One Hundred Eighteen: The Amazon Jungle

"Can detect shipwrecks! Even those buried under mud and sand can be detected!" Sophia answered Weihua's question. Hearing this, Weihua felt delighted deep down—there must be countless shipwrecks in the ocean. On days off, he could take his yacht out for a spin, find a shipwreck, and have some fun treasure hunting. The mood would surely be uplifting.

Before long, the robot handed Weihua a handheld game console-like detector. Weihua took the device and bid Sophia farewell.

In June 1983, Weihua, accompanied by Ding Peng, Ruan Wenyong, four bodyguards, and Indiana Jones, flew to the United States before transferring to a flight bound for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro was a world-renowned tourist city, but the group made no extended stop there. Instead, they hurried to Manaus, a smaller city in Brazil. It was currently the dry season, and the flow of the Amazon River was much lower than in the rainy season.

Equipped with prepared wilderness survival tools and necessary gear, under Indiana Jones’s guidance, they entered the Amazon rainforest. The climate was rainy, humid, and generally hot. Fortunately, none of them were ordinary people; traversing the jungle posed no real challenge. Weihua’s performance was especially astonishing. Carrying a backpack weighing fifty to sixty pounds, his pace did not lag behind the professionally trained soldiers. In fact, while others rested, Weihua was still energetic enough to search and examine the surroundings.

The Amazon rainforest harbored the world's richest and most diverse biological resources—millions of species of insects, plants, birds, and other creatures, many still undocumented by science. Among the lush vegetation were various trees, including mahogany, laurel, palm, acacia, rosewood, Brazil nut, and rubber trees. Mahogany and Amazonian cedar were prized for their fine timber. The main wild animals included jaguars, manatees, tapirs, red deer, capybaras, numerous rodents, and several monkey species.

Weihua’s goal was to see if he could find any of the exotic spiritual herbs recorded in the memories of the legendary Xuan Yi Immortal Emperor within this rainforest, regarded by the world as the most mysterious tropical forest. He wanted to know whether the current world had never possessed spiritual energy or if it had dissipated for some other reason. If these rare herbs once existed, it would mean the spiritual energy had vanished for other causes. Many things might still be found, but if the spiritual energy never existed, Weihua’s path ahead would be far more difficult.

Thanks to Indiana Jones’s guidance, Weihua avoided many troubles while navigating the Amazon. The forest was fraught with dangers—giant pythons and hostile indigenous tribes who viewed outsiders with suspicion. On the fourth day of their journey, the group encountered a giant snake. Fortunately, everyone was armed, and with combined firepower, they managed to kill it. Weihua had spotted the snake early but did not issue a danger warning, not wanting to reveal his secret. He trusted that such a threat was manageable for this group, especially since all but him were battle-hardened veterans.

Indiana Jones was a professional explorer who specialized in seeking so-called treasures. Ten years prior, he had come to the jungle in search of an Indian treasure. He found the treasure location but discovered only a small amount of gold; the rest had been destroyed by the merciless passage of time. A meteorite was part of the treasure, but it was too heavy to transport. Unable to carry it out with his companions, he had to abandon it and never returned—until now, when a message from Changbai Technology Company reminded him of the matter.

The group’s progress through the jungle was slow, mainly because Weihua often suggested rest stops. While others rested, he wandered about, exploring the surroundings. At first, a few followed him out of concern for his safety, but after repeated occasions and Weihua’s insistence that he didn’t need company, they stopped trailing him.

After over ten days of travel, the group reached the treasure site Indiana Jones had found. The basketball-sized meteorite lay quietly where they had left it. Weihua used the detector Sophia had given him to scan it secretly, confirming it was indeed a meteorite. With the find secured, they planned to rest for a day before retracing their steps back.

In the past few days, Weihua had found several types of spiritual herbs mentioned in the Xuan Yi Immortal Emperor’s memories. However, these were quite ordinary in the cultivation world and had not grown long enough to be effective. Still, Weihua felt reassured. If the world’s spiritual energy had dissipated, many things should still remain; he simply hadn’t discovered them yet.

The meteorite, about the size of a soccer ball, weighed no less than two hundred pounds. This explained why Jones had been unable to carry it out a decade ago. Now, Weihua had to reveal his extraordinary physical strength. He carried the two-hundred-pound meteorite on his back for hours, only setting it down at their evening campsite. Ruan Wenyong and the others were stunned. Having followed Weihua for years, none had known he possessed such godlike strength—to march through the jungle bearing such a heavy load for hours was beyond any ordinary person.

Weihua casually set down the backpack containing the meteorite and, seeing their dumbfounded expressions, explained lightly, “Why the shock? I just happen to be a bit stronger physically. It’s not that heavy—just around two hundred pounds. Many people are born with great strength; you just haven’t seen it before. I’m just a bit strong—nothing extraordinary.”