The natural downward plunge made everyone's hearts sink. As water splashed all around, Zhang Li finally realized—they were heading over a waterfall! The small wooden boat and its passengers tilted sharply downward. But the motorboat chasing them wasn't so lucky. From midair, Zhang Li saw it shooting forward like a bullet, flying over their heads. The panicked shouts of its passengers filled the air. Moments later, he heard the muffled "glug-glug" of water bubbles. His body felt buoyed as if supported by something, sinking one or two meters before rising back to the surface.
Emerging from the water, Tashi Danba spat out a mouthful of water and shook his head, sending droplets flying. Soon, Basang, Yue Yang, and Zhang Li followed, surfacing from the water one after another. Their small boat had landed on the edge of the first tier of a cascading waterfall, spinning lazily.
The waterfall resembled a terraced staircase with five tiers. Each drop was about three or four meters high, and each tier stretched four to five meters wide and deep. Thanks to their synchronized back-paddling efforts, the small boat had landed gently on the first tier. However, the motorboat, propelled by its enormous momentum, plummeted past all five tiers, crashing into a massive tree on the riverbank with a thunderous explosion. By the time the echoes subsided, all that remained of the motorboat was burning wreckage.
Only three guerrillas had managed to leap from the motorboat in time, tumbling down to the third tier. Dazed and disoriented, they were swiftly disarmed by Tashi Danba's group. Though the language barrier proved challenging, Tashi Danba ultimately decided to release the three captives, letting them return on their own. The captives were visibly terrified; guerrillas often played a cruel game of releasing prisoners only to shoot them from behind for sport. With this in mind, they walked a few paces, glancing nervously over their shoulders before sprinting madly into the cover of the forest.
Holding up an M16 rifle they had seized, Basang frowned. "This isn't good. Once they report back, we'll become high-priority targets. They won't stop until they've hunted us down."
"I know," Tashi Danba replied. "But what else could we do? Kill them? I can't. We'll just have to take things one step at a time."
Dripping wet, Zhang Li clambered out of the water, grinning with excitement. "What a haul! What a haul!" he exclaimed. Together with Yue Yang, he had discovered two more bodies on the fourth tier and retrieved additional weapons and ammunition. By now, their arsenal included an AK-47, an M16, a Steyr AUG, two M4 carbines, and four B76 automatic pistols. While the pistols had only six spare magazines among them, the other weapons each came with approximately 60 rounds. Armed to the teeth, they now resembled a small special forces unit.
Yue Yang emerged from the water with a scorpion-brand hunting knife clenched between his teeth. Climbing onto the bank, he dropped a cache of ammunition before catching his breath. "This isn't good," he muttered. "Carrying this much firepower? Government forces will mistake us for guerrillas or drug traffickers. Meanwhile, guerrillas and traffickers will think we're with the government. We're screwed either way. We've barely started, and already we've run into both the region's most dangerous factions. How are we this unlucky?"
Tashi Danba reassured him, "We're still in Ecuadorian territory. Colombian guerrillas won't risk crossing the border. At most, they'll send small squads after us. The dense jungle will make it hard for them to find us."
For the first time, Zhang Li grasped the gravity of their situation. It was far beyond what they'd anticipated. Surveying their surroundings, he said, "But with all the twists and turns we took earlier, we don't even know whether we're still in Ecuador or if we've accidentally crossed into Colombia!"
Checking the compass on his watch, Basang said, "We need to head southeast. But there's no time to pore over maps now. I'm worried they'll use tracking dogs. Our top priority is to put some distance between us and them. Let's head downstream for a few more kilometers. This area has so many waterways; they won't be able to search both banks effectively, and we can avoid the dogs."
Zhang Li, stepping into the boat, remarked, "At least we have weapons now. If we run into trouble, we can fight back instead of running around like scared rabbits." Examining an M4, he added, "These weapons are well-maintained. Once they dry off, they'll work perfectly." Then, turning to Basang, he asked, "By the way, how did you know there was a waterfall ahead?"
Basang glanced at Tashi Danba, who replied, "Floating debris in the water was moving faster. That suggested an increased slope in the riverbed ahead. Plus, the forest on either side looked sparser, which often indicates a cliff or waterfall. I figured the drop wouldn't be too high since we didn't hear roaring water. By back-paddling, we kept the boat close to the waterfall's surface. The motorboat, driven by its engine, couldn't turn in time. Once we hit the water, the advantage would be ours. I just didn't expect the waterfall to be like this."
Basang added, "It was the mist. The spray from the waterfall altered the sky's hue above it. You could see it through the trees. And in such a narrow channel, the motorboat had no chance of turning away—they were bound to overshoot us."
As the boat drifted downstream again, the group examined their injuries. Most were superficial scrapes from shrapnel, though Yue Yang had been grazed by a bullet. Fortunately, the bullet struck his belt knife, leaving him unharmed. He had since replaced the damaged knife with the scorpion-brand blade.
For the next hour, no one paid attention to the scenery. Paddling hard, they estimated they'd traveled another 10 kilometers downstream before finding a shallow area to disembark. They camouflaged their boat and obliterated their tracks. Spraying chemicals to confuse tracking dogs, they finally strapped on their heavy packs and trudged into the jungle's depths.
Yue Yang glanced at the sky. The moon had risen, but the light was as bright as daytime, with no sign of true darkness. Confidently, he remarked, "Even if they've been alerted, they won't come after us now."
"Agreed," said Tashi Danba. The group understood that while twilight lingered late, seasoned jungle inhabitants avoided venturing deep into the forest at night. Nocturnal predators would already be active, posing significant dangers to unwelcome intruders.
The jungle was an overwhelming tapestry of life, so densely packed with vegetation that even after extensive preparation, the group found themselves unable to identify most of the plants. This was no surprise—this vast rainforest accounted for 70% of the world's plant diversity. Towering trees stood proud and majestic, their immense canopies spreading like umbrellas, their interconnected branches blotting out the dim evening sky. From time to time, calls of unseen creatures resonated from the forest depths—some melodious and gentle, others shrill and piercing, still others deep and raspy. These sounds blended into a natural symphony, harmonious and unintrusive, rising and falling in an intricate rhythm. Yet, within a twenty-pace radius of the group, the jungle was eerily silent. Occasionally, a rustle betrayed a fleeting shadow—small animals darting into their burrows, their wary eyes observing the strangers with a mix of curiosity and caution.
The four moved forward in a tactical square formation: Tashi Danba at the center-front, flanked by Zhang Li and Yue Yang, with Basang taking the rear. This arrangement ensured readiness for any sudden attack by predators or other unexpected threats.
The day had been unrelenting, starting with an early flight to Quito, followed by an eight-hour drive to Putumayo, frantic last-minute supply runs, and violent clashes with both drug traffickers and Colombian guerrillas. They had not paused to catch their breath. Even with their exceptional endurance, the 30-40 kilograms of equipment strapped to their backs weighed them down, making every step a struggle.
Grinding his teeth, Zhang Li groaned, "Can we stop already? How much further are we going? I swear my pack is heavier than all of yours combined."
"Could it have taken on water?" Tashi Danba suggested. Though their backpacks were made with waterproof coatings and double-layered zippers, the intense force of their earlier plunge over the waterfall could easily have allowed water to seep inside.
Yue Yang shook his head. "No way. We're still too close to where we came ashore. If we light a fire here, it'll give us away instantly." In the wild, it was nearly impossible to make a fire without smoke, and a vertical column of smoke would act as a beacon to anyone tracking them. They needed to move deeper into the jungle, where the thick canopy could diffuse the smoke. Choosing a campsite in this environment required careful consideration—venomous creatures, predatory animals, and other dangers lurked everywhere, and a single mistake could be fatal.
As they ventured deeper into the jungle, the sky darkened significantly. Yue Yang assessed the surroundings, while Zhang Li measured the spacing between several large trees. "What do you think about camping here?" Yue Yang suggested.
Dropping his pack with a loud thud, Zhang Li exhaled in relief. "This spot works for me." Towering trees surrounded them, their trunks spaced four to five meters apart. Beneath the trees, thorny underbrush and brambles formed a natural barrier, with sparse grass no taller than three inches filling the gaps. This setting offered some safety—larger predators would struggle to navigate the underbrush, and snakes would have difficulty concealing themselves.
Relieved to set down their burdens, the group momentarily forgot the pursuit that had hounded them all day. Zhang Li and Yue Yang began clearing a space using machetes, carving out an area large enough for movement and constructing a simple stove from mud and branches. Meanwhile, Tashi Danba and Basang returned from a successful hunt, carrying a Tasmanian devil brought down with a throwing knife to avoid drawing attention with gunfire. The fire crackled to life, its warmth and light filling the clearing as the tantalizing aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air. Though their packs were stocked with modern survival rations, they opted to preserve these for emergencies, indulging in freshly hunted food whenever possible.
Water collected from the river had been filtered, boiled, and buried to cool. It carried a faint earthy flavor, refreshing and revitalizing. After drinking deeply, Zhang Li lay on the ground for a moment, then sprang to his feet. "Time to set up camp," he announced.
From his pack, Zhang Li retrieved climbing gear and selected a sturdy tree with a trunk approximately one meter in diameter. The first branches extended about fifteen meters above the ground. Wrapping a thick rope around the tree and securing it to his waist, Zhang Li used the tension to climb, pulling and stepping in tandem. Within minutes, he reached a height of ten meters, secured anchors into the tree, and extended lightweight titanium poles to form a sturdy platform. The others mirrored his efforts on neighboring trees, connecting their structures to create a square frame.
The team then reinforced the frame with vines and branches, covering gaps with adhesive spray to stabilize the structure. Testing the platform with a couple of jumps, Zhang Li declared it secure. They constructed a camouflage treehouse atop the platform—a 10-square-meter shelter elevated safely above the forest floor.
To most, building such a structure would have been a formidable task, but for these four, it was as simple as pitching a tent. Within ten minutes, their aerial refuge was complete. The shelter could even be expanded vertically, offering space for cooking or additional activities if needed.
Yue Yang completed the final tasks, erasing evidence of their presence by disguising the fire site and applying a chemical spray around the base of the trees to deter climbing insects and animals. Satisfied with their precautions, he leaped onto the platform, which included a small observation deck for security.
Though their camp was well-camouflaged, Basang insisted on keeping watch. Armed with a Steyr rifle, he took the first shift on the observation deck. Inside, the others examined maps under the glow of a small lamp, cross-referencing them with satellite images. They confirmed their location within Ecuador and planned the next day's route.
Meanwhile, Veto informed Mo Jin of the guerrillas' heavy losses. The situation had spiraled out of control; the guerrillas now possessed intelligence on Tashi Danba's group and had issued orders for their capture or execution. Veto apologized, admitting he could no longer help.
As darkness fell, the camp grew quiet. Inside the treehouse, the team drifted into uneasy sleep. Outside, Basang kept watch, his rifle cradled in his arms. In the dense jungle, less than 200 meters away, the moonlight illuminated a massive tree, its trunk teeming with life. Spiders of every shape and size blanketed the tree, their colors dazzling—coal black, blood red, iridescent blue. They crawled in eerie unison, forming a living carpet around the enormous trunk.
Standing amidst this nightmarish scene was a figure in gray—Soris. Holding a book-sized device, he smirked as he scanned the distant camp. "Not bad. Their camouflage is impressive, almost hard to spot with the naked eye," he muttered. The snake attack in town had been a mere distraction. What he truly needed was the tracking pin embedded in Tashi Danba's shoe.
Unperturbed by the crawling mass around him, Soris whispered, "They look exhausted, don't they, Butch? If I strike now, they won't survive the night—not a single one."
The monkey on his shoulder shook a branch and chattered softly, dislodging a few spiders. Soris paused, then snapped shut the device in his hand. Deprived of its signal, the spiders scattered chaotically, some even turning on each other. Watching with a smirk, Soris mused, "But I won't make it easy for them. Let's move, Butch."
The monkey leaped gracefully ahead, while Soris followed, swinging effortlessly on a long whip. Under the moonlight, his gaunt figure moved with uncanny agility, vanishing into the darkness.
Back at the camp, Tashi Danba lay awake, eyes wide. A sense of impending danger weighed on him like a stone. Though he couldn't explain why, every nerve in his body screamed of a threat far greater than anything they had faced before. Only when Soris retreated did the tension ease, leaving Tashi Danba drenched in sweat, still unable to shake the foreboding that had gripped him.