[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-arrival-in-1994":3,"chapter-arrival-in-1994-arrival-in-1994-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Arrival in 1994",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2352537,4601,"Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty-Seven: Searching for the Blood Orchid","arrival-in-1994-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>On the waterways leading to the Amazon River basin, a small boat was speeding forward, its entire body gleaming silver-white, with lights flashing and a lustrous Liuli  hue that remained dazzling even in daylight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this vessel, more like a luxury yacht than a fishing boat, Ye Nan lifted a glass of wine, gazed at the ever-changing scenic beauty, and drained it in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll reach the Amazon River basin soon,” said Ali, wearing a white women’s tank top, ordinary jeans, hiking boots, and gold-rimmed glasses, her hands rapidly flipping through documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parting from Ye Nan, Ali had gone alone to handle the expedition team’s affairs; with the death of the team’s leader, Grant, she had no choice but to disband the team and boarded Ye Nan’s luxury yacht, becoming a member of Ye Nan’s expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of Ali, numerous mercenaries dressed in uniform black tactical gear filled every corner of the small yacht, making the entire vessel feel slightly cramped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Mr. Ed, your people are pacing around up here, ruining my mood,” Ye Nan said, seated on a silver-white beach chair, wearing black sunglasses and ordinary short-sleeved shorts, looking more like a tourist than someone searching for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph.” Ed snorted but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Kenneth returned last time, he applied to leave the mercenary group; when Ed asked why, he learned Ye Nan had threatened Kenneth’s daughter to force him into service—so Ed had zero fondness for this man who needed protection. If not for Ye Nan being their assigned protectee and the William family being an entity they dared not provoke, Ed would’ve already punched him into the sea to teach this damn playboy why flowers are red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, in Ed’s eyes, Ye Nan was a spoiled playboy. If his first impression had surprised Ed, his subsequent behavior was pure spoiled playboy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving in a luxury yacht, he shows no sense of discretion—this kind of display only invites thieves to target him, wasting perfectly good ammunition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you’re angry with me, but a wise bird chooses its tree. Kenneth made the right choice. How about joining my mercenary team?” Ye Nan raised his glass, gazing through the blue wine at the distorted reflection of Ed, and suddenly found it amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this search for the Blood Orchid, Ye Nan was determined to succeed—not only had he come personally, he’d also assembled a team under the guise of a hospital company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack, a greedy man, had been paid enough by Ye Nan; he was certain Jack would deliver some surprises, because Ye Nan knew Jack was someone who’d stop at nothing for money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re here,” Ali said, spotting vast stretches of forest and reeds ahead, then added softly, “We should bring out that thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” Ye Nan snapped his fingers; a servant immediately retrieved two sets of black expedition suits from below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the suits looked bulky, they were made from the latest alloy-fiber technology originally developed by the U.S. for secret combat gear—Ye Nan had acquired many through his William family connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the plot of “Anaconda 2: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid,” it’s clear the Amazon, Earth’s heart, teems with toxins—tiny, yet deadly; one misstep could mean death. Ye Nan had no intention of entering dressed in exposed shorts—he’d be playing with his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Ye Nan don the bulky suits, Ed sneered, “Rich people are so precious—even entering a forest requires full gear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ed’s words sparked laughter among the mercenaries—these weren’t soldiers trained in barracks; they were hardened in war, more elite than soldiers, yet lacking the disciplined cohesion of military men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t care who their employer was—even their own commander wasn’t spared jokes. After all, living on the edge of death, their pressure was immense; one slip could mean oblivion, so each carried an air of reckless abandon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Nan heard their mockery but paid no mind, merely saying calmly, “The jungle holds many tiny things—don’t get caught off guard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry, Mr. Ye Nan, we’re mercenaries—we’ve been to the Amazon before. We know how to handle them,” Kenneth said coolly, defending Ye Nan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had resolved to join Ye Nan; this mission would be his last. Once completed, he’d defect—partly because Ye Nan had given him sufficient promises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Ye Nan, under the name of Wehe Chuangtou, had gathered all the doctors in the U.S. and built a large private hospital on an offshore island near New York. The hospital’s sole patient right now is Kenneth’s daughter, Sola.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kenneth,” Ed glared at him, lips moving, but ultimately said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His relationship with Kenneth was delicate—they’d been inseparable partners on the battlefield, in training, in life, treating each other as brothers bound by life and death. Many mercenaries mocked them as gay, but they knew it was pure brotherhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, these brothers were about to part, filling Ed with sorrow and reluctance. He wanted to keep Kenneth, to tell him, “I’ll treat your sister’s illness,” but reason held him back. According to Kenneth’s description, the illness required enormous funds. If it were only money, Ed would’ve paid it himself—but a cure was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were mercenaries—wealthy, yet without social status or influence. Ye Nan was different: as CEO of ICQ and a guest of the William family, his influence dwarfed anything their mercenary group could muster. Ed was powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ed’s rebuke, Kenneth felt a pang of grief. Three years of bond—how could he just let it go? But for his daughter, he had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Over here!” came shouts from afar; several young men and women in short sleeves waved their arms on land, signaling Ye Nan’s group to come over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Head over and check,” Ye Nan said, his gaze fixed on a man in a black tank top—it was Jack, the man he’d hired, yet he couldn’t understand why Jack was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was supposed to be searching for the Blood Orchid—why is he here?”\u003C\u002Fp>",993,"2026-06-21T03:32:50.781Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","765567a6f865d8189fd7020505f6c5408ab4468fadafa97cf2bcb24971e0f153","arrival-in-1994-chapter-57","arrival-in-1994-chapter-55",643,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farrival-in-1994-cover.jpg"]