A mutated python, as thick as a water buffalo's waist, retracted its tail from where it had just struck the stone cave.
It slowly climbed up from the depths of the serpent pit. Even after scaling the over-thirty-meter-deep pit, more than half of its body remained submerged below the water.
What shocked Uchiha Kazuhiko even more was that after this mutated python appeared, the previously chaotic and tangled mass of other mutated pythons began to move in an orderly fashion, following behind it as they crawled out of the pit.
This was a super mutated python, most likely the king of the mutated pythons.
Having judged the Serpent King's identity, Uchiha Kazuhiko decisively abandoned any thought of picking the remaining hundred or so Blood Orchids.
He immediately ran in the complete opposite direction of the expedition team.
"Hiss~ ROAR!"
The Serpent King, sensing the disappearance of the large quantity of Blood Orchids, let out an angry roar.
Like a speeding train, it led the snake swarm in pursuit of Uchiha Kazuhiko.
Boom! Crash! Boom!
Despite its massive size, the Serpent King's speed was astonishing.
Trees blocking its path were sent crashing to the ground one after another. It continuously closed the distance between itself and Uchiha Kazuhiko during the chase.
Glancing back at this situation, Uchiha Kazuhiko wanted the Shadow Clone Jutsu an immensely practical ninjutsu even more.
If he knew that technique, he could have sent a clone to distract the Serpent King while his real body made an easy escape.
Reluctantly, he retrieved the last two remaining Exploding Tags from his parents' belongings in his storage space.
Activating them, he stuck them onto the two tallest trees ahead.
BOOM! BOOM!
As the Serpent King passed by these two ancient trees, the Exploding Tags detonated. Flames, accompanied by the shockwave from the explosion, instantly engulfed the Serpent King's body.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Kazuhiko stopped, consuming nearly half of his chakra to unleash a massive fireball, intensifying the flames.
Without even checking the result of his technique, he desperately fled towards the distant river.
By the time Uchiha Kazuhiko reached the riverbank, the Serpent King had already broken away from the swarm and emerged from the sea of fire. Aside from the scales closest to the explosion being charred, it didn't have any serious injuries.
"Hiss~ ROAR!"
Feeling a slight pain, the Serpent King roared loudly and suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Uchiha Kazuhiko.
"Farewell, giant serpent."
Uchiha Kazuhiko threw several kunai with all his might, aiming for the few vulnerable spots on the Serpent King: its eyes, mouth, and forked tongue. This was meant to slightly hinder its movement.
Immediately after, he leaped into the river, swiftly swimming downstream with the current.
"Hiss~ ROAR!"
The river water masked Uchiha Kazuhiko's scent. Having lost its tracking target, the Serpent King grew even more enraged.
Several pythons that arrived late were swallowed whole, becoming sacrificial victims for its vented fury.
A few minutes later, Uchiha Kazuhiko, who had swum a great distance, came ashore. After getting his bearings, he ran towards the cave where the expedition team was hiding.
Reaching the outside of the cave, Uchiha Kazuhiko took out the backpack Dr. Jack had given him from his storage space and put a small portion of the Blood Orchids inside.
Only then did he break open the sealed cave entrance to reunite with the people inside.
The moment he entered the cave, Dr. Jack rushed up to him and asked impatiently,
"Well? Did you get the Blood Orchids?"
"Mission accomplished. There are over forty Blood Orchids here. I wanted to gather more, but the king of the mutated pythons discovered me. I almost didn't make it back."
Uchiha Kazuhiko concealed the true number of orchids; the rest became his additional profit.
"Hahaha! Excellent! We succeeded! We did it! The world is about to change because of us!"
Dr. Jack's hands trembled as he took the backpack, gazing obsessively at the eerily glowing Blood Orchids inside, loudly venting his excitement to everyone.
"Dr. Jack, we need to evacuate ASAP. If the Serpent King finds us, even I might not be able to guarantee your safety. So contact Bill now and tell him to come pick us up immediately."
Worried the Serpent King might track them, Uchiha Kazuhiko interrupted the excited doctor.
"Okay, no problem, buddy. I'll contact him right now." Dr. Jack took out the satellite phone and called Captain Bill, readily agreeing to the exorbitant price the captain demanded.
Once they decided to leave, the group discarded most of their non-essential gear to travel as light as possible.
Following behind Uchiha Kazuhiko, they retraced their path back to the riverbank where they had initially landed.
Their luck held on the return journey. They encountered only a few mutated pythons.
Before Uchiha Kazuhiko's hardened steel katana finally met its end, the group successfully returned to the riverbank.
"Hey, buddies, you finally made it. I've been waiting here for ages,"
Captain Bill said, standing on the deck and waving to the expedition team appearing on the riverbank.
"Bill, quick, quick, quick! Lower the ladder and let us up. Damn it, I don't want to spend another minute in this godforsaken place."
Once out of the jungle, the chatterbox Cole finally regained his usual vitality. After Bill lowered the ladder, he was the first to squeeze onto the small boat, hiding in the cabin and swearing not to come out until they returned to Palembang.
After Uchiha Kazuhiko and Dr. Jack who was clutching the backpack tightly boarded the ship, the expedition mission was finally declared over.
After spending another two days on the Bloody Mary, the expedition team returned to Palembang, back within the bounds of human civilization.
[Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, on completing the Black Iron Level Mission [Protect the Employer]. Reward: 6 System Gold Coins, 7 Mission Points.]
[Ding dong! Mercenary mission complete. The Host may choose to leave the mission spacetime freely within one day. Exceeding the time will result in forced departure. You may also spend Gold Coins to remain in the mission spacetime at a price of 1 Gold Coin/day. Time remaining: 23 hours, 59 minutes.]
The system notification made Uchiha Kazuhiko's heart, which had been on edge for a week, finally relax completely.
"Hey, buddy, it's all thanks to you that I managed to get the Blood Orchids from that perilous rainforest. Here's your commission. The extra twenty thousand is my thank you."
After getting properly cleaned up back in town, Dr. Jack was in exceptionally high spirits. He handed Uchiha Kazuhiko a briefcase containing seventy thousand US dollars.
"Thank you, Doctor. I hope I get the chance to take on another one of your missions in the future."
Uchiha Kazuhiko had been wondering why the system hadn't given him the fifty-thousand-dollar reward. It seemed now that non-system gold coin rewards were given directly by the employer.
"Of course, if I need anything in the future, I'll definitely contact you." Dr. Jack was very satisfied with Uchiha Kazuhiko and promised to seek him out again if needed.
That evening, Uchiha Kazuhiko declined Dr. Jack's invitation to a celebration banquet.
He bid farewell to the group and headed alone to the largest city in Borneo.
At a jewelry store, he exchanged the seventy thousand US dollars for several exquisitely crafted diamond necklaces.
Finding a deserted corner, Uchiha Kazuhiko silently intoned 'return.'
After a brief feeling of weightlessness, he was back in his home in the Naruto world.