“It doesn’t matter. Having their help to find the source of the virus is a good thing!” Leo smiled generously.
“Dr. Bloomer, as per your suggestion, I’ve divided my team into three groups. We will act separately.”
“As for me… can I join your group?” Monica’s tone carried a hint of embarrassment.
Leo nodded and casually agreed.
“President, let me go with you!” Monica’s assistant said worriedly.
“No need. You have a more important task. Stay in the camp and monitor everyone’s situation. If any of us encounter an accident, immediately arrange for rescue!”
“We will each carry a locator device to help you confirm our positions.”
Monica made a decisive decision.
“Monica, how about we investigate this area tomorrow?” Leo pointed to a region on the map in front of him.
The old village chief quickly leaned over and asked, “Where? Let me see.”
When the old village chief saw the area Leo was pointing to, his face changed, and he shook his head firmly. “No! You can’t go there!”
Seeing the old village chief so agitated, Leo asked in surprise, “Why not?”
The old village chief said solemnly, “The area you pointed to is Primeval Forest. For generations, we have always regarded that place as forbidden.”
“The terrain there is much more complex than outside, with many large beasts. Almost everyone who went in never came out. It’s full of dangers. You absolutely can’t go in!”
“Is it really that scary?”
“Do you think an old man like me would lie to you?” The old village chief’s tone was somewhat displeased. “Besides, it’s far from our village and camp, almost out of the province. Even if there’s a virus, it couldn’t have come from there.”
“Yes, the old village chief is right. We call it the Death Forest. Even we elders have never ventured deep into it,” said an elderly man with graying hair and one blind eye sitting next to the village chief.
However, the one-eyed elder added, “Village chief, I remember Eugene bragging to everyone that he went deep into the Death Forest recently, right?”
“Do you believe Eugene? He only wandered around the edge of the Death Forest!” The old village chief looked skeptical. “If he dared to go in, he wouldn’t come out.”
Leo had already made up his mind to go to the Death Forest. Even without local guides, with the aid of his senses, exploring inside shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
After the banquet, Lawson gathered everyone for a short meeting to discuss specific precautions for entering the mountain tomorrow and reminded everyone to ensure their safety.
The old village chief then divided the villagers into groups, with two villagers responsible for leading each group of medical experts up the mountain.
The European Medical Research Association and Clotho Syndicate also followed the United States Medical Research Association’s approach, pairing everyone into groups to increase the chances of finding the virus host.
Leo and Monica were assigned two villagers who were brothers named Rory and Christopher, both in their twenties and appearing honest and simple.
“Village chief, are these young brothers reliable?” Monica asked worriedly.
The old village chief took a puff of his pipe and smiled. “Don’t worry. These two youngsters may be young but they’re clever.”
“Their father was a medicine vendor who spent years collecting herbs in the mountains and was known as our local living map. There’s no place in these nearby mountains he didn’t know. These boys started following him up the mountains to collect herbs when they were three or five years old, so they know this area well!”
“With us leading you, rest assured!” Christopher assured with a smile.
Monica asked puzzledly, “If your father is a living map, why not have him lead us?”
Rory and Christopher’s faces darkened at her words, and they lowered their heads without speaking.
“Their parents were among the first to fall ill. They passed away last month…” The old village chief sighed.
“I’m sorry…” Monica’s expression darkened as she solemnly said to Rory and Christopher, “Rest assured, we will do our best to find the source of the virus and help cure this strange disease.”
At this moment, Jaidyn raised his voice, “Everyone listen up! For safety reasons, make sure to head back by five in the afternoon and try to return to camp before dark!”
“The mountainous area here is typical karst topography. There might be wild beasts in the forest, so everyone must be careful!”
Once everything was arranged, Leo and the others went to rest in the tents set up in the camp.
For safety reasons, Lawson specifically arranged for Leo and Monica’s group to stay at the innermost part of the camp, away from the sick soldiers, and assigned several armed soldiers to protect them.
After organizing his belongings, Leo wanted to video call Sophia but found that the signal was too poor in the mountains. Talking was difficult, so he resorted to sending messages to update her on his situation.
Knowing that Leo was on a mission to save lives, Sophia fully supported him and reminded him to be careful and take care of himself.
After chatting with Sophia, Leo still couldn’t sleep and decided to spend the night meditating.
Just then, Monica’s voice came from outside the tent. “Dr. Bloomer, are you awake?”
Leo got up and opened the tent flap.
“Sorry to disturb your rest.” Monica blushed slightly upon seeing Leo in just a tank top. “I’m a bit scared, so…”
“It’s okay. I can’t sleep either. Come in and chat for a while!” Leo invited Monica into the tent.
“Dr. Bloomer, thank you for saving me today!” Monica said gratefully as she sat down, still shaken by the afternoon’s events.
“It’s nothing. Don’t blame them; they haven’t had much education due to their circumstances and can be a bit impulsive,” Leo replied.
Monica nodded and suddenly pulled out a small silver handgun from her waist, handing it to Leo.
Leo was taken aback by the gun handed to him. “This is…?”
“Dr. Bloomer, take this handgun for self-defense in case we encounter danger tomorrow,” Monica said seriously.
Leo shook his head with a smile. “I don’t know how to use a gun. You should keep it for yourself.”
“Alright then. If there’s danger tomorrow, I’ll protect you!” Monica said confidently as she put away the gun.
Leo smiled and nodded. “I’ll count on you then.”