Chapter 54: Poison Guava Forest, Ambush

The Poison Guava was technically a shrub, but it could grow over ten meters tall. Its roots gripped the sand tightly, making it resistant to being washed away by floods.

The entire plant was toxic—its leaves, sap, bark, flowers, and even its scent. Ironically, the fruit was the least toxic part.

Its sap contained various toxins, the most harmful to humans being phorbol ester.

When this substance touched human skin, it caused severe burn-like blisters—so severe it resembled leprosy. That’s why this tree was also known as the “Insane Euphorbia Tree.”

Even worse, the toxin was water-soluble. Just like before—they didn’t even touch the tree directly. Rainwater dripping from its branches was enough to corrode their skin.

And if you tried to burn the tree, its smoke released toxic fumes that irritated the eyes, causing inflammation or even temporary blindness!

The Poison Guava Tree was so dangerous that just standing under its shade could poison you. It held the Guinness World Record for being the most dangerous tree in the world, also known as the “Tree of Death.”
No effective antidote had been discovered.

Jiang Si combed through her limited digital resources and found only one folk remedy: if a person ingested or touched only a small amount of the toxin, they could drink large amounts of milk to detox.

But this was just a folk cure—no clinical proof. If it worked, you’d live. If it didn’t—you were done for.

They had to try it anyway.

The supply of fresh milk in their storage was gone, so everyone drank reconstituted milk powder instead.

The milk soothed their throats, and the burning pain across their bodies gradually lessened.

But only slightly.

They consumed two large tubs of powdered milk. Eventually, the burning in Jiang Si’s head began to subside, and she could finally breathe normally.

It meant the milk was working—at least to a degree.

Lu Zhifeng had the worst reaction, so his improvement was the most obvious. The blistered craters on his face began to shrink.

By midnight, everyone was rushing to the bathroom—finally feeling the toxins leaving their bodies.

Jiang Si emerged feeling refreshed and clear-headed, while the others shared that same “narrow escape from death” feeling.

This incident was a harsh reminder:

In the apocalypse, never touch unfamiliar plants.

Niuniu cried,

“Niuniu will never eat fruit again.”

She blamed herself—believing her curiosity caused Lu Zhifeng’s severe injuries.

The others gently comforted her while Qin Shen turned the yacht around, trying to steer away from the increasingly dense Poison Guava forest.

But no matter which direction they tried, the Poison Guava trees grew everywhere.

After moving just a few dozen meters, the yacht was blocked by several tall trees.

As long as they didn’t touch the trees, they were safe.

But the rainwater was a problem—poisoned by the trees, it began pooling inside the cabin.

To protect Dahei and Xiaohei (the dogs) from licking the poisonous puddles or stepping into them, everyone worked together to seal all cracks around the ship’s cabin while Qin Shen carefully reversed the yacht.

With everyone’s cooperation, the yacht’s bow was turned around—but to their horror, the water behind them, which had been clear earlier, was now filled with rows of young Poison Guava saplings, half a meter tall.

At first, they could still push through, but soon the entire water surface was covered.

The growth rate was terrifyingly fast. If they stayed any longer, the trees would release even more toxic fumes, possibly piercing the hull as they matured.

Jiang Si’s expression darkened. She told Qin Shen,

“We still have a chance to break through. If we wait until these saplings grow up, they could pierce the yacht. Pick a direction—we smash through!”

The path Qin Shen chose was against both current and wind. Everyone had to work together and go up on deck to raise the sail, letting the wind create enough force to move the yacht forward.

But this wasn’t a true sailboat, and they weren’t skilled in sailing.
Plus, the deck was surrounded by Poison Guava trees, which made the task incredibly risky.

Still, the longer they waited, the greater the danger.

Jiang Si and Jiang Linhai suited up in thick protective gear and headed to the deck. Lu Zhifeng and Jiang Chengwu stayed below to relay Qin Shen’s steering commands.

The yacht turned—sometimes right, sometimes left—navigating against wind and current, through the dense, toxic forest.

Just as they were about to break free, the skies suddenly cleared.

Everyone was overjoyed—until they saw two fishing boats ahead in the distance.

They were steam-powered boats, trailing visible steam—clearly manned.

Jiang Si tried waving a flag to warn them about the Poison Guava Forest.

Instead, the fishing boats fired flaming arrows toward them!

Jiang Si yanked Jiang Linhai aside, dodging the incoming arrows—but the targets weren’t them.

The arrows ignited the trees around them.

Poison Guava sap was like gasoline—it caught fire instantly.

As the toxic forest erupted in flames, the two fishing boats quickly backed away, clearly aware of the danger.

These people knew the trees were poisonous—they’d deliberately tried to use the smoke to kill them!

Jiang Si and Jiang Linhai raced back to the cabin, handing out oxygen tanks and masks from the storage room.

Jiang Si strapped on a tank, secured her mask, and rushed out to help Qin Shen, who was still piloting the yacht.

Thick black smoke engulfed the deck, blocking the view ahead.

Sparks scattered across the air—some igniting the yacht’s sail.

If they couldn’t escape soon, their hard-won floating home would be reduced to ashes.

Shen Baoying clutched Jiang Si’s hand and wrote in her palm:

“Go inside.”

She meant for Jiang Si to escape into the storage space and survive alone. But Jiang Si shook her head and looked at her with quiet determination.

They were so close to escape—they would make it out.

Just as Jiang Si predicted, the yacht pushed through the thick smoke, finally leaving the Poison Guava forest behind.

But the two steam boats reappeared on the horizon.

Their windows were obscured with soot, so the pirates couldn’t see inside the yacht.

But Jiang Si, using a special observation port, saw a steel cable stretched between the boats—clearly a trap to stop them.

These people were experienced raiders. This wasn’t their first time robbing others.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes. She’d once hoped for peaceful coexistence—but now, they wanted their supplies and even their lives.

She calmly told the group,

“They’ll definitely try to board us. Once they do—we kill them all.”

Shen Baoying hesitated,

“What if there are too many of them?”

Jiang Si handed out weapons,

“This is just a small test. No matter how many—we kill them all.”

Her words were cold, but they were also the only option.

More threats would come. If they couldn’t survive this, they wouldn’t survive at all.

Jiang Si loaded her gun with sharp, confident movements. Her fierce, focused gaze was filled with one purpose:

Protecting her family.

Niuniu suddenly realized—she couldn’t be afraid.

Her small hands gripped the pistol tightly, and she looked up at Lu Zhifeng with determination.

“I’ll protect Daddy too. I’ll protect everyone!”