Meanwhile, inside the water church—
After Rebecca's defibrillation treatment, Manuela's heart, which was on the verge of stopping, barely regained a bit of vitality, and her weak body also recovered some strength due to the replenishment of medication.
She was not as tired as she had been when fleeing through the rainforest earlier, having narrowly escaped death.
"Mmm…ugh…"
Manuela, who had been in a deep sleep, slowly woke up.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her throat moved, and she suddenly caught a whiff of food.
Unbeknownst to her, her uncooperative stomach began to rumble.
There was no doubt—Manuela, who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights, was very hungry.
Her only food had been fruits dropped from the rainforest, and she hadn't consumed any protein.
Therefore, her stomach involuntarily rumbled when it smelled food.
This made Manuela, who had originally intended to feign sleep and observe her surroundings, feel a moment of embarrassment.
She could only helplessly open her eyes.
What met her gaze was Rebecca, who was constantly monitoring her condition, and Rebecca's look of pleasant surprise.
As a doctor, Rebecca's greatest joy was seeing her critically ill patients awaken.
"Javier, she's awake!"
"Are you alright? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Does your heart feel strange, like you can't breathe? What about your stomach? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Rebecca leaned close to Manuela and asked with great concern.
However, Rebecca's excessive enthusiasm was a bit too much for the shy Manuela to handle at once.
She immediately pulled away from Rebecca's hand and curled up, not uttering a single word, just like a mute.
This was her best protective color.
Seeing this, Javier, who was standing by, shook his head helplessly.
This girl's guard was even stronger than he had imagined.
Before fully dropping her guard, Manuela found it difficult to trust anyone around her.
"Hey, eat!"
"I know you're not mute, and we're not bad people.
There's no poison on the fish, so just eat it.
If you don't eat soon, your body won't be able to handle it and you'll faint again.
And next time you faint, you might not be so lucky.
You might just sleep forever and never wake up."
Hot steam rose from the red bonfire, and several tilapia, freshly caught by Javier from the river, were skewered on a nearby rack.
This was the most common food for the local residents.
Although there was no salt or various seasonings, Javier's cooking skills were decent; he roasted them until they were golden and fragrant, making Manuela, who hadn't eaten for three days, stare intently, even secretly swallowing her saliva.
It wasn't that she lacked composure; it was that in such a state of hunger, even a saint couldn't resist the temptation of food, let alone a mere drug lord's daughter.
Finally, thinking about her previous collapse, Manuela still took the grilled fish Javier offered.
Her small hands began tearing off the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside fish meat and stuffing it into her small mouth, not caring even if her hands and mouth were scalded and she winced.
Before long, the grilled fish were all devoured.
Manuela licked her fingers with lingering satisfaction, and with her dirty face, she looked as cute as a little calico cat.
After finishing the grilled fish, it was time to get down to business.
Javier didn't hesitate, directly stating Manuela's identity calmly:
"Your name is Manuela Idalgo, right?"
"The daughter of drug lord Javier Idalgo.
Your father is known as the 'Drug King' in the Colombia area, the leader of 'Holy Serpent,' South America's largest drug trafficker and private arms dealer.
Coincidentally, my name is also Javier."
"We are an investigation team secretly dispatched by the United States Government.
The reason we are here is because your father, Javier Idalgo, has acquired a weapon called a bio-virus from the black market in recent years."
"That stuff can be injected into a person's body and turn humans into monsters.
It's extremely dangerous.
The United States Government must prevent the spread of the bio-virus.
If the virus spreads, the entire Amazon Rainforest will be contaminated."
"It will then spread to Colombia and even Brazil.
Not only will the indigenous people in the rainforest be affected, but even the urban population will be infected, and hundreds of thousands of people will turn into monsters."
"So, the reason we sought you out, Manuela, is because we want your help to stop your father.
Help us… don't let your father continue to make such a grave mistake.
If we can capture your father, although he won't escape imprisonment, at least it will save his life."
"Otherwise, once the virus spreads, government troops come to encircle and suppress, and the Amazon Rainforest becomes fully infected, with all animals turning into terrifying monsters, you and your father will be the greatest sinners.
You won't be able to atone for this sin even in hell!"
The art of persuasion continued.
Without any hesitation, Javier directly explained this to Manuela.
This was actually a form of revealing his hand, though he told a slight lie, it did indeed strike a chord with Manuela's inner weakness.
After all, Manuela also loved this rainforest where she had grown up since childhood.
She didn't want the animals in the rainforest to be contaminated by the virus, nor did she want her father to continue making mistakes.
Ever since she and her mother contracted the endemic disease a few years ago, Manuela could feel that her father, who used to dote on her, had changed.
Because in the past, when Javier Idalgo trafficked drugs and arms, Manuela, as his daughter, could barely accept it.
Although she knew her father was a thoroughly bad person, at that time, Javier Idalgo still had a clear moral bottom line.
He would use any means to accumulate wealth, but he would generously donate to surrounding villages and civilians, even providing large amounts of financial aid.
This led to Javier Idalgo having a good reputation among the common people; he wasn't a pure tyrant.
But now…
Ever since he obtained the so-called bio-virus, her father, Javier Idalgo, seemed to have fallen into a demonic path, becoming obsessively engrossed in researching that thing, and his temper gradually became erratic and violent.
Especially that one night, when she personally witnessed her father inject a certain drug into a subordinate who had made a mistake, and that subordinate suddenly transformed into a terrifying monster in the iron cage, Manuela knew that everything had changed.
Most importantly, there was also her mother's departure…
Very suddenly, her mother, Hilda, disappeared from Manuela's life.
Even though her mother's illness hadn't reached such a severe stage, she vanished all at once.
Even when Manuela asked her father, Javier Idalgo, he never gave a clear answer, always being evasive.
At that time, Manuela had already guessed that her mother's disappearance might be related to the bio-virus, and perhaps her mother had already become a monster, just like that subordinate who had made a mistake.
Therefore, no matter what, Manuela could not refuse Javier's proposal.
Because if she had the chance, she had originally wanted to stop her father this way; it was just that the arrival of Javier and the others gave her such an opportunity!
Chapter 13: Filial Daughter
"I…"
"I accept your proposal, Mr. Javier.
I will lead you towards the large dam, but I hope… if you truly capture my father, I hope you will allow me one last chance to speak with him."
"I know my father's sins are too great to be redeemed, but if he can truly come to his senses at the end, perhaps it will bring my mother a bit of comfort.
After all, he wasn't like this before."
Finally, facing Javier's invitation, Manuela raised her curled-up face and spoke with great determination.
However, when she directly called out the name "Javier," Manuela felt a bit uncomfortable and strange.
After all, she had never dared to address her own father by his given name so brazenly, even if they just shared the same name.
On the other side, Javier couldn't help but show a smile after gaining the initial trust of the young girl, Manuela.
It was good to be able to start building rapport; if there wasn't even a progress bar, then he wouldn't be able to
conquer Manuela.
This was already a good start.
But this made Rebecca, who was standing by, puff out her cheeks, her expression slightly displeased.
To be honest… she really wondered what kind of women Javier liked.
A loli-con?
Manuela was very young, but her exceptionally beautiful appearance didn't look like a loli.
And as for lolis…
Ahem, it seemed that Rebecca herself was even younger and cuter four years ago, especially with that baby face that still had a slight trace now.
And if he wasn't a loli-con, then perhaps he simply preferred women younger than him.
Thinking of this… Rebecca guessed that it was indeed possible.
So she reached out and pinched Javier's waist hard, a standard true damage skill that made the overjoyed Javier wince in pain.
A small punishment to make this perverted guy rein in his perverted smile!
"Hey, little girl,"
"Where's the dam? Hurry up and lead the way.
We're leaving.
You're the daughter of drug lord Javier Idalgo, the leader of 'Holy Serpent.'
We can't trust you one hundred percent, so I advise you to be sensible and not play any tricks, or my dagger will slit your throat at any moment!"
At this moment, Krauser, in the distance, couldn't be bothered to watch such a nauseating display of flirting.
Among this group, Krauser was currently the oldest, having already entered his thirties and a mid-life crisis.
Javier and Leon were only twenty-four or twenty-five.
He particularly disliked love, viewing it as an irrational impulse of the brain, and he also hated being a third wheel.
So he took the lead and walked to the riverside, pulling out the Cloud Serpent Village villagers' fishing boat.
He started the diesel engine, which spewed thick black smoke while the propeller at the back of the fishing boat began to spin with a
thumping sound, splashing water.
Don't ask why an indigenous village would have a diesel engine.
The development of indigenous people in the Amazon Rainforest is very backward, but not to that extent.
Due to the influx of a large number of poachers and illegal loggers, the pristine Amazon Rainforest has been severely eroded.
External mechanical power has completely impacted this pristine rainforest, and coupled with the generosity of drug lord Javier Idalgo, more and more indigenous people have recognized the convenience of machinery and begun to learn and use them.
From initially paddling boats for fishing, they have now transitioned to using diesel engine-powered fishing boats, which greatly saves manpower.
This is also the real reason why the Cloud Serpent Village villagers cannot resist Javier Idalgo.
Because these things were brought by Javier Idalgo, the drug lord.
Even though they now knew what machinery looked like, it was very difficult for the indigenous people to go out and buy them, transport them back, and continuously replenish their diesel and gasoline resources.
Therefore, if Javier Idalgo died, they would lose everything!
Boarding the fishing boat piloted by Krauser, the boat was not large, but just enough for five people to squeeze in.
Manuela, at the very front, began to guide Krauser, and the five prepared to head towards the large dam.
However, at the same time,
"Thump, thump, thump…"
"Chirp, chirp, chirp…squeak, squeak, squeak!!!"
A series of urgent footsteps suddenly came from the outskirts of Cloud Serpent Village, indicating that a large number of people were rushing towards the river, startling the birds and beasts in the rainforest.
The strange cries of monkeys and the frantic flight of birds gave Javier and the others an extremely dangerous signal.
The few people on the boat all turned their gaze towards the disturbance deep in the rainforest.
What was coming…?
"…"
"Quick, I see them, over there!"
"By the river, right by the river, they want to escape in the fishing boat! No… who are those people? Outsiders?!"
"Damn it, where are they trying to abduct Miss Manuela? They must be soldiers sent by the government.
Should we shoot them all?"
"No, stop! Chase them with fishing boats and surround them.
Try to aim your guns at their boat.
Miss Manuela is still with them.
Nothing must happen to her, or the boss won't let us off!"
Chaotic shouts came from deep within the rainforest.
In a short while, about twenty drug traffickers in poor quality military uniforms emerged, carrying various firearms, some even rocket launchers, and cursing menacingly in Javier and the others' direction.
All these people were subordinates sent by Javier Idalgo.
Although they wore camouflage military uniforms, they were not soldiers, but merely drug traffickers who had long been involved in the fringes of criminal forces, capable of using simple weapons and street fighting techniques.
However, to better manage them, Javier Idalgo had them wear camouflage military uniforms, which would make them appear more formal and presentable, rather than wearing all sorts of mismatched clothes.
But their inherent viciousness could not be changed.
Seeing Javier and the others preparing to escape, several drug traffickers initially thought they were soldiers sent by the government.
They immediately hoisted their rocket launchers, ready to fire and blow Javier and the others, along with the fishing boat, to smithereens.
But fortunately, a few of the drug traffickers still had their wits about them.
They were there to capture people, not to kill them, let alone the boss's daughter, Manuela, was on the fishing boat.
If they killed the boss's daughter as well, and Javier Idalgo found out when they reported back, he would likely, given his usual furious temper, peel off their skin inch by inch.
Thinking of that chilling scene, the drug traffickers quickly stopped the idiots carrying rocket launchers and began to organize a plan with courage and strategy.
Their numbers were large, and there were enough fishing boats docked by the river to use.
They could completely chase after them and surround them, forcing those government soldiers to hand over Miss Manuela!
"…"
"Who are these guys…?"
Watching the more than twenty stragglers rush out of the rainforest, Leon's expression changed, and he muttered with a frown.
He didn't remember there being so many soldiers in camouflage uniforms in the Amazon Rainforest.
Where did so many military personnel come from here?
Even militiamen weren't this numerous, and what kind of weapons were they carrying? Handguns, AK assault rifles, and even rocket launchers?
"Run!"
"They are my father's subordinates sent to catch me.
They're all drug traffickers, hurry up and go!"
Seeing this, Manuela's expression immediately became panicked, and she urgently urged Krauser behind her to quickly start the diesel engine, spin the propeller, and escape the village.
If she were caught by those drug traffickers, Manuela would undoubtedly lose her leverage to confront her father, Javier Idalgo, again.
"Tch! Got it…"
"Everyone hold on tight, don't fall into the water!"
"Vroom… thump, thump, thump—!!!!"
Although Krauser was annoyed by Manuela ordering him around, the current situation was indeed critical.
Without dwelling too much, Krauser stepped on the accelerator of the engine.
The propeller spun at high speed, and amidst a deafening noise, the fishing boat immediately accelerated, rapidly heading into the distance of the river, breaking through the waves.