Ticks, an inconspicuous type of insect, yet capable of causing death.

The name "tick" does not refer to a single insect.

It is a general term for a type of temporary parasitic insect from the suborder Ixodida, superorder Parasitiformes, and order Ixodida.

There are over eight hundred species of these creatures worldwide, with their tracks found across the globe.

Ticks not only harm livestock but can also parasitize humans to suck blood, spreading various infectious diseases that can be fatal in severe cases.

The habits of these small insects are also quite disgusting.

When stimulated, they become more eager to burrow into the body and release more saliva.

This causes the wound to become infected.

Moreover, they have barbs on their mouthparts, and if forcibly removed, the mouthparts can remain in the body, causing infection.

Overall, they’re truly revolting insects.

In the desert, ticks are relatively rare.

Matsui Reika’s luck, to some extent, can be compared to Gaston’s.

Both encountered very unusual occurrences.

However, one was a good thing, and the other was bad.

Oleg glanced at Matsui Reika’s situation and said, "If you want to continue surviving, you need to use a knife to gouge out the mouthparts, or simply cut off that piece of flesh. Use the clothes you brought to cut strips for bandages to stop the bleeding."

After speaking, Oleg didn’t wait for a response and immediately left with his people. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Hope also agreed, saying, "I suggest you listen to him. But whether the wound will get infected after gouging out the mouthparts depends on your luck."

After speaking, Hope left gloatingly.

Even the tension and fear from crossing the ten kilometers of death reduced significantly.

Once the two teams were far away,

Matsui Reika gritted her teeth and said, "Do it then, hopefully, the mouthparts can be gouged out; if not, then cut off the piece of flesh!"

Yoshikawa Feng nodded seriously and started the task.

Accompanied by Matsui Reika’s painful low growl, Yoshikawa Feng gouged out the tick’s mouthparts.

Meanwhile, a wound appeared on Matsui Reika’s leg.

The wound seemed small and didn’t appear to be a major issue.

But in such a high-temperature environment, if the wound worsens and gets infected, it would be very difficult to handle.

Matsui Reika gritted her teeth, stood up, and said, "Let’s go! I never want to come to this damned place again!"

...

Over on Chen Wen’s side.

Everything had been going smoothly so far.

Chen Wen instructed the Crested Hawk and Whistling Kite to fly high to scout the area.

At the same time, he remained vigilant, constantly observing the ground they progressed on.

Whenever they encountered uneven terrain, he cautiously led everyone around it.

In such uneven places, there’s a possibility of poisonous insects or snakes hiding inside.

These creatures are very sensitive to vibrations.

If they carelessly stepped inside, venomous snakes could easily be startled or angered.

If what gets startled is an Inland Taipan Snake, and it lunges out for a bite, even gods would find it hard to save you!

Under Chen Wen’s guidance, the group safely reached the middle of the death ten kilometers.

"Let’s rest for a bit; the temperature right now is outrageously high."

Chen Wen wiped the sweat off his forehead and said to everyone as he turned around.

For him to start sweating despite having skill advantages, it clearly showed how high the temperature was.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately relaxed their expressions.

They were indeed struggling to hold on.

They looked around and quickly found a cliff, with a shaded area below it.

Everyone promptly led their camels over there.

Chen Wen examined the situation beneath the cliff.

Apart from some holes that seemed like rabbit burrows, there was no apparent danger.

"Stay a bit away from the rabbit holes; I fear they might be occupied by venomous snakes."

Chen Wen cautioned Fred, who was walking at the front.

Upon hearing this, Fred immediately walked a few steps away from the rabbit holes.

Dennis added, "Being cautious is never wrong. Someone from our association got bitten by a venomous snake hiding in a rabbit hole during a survival mission in the eastern rainforest. Luckily, the snake wasn’t very venomous, and we had antivenom, otherwise, he’d be done for."

On hearing this, Fred became even more cautious and distanced himself further.

The group settled in the shade, and Hua Yun retrieved the camel stomach filled with underground water. Once everyone finished drinking the water from their flasks, she refilled them with underground water.

As they rested, everyone gradually let down their guard.

After refilling everyone’s water, Hua Yun sealed the camel stomach with a rope.

However, as she was tying the rope, Chen Wen, who was sitting next to Hua Yun, had a spark in his eyes and looked at the red-tanned nape of Hua Yun’s neck.

There appeared to be a black dot on it.

Chen Wen squinted slightly and used [Distant Vision] to take a closer look.

Very quickly, Chen Wen’s expression changed.

"Hua Yun, don’t move."

Chen Wen said, quickly walking over to Hua Yun’s side.

On hearing the commotion, Hua Yun tensed up and immediately stopped any movements.

Her trust in Chen Wen was comparable to that between long-time comrades.

After noticing the commotion, the others also turned their gaze over.

Upon seeing the black dot on Hua Yun’s neck, both Adam and Dennis’s expressions changed: "Ticks! How’s that possible! How are there such things here!"

"Don’t panic."

Chen Wen raised a hand to stop the two and said, "Ticks aren’t actually rare. Rabbits are natural hosts for ticks, and with so many rabbit holes around here that aren’t particularly dry, coupled with the cool, somewhat moist rock surface that indicates abundant groundwater."

"You guys stand up and check your bodies, then move away from here."

Following Chen Wen’s advice, the other three cautiously backed away from the rock wall area.

Meanwhile, Chen Wen focused intently on Hua Yun’s condition.

"You’re wearing a sun-protection suit and long pants, so there shouldn’t be ticks elsewhere. I’m going to try and get the tick off of you; don’t be too nervous."

Saying this, Chen Wen consciously activated the [Pest Repellent] skill.

With the dispersal of the scent unique to the Manjetti tree, Chen Wen cautiously moved his arm next to the tick on Hua Yun’s neck.

Ticks, being insects, immediately got disturbed upon encountering this bothersome odor.

The tick gently shook its body and extracted its mouthparts from Hua Yun’s skin.

It tried to probe further along Hua Yun’s skin for a suitable spot to reinsert its mouthparts to suck blood, but Chen Wen closely nudged his arm to drive the tick away, not letting it stop moving.

Taking advantage of the tick’s movement, Chen Wen secretly gathered his strength.

When the tick crawled to the other side of Hua Yun’s neck, he swiftly blew a puff of air.

Unprepared, the tick was blown away by Chen Wen’s strong breath, and was sent flying out of sight.

"Quick, let’s get out!"

Chen Wen swiftly said, leading Hua Yun away from the cliff.

After leaving the cliff area, Chen Wen asked Hua Yun to lower her head.

He examined the wound left on Hua Yun’s neck from the tick bite and said, "Bear with it, I’ll see if I can squeeze out the tick’s toxins."

Saying so, Chen Wen pressed hard on Hua Yun’s wound, squeezing some blood out.

After wiping away the blood, his expression finally relaxed.