Are You Crazy? You’re Telling Me This Is a Fugitive TV Show?
Chapter 264: Snake Flower! An Embarrassing Misunderstanding!

Wang Yun asked, looking around for answers.

Brother Hu and the others shook their heads.

“No, nothing like that. Could it have been when I swung the stick around earlier and accidentally hit one of them? If that’s the case, these snakes sure hold a grudge,” Brother Hu said with a hint of exasperation in his voice, though it was faint. Faint enough that, after he spoke, he nervously glanced around.

What he saw made his skin crawl once again.

All around them, the snakes had encircled the group, staring them down, each one with a menacing gaze.

“I didn’t touch them either. Plus, with how dark it is, all my focus was on that steep path. I kept thinking about how we’d get across… That slope is so narrow, you can barely fit one foot on it,” Xiao Gang said worriedly.

Wang Zi also shook his head, but after thinking for a while, he spoke up.

“Could it be because of this?”

With that, Wang Zi pulled a vibrant purple flower from his pocket. Under the light of the fire, the flower looked even more beautiful.

Wang Yun stared at the flower, then shifted his gaze to the surrounding snakes. Sure enough, the moment they saw the flower, their bodies started to writhe, and they began flicking their tongues more rapidly. Some of the bigger snakes even started swaying wildly.

“What the heck! No way, it’s because of that flower?” Wang Zi exclaimed in shock.

“That’s a Snake Flower! I’ve seen it on TV before,” Xiao Gang suddenly shouted.

The Snake Flower grew in tropical rainforests. It got its name because its petals were a deep purple, but its stem was marked by alternating purple and red rings. In the sunlight, the colors were particularly striking. This unusual coloration was found only on highly venomous snakes, so the locals named it the Snake Flower.

“The Snake Flower is extremely rare. At night, it emits a scent that humans can’t detect,” Xiao Gang began to explain. “But this scent triggers a hormone in snakes’ brains. The same thing that humans call pheromones. In other words, wherever this flower is, it enhances the romantic mood between male and female snakes, causing them to release more of their own pheromones and encouraging them to mate.”

Wang Zi’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait, what?! This thing is basically a snake pheromone?!”

Disgusted, Wang Zi immediately threw the flower far away, his face full of revulsion.

Xiao Gang nodded awkwardly, his expression uneasy.

“You could say that… It’s basically a love catalyst…” Wang Zi explained, trying to simplify it.

Hearing this, Brother Hu felt his stomach churn with disgust, nearly gagging.

That was why the snakes had been chasing them. They had interrupted the snakes’ “romantic time.” It was like barging in on a couple during a candle-lit dinner, flipping on the lights, and blowing out the candles. No wonder the snakes were angry.

The four of them couldn’t help but exchange embarrassed glances.

“I-I really didn’t know… I just thought the flower looked nice, standing out in the middle of all those weeds,” Wang Zi said sheepishly, suddenly feeling guilty.

He even gave the snakes a small apologetic nod.

“Ahem, it wasn’t on purpose. Let me toss this flower and see if it calms them down…” Wang Yun said, picking up the Snake Flower. Channeling all his strength into his arm, he flung the flower far into the distance.

As soon as the flower left his hand, the entire group of snakes shifted their focus. Like mad, they all slithered furiously toward the direction the flower was thrown. Their speed was incredible, darting through the grass like lightning.

“It worked!” Brother Hu shouted excitedly.

Without wasting time, Wang Yun handed each of them a torch.

“Let’s go while we can. If any of those snakes decide to get mad again, we won’t stand a chance.”

The three of them grabbed their torches without hesitation and bent low, sprinting forward. Brother Hu, in particular, was moving at a speed that made his previous encounters with the show’s inspectors look slow by comparison. Fueled by adrenaline, what should’ve taken them two hours only took one.

They finally reached their camp, throwing down their extinguished torches, panting heavily. The memory of what had just happened made their hearts race in fear.

“From now on, don’t go picking wildflowers off the side of the road!” Brother Hu scolded Wang Zi, who nodded sheepishly in agreement.

“Get some rest, we’ll explore more tomorrow,” Wang Yun said.

The three others returned to their tents, while Wang Yun stayed outside for a little longer, scanning the surroundings to ensure everything was safe. He wanted to be certain there were no more of those Snake Flowers nearby. The last thing he wanted was to be woken up by the sound of slithering during the night.

Soon, after surviving the earlier crisis, the four of them drifted into sleep.

Little did they know that vehicles had arrived one by one at the foot of the mountain. Eighty percent of the program’s inspectors already gathered at the base. It was now 1 a.m.

“There are too many poisonous creatures in this jungle. It’s not safe to enter right now,” Wu Mingyu, who was leading the team personally, instructed the large group in front of him. “Stay quiet and rest nearby tonight. At 5:30 a.m. sharp, we’ll move in.”

The group nodded, their eyes filled with excitement. Many of them had never been in a tropical rainforest before and had no idea what dangers lay ahead.

Time was ticking down—just four and a half hours to go.

The captains from the other countries didn’t rest either. They set up a temporary base with their tents in a hidden location, preparing to direct the operation from there. Another team distributed protective suits and medication. For the first time, they had prepared so thoroughly before an operation.

“Let’s hope Old Zhao’s analysis is right. If Wang Yun really is hiding in this mountain, all this effort will be worth it,” Captain Hardy said, sitting in a tent while spraying insect repellent on himself.

“Old Zhao has a lot of experience. He wouldn’t go into this unprepared. Everyone needs to focus and be reliable,” Wu Mingyu shot back, clearly offended by Hardy’s doubt.

As Zhao Youcheng’s biggest fan, Wu Mingyu rarely spoke harshly, but hearing someone question Zhao’s abilities riled him up.

Hardy, taken aback, pursed his lips and stayed quiet.

At that moment, the sound of a truck approaching caught everyone’s attention. They stepped outside and saw a large truck pull up in front of them.

“This is from Mr. Zhao. Tools, medicine, and other supplies,” the driver said, stepping down and addressing Wu Mingyu and the others. “Mr. Zhao emphasized that your safety comes first.”

Wu Mingyu looked at the truckload of supplies with growing admiration on his face.

“Old Zhao really is amazing, thinking of everything. Start distributing everything! Make sure everyone gets what they need. Three hours to go. Get ready to head into the jungle!” he commanded.