She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 174

Chapter 174
The temperature was at 46.7 degrees at noon.
Even with the blazing sun and oppressive heat, Matthew had himself packed into his backpack, sitting on a rock with only half his face showing.
“10, 9, 8, 7…”
When he reached “0,” the sunlight vanished rapidly, and dark clouds quickly gathered.
The wind suddenly picked up, howling menacingly as it shook the trees and underbrush, seemingly trying to uproot them.
In less than three minutes, the sky turned from white to black, and visibility dropped to zero.
A torrential downpour began.
Such a heavy rain would be a once-in-a-decade event in Kitmore City or Valemont City, but here in the tropical rainforest, it occurred almost daily. Thankfully, it didn’t last long.
After about ten minutes, the rain stopped, and the wind calmed.
The darkness lifted to a gloomy shade and then brightened to white.
Like the dawn, the sun reemerged, the dark clouds vanished, and the rainforest became stifling again.
Matthew opened his eyes, stood up, and took off his backpack.
He pulled out a small bottle from the pack and poured a peanut-sized white cotton ball into a waterproof box filled with rainwater.
The white cotton slowly expanded, gradually darkening in color.
It was absorbing impurities and harmful substances from the rainwater.
When the purification tablet stopped expanding and turned black, it meant the water was clean.
He then took a small concentrated nutrient from the bottle and swallowed it down with the purified rainwater.
This single nutrient could provide an adult with essential daily nutrition and most of their dietary needs.
All of these were gifts from Athena, extremely useful.
It allowed him to maintain good health after trekking through the dangerous rainforest for over ten days.
However, relying solely on purified water and nutrients could only sustain basic vitality. He needed meat for sufficient strength.
Matthew moved to a more open area, uncovered a waterproof tarp, and retrieved dry firewood, stacking it on the rocks before dousing it with lighter fluid and lighting it with a lighter.
Once the wood blazed brightly, he took out some prepped snake meat from a ziplock bag, skewered it on a stick, and placed it over the fire.
Matthew cooked it slowly, savoring it like an outdoor barbecue.
In truth, he was creating smoke signals.
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The smoke rising would not attract wild beasts but would catch the attention of rebels.
Otherwise, he couldn’t find the rebel leader in such a vast rainforest.
While grilling the snake meat, he placed the “Guardian,” a gift from Athena, on a branch slightly above him, issuing the command, “Scan a 300-foot radius for humans or dangerous creatures and alert me immediately if you spot any.”
The round “Guardian’ emitted a kitten-like sound “Understood, sin
Then, two “eyeballs popped out from its body, swiveling around as it surveyed the area.
Over the past couple of weeks, the “Guardian” had helped Matthew detect numerous threats, such as rebels, the approach of pythons, and lurking crocodiles and leopards
Just like now, even though Matthew’s bulletproof vest was damaged and his ammunition was low, he remained calm, not at all worried about an impending crisis he might miss.
This made him recall what Louis had told him. “You owe Miss Donovan a lot, and since she doesn’t lack money or status, your only option is to offer yourself in return.”
A slight smirk appeared on Matthew’s lips as he pondered. It actually seemed rather appealing.
Suddenly, a low growl like a tiger’s came from the “Guardian”. “Attention! Multiple live individuals spotted 300 feet to the north, possibly armed, spreading out as if to surround this location.”
Thank you.” Matthew commanded, “Guardian, remain silent and avoid detection. If you notice any attacks from angles I can’t see, respond accordingly.”
The “Guardian” responded with a low tone, “Understood.”
It retracted half of its eyes into its round body, blending into the greenery, effectively camouflaging itself.
Matthew retrieved an AK47 from his backpack and concealed it in the grass behind a rock.
He took out a Desert Eagle Semi-automatic pistol and buried it shallowly beneath the ashes.
Next, he retrieved a dagger and hid it in the sparse grass nearby
Matthew also stashed the small bottle containing purification tablets, nutrients, and multi-functional antibiotics into the underbrush.
Then, acting nonchalant, he sat by the fire, continuing to grill the meat.
Soft sounds began to emerge from the surroundings.
He thought to himself, “These rebels are impressive, so many moving in, yet making hardly any noise.
If Matthew hadn’t been well-trained, he might have mistaken the sounds for small animals.
But he quickly realized he was mistaken.
What appeared were not rebels but natives
They wore feathered headdresses, painted their faces, dressed in animal skins, carried bows and arrows, wielded spears, and their sharp teeth glinted as they eyed him like prey.
They held a person captive, bound and battered. It was none other than the rebel leader.
The rebel leader spoke to the natives in their local dialect, prompting satisfied expressions among them as their hunger for
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Matthew grew evident.
Matthew’s spirits plummeted.
These natives were none other than the infamous cannibals, dreaded even by the locals.
Rumors had claimed that these cannibals lived deep in the rainforest, isolated from the world, and that they had gone. extinct, but it seemed they were very much alive.
The rebel leader assumed Matthew, as an outsider, wouldn’t understand the local language. However, he had studied some and could manage basic communication.
The rebel leader informed the natives that Matthew was a noble from the outside world and that his flesh was not only delicious but could also heal ailments. Most importantly, he said that Matthew possessed advanced weaponry from outside. Killing him would grant them those weapons
After speaking with the natives, the rebel leader turned to Matthew, speaking in Maiselish. They’re cannibals. They want to eat us, but you’re their top choice,
“All my weapons were taken, and I’m covered in wounds with no ability to resist. If you save me, I’ll return the safe to you. Otherwise, you’ll never find that safe.
Matthew asked in Maiselish, “I’m surrounded. How can I save you?”
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