Lex Cross was about to go insane as he watched Flora Bloom press herself against him.

His mind flashed back to the scene from months ago, right after he first met Flora Bloom. She had been just like this back then—soft, delicate, and fragile, her face an intoxicating mix of innocence and desire. That genuine blend of two extremes had become an irresistible poison.

Just like right now.

If this place weren’t a tree hollow set up by a troop of black-furred gorillas, and even if it weren’t for this damned water, he wouldn’t be thinking about anything else right now. He would simply devour the woman before him, the one who had long since captured his heart.

He pulled Flora Bloom’s clinging arms away again and again, using nearly all his strength. ’What the hell is this "Water of Life"? It’s basically an unstoppable aphrodisiac.’

"Flora, can you snap out of it?" Lex Cross gently patted Flora Bloom’s face. Her skin was warm to the touch, and its delicate, smooth texture made him unable to pull his hand away.

"If you don’t snap out of this, something is going to happen." Lex Cross pinned both of Flora Bloom’s wrists with one hand and gently patted her cheek again with the other. "Flora?"

MWAH.

Flora Bloom had turned her head unconsciously, and the soft sound of her lips pressing against his palm echoed endlessly in Lex Cross’s mind.

"You’re forcing my hand. You can’t blame me for this when you wake up, can you?"

In the dim tree hollow, with the fragrant aroma of the Water of Life in the air and a bed of thick, dry hay beneath them, a smile touched Lex Cross’s lips as he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Flora Bloom’s.

His cool, thin lips brushed hers—as hot as fire—as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water. But she chased them obsessively, refusing to let go.

’This woman is pushing me to my absolute limit! If this keeps up, I really might lose control!’ Black energy radiated from Lex Cross’s body, and the flush on his face instantly faded by more than half.

"You clingy little thing." Lex Cross tenderly pecked Flora Bloom’s warm lips again. As he did, the black energy flowed through their kiss to envelop her as well.

Only when he felt the heat in Flora Bloom’s body gradually recede did Lex Cross dare to truly kiss her.

Flora Bloom’s eyes snapped open, with no trace of their earlier dazedness. "Your black energy can absorb this stuff? Why didn’t you use it sooner!"

Lex Cross didn’t say a word, simply capturing Flora Bloom’s lips and kissing her roughly a few more times.

"Hey, hey, hey! Didn’t you just neutralize that Water of Life? Why are you still... Don’t you move!"

"When it comes to you, do I need any help? Are you underestimating my self-control, or are you underestimating my feelings for you?"

Lex Cross lifted his head, steadied his breathing, and quickly returned to normal. Only then did Flora Bloom breathe a sigh of relief. "What do we do now? Cynthia isn’t safe out there, either. That water is too powerful. If this goes on too long, I’m worried she’ll... We have to find Annelise Locke, quickly."

The two gorillas guarding the tree hollow were standing motionless outside. Suddenly, the turf covering the entrance fell away. The gorillas quickly picked it up, glanced around in confusion, and then placed the turf back over the opening.

Lex Cross led Flora Bloom into the shadows, and they quickly made their way to the rear of the gorilla lair. There, they saw Annelise Locke lying unconscious on a massive stone slab.

"Annelise, wake up! Annelise Locke!"

Flora Bloom’s voice didn’t rouse her. She took out a bottle of spiritual water and poured it into Annelise Locke’s mouth, then another. After several minutes, Annelise Locke slowly regained consciousness.

But her eyes had transformed into golden, serpentine slits.

"My eyes? They drugged me earlier with something, I’m not sure what. Now there’s this violent feeling inside me that I can’t control. My eyes probably changed back then."

Flora Bloom asked nervously, "What about now?" ’If Annelise also drank that water, we’re in big trouble.’

"I don’t feel anything now. Flora, what should we do? There’s a three-eyed gorilla here. It can speak our language, and its superpower is incredible. Our group is no match for it."

Flora Bloom quickly explained the situation, outlining the pros and cons, then said, "Annelise, Cynthia and the others are still outside under the influence of that aphrodisiac water. The situation is critical. Your body is massive right now, so wait for us here. Once we’ve rescued everyone, head for the lake on the far side of this forest. We’ll meet you there!"

Annelise Locke blinked her yellow, serpentine eyes and nodded. "Alright. You two be careful!"

Perhaps all the gorillas had gone to the front to watch the commotion, because the clearing behind the lair where Annelise Locke was located was completely unguarded.

When Flora Bloom and Lex Cross appeared before the troop of gorillas, holding hands, all the apes started hooting and jumping excitedly, as if to congratulate or welcome them.

Flora Bloom seized the opportunity to run to Cynthia Grant and splash a handful of spiritual water in her face. While it couldn’t negate the aphrodisiac effects of the Water of Life, it was enough to snap Cynthia Grant out of her daze.

"Flora?"

"Get up, now!"

Lex Cross was even faster. Shrouded in black energy, he moved before the other gorillas could even spot him, waking up Five, Saul Sterling, Irvin Holden, and the others. They all jumped down at once, joining him and Flora Bloom.

"OOK! OOK! OOK! OOK! OOK!"

"OOK! HAA, CHEE CHEE, HA, OOK OOK OOK, HADA!"

The three-eyed gorilla leaned on its staff, its third eye blinking as it stared at them. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"We’re leaving, of course!" Flora Bloom said. "You’re the chief of this tribe, aren’t you? Please allow us to leave, and we will be very grateful."

"OOK OOK OOK!"

"OOK OOK OOK, HA HA!"

Two black-furred gorillas leaped down from the trees. They pointed at Cynthia Grant, then at themselves, and made a series of crude, thrusting motions. Then, they glared furiously at Flora Bloom and her group.

From this display, Flora Bloom seemed to grasp the two gorillas’ intentions. ’So, they’ve taken a fancy to Cynthia Grant!’

"Cynthia, you’re quite popular!"

"Popular, my ass! You want one? You can have him!" Cynthia Grant, who had been completely limp just a moment before, perked right up after being touched by Lex Cross’s black energy. Once the black energy had absorbed the effects of the Water of Life, everyone recovered their superpowers and the ability to move freely.

"Let’s go. We need to find Annelise Locke by the lake. I told her to wait for us there."

The Crown Prince and Leopard Cat moved stealthily to scout ahead, with Flora Bloom, Lex Cross, and the others following. By the time the group arrived, Annelise Locke was already there. Not only that, she was in a tense standoff with the giant python, which had returned.

Annelise Locke’s awakened Beast Type superpower allowed her to transform into a humanoid Serpent Woman, which had a suppressive and intimidating effect on all serpentine creatures. The giant python before her was no exception.

The giant python looked like it wanted to attack but seemed wary of her, retreating steadily under Annelise Locke’s gaze. Suddenly, the python’s murderous eyes locked onto something, and it whipped its head around to face Flora Bloom. A "HISSS" escaped its mouth, as if confirming something.

Lex Cross’s black energy enveloped both himself and Flora Bloom. "We might still smell like the War Wolf Clan’s cub."

Annelise Locke twitched her serpentine tail, her sickly yellow eyes glaring at the giant python. "Flora, get out of here! The python is trying to attack you!"

Flora Bloom frowned. ’So it really did smell the wolf cub’s scent?’

Lex Cross suddenly moved to stand in front of Flora Bloom. "This python might know the cub’s origins. We can’t let it live. We either kill it or we capture it. Flora, be ready."

Flora Bloom nodded, just as Nolan Jennings and Cynthia Grant struck out in unison, binding the giant python’s head. Five rode a current of wind and flew right above the python’s head. A swarm of Wind Blades split into two groups; one hovered over its head, while the other converged on the vital spot on its neck.