Tu Xiao'an fixed his Snake Gaze on the cave entrance. Suddenly, to his surprise, he detected the scent of many humans inside.
'Could so of the missing Snake Catchers still be alive?'
The thought had barely ford when Tu Xiao'an's body blurred, and he instantly flashed inside.
The cave wasn't very deep, running about three hundred ters. Soon, Tu Xiao'an saw more than thirty people of various ages huddled in a dim corner. They looked dejected, their spirits completely broken. They sat on the filthy ground with their arms wrapped around themselves, their bodies trembling uncontrollably from ti to ti.
It was as if they had suffered so imnse trauma.
After a single, impassive glance, Tu Xiao'an frowned. The Vampire Snake wasn't here; there was no trace of it in the cave.
The reason the Vampire Snake's scent was so strong was likely because it had spent a considerable amount of ti here.
The scent had lingered for so long that it had concentrated, refusing to dissipate.
'With so many of the missing people here, the Vampire Snake must be keeping them penned up like livestock, saving them to be savored later.'
'More than fifty people had disappeared in just a few days. No matter how big its appetite, the Vampire Snake couldn't have eaten them all at once.'
Just then, Tu Xiao'an noticed quite a few people in police uniforms. However, their faces were also filled with terror, as if they were simply waiting to die.
'The Vampire Snake isn't in the cave. Why aren't they running?'
Just as the question surfaced, a glint flashed in his Snake Gaze. In a hidden corner, he spotted a large, coiled python.
No, it was large enough to be called a Giant Snake. It was fifteen ters long, with a mottled, twisted pattern covering its body. It had cloud-like markings and a yellowish-brown stripe down its back. Its appearance was ferocious and terrifying.
'This is...' After a single glance, Tu Xiao'an was certain. 'This is a genuine Black Snake!'
The Black Snake was a common species of python, but what was terrifying was that this particular one had grown to a full fifteen ters.
To put it in perspective, Tu Xiao'an himself had only been twelve ters long at Level 17. Only after completing a system quest, reaching Level 18, and undergoing another growth spurt did he reach fifteen ters.
It was a python, yes, but this particular species wasn't supposed to be able to grow so large.
'Fifteen ters... what does that even an? If it stood upright, it would be as tall as a three-story building.'
'If this thing got out, it would shock the entire world.'
Moreover, this python was just an ordinary animal, not one of the Awakened Creatures.
Using Insight, Tu Xiao'an saw right through the Black Snake. It was only Level 16.
'How can that be? It doesn't make any sense.'
Tu Xiao'an simply couldn't figure out how a Black Snake had reached fifteen ters. 'What in the world has it been eating?'
It seed Snake Gully truly lived up to its reputation as the forbidden ground for the Snake Catchers of Bai Town. An ordinary Black Snake had actually managed to grow this large here.
At the sa ti, Tu Xiao'an understood why the people weren't trying to escape. A fifteen-ter Giant Snake was standing guard.
'Who would dare make a wrong move? Are they asking to be eaten? The Vampire Snake must have tad this Black Snake to act as its guard.'
"It's over... it's all over. To think that after a lifeti of catching snakes, I'd end up as snake food. What a cruel twist of fate."
One of the middle-aged n huddled in the corner spoke, his eyes filled with terror and sorrow.
"If that talking Giant Snake cos back, more of us will be eaten. I can't take this anymore. Soone, please... just kill ."
For them, death might be a welco release. To live was rely to await the cruel fate of being eaten alive by the Giant Snake.
The cave was pitch-dark and dimly lit, and they spent every second living in the endless terror of death.
They would either be swallowed by the darkness around them or by a ferocious Giant Snake.
"Let's make a run for it. Only this Black Snake is on guard right now. There are so many of us; if we all rush at once, at least a few of us should be able to get out."
The suggestion ca from a uniford police officer who had managed to keep a clear head.
Soone imdiately agreed, "We're dead either way. We might as well risk it!"
In the face of death, people can be pushed to their greatest potential.
Besides, everyone here was either a Snake Catcher or a police officer; they weren't ordinary citizens.
But many still hesitated. 'Should we try to escape? What if we fail? Will this Black Snake eat us imdiately? If we don't run, we might survive for a few more days.'
A drop of icy liquid dripped from the cave ceiling, landing on one of their terrified faces. It was bone-chillingly cold, as if snapping them to their senses.
"Let's risk it! On the count of three, we all rush out together. Whoever manages to escape the jaws of this Black Snake will have fate to thank."
Gritting their teeth, everyone finally nodded, a powerful will to live flaring in their eyes.
They understood with grim certainty that once the Giant Snake that spoke human words returned, they would have no chance of survival.
Having reached a consensus, they began to prepare. Each person took a deep breath, exchanging a look with their neighbors.
A uniford police officer roared, "Run!"
Instantly, the crowd surged toward the cave mouth like a tidal wave. The faint glimr of light in the distance was their only hope for survival.
They didn't want to die. They had to live. Their families were waiting for them outside.
"ROAR—"
An earth-shattering roar erupted, echoing throughout the cave and shaking the walls, causing loose dirt and stones to rain down.
The coiled Black Snake turned utterly ferocious. It swept its thick, long tail out, knocking the entire rushing crowd off their feet.
Instantly, many of them coughed up mouthfuls of blood.
Such incredible power.
Then, the fifteen-ter Black Snake reared up. It roared incessantly at the crowd from its gaping maw, a nauseating stench of blood wafting out and making people feel dizzy.
They fell into despair. The fifteen-ter Giant Snake blocking their path was like an insurmountable mountain.
"Keep running!"
A middle-aged man in a police uniform sorsaulted to his feet. But before he could even charge forward, the Black Snake's tail swept back. The man was sent flying, crashing violently against the wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood that blood in the air like a crimson flower.
The Black Snake's bronze, bell-like eyes stared down at the people as if they were ants, mocking them and telling them to give up all hope.
"It's no use... we can't escape. We might as well just wait to die."
Despair filled many hearts. The fifteen-ter Black Snake was too terrifying, its strength imnse. The cave was too narrow; it was nearly impossible to get past its colossal body.
The cave entrance was right there, the sliver of dawn seeming so close, yet this fifteen-ter Black Snake was an uncrossable chasm between them and freedom.
This was their fate: to wait to be devoured by the Giant Snake.
Suddenly...
The temperature in the cave plumted as if it were the dead of winter. A powerful, icy presence swept out from an unknown source. Sweat beaded on the prisoners' brows as their hearts began to pound—THUMP, THUMP—and their faces turned deathly pale.
'It's over. All hope is lost. The Giant Snake that speaks human words must be back.'
The ferocious Black Snake also began to let out low hisses, its bronze, bell-like eyes impossibly showing a hint of fear.
It was as if it had seen sothing terrifying.
The people were certain. That horrifying creature had returned. It was back to eat them.
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