The villain also has spring 2

Chapter 2025, Part 2.23: The Blood Orchid Queen

"It seems to be some kind of incubation facility." Weng Changting made a preliminary judgment based on the "Super Brain Region Chain" formed by the Cybertronian Vortex Fox.

"It must be a python." Hu Xueji had already guessed: "So the python disaster was caused by human intervention."

"Go in and take a look." Twelve motorboats leaped high from the water and carried the fully armed female soldiers onto the oil tanker.

Carefully navigating through the biological tissue encasing the ship's hull, the three White sisters, who were at the forefront, immediately discovered dried digestive fluids on the deck. Although the composition of the digestive enzymes was slightly different, the "Superbrain Region Chain" quickly confirmed that they were of the same origin as the giant python that had devoured the plane.

Judging from the empty deck, it's easy to guess that most of the people on board didn't survive.

Unlike typical bulk carriers, shuttle tankers use oil pumps to load and unload cargo via pipelines. Therefore, they lack cargo handling equipment and large cargo hatches on deck, but do have access hatches similar to those on submarines, with internal ladders allowing single-person access.

"Split up." Captain Nine-Tailed divided the team into four groups according to their surnames: Chen, Bai, Weng, and Hu.

Chen's group patrolled the deck, Bai's group searched the oil depot, Weng's group searched the cabins, and Hu's group searched the superstructure.

The team members had already conducted numerous simulated combat exercises on similar joint search missions within the virtual reality training pod built on the "SuperBrain Blockchain" architecture. Their teamwork was excellent, and progress was rapid. The good news was that the oil depot remained untouched, but its volume was only half that of a normal oil tanker. The other half of the depot had been converted into a biological incubation chamber. As the still-operating security system was breached in minutes, the logo of Byron & Mitchell Biotechnology Co., Ltd. appeared behind the blast-proof gate.

"Captain, this ship should be from the storyline of Anaconda 2: The Search for Blood Orchid." Weng Hongting immediately reported the database comparison results: "They built a secret biochemical laboratory on the ship."

"Be careful. Go check out the lab; maybe we can find something," Captain Nine-Tails immediately ordered.

Soon, Weng Hongting found the research logs in the secret laboratory's encrypted database.

It turns out that Byron Mitch Biotechnology Company sent an expedition team to bring back a rare plant called "Blood Orchid" from the primeval jungles of Borneo. According to records, the Blood Orchid possesses a mysterious power to grant immortality and is known by the local indigenous people as the "Flower of Immortality." However, research has found that the Blood Orchid does not directly affect the human body to rejuvenate. Instead, it can mutate local pythons into ferocious and terrifying giant creatures.

The specific reason is that, due to the long-term symbiotic effect, the immortal flower entered the python's food chain. Over time, the python's growth cycle broke through the "Hayflick limit" (referring to the upper limit of the number of divisions of normal somatic cells in vertebrates when cultured in vitro. In 1961, American biologist Leonard Hayflick discovered through culturing human embryonic fibroblasts that normal cells stop proliferating after about 50 divisions, overturning the previous scientific understanding that cells could divide indefinitely).

So Byron Mitchell Biotechnology wanted to try a different approach. They decided to conduct human experiments by purifying and separating the "serum" from the long-lived giant pythons fed on Blood Orchids. Unsurprisingly, things went wrong. The largest, longest, and oldest "Blood Orchid Queen" python, which they had bred specifically for this purpose, escaped from the lab en route to the container terminal. After devouring all the crew members and crushing the ship to shed its skin, it swam deep into the jungle swamp.

"So, what is the purpose of this biological experimental vessel, disguised as a shuttle oil tanker, traveling all the way from Borneo to the Amazon?" Captain Nine-Tailed asked.

“We will conduct breeding experiments with the local giant pythons.” Weng Hongting quickly found the answer in his research log.

"The wrecked 'Blood Orchid Queen' escaped perhaps to find a male snake to mate with. It's the natural instinct of biological reproduction." Captain Nine-Tailed made a decisive decision: "Try to repair the hull and search for survivors."

"Yes." The team members obeyed.

As a specialized oil tanker designed for transporting crude oil from offshore oil fields, the shuttle tanker's structural design balances high maneuverability with adaptability to complex sea conditions. The main hull structure features a double bottom and double hull design, internally divided into multiple ballast water tanks and cargo oil tanks by channel-shaped transverse and longitudinal bulkheads. This structure ensures stable buoyancy while effectively isolating seawater from the cargo tanks, meeting crude oil transportation safety standards. Furthermore, the ship is equipped with an advanced Bow Loading System (BLS), capable of loading and unloading 9000 cubic meters of crude oil per hour via universal joints, supporting operations in sea conditions up to Force 10. This system, in conjunction with an underwater rotary loading device, enables precise docking with offshore platforms or oil tankers.

In short, the structural strength of a shuttle oil tanker far exceeds that of a typical bulk carrier.

Even with the keel bent and the bottom bulkheads ruptured and flooded, some of the ballast tanks separated by transverse and longitudinal bulkheads were still functioning normally. This ensured the shuttle oil tanker didn't sink. Complete repairs weren't necessary; just sealing the flooded compartments was enough to hold the ship until it reached a safe area. They got right to work.

With the coordination of the "Superbrain Regional Chain," the team members quickly completed the temporary rescue work. They successfully started the engine and steered the wrecked ship back to the safe zone.

The rest can be left to the female producer.

"My God." More than the female warriors successfully navigating the wrecked ship back, the female producer was astonished by the enormous snakeskin that covered the entire deck.

"The Blood Orchid Queen's final molt." The Nine-Tailed Captain handed the packaged relevant documents to the female producer.

"Who is the queen?" the female producer asked habitually, flipping open a folder without looking up.

"A molting queen, who else could it be?" As they passed each other, Captain Nine-Tailed added, "It devoured the entire ship's crew; there were no survivors."

The female producer, engrossed in her confidential documents, did not answer.

After the group had walked away, the female producer, who had begun to piece things together, finally spoke up: "The boss wants to see you. Wait for my news."

"You know where I am." That's exactly what Captain Nine-Tails was waiting for. Interacting with important characters in the storyline is proof of involvement in the main plot. Especially considering she's the female protagonist who has repeatedly resisted plot-driven deaths and survived to the end.

"Okay, see you later." The female producer closed the folder and left in a hurry.

"Captain, the plot of Fulong Temple is more difficult than we thought." Weng Changting had already foreseen this.

"After all, it's a competition between players. And it's the only surviving battle royale mode for same-person entities." Captain Nine-Tailed wasn't surprised at all.

"Sole survivor" means that only one side is the final winner. It doesn't mean that only one person can survive. For example, if Wu Chen becomes the final winner, most of the members of Team Bo 4 will likely survive.

Soon, the female producer informed the female director via radio of the time to meet with her.

The meeting place was a crowded jungle hotel.

"The oil tanker you brought back might be our only hope of escaping," said director Terri Fleury bluntly. "The repair dock that has been moved to the pier should be able to be repaired."

“This is not a good idea.” Captain Nine-Tailed felt uneasy: “The dragon bones are structurally damaged, and even if they are repaired, they will not be as strong as before. They may be swallowed by the giant python before they even leave the swamp.”

“You’re right.” Director Terri Flavie had already made her decision: “But time is of the essence, and we have to take a gamble.”

She had clearly seen the experimental data brought back by the female producer.