that it should walk on trees, and rolled forward like a heavy tank, instantly disappearing from Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei's sight.
"King Kong, King Kong... Damn it, even if we've arrived, there's no need to be so excited, is there?"
Zhuang Rui called out to Jin Gang a few times from behind, but Jin Gang didn't turn around. He quickly released his spiritual energy and chased after Jin Gang, who was flying swiftly through the forest.
Fearing something might happen to Jin Gang, Zhuang Rui quickened his pace and turned to say, "Peng Fei, I'll go after him and check. Be careful behind me..."
"Hey, Brother Zhuang, be careful too..."
Before Peng Fei could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui's figure disappeared from his sight, leaving Peng Fei feeling quite frustrated.
As a former member of the special forces, Peng Fei not only couldn't outrun King Kong, but he couldn't even outrun Zhuang Rui, an ordinary person. If he hadn't experienced many real battles, Peng Fei would really doubt whether the skills he learned in the army were just for show.
Zhuang Rui couldn't care less about Peng Fei's feelings at the moment. His relatively "petite" body was still an advantage in the forest. Following the path opened up by King Kong, Zhuang Rui soon caught up to King Kong within a hundred or two meters.
"Ouch..."
Just as Zhuang Rui was closing the distance between himself and King Kong, a long howl came from the jungle ahead, followed by three or four tall figures appearing within Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy detection range.
"A gorilla? We finally found it?"
Zhuang Rui could clearly see that although these gorillas were not as strong as King Kong, they were still about two meters tall when standing upright, and their long arms and broad shoulders were almost identical to King Kong's.
"Hmm? Doesn't seem very friendly?"
He stopped running because he noticed that the gorillas were waving their arms and roaring at King Kong. It was definitely not the way one would welcome a fellow traveler returning home; it seemed more like a warning to King Kong.
However, these gorillas, in front of King Kong, seemed as small and weak as human children standing in front of their adults.
"Aww...woo woo, woo woo..."
King Kong also stopped and communicated with the other party in a language unique to its kind.
Chapter 1257 The Law of the Forest
King Kong was in front, communicating with the other gorillas, while Zhuang Rui was behind, observing the differences between them and King Kong. Although they were all gorillas, there were several different kinds.
There are three types of gorillas: the eastern lowland type, the western lowland type, and the mountain type.
Eastern gorillas and mountain gorillas have both been discovered and tracked by humans using modern technology, and their habits are relatively well understood.
However, due to the gorillas' fear of humans, coupled with the harsh environment and ongoing conflicts in regions such as Congo and Rwanda, although people have spotted lowland gorillas in the Congo forests, they have never been able to find a gathering place for them.
It can be said that the western lowland gorilla is the most mysterious of the known gorilla species, and it is also the most expensive on the animal black market, with many people offering high prices for lowland gorilla skulls and fur.
Previously, lowland gorillas could be seen on the edge of the Congo forest, but due to human hunting, they had to hide in the dangerous depths of the forest and completely disappeared from human sight.
Zhuang Rui's close proximity to this gorilla's habitat is probably the first time in history that a human has come so close to a lowland gorilla. If he can capture this scene on camera, he could definitely earn a considerable sum of US dollars by submitting it to National Geographic.
Zhuang Rui slowed his pace as much as possible and walked a little further before finally seeing with his own eyes the lowland gorillas confronting King Kong.
The four gorillas were about seven or eight meters away from King Kong. Three of them were standing a little further back, on all fours with their upper limbs noticeably longer than their lower limbs. Their heads were held high, and they were staring intently at King Kong, who was not far away.
The lead gorilla stood upright, about two meters tall, with broad shoulders that showed its great strength. Its entire back was covered with silver-gray fur, making it look very majestic.
Similar to King Kong in appearance, these gorillas have no hair on their faces, and their nostrils are turned upwards, making them look extremely rude. Combined with their massive bodies, they are incredibly intimidating.
However, Zhuang Rui knew that these seemingly frightening creatures were actually very docile, timid, and kind animals. They would only beat their chests and roar when attacked or surrounded, turning into dangerous rebels. This was actually their self-defense behavior.
Of course, gorillas will also defend their dignity when the group is provoked or the leader is challenged.
Clearly, King Kong's arrival made the lead gorilla feel threatened, and it led its three strong henchmen in an attempt to stop King Kong from getting closer.
"Ouch..."
After a fruitless negotiation, King Kong finally became agitated. He was no pushover; from birth to adulthood, countless animals had perished in his belly. Seeing the leader gorilla's unfriendly attitude, he immediately became enraged.
Seeing King Kong's anger, the silverback gorilla hesitated for a moment. The size difference between the two was too great. However, retreating at this moment would be tantamount to giving up the throne of the tribe leader, which the silverback gorilla would never agree to.
"Ouch..."
After letting out a roar, the silverback gorilla charged at King Kong with both hands and feet. Only one of them could remain in the tribe: either King Kong would become the new leader, or the silverback gorilla would be defeated and leave in despair.
Zhuang Rui, watching the silverback gorilla's bravery, shook his head repeatedly. Fighting King Kong was like throwing an egg against a rock; it was like a battle between an infant and an adult.
Sure enough, just as the silverback gorilla rushed in front of King Kong, before it could even bite or strike him with its arm, a massive slap landed squarely on the silverback's face.
"Waaah..."
How strong is King Kong? This slap completely wrecked Silverback, sending his massive body flying and crashing heavily to the ground.
Upon landing, the silverback gorilla had a wound over twenty centimeters long on its face, from which blood gushed. Whether it was stunned by the attack or hadn't expected the battle to end so quickly, the gorilla sat on the ground, dumbfounded.
"Awoooooo..."
It seemed that the earlier battle for leadership had triggered ancient memories within King Kong's bloodline. After slapping the silverback gorilla away, King Kong pounded his chest and roared, appearing incredibly powerful with his giant-like body.
"Aww... Waaah..."
The three gorillas that were originally following behind Silver also began to roar and beat their chests after hearing King Kong's long roar. Behind them, many other gorillas echoed their roars.
"Damn it, does losing one person mean you want to start a group fight?"
Looking at the ferocious appearance of the three gorillas behind the silver figure, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but take a few steps forward.
In this jungle, Zhuang Rui might be afraid of guns, snakes, and insects, but he really didn't care about gorillas. If he were to slap that silverback on the face, the damage would be far greater than that caused by King Kong.
However, things took an unexpected turn. Just as Zhuang Rui emerged from behind the tree, the three gorillas suddenly crawled toward King Kong, making "woo-woo" sounds, and lay down in front of him.
"Damn, isn't this a sign of surrender?"
Zhuang Rui pulled his outstretched foot back. Although he didn't understand the body language between gorillas, he could tell from the actions of the three gorillas that this was definitely not a provocative act.
"Awooo... Awooo..."
After showing obedience to King Kong, the three gorillas turned around and roared at the forest behind them, and as they roared, more gorillas crawled out of it.
"That's quite a large gorilla group..."
Zhuang Rui counted them and found that a total of 37 gorillas came out. Adding the original four, there were a total of 41 gorillas, which is very rare among this extremely rare subspecies of gorilla.
Apart from the seven cubs and five seemingly elderly gorillas, the remaining gorillas were relatively smaller than the three gorillas, and some of them had baby gorillas sitting on their backs. It was clear that these were all maternal members and gorilla cubs in the troop.
When these female gorillas came out, they all looked at King Kong with fear in their eyes. However, they still crawled up to King Kong, hesitated, and stretched out their long arms to touch King Kong's hand, showing their submission.
As for the defeated former leader, no gorilla dared to approach it anymore. Even its former "women" chose to join the more powerful King Kong.
A defeated silverback has only one choice: to leave the gorilla group and live alone or join another gorilla group to challenge their leader, with the outcome either success or death.
Such is the law of the jungle; the meaning of "survival of the fittest" is vividly demonstrated here. Only the strongest leader can lead the tribe to greater prosperity.