The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 850

It would be killing two birds with one stone.

Leilani intentionally slowed her pace, gradually falling to the back of the formation.

She carefully retrieved a pair of tweezers and a specimen bag from her gear, crouching down beside a bizarre plant with razor-sharp, serrated edges and deep purple veins pulsing through its leaves.

She expertly snipped a small piece of the leaf, dropped it into the bag, and sealed it tight.

As they trekked further, she repeated the process, harvesting a diverse collection of toxic botanical samples.

"Leilani, what are you doing? Did you spot something dangerous?"

Callahan, who had been keeping a close eye on her, immediately noticed her lingering and dropped back to join her. He asked the question while keeping his gaze locked on the surrounding brush, his guard fully raised.

"I'm collecting samples."

Leilani carefully tucked the sealed bag into a secure compartment of her backpack and explained her theory regarding Payton's condition.

"The toxin in Payton's system comes from this specific rainforest. I've scoured every medical database in existence and couldn't find a breakthrough." She wiped a bead of sweat sliding down her temple. "Nature usually balances itself out. Since the poison was born here, there's a very high probability the cure grows in this soil too."

Even if she couldn't immediately synthesize an antidote, these incredibly rare specimens would give her plenty of invaluable material to study later.

But while her scientific optimism was high, the physical reality of their environment was brutal.

At first, Leilani had the spare energy to stop and forage. But as they pushed deeper into the jungle, the temperature spiked dramatically.

It wasn't long before her tactical jacket was completely soaked through with sweat. The damp fabric clung uncomfortably to her back, making the stifling heat feel even worse.

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