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墨書 Inktalez
Wang Er Gou glanced back, and the Spider Swarm was still crawling in groups along the wall, the flames dimmed by their presence. Spiders were known to be calm creatures.
Their predatory nature was characterized by stillness before movement, never striking first. The spiders here, however, exhibited traits that contradicted the common perception of their kind.
“Why aren’t they coming out yet?” Second asked. “Everyone is on edge, ready to bolt.”
The four held their breath, as if the entire world had fallen silent in that moment. After a while, Seven quietly said, “I’ll go take a look!”
“Be careful,” Third advised from the side.
Seven gestured that it was fine. He pressed himself against the wall and moved forward step by step, the sound of water rippling was now the only noise in this place.
Everyone watched Seven intently, taking deep breaths.
The distance was short; normally it would take just over a minute to traverse. Yet Seven took two or three minutes instead. In this tense atmosphere, time seemed to stretch indefinitely.
Reaching the edge of the wall, Seven clung to it with both hands and turned his head to look. It was a sight that made his heart leap into his throat! A shallow layer of water had turned blood red.
And White Mang lay there as if nothing were amiss. After experiencing so many strange occurrences, Seven couldn’t help but speculate that this was yet another form of ‘demonic magic.’
Holding his breath, Seven feared that even the slightest noise might disturb White Mang.
The others watched Seven’s clumsy movements and began to worry something was wrong. Second called out, “Seven.”
Panic surged within Seven; he had intended to land lightly but ended up splashing heavily into the water, creating a loud sound. He thought to himself that it was all over now! He was doomed.
Still, he shouted to the others, “Get ready!” before he took off running. This was a desperate gamble; he hadn’t expected to escape anyway given how close he was.
If White Mang reacted in time and he hadn’t started running yet, he would be finished instantly.
After running a couple of steps, there was surprisingly no sound behind them, while the few people in front were still waiting for Seven to catch up before immediately executing the plan they had discussed earlier.
Seven ran two steps and then stopped again. Second shouted, "Seven, why are you just standing there? Hurry up!"
Feeling uneasy, Seven replied, "Something's not right! Don't move yet!"
Third, sensing that something was off with Seven's behavior, followed along. "I'll go with you!" Third said. Seven nodded. Second also prepared to step forward.
Seven said, "Second, you should stay back; otherwise, it will be hard to escape later."
After thinking it over, Second decided not to move and instead called out to Wang Er Gou to load the gun in preparation for any situation.
Third slowed down and walked over. Once close enough, Seven whispered, "That snake might have some tricks up its sleeve!" Third remained silent but gestured for Seven to proceed.
"Be careful," Seven warned as they moved forward. Clinging to the wall, Seven cautiously looked around, creating a bit of space.
Third boldly stepped forward and turned the corner. Seven couldn't stop him in time; since he had followed along too.
The lamp they had lit earlier was still casting light, but time had passed, and it seemed like it was about to burn out. White Mang lay quietly there, motionless.
The water had turned dark red; the dim firelight made the blood appear black. There was also a strong metallic smell in the air.
With a blank expression, Seven said, "Third, maybe we should retreat for now."
Third remained in place, staring at White Mang. He crouched down and sniffed the water's scent before calmly saying, "This is its blood; it seems like it's dying."
Could it have been shot earlier? Seven thought in disbelief. I clearly saw it dodge. Could it be playing dead?
"Not at all!" Third shook his head firmly and continued walking forward. As a doctor, the "Compassion of Healers" was ingrained in him; saving lives was the nature of every physician, regardless of status. Third had already determined that the snake was on the brink of death and could only be saved.
Seven watched as Third headed towards White Mang, reluctantly following behind.
The two behind them observed as the first two ventured ahead, and Second could no longer contain his impatience. He turned to Wang Er Gou and said, "If you're scared, you don't have to come along."
Hearing this, Wang Er Gou swallowed the words he had on the tip of his tongue, refrained from arguing, and followed along.
The spider remained quietly in the distance, showing no signs of approaching or retreating.
The White Python lay still until it sensed something approaching. It made a feeble attempt to move but could no longer create any waves; it merely wriggled slightly.
As they got closer, the stench intensified, filling the air. Seven covered his mouth and nose. The red color around White Python appeared even more vivid. Third crouched down, and Seven now confirmed that the White Python was indeed close to death. A weight lifted from his heart.
"It seems it really has been shot," Seven remarked.
Second and Wang Er Gou hurried over. Upon seeing that the water in the Stone Path had turned completely red, they were startled but quickly composed themselves.
"That python looks like it's already dead!" Wang Er Gou exclaimed.
With quick strides, Second approached. The massive body of the White Python lay before him; just moments ago, it had been lively and active, but now it lay there motionless.
"It was hit by a stray bullet earlier," Third explained. "It took two shots to its upper body and one to its lower body."
Everyone listened in astonishment; they had clearly seen it evade earlier—how could it have been shot?
"Getting shot is actually better; it eliminates a major problem," Second said.
Third ignored the others and continued to examine the giant python's body, saying, "We need to move it to a dry place; otherwise, we can't help it here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Third called out again for assistance, only to find that everyone was frozen in shock by his words.
Seven exclaimed, "Are you serious, Third? We need to save it!" pointing at the snake.
Third replied calmly, "As long as it's not dead, I have no reason to let a life perish!" Second swallowed hard and held back his words.
Wang Er Gou still agreed with Seven on this matter!
After reaching a consensus, the massive python, weighing several hundred pounds, required immense effort from the group. Fortunately, they were near water, which eased their burden somewhat. They managed to drag White Mang along a path they had cleared.
The spiders that had been eyeing them hungrily suddenly retreated at the sight of White Python, vanishing at an imperceptible speed. Just a minute ago, they had been contemplating how to deal with those spiders; now they witnessed a surprising scene.
Second remarked, "This is truly incredible!"
Third responded, "The White Mang must be their natural enemy."
"When did pythons start eating spiders?" In such circumstances, nothing seemed impossible!
Seven realized and said, "It really is a case of one creature overpowering another." The group successfully dragged White Mang to a dry Stone Path, while the spiders had long since disappeared without leaving a trace of their silk.
The enormous White Mang lay on the Stone Path, appearing almost lifeless. Only then did the group have time and energy to take in its full form, unable to suppress their awe.
Nature is truly remarkable; such a large snake can exist.
"The blood is still flowing," Third instructed Seven to take off his backpack. Due to the earlier chaos, they had all dropped their bags, leaving only their weapons and knives.
Only Seven left the backpack behind.
Seven took off the backpack, and Third pulled out some medicine from inside. First, he helped White Mang stop the bleeding, while Second crouched by White Mang's head, watching it closely. He noticed that its eyes were still moving; it wasn't completely dead yet! Second suddenly asked, "Third, can it still live?"
Third was busy treating the snake's wounds and replied, "I don't know yet."
Second responded with a soft "oh" and continued to stare at the snake. When he turned his head back, a strange scene unfolded— Second realized that White Mang was looking at him.
Second rubbed his eyes, thinking it was an illusion. Once he lowered his hands, he confirmed that White Mang was indeed watching him. He shared this strange occurrence with the others.
Wang Er Gou also came over to take a look. Seven was assisting Third.
Wang Er Gou observed that White Mang's eyes were indeed moving, fixated on Second's figure.
Second asked, "What's going on here?"
Wang Er Gou replied thoughtfully, "This White Python has probably 'awakened.'” Before Second could respond, Wang Er Gou continued, “To awaken means that this White Mang might have developed intelligence similar to that of humans and can think for itself."
Second listened in confusion while Third wiped the sweat from his brow and added, "It's true; this White Mang has awakened."
"Then why is it staring at me?" Second questioned.
Seven chuckled, "Second, it's obvious—it has taken a liking to you and wants to be your wife!"
Second retorted angrily, "You little rascal, stop talking nonsense."
At that moment, a hint of disdain flashed in White Mang's eyes, but no one noticed. Third then said, "It must have been when Second shot it earlier! That's why it's only looking at Second."
Wang Er Gou stood in front of it, while White Mang didn't even lift an eyelid. Second then said, "What if it repays our kindness with malice after we heal it?"
At that moment, White Mang wriggled its body slightly, seemingly in protest. Third replied, "Since it has gained sentience, it won't act like that."
Seven added, "It won't recover immediately. As long as it dares to harbor any ill thoughts, we'll turn it into a sieve."
Third stopped the bleeding for White Mang and removed the shrapnel from inside. After bandaging it up, he calmly said, "From now on, it will have to rely on itself."
The creature seemed to understand human nature and wriggled its body in response.
Second observed and remarked, "This fellow isn't very obedient!" With that, everyone burst into laughter. Second looked at them all. Suddenly, Wang Er Gou joked, "Hu Brother, you injured it. Once it's healed, it might come looking for revenge."
Second shouted back, " Er Gou, don't talk nonsense! If Brother Snake hears you, he might really think I hurt it."
Third chimed in, "Whoever injured it knows in their heart!"
As soon as those words fell, Second began to worry—what if he really was the one who hurt it? Seven then said, "Second, this snake is female; we shouldn't call it brother but rather miss."
However, White Python wriggled again at that moment. Third clarified, "It is indeed male."
Seven felt embarrassed while Second took the opportunity to scold Seven.
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