53: The Dangerous Atmosphere at the Edge of the Rainforest

By the time the plane landed at Manaus International Airport, it was already noon the next day.

The moment the cabin door opened, a wave of hot, humid air hit them, carrying the scent of earth and rotting vegetation.

Wang Dalong had barely stepped out of the cabin when he stumbled from the heat wave. "Damn, it's even hotter here than in Brasília!"

Lin Feng, carrying his backpack, walked down the airstairs with an expressionless face.

He had already done his research—Manaus was located near the equator, with year-round high temperatures and heavy rainfall, making it one of the world's most humid and sultry cities.

The airport was small, its facilities outdated, with paint peeling off the walls.

After clearing customs, Lin Feng and Wang Dalong exited the terminal and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of taxi drivers.

"Sir! Going to the city? My car is the cheapest!"

"Need a guide? I'll take you to the best hotel!"

"Rainforest expedition? I know the best guide!"

The clamor of Portuguese and spanish mixed together, giving them a headache.

Lin Feng frowned, about to speak, when a voice came from outside the crowd:

"Mr. Lin, this way, please."

Lin Feng turned and saw a young man in a white linen shirt walking toward them.

The man had dark skin and deep-set features, clearly a local. His English was fluent but carried a heavy accent.

"You are?" Lin Feng asked warily.

"My name is Carlos. I was sent by the World Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation to meet you." The man took out a business card and handed it over. "Considering you're new here and unfamiliar with the area, the Foundation specifically arranged for me to be your guide and translator."

Lin Feng took the card and glanced at it.

The card looked official, printed with the Foundation's logo and Carlos's title—"South America Regional Liaison."

"The Foundation offers this service too?" Wang Dalong leaned in and muttered quietly.

Lin Feng didn't reply, just stared at Carlos for a few seconds before nodding. "We appreciate your help."

"You're welcome." Carlos smiled. "The car is outside. I'll take you to the hotel first to rest."

He led Lin Feng and Wang Dalong through the crowd to the parking lot and pointed to a somewhat aged Toyota SUV.

"The roads are rough, so we can only use this kind of vehicle," Carlos explained.

Lin Feng opened the car door, glanced at the back seat, found nothing unusual, and then got in.

The engine started, and the car drove out of the airport onto a bumpy road.

Outside the window, the scenery quickly shifted from modern buildings to low shacks and chaotic streets. Clotheslines and packs of stray dogs were everywhere along the roadside.

"Manaus is the capital of Amazonas State and the gateway to the Rainforest," Carlos explained while driving. "It once thrived during the rubber trade but has since declined. Still, many explorers and scientists set off from here into the Rainforest every year."

"Are you familiar with the Rainforest?" Lin Feng asked.

"Fairly familiar," Carlos smiled. "I grew up here. As a kid, I often went hunting in the Rainforest with my father. Not anymore, though—protecting the animals and all."

Lin Feng nodded and didn't ask further.

After about half an hour of driving, the car stopped in front of a hotel that looked reasonably clean.

"You two rest for now. If you need anything, just call me anytime." Carlos handed over a slip of paper. "This is my number."

"Thank you." Lin Feng took the paper, and he and Wang Dalong got out of the car.

Only after watching Carlos drive away did Wang Dalong lower his voice and say, "Brother Feng, is this guy reliable? I have a bad feeling about him..."

"It's normal to feel that way," Lin Feng said calmly. "Ever since we set foot on Brazilian soil, someone has been watching us."

"What?!" Wang Dalong jumped in fright. "Then why are we still..."

"It's fine," Lin Feng interrupted him. "If they wanted to make a move, they would have done it already. The fact that they're still following means they want to see what we're up to."

"So we're still going into the Rainforest?"

"Yes." Lin Feng's gaze turned resolute. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

After checking in, Lin Feng returned to his room and immediately checked for bugs or hidden cameras.

He downloaded a signal detection app on his phone and scanned the room thoroughly.

The results showed it was clean.

"Seems they're not ready to show their hand yet," Lin Feng sighed in relief. He opened his laptop and continued studying the notebook.

According to Pedro's records, they set out from Manaus, sailed upstream along the Negro River for about seven days, and then entered a tributary.

Lin Feng marked the location of the Negro River on the map and began searching upstream along its course.

A seven-day journey, based on the speed of an 18th-century wooden ship, would be about 200 to 300 kilometers.

He zoomed in on the map, looking for tributaries within that range.

The result was a dense web of blue lines covering almost the entire screen.

"Damn it..." Lin Feng rubbed his temples.

Just then, he suddenly noticed a line in the notebook:

"At the entrance to the tributary, there is a massive rock shaped like an eagle's head."

An eagle's head?

Lin Feng's eyes lit up. He immediately switched to the 3D mode of the satellite map and began searching meticulously along the Negro River.

Half an hour later, he finally spotted a protruding rock at the entrance of a tributary.

Zooming in, then zooming in further.

The rock's outline did indeed resemble the head of an eagle.

"Found it." Lin Feng marked the spot on the map and saved the coordinates.

He glanced at the time—it was already 9 p.m.

Tomorrow, they could set off.

Lin Feng closed his laptop, walked to the window, and looked out at the pitch-black night sky.

In the distance, the outline of the Rainforest was faintly visible, like a giant beast crouching on the ground, silently waiting for its prey.

He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

At the same time, in an abandoned warehouse three kilometers from the hotel.

Carlos sat at a worn-out table, rapidly reporting in Portuguese to the laptop screen:

"The target has arrived in Manaus and is resting at the hotel. According to surveillance, he's been studying photos of that notebook."

On the screen, Osiris's face appeared in the darkness, only his gray-blue eyes glowing.

"Good," he said. "Keep following him, but don't spook him. I want to know every move he makes."

"Understood," Carlos nodded. "But boss, the Rainforest is dangerous. If he really finds the entrance to El Dorado, should we..."

"No," Osiris interrupted him. "Let him look. Once he finds it, we'll move. Saves us the trouble of wasting time."

"Understood."

The communication ended, and the screen went black.

Carlos shut down the laptop, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Smoke slowly rose in the dim light, blurring his face.

"Lin Feng, I hope you really have what it takes," he murmured. "Otherwise, you'll die in the Rainforest, and not even your body will be found."