Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

Two hundred million.

Ling Qiao stared at the payment notification on her phone, her eyes first widening in shock, then blazing with anger. She had never suffered such humiliation in her entire career—a mere greenhorn trying to use money to shatter her professional judgment!

However, the impact of those numbers is undeniable. Two hundred million, not two hundred yuan. The fact that the state is willing to pay such an astronomical price for this "side job" says it all.

"Reason," Ling Qiao squeezed out through gritted teeth. She could obey for the time being, but she had to know why. This was her bottom line as a commander.

"There's no reason." Su Ming shook his head. "If you don't trust me, you should at least trust the country. The country paid two hundred million to bring me here, not to play simulations with you."

"Every citizen has a responsibility to their country and its people. But even the life of an ordinary citizen is a life." Su Ming looked at her, his tone calm. "My price is high because I don't want the country to pay a higher price for false intelligence."

"For example, you and your teammates."

He paused, his tone turning serious: "My mission is to obtain the mother plant, and incidentally, to ensure that you salaried workers don't die along the way. The path I've chosen may be slow, may be circuitous, but it guarantees survival. The path you've chosen is fast, but it will kill people. I don't want my stubbornness to force me to pay extra compensation to the country after I return home."

These words were incredibly domineering, yet they were presented under the guise of "minimizing losses for the country."

Ling Qiao was so angry that her chest felt tight, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Old Liu!" she called out, turning her head towards the driver's seat of the jeep.

"Here!" The car door opened in response, and a sharp-eyed veteran in his thirties stepped out of the car, standing ramrod straight. His name was Liu Jianjun, Ling Qiao's most capable assault soldier, with rich experience in jungle warfare, and a personality as stubborn and unyielding as a rock in a latrine.

"You, follow him!" Ling Qiao pointed at Su Ming. "If he dares to play any tricks or do anything suspicious, you know what to do."

This is both a compromise and surveillance.

Liu Jianjun glanced at Su Ming with disdain, thinking to himself: What does a delicate-skinned pretty boy know about the jungle?

"Yes!" he replied verbally, but in his heart he already regarded Su Ming as a "close relative" who needed special care.

Guard Wang Hu, carrying a rope and a medicine bag, approached Liu Jianjun and whispered, "Brother Liu, don't disbelieve me, Mr. Su is amazing! Last time in the desert, he used a slingshot..."

"Shut up, newbie," Liu Jianjun interrupted him coldly. "This is a rainforest, not a playground. Playing with slingshots? What, are you planning to neuter the monkeys here?"

Wang Hu was rebuffed and shut his mouth in embarrassment. But the look in his eyes when he looked at Su Ming was still full of fanatical admiration.

Su Ming completely ignored their little antics and simply nodded to Ling Qiao: "Lead the way. To where I told you to go."

The group abandoned their original route and, guided by Su Ming, headed towards a denser and more difficult area.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the side ridge of the valley entrance that Su Ming had previously pointed out on the map. The terrain here was high, offering a panoramic view of the entire valley entrance.

Ling Qiao raised her high-powered binoculars and carefully observed the valley. Everything seemed normal, except for a few long-tailed monkeys playing among the branches, chirping and chattering.

"See that? There's nothing there." She put down the binoculars and said coldly to Su Ming.

"Now, what's your explanation?"

Liu Jianjun scoffed, thinking the kid was just making a fuss.

Su Ming didn't say anything, but picked up a stone from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and then suddenly threw it at a monkey that was swinging on a swing in the valley.

The stone flew through the air and landed precisely on a branch next to the monkey.

"What are you doing!" Ling Qiao shouted angrily. Making noise without cause is a major taboo in outdoor activities.

"Awooo—!"

The startled monkey let out a shriek and jumped down from the tree.

However, it did not run away.

The moment it landed, something unexpected happened!

Beneath the seemingly smooth layer of fallen leaves on the ground, three or four large, dark green nets suddenly shot out! The nets were woven from extremely fine steel wires and covered with sharp barbs!

The monkey was instantly trapped, the barbs piercing deep into its flesh. It struggled frantically, its screams filled with agony.

Even more terrifying, as the net tightened, more than a dozen automatic sensor nozzles hidden in the surrounding bushes were triggered, suddenly spraying out large amounts of white mist!

"Hold your breath! It's a chemical nerve agent!" Ling Qiao's expression changed drastically, and she shouted sharply.

Everyone put on gas masks.

They watched helplessly as the monkey twitched a few times in the net, its body quickly stiffening before becoming completely still. The white mist gradually dissipated, and the valley returned to its tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.

If it had been them who just walked in...

Thinking of this, both Ling Qiao and Liu Jianjun broke out in a cold sweat.

Liu Jianjun's throat went dry. He stared intently at the valley, unable to utter a single word. His prized jungle experience had been shattered in that instant. The trap wasn't aimed at humans at all; it exploited animal instincts, ensuring a fatal blow to any creature that ventured in.

Ling Qiao slowly lowered the binoculars, her gaze towards Su Ming completely changing, a mixture of shock, confusion, and a hint of fear she was unwilling to admit. Is this guy… a monster?

Her high-precision satellite images, thermal imaging dynamics, artificial intelligence simulations... all became a joke at this moment.

"How did you know?" Her voice was dry.

Su Ming patted the dirt off his hands, his expression unchanged, as if he had just done a small thing casually.

"Those monkeys."

"monkey?"

"Normal monkeys wouldn't make that kind of noise in that environment," Su Ming explained.

"Their cries sounded anxious, indicating that they had sensed danger but dared not leave for some reason."

He pointed to a few wild fruits hanging on a tree in the distance.

"Those are bait. One for the monkeys, and one for us."

There was complete silence.

Wang Hu stared at Su Ming's retreating figure, his fists clenched in excitement, his mind screaming: "Did you fucking see that?! Brother Liu! This is Mr. Su! Damn it, he can understand monkeys!"

Su Ming turned around, looked at Ling Qiao and Liu Jianjun who were dumbfounded, and slowly spoke.

"Welcome to the Weeping Rainforest."

He paused, his tone flat.

"Lesson One: Shut up until I tell you to speak."