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墨書 Inktalez
As I turned my neck, I felt an increasing sense of danger coming from beneath the water, specifically from the group of Crimson Snakes. I quickly turned my head, and just as the white beam of light shifted to the right, a black, shimmering-scaled creature appeared in my line of sight. My neck, which had been turning sharply, abruptly stopped. Fortunately, the One-Eyed Beast's beam was set to maximum; even though my movement was a bit excessive, it didn’t escape my view. Before me was the giant python.
It was still some distance away, but its massive head was raised in midair, as if it could pounce on me at any moment. No wonder the Lao People had fled in panic; the pressure it exerted was overwhelming.
I made slight adjustments to my flashlight twice, locking onto the python's head just as my back hit hard against the wooden surface. As I fell back onto the wood, I had already drawn my pistol, aiming at the giant snake before me. Accomplishing this in such a short time would have been impossible under normal circumstances; yet in life-threatening situations, I found myself able to remain calm. Perhaps that was why I had survived so many near-death experiences.
The python's head extended about three meters above the pavement, its enormous mouth wide open as if ready to lunge forward and swallow me whole. Blood dripped from its forked tongue and the corners of its mouth; it seemed that the gunshot wounds and flare burns I had inflicted were still fresh and unhealed, leaving a clear psychological scar. At such close range, the python must have been certain that its enemy was right before it due to scent and heat sensitivity. Yet it hesitated, emitting a hissing sound but not immediately attacking.
My back injury was on the right side, and now that I lay heavily on the wood, pain radiated from that area throughout my body. Thankfully, my dislocated right arm had healed; at least it didn’t hinder my movement, which was crucial. I had confidence in my marksmanship; this 9mm pistol was undoubtedly accurate, with recoil far less than that of the domestically produced 64 model. These factors gave me confidence in hitting the python.
However, the severe pain in my back severely limited my right arm's range of motion. Maintaining a fixed position caused some discomfort but wouldn’t affect shooting accuracy. Yet as I adjusted my aim with the python's swaying head, the strain on my back muscles caused my right arm to tremble slightly.
This was critical. Lying on the wood put me in a good position for shooting upward but made stabilizing my body difficult. On this wooden surface, crouching would be more stable and reasonable. Currently, I could only grip the wood with my legs; however, its diameter was too large for me to hold securely. Even if I could grip it tightly enough, how much force could I exert against it? It would be negligible at best. In reality, greater stability came from my left hand, which gripped firmly inside a hollow tree trunk that had been eroded by rainwater.
But now, with the python’s constantly moving head distracting me, my right arm shifted slightly in angle as pain intensified its tremors. I aimed for one of its eyes—the one I had shot out—now a dark void under the One-Eyed Beast's white light, where blood continued to flow out. It seemed frightened by what had happened; as its head swayed back and forth, its other shining eye deliberately avoided making contact with me. My trembling right hand struggled to keep steady enough to aim accurately.
There was no time to hesitate; if it lost patience and attacked first, even if I hit my target, its massive body could easily crush me.
I gritted my teeth and released my grip on the wood with my left hand while simultaneously gripping the pistol with both hands. I leaned back as far as possible so that the center of One-Eyed Beast's beam focused on the python's head before pulling the trigger.
This position couldn’t be maintained for long; even a slight gust could throw me off balance and off the wood entirely. I needed to fire all my bullets before losing control of my body. I was confident that I could hit my target before running out of ammunition.
At that moment when flames erupted from the muzzle of my 9mm pistol, the python’s swaying head suddenly vanished from sight. It disappeared from the brightest center of One-Eyed Beast’s beam but did not escape its wide circle of light; however, this movement caused my bullet to miss entirely. The python dove into the water at an astonishing speed—faster than free fall—like a spring stretched to its limit beneath the water's surface; my gunshot served as its release command, pulling it down into the depths in an instant.
My reaction couldn't possibly keep up with this change, but I didn't give up. The Muzzle swung in the direction of the giant python, and the bullet followed it into the water.
To complete this action, my body inevitably tilted to the right, all my weight pressing down on my injured right side. Severe pain made my hair stand on end. A beast-like growl escaped my throat as I emptied the magazine. At the same time, I regained my composure.
The severe pain left me exhausted and unable to remain awake and calm. I lay flat on the wood, my body shaking violently as if in a seizure. All I could do was hold onto the gun; the One-Eyed Beast lay across my chest, and I still had one magazine left, but I lacked the strength to change it. The severe pain made me grit my teeth involuntarily, my facial muscles twisted into a stiff grimace, my eyes staring into the endless black above, my mind blank.
Gunfire echoed in my ears. I was surprised that the sound could travel so far while our shouts barely reached someone just a few meters away. My eyelids began to feel heavy; I had to force myself to keep them open to ensure there was something in my line of sight, but everything before me inevitably blurred, including the darkness.
Suddenly, I felt the wood beneath me sink, and a patch of water appeared before me. A sensation of weightlessness washed over me, as if I were about to plunge into an abyss or submerge underwater. My blurred vision and hazy mind prevented me from reacting immediately; instead, a sense of curiosity emerged. I felt a faint smile creep across my stiff face.
In the next moment, the water descended upon me. It didn't crash down from above but surged from the front edge of the wood, directly from above my head. The rush of water lifted me up; however, my legs mechanically clung to the wood, preventing me from being swept away by the force. Yet it was still a struggle; the water slammed against me from below, forcing me into a prone position as I slid backward along the wood.
Just as my face was about to collide with a protruding branch, I extended my left hand to brace against it, avoiding a fatal impact.
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