Li Juxu thought he heard his bones creaking. Faced with the threat of death, desperation turned to rage. He opened his mouth wide and bit down hard on the snake's body, putting every ounce of strength into it. The muscles in his jaw ached fiercely.
The snake shuddered in pain and thrashed violently, its strength surging. Li Juxu's vision blurred, and he nearly blacked out.
But the agony sparked a new burst of energy inside him. He clamped down even harder. His mouth grew warm as he tore through the snake's skin, and warm liquid flooded in—snake blood. He dared not let go, swallowing it down.
He didn't care if the blood was poisonous. If it would make the snake release him, he would have bitten right through its flesh.
Man and snake were locked in a stalemate. The snake tried to crush him; he tried to bite through it. It was a test of endurance.
The snake had no expression, so he couldn't read its mind, but Li Juxu knew he was in terrible shape. He was fading fast. His neck was constricted, cutting off his breath, and his bones felt ready to snap.
He was grateful he'd worn thick clothing to keep out insects, plus a bulletproof vest underneath. It had softened the snake's coils. Otherwise, his body would have been twisted like a rag.
Just as his consciousness was about to slip away, he sensed the coils around him loosening. He jolted awake. The snake was losing its strength too.
The discovery reignited his will to live. He gritted his teeth and held on. His heart hammered in his chest like thunder.
Seconds ticked by. The snake's strength ebbed further. When he finally managed to drag in a breath of fresh air, he knew he had won.
No more blood flowed into his mouth, but he still didn't dare release his grip. Only when the snake's body went limp did he finally let go, gasping for breath.
Every muscle felt weak and sore, yet the pain was drowned out by an overwhelming rush of joy—a feeling beyond words.
He tried to throw the snake away, but his hands had cramped from gripping so hard he could barely move them. He gave up and focused on catching his breath.
Before he knew it, he drifted off.
When he jolted awake, daylight had broken. Black Hornet's voice of relief reached his ears.
"You're finally awake!"
"What happened?" Li Juxu mumbled, his mind still foggy.
Black Hornet stepped over and studied his face, then relaxed.
"Good. You're not poisoned."
"How long did I sleep?"
"It's around two in the afternoon now."
"I slept for almost twenty hours?" Li Juxu was stunned.
"You're alive, that's all that matters. Do you remember what happened last night?"
"A snake attacked me—" Li Juxu looked down and saw he was still clutching the snake. It was long dead, its body cold. Only then did he get a good look at it.
He knew nothing about snakes, but this one had a distinct pattern on its back: shaped like a pair of eyes. Other than that, it looked ordinary—arm-thick, nearly three meters long.
"This thing was strong. It coiled around me in an instant. I had no choice but to bite it. Lucky I killed it first, or you'd be looking at my corpse. What kind of snake is this? It's not that big, but it's insanely strong."
"No idea. But it's definitely venomous. Highly venomous," Black Hornet said.
"Did I pass out?"
"I woke up and found you asleep, wouldn't wake up no matter how I called. At first I thought you'd been bitten, but I checked and found no wounds. Probably the snake blood. Good thing you came to. Otherwise, I would've had to carry you back. How do you feel?"
"I think I'm okay." Li Juxu stood up and jumped a little. No strange sensations. The pain was gone. Too bad his helmet was ruined. He'd been too shy to take Wildcat's helmet as a spare the day before.
"If something had happened to you, I would've felt guilty for the rest of my life." Black Hornet looked ashamed. He'd been exhausted and slept far too deeply. He hadn't noticed Li Juxu fighting a life-or-death battle right next to him.
If Li Juxu had lost, more than one person would have died.
"How are the others doing?" Li Juxu asked. The place was too dangerous; he wanted to leave.
"I heard gunshots and explosions from the southeast this morning. They must have run into trouble."
"Hope they're okay." Li Juxu knew Black Hornet would have gone to check if he wasn't still recovering. At night, movement was too risky, but during the day, they should help teammates in danger.
"Let's eat something first."
Li Juxu automatically took out his rations, then froze. He wasn't hungry at all—after more than twenty hours without food? Did his metabolism shut down while he was unconscious?
"What's wrong?" Black Hornet noticed his odd expression.
"I was just thinking if there's another way. Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Everyone's thinking the same thing." Black Hornet's tone implied that if there was a better way, they would have used it already.
"Insects seem quieter today," Li Juxu muttered between bites. He noticed no bugs were trying to bite his face.
"That's why," Black Hornet said, pointing at the dead snake.
"Huh?"
"Snakes are strange creatures. They give off a scent that repels insects. Humans can't smell it, but bugs are extremely sensitive. The more deadly the venom, the stronger the scent. I've heard that in ancient times, people hunted pythons and hung their skins in rooms to keep insects away all summer. You're not getting bitten because of this corpse."
Li Juxu's eyes lit up. He'd tossed the snake on the ground; now he picked it up immediately.
This was perfect. It would let them move through the woods unhindered.
"Your helmet's broken. We've got another day and a half. Use the snake to keep bugs off. It won't rot that quickly."
Li Juxu ate a little, then they continued searching for the red-spotted crown spider.
He slung the snake around his neck, wrapped it around his waist, and tied it in place. It looked like a strange serpentine ornament. It weighed about twelve and a half jin, barely affecting his movement.
Just as Black Hornet said, not a single mosquito dared come near him. Everywhere he went, insects scattered. Even the gray-spotted crown spiders kept their distance. Black Hornet was impressed.
From what he knew, spiders hunted by sensing vibrations, not by smell—but he wasn't complaining. It drastically reduced the threat from insects.
"Huh?"
Li Juxu suddenly stopped short.