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"Things are getting more interesting by the minute."
Jimmy smiled and glanced back at the bar behind him.
…
Tony was as reliable as ever. The information arrived on Jimmy's laptop quickly.
Jack Byron - PhD in biopharmaceutical sciences. Head of research in the company, Holder of forty-five percent of the company's shares.
Sam Rogers - Jack Byron's assistant.
Gordon Mitchell - Also one of the investors.
Gail Stern- Representative from a small venture capital firm called Wexel Hall.
Due to prolonged financial losses, Wexel Hall wanted to pull out and reclaim the company. Byron, however, was trying one last desperate move.
They were claiming that deep in the jungles of Borneo, there was a rare plant that could allow humans to break through the Hayflick limit.
As for what the Hayflick limit was. Jimmy knew it well.
Leonard Hayflick proposed that human cells can only divide around fifty-six times before they stop. According to this theory, aging and death are tied to this biological ceiling.
At first glance, this looked like nothing more than a dying company's last-ditch marketing stunt. Exaggerated claims. Smoke and mirrors. Something you would use to fool amateurs.
This kind of thing was already old news. Pepper had played with concepts far more advanced years ago.
…
But as Jimmy kept reading, something clicked.
Maybe this was not an exaggeration after all.
Sometimes, believing in science also meant leaving room for the impossible.
After all, when you push science far enough, it starts to look like magic.
Then it hit him.
Anaconda 2. Hunt for the Blood Orchid.
He did not know how effective the Blood Orchid truly was. But if it could make snakes grow to monstrous sizes, then it had to be doing something right.
…
"Horus, we have work."
The next day was overcast, but at least the heavy rain had stopped. A light drizzle still lingered. Horus returned, flapping his wings as he delivered his report.
"The people you told me to watch have reached the dock. They boarded what looks like a bathtub with an engine bolted to it. Someone even slapped a broken metal lid on top."
"It looks like someone put a rusted coffin on a floating bathtub."
Jimmy stared at him.
That bird really had a sharp tongue.
"Good, let them get a one-hour head start. Then we follow."
"Alright. I'll keep watching."
…
Once the boat entered the maze of winding river branches in Borneo, Jimmy could not help but turn toward Horus with a deadpan expression.
"Horus, do you even resemble an eagle anymore?"
"No, you look more like an osprey at this point."
"How many times have we gone the wrong way because you were too lazy to scout ahead?"
Because of the rain, Horus had gone from scouting every thirty minutes to once an hour. Then once every ninety minutes.
As a result, this scene kept repeating itself.
"Hey, Jimmy. I have good news and bad news."
"The good news is the river ahead is clear."
"The bad news is we took the wrong route again. The bathtub-with-a-coffin went toward the channel between those two mountains. It will take about…"
"Stop."
Jimmy cut him off immediately.
"Horus, don't even think about making me hike over another mountain."
"If it's raining and you don't scout, fine. I can accept that."
"But when the weather clears, and you still don't scout, whose fault is that?"
"Last time, seven massive crocodiles were blocking the river. You said you wanted to eat crocodile meat, so you took the wrong channel. I ended up jumping in and taking down seven six-meter-long crocodiles myself. I let that slide."
"The time before that, you said it was too dark to see the river at night. I let that slide too."
"But this time, in broad daylight, you missed the route because you were sitting on the bow pretending to be a fishing bird."
"You really think I can let that go?"
Horus shrank his neck slightly. Even he knew he had messed up this time.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"We stop moving during the day. When night falls, you carry me over under the cover of darkness. No negotiations."
"Alright. I was supposed to be here helping you train. Somehow, I ended up being the one getting trained."
Jimmy tried fishing to kill time.
The moment the hook hit the water, something bit.
The fishing line. Gone instantly.
Line after line snapped.
By the end of it, Jimmy had lost an entire pack of hooks.
Finally fed up, he jumped straight into the river and gave the fish a solid beating.
That felt much better.
...
After waiting until well past midnight, Jimmy stowed the boat away. Horus carried him through the air and landed behind the larger vessel.
Jimmy froze.
"…That's way too close."
"It's fine, let them move ahead a bit first," Horus said from the riverbank.
"Alright."
Just as they were waiting, a huge disturbance suddenly erupted from the forest.
Crash! Splash!
Branches snapped violently, followed by the shrill screams of monkeys.
"What was that?"
"No idea, I'll take a look."
Jimmy stared toward the riverbank.
Whoosh!
Horus suddenly expanded in size and skimmed over the treetops, smashing through branches with loud crack-crack sounds as he flew.
After quite a while, Horus returned, his eyes shining. Before Jimmy could say anything, Horus spoke excitedly.
"Jimmy, this place is amazing. I just found a giant spicy noodle. Over ten meters long."
"…A giant spicy noodle?"
"An anaconda Or maybe just a massive snake. I ate it and felt all warm inside. Really great."
Jimmy fell silent.
"…Why do you eat everything? What if it's harmful to your body? Who knows if it has radiation or something?"
He paused, then suddenly realized something.
"No, wait, we're probably close to the Blood Orchid. Snakes like that tend to gather here."
Jimmy's expression turned serious.
"There may be many of those 'giant noodles,' but listen carefully. If you kill one next time, don't eat it immediately. We need to confirm whether it's harmful to humans first."
"No need, no need," Horus waved it off confidently. "Cats eat mice, wolves eat sheep, and all snakes belong to eagles. If it's harmful to humans but not to eagles, then it doesn't matter."
Jimmy blinked.
"Snakes that are safe for eagles to eat are fine, That's the food chain. The food chain overrides all weird exceptions."
Jimmy stared at him.
…That didn't sound right, but somehow it also sounded convincing.
"Fine," Jimmy said slowly. "But if you catch another one, let me have a taste?"
He wanted to see if it would affect his system panel, maybe it would surprise him
"No," Horus replied immediately. "You don't want that. What if those snakes have eaten people?"
Jimmy's face changed instantly.
"…So that means I shouldn't eat crocodiles either?"
"Preferably not."
Jimmy went silent again.
Why did Horus always say things that sounded extremely reasonable, yet suspiciously like excuses to hoard food?
Seeing that the ship ahead had moved farther away, Jimmy quietly followed.
---
Rain began pouring down again.
The river swelled violently, and countless dead trees were swept into the current.
The day before, Jimmy had captured Horus's first "giant spicy noodle."
It was over thirteen meters long.
The anaconda had swallowed a crocodile nearly three meters long, making it sluggish. Jimmy sliced it vertically from head to tail.
Even after its head was split cleanly in two, the massive snake continued struggling for more than ten minutes.
When Jimmy touched its tail, it still twitched slightly.
Jimmy shook his head.
This is how it should be.
Even without a head, a snake's reflexes can persist for a long time.
How could it be like in movies?
One clean chop, instant death?
Or a toothpick-sized knife stabbed into the neck and the snake dies immediately?
Ridiculous.
This was reality.
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