Chapter 53 - 51: The Blood-tooth Python Appears, a Red Snake Scale
Humans have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Beyond these five senses, there is also a sixth sense.
Also known as intuition!
It is a special ability that transcends the five senses, allowing one to perceive impending events, changes in others’ emotions, and shifts in the surrounding environment.
Perhaps because they no longer need to be constantly on guard against predators, humans’ intuition has clearly weakened compared to that of beasts.
A beast’s intuition helps it predict danger in advance, allowing it to flee quickly and avoid disaster.
This isn’t just true for herbivores; it applies to carnivores as well.
A brown bear will feel fear when facing a hunter with a gun.
A lion will choose to back down when confronted with a spear.
Although they don’t understand human weapons, their intuition tells them that a head-on confrontation would be dangerous.
Intuition is the greatest asset upon which beasts rely for survival.
At this very moment, Chen Chong’s heart pounded. His intuition was telling him that something life-threatening was rapidly approaching.
’It’s nearby...’
’This is my beast-like intuition kicking in,’ Chen Chong was absolutely certain, even though this was the first time he had ever felt it.
"Quick, into the water!"
Chen Chong abruptly dropped the fish trap, grabbed both Xu Jun and Wang Biao, and leaped directly into the stream.
The still-unopened fish trap tumbled down the sloping bank, crashing into the water after them and sinking back to the riverbed...
But Chen Chong had no time to worry about the fish trap. He knew that with their speed, the three of them could never outrun the "thing" that was nearby.
’Acting rashly is a death sentence!’
’The only way is to hide, to conceal ourselves as much as possible...’
"Brother Chong, wh-what’s going on?"
Choking on a mouthful of water, Xu Jun surfaced, looking completely baffled.
Wang Biao had also swallowed some water, but his loyalty to Chen Chong made him choose to trust him.
’He must have a reason for this. He wouldn’t hurt me. I just have to do what he says...’
Facing Xu Jun’s confusion, Chen Chong didn’t speak; he just clamped a hand over his mouth.
Then, as if remembering something, he quickly scooped up mud from the riverbed and smeared it on his own head, as well as on Xu Jun’s and Wang Biao’s.
He pulled the surrounding aquatic plants together, covering the tops of their heads that were sticking out of the water...
The rain was still heavy, and a mist hung over the river’s surface.
The three of them hid together, motionless. From the bank, it was as if they had vanished.
Five minutes passed. The sound of the rain continued. On the bank, the backpack filled with a wild rabbit and a pheasant sat next to a clump of weeds.
Wang Biao remained squatting in the water, in the exact same position as when he entered, not having moved an inch.
Because he had been pulled and had tumbled in, Xu Jun hadn’t had time to adjust his position. One leg was kneeling in the mud while the other was stretched out behind him, leaving him in a half-split.
He wanted to speak, and even more, he wanted to shift his position, but sensing the tense atmosphere, he gave up on the idea.
Chen Chong’s eyes were fixed on their surroundings, scanning relentlessly as he tried to find the source of the danger his "beast-like intuition" had warned him of.
Even though everything around them looked the same, with no apparent changes, his intuition kept telling him that the danger hadn’t left. In fact, it was getting closer.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Xu Jun really couldn’t hold on much longer. He wanted to ask what on earth was happening.
"Chon—"
Before he could even finish the first syllable, Chen Chong gave him a sharp tug from under the water, forcing him to shut his mouth again.
Xu Jun’s face was a mask of misery. ’My leg...’
’It’s completely numb.’
’Seriously, why did we suddenly have to hide in the water?’
Resigned, Xu Jun could do nothing. He looked toward the other side, trying to distract himself from his exhaustion.
But one look was enough to make him question his entire existence...
On the opposite bank, a massive, dark-red body was coiled around a tree nearly ten meters tall.
From within the lush, green canopy, a ferocious-looking snake’s head was faintly visible.
Its two blood-red fangs, like ivory tusks, were incredibly conspicuous.
A pair of jade-green eyes stared out over the entire patch of overgrown grass, as if searching for prey.
Its long, scarlet tongue flickered in and out, tasting the scents in the air...
Xu Jun didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling, nor could he fathom just how big this snake was.
But for some reason, it reminded him of a movie he had watched as a child.
’The snake in that movie... it probably looked just like this.’
Without a doubt, a monster of this size could swallow all three of them in one gulp as easily as eating sunflower seeds. It wouldn’t be difficult in the slightest.
Xu Jun was about to cry. He finally understood why Chen Chong had suddenly dragged him into hiding.
’Holy crap, a snake this huge... even if I grew six more legs and turned into an octopus, there’s no way I could outrun it.’
He slowly turned his head, trying his best to look away from the giant snake...
As he moved, Xu Jun’s gaze met Chen Chong’s wide eyes.
Although neither of them spoke, their eyes carried on a full conversation.
’Brother Chong, the snake...’
’I know...’
’I’m scared...’
’Me too...’
Xu Jun shut his eyes, not wanting to look at the world anymore.
The Blood-tooth Python’s body moved slowly on the great tree, its head constantly staring down below.
It had sensed prey here, but they had vanished after it arrived.
It was confident in its Perception; there was definitely prey here.
But what puzzled it was that while the scent clearly lingered, it couldn’t locate the source...
The Blood-tooth Python remained coiled in the tree.
Chen Chong and the other two remained hidden in the water.
Neither side moved. It was as if everything had come to a standstill.
「After a long while.」
The Blood-tooth Python’s green eyes shifted, looking off into the distance.
It had detected other prey. Its massive body slithered down from the great tree.
The four-to-five-meter-wide stream was nothing but a "small ditch" in front of it, one it could cross with a simple lift of its head, with no need to enter the water at all.
It headed toward the overgrown grass, toward the depths of the jungle.
Its enormous body plowed deep furrows into the muddy ground.
Even with his eyes closed, Xu Jun could feel a breeze brush past his face. A sudden, foul stench assaulted his nostrils, making him want to gag.
But he held it in.
After an unknown amount of time, the sense of crisis in Chen Chong’s heart vanished. His beast-like intuition told him the Blood-tooth Python had left and that he was safe.
"Ah Jun, it’s okay now. Get on shore, quick."
Wang Biao, having no doubts, climbed out after him.
Xu Jun opened his eyes, his face still a little pale.
"Come on up. Is it nice and cool squatting in the water?"
"Brother Chong, my leg’s so numb I can’t feel it."
"..."
"Well, while you’re down there, find the fish trap for me. I’ll pull it up."
"Alright..."
SPLASH—
The fish trap was pulled back onto the bank, and Xu Jun, having barely regained feeling in his leg, scrambled ashore as well.
Fortunately, they hadn’t had time to untie the rope at the end of the trap. Otherwise, most of their catch would have escaped when it fell back into the water earlier.
Although his beast-like intuition told him the Blood-tooth Python was gone, the experience still left Chen Chong shaken.
Like Xu Jun, Chen Chong had also seen the giant python’s location.
But unlike Xu Jun, who had shut his eyes after a quick glance, he had committed every detail of the giant python to memory.
This was his first time coming into such close contact with an Extraordinary Creature.
Just as the survivors of the "bloodshed incident" had described: a red body, even redder fangs, and a size of at least twenty meters.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the Blood-tooth Python mentioned in the intel.
Its two massive, blood-red fangs alone were a clear identifying feature.
The intel had mentioned that hunting Extraordinary Creatures could drop rarer Cards, as well as Secret Cards that revealed information about the next "crossing".
But a monster like that... could it really be hunted by humans?
At least, not with conventional methods.
’It would have to be unconventional means...’
Chen Chong didn’t lose his fighting spirit because of the Blood-tooth Python’s exaggerated size. Instead, he subconsciously began to think, ’How can I kill it?’
Only by killing Extraordinary Creatures could he obtain more Rare Cards and Secret Cards, and learn about the next crossing.
And survive... better.
Just then, something in the furrow caught his eye.
A palm-sized piece of red.
"Is this... a Snake Scale?"
...