After speaking, Eugene took off in the direction where Brady had disappeared.
However, after only a few steps, Leo suddenly appeared in front of him.
Startled, Eugene stumbled and complained, “What are you doing?”
“Hand over the necklace first,” Leo said, extending his right hand.
Eugene’s expression changed, and he snorted coldly, “What do you mean? You don’t trust me?”
“Of course not,” Leo nodded.
Eugene had seen Leo’s skills before, so he reluctantly handed the necklace from his pocket to Leo.
Only then did Leo allow Eugene to go after Brady.
Leo and Monica stayed behind to wait.
However, after more than half an hour, neither Eugene nor Brady returned.
A cold smile appeared on Leo’s lips; he knew those two were unlikely to come back.
Monica grew anxious again, “Why aren’t they back yet? Could something have happened to them?”
“Probably not,” Leo shook his head.
“Could they have abandoned us and left on their own?” Monica’s voice trembled.
Leo’s face showed a thoughtful expression.
It was indeed unusual. Someone as greedy as Eugene wouldn’t just give up the necklace.
After thinking for a moment, Leo said, “Monica, why don’t you wait here while I go look for them.”
Leo planned to use his spiritual sense to locate the two men.
Monica grabbed Leo’s arm and pleaded, “Dr. Bloomer, don’t leave me!”
“Forget it. Let’s explore on our own. Stay close behind me,” Leo decided.
Although using spiritual sense in the vast Primeval Forest wasn’t wise, they had no other choice.
Spiritual sense, like spiritual power, was limited.
Given Leo’s current cultivation level, he could only sustain his spiritual sense for about ten minutes if fully released.
After ten minutes, he would need about three hours before he could use it again.
So unless it was crucial, it was best not to use spiritual sense.
Leo chose a direction and continued forward with Monica.
After exploring the forest for over an hour and collecting more biological samples, Leo decided to leave the death forest with Monica.
Unexpectedly, by the time the forest was completely dark, they still hadn’t found their way out.
In other words, Leo and Monica were lost in the forest.
The Primeval Forest was so vast that Leo’s spiritual sense was of limited use.
As Leo considered whether to fly out of the forest with Monica using his sword, he heard a “grumble.”
He looked towards the sound and realized it was Monica’s stomach growling.
It seemed she was hungry.
Leo decided to deal with dinner first before leaving the forest.
He took out a headlamp and put it on, smiling as he said, “Monica, I’ll grill a fish for you.”
“Grilled fish?” Monica’s eyes lit up. “Where are there fish in the forest?”
Leo pointed ahead, “There’s a stream over there. I noticed fish in it earlier. Wait here.”
Leo walked to the stream, observed for a moment, and then caught a fish with his bare hands.
Monica clapped her hands in delight, “Dr. Bloomer, you’re amazing.”
Next came building a fire and grilling the fish to satisfy their hunger.
Despite lacking salt and cumin, the wild grilled fish tasted quite good.
After eating, Monica shyly said, “Dr. Bloomer, could you step aside for a moment?”
“What’s wrong?” Leo asked in confusion.
“I… I need to relieve myself…” Monica said embarrassedly.
Leo quickly stood up and walked away with his back turned.
“Don’t go too far!” Monica called out anxiously.
She feared Leo would disappear like Eugene and Brady.
Leo stopped and waited quietly.
Monica went to the stream and found an open spot to squat down.
At that moment, Leo heard rustling sounds.
He shone his flashlight towards the sound but saw nothing suspicious beyond thick trees and underbrush.
After finishing her business and tidying up her clothes, Monica walked quickly back to Leo and asked, “Dr. Bloomer, did you find anything?”
Leo shook his head and was about to say “nothing” when he suddenly saw two glowing red dots in the darkness ahead.
His heart tightened; those were definitely not fireflies but the eyes of a wild beast!
“Monica, step back!” Leo said in a low voice.
Sensing danger, Monica nervously retreated slowly.
Then came the sound of running and breaking branches. The red eyes rapidly approached Leo, clearly launching an attack.
Leo stood still.
“Dr. Bloomer, run!” Monica shouted from behind, thinking Leo was paralyzed with fear.
Leo remained motionless until the red eyes were close. Then he swung his right hand.
A purple light flashed through the forest.
A heavy thud and a wail followed as a large creature fell near Leo.
In the headlamp’s glow, it was revealed to be a large wild boar with sharp tusks. After being pierced through the neck by Purple Radiance, it struggled briefly before dying.
Monica saw it was a wild boar and ran over to Leo in astonishment.
“Dr. Bloomer, are you okay?”
Leo turned and smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“What should we do next…” Monica began but was interrupted by a thunderclap.
Then torrential rain began to pour down.
“Dr. Bloomer, it’s raining! What do we do?” Monica asked helplessly as cold raindrops hit her body.
“We need to find shelter from the rain,” Leo said as he released his spiritual sense and quickly found a spot.
Turning to Monica, he said, “There’s a cave nearby. The rain is too heavy; I’ll carry you.”
Monica wondered how Leo knew about the cave but climbed onto his back without questioning further.
Leo carried Monica at full speed and soon reached the cave he had sensed earlier.
Though cold inside, the cave was dry. Leo gathered dry branches and started a fire.
The warmth from the fire quickly dispelled the cave’s chill.
Their clothes were soaked; Leo took off his shirt to dry it by the fire.