Chapter 663: Stand-Off by the Water: Humanity and the Black Python

The black forked tongue of the python flicked to the left, making Xia Qing’s heart clench with anxiety.

Pythons might not see well, but their sense of smell is razor-sharp.

Black Wolf’s protective suit was stained for camouflage, but it was made from python skin!

Of course, Xia Qing wore a snakeskin jacket too, only hers was hidden beneath her protective suit so she didn’t stand out like Black Wolf.

Was this massive black python staring down Black Wolf because it smelled something unusual?

Hidden deep in the thick forest to the left, Black Wolf sensed the danger. After exchanging a glance with Xia Qing, he slipped away, quickly putting distance between himself and the danger zone.

It was obvious even to Black Wolf that, no matter how hard he and Xia Qing tried together, neither of them could take on this giant python.

If you can’t win, the answer’s simple: retreat.

Xia Qing understood exactly what Black Wolf was thinking, but she didn’t budge. She kept standing in place, still holding up her dripping medicinal herb in front of the python.

The moment Black Wolf bolted, the python’s black forked tongue and slit-like pupils shifted, locking straight onto Xia Qing and Yang Jin.

Xia Qing stood her ground, holding the waterweed high, her gaze firm as she stared up at the towering monster in the pond.

It wasn’t that she was confident this enormous black python wouldn’t harm her; as a human, she just couldn’t retreat. This snake was clearly far more cunning than the trio of patterned pythons from earlier. If she turned and ran now, it might just follow their scent and the waterways straight into human territory up north.

The wolf pack might only be made up of a few dozen evolved wolves, but almost all of them could either fight or run to survive another day if they had to move to a new mountain. But in human territory, there were over a thousand acres of fields, heaps of supplies and more than two hundred defenseless civilians. If they retreated now, they risked leading this python right back home.

That’s why Xia Qing stood there, showing she meant no harm by holding up the herb. She was telling the python that the humans were only here to pick a few herbs. Whether or not it understood, she was ready to fight if the python left the pond and attacked.

If the herb in Xia Qing’s hand was a gesture of goodwill, the sharp knife gripped by Yang Jin and the aura of killing intent he radiated were their message that humans weren’t weak. The two of them, dressed in matching protective suits, waited quietly for the python’s decision.

Humans weren’t powerless or afraid to fight; they just wanted to build a better life and would rather not have to.

Sure, in the water, neither Xia Qing nor Yang Jin could match the python. But if the fight moved to dry land, it’d only be a matter of time before they took it out.

So both sides stared each other down, the silence in the valley broken only by the waterfall, its roar against the rocks pounding like a drum of war.

A minute passed before the python slowly began to slide back beneath the surface, disappearing into the pond. Who knows what went on in that dinner table-sized head—whatever it was, this time, it decided to retreat.

Another minute and songbirds began chirping again in the Evolved Forest. Xia Qing lowered her hand, finally glancing over at Yang Jin.

With their protective masks and night vision goggles, neither could see each other’s expressions, but they both knew the other was smiling.

This time, Xia Qing raised her fist first. Yang Jin did the same and bumped it against hers.

“We did it!”

There was laughter in Xia Qing’s voice, and Yang Jin felt his heart skip. Trying to keep his cool, he stole a glance at the snake-catching net some ten meters away, which had snared only a few frogs and no Devastation Snakes. He whispered, “No sign of any more Devastation Snakes for over two hours. Our job’s done. We need to leave fast—the three trapped pythons are about to come back.”

Yang Jin motioned for Xia Qing to use a detour to return to the rocks above the waterfall first. He crept toward the python pond, quickly retrieved the snake net, and hurried back up the rocks—just as he spotted the three pythons, all angry and foaming, slithering right back after escaping the clutches of the Devastation Evolution plant, their tongues flicking as they searched for their prey.

Having been so close to the black python just moments before, looking down from above at these three pythons–none even ten meters long–made Xia Qing feel almost amused. Compared to the black python, these seemed almost like child’s play.

The land around Hill Fifty-Five was full of water and swamps. Crossing the Evolved Forest to get back home meant the real risk of running into an ambush. That was just too much danger for Xia Qing. Yang Jin asked, “Does your personal flight equipment still work?”

“I’ve got enough fuel for one more flight.” When Xia Qing left for Hill Fifty, she’d refilled the flight gear and even brought along an extra can of fuel. But the gear’s weight limit meant she couldn’t carry any more supplies or extra fuel.

Yang Jin handed her the cloth bag stuffed with herbs. “Take the herbs and fly home. I’ll cut through the Evolved Forest on foot.”

Faced with a choice between flying the herbs straight back to the territory and trekking home to build up her magnetic power, Xia Qing decided in a heartbeat. “Alright. You stay safe.”

Yang Jin said, “If you run into a flock of raptors, just land and I’ll cover you from below.”

When it came to raw speed, Yang Jin could outrun the personal flight gear with ease.

Xia Qing looked all around but didn’t spot Black Wolf. Not wanting to alert the pythons, she kept silent and started up the flight gear on the rocks by the waterfall, slowly rising into the air.

The whir of Xia Qing’s takeoff startled the three pythons in the pond, tempting them to leap after her. They shot out of the water, wrapped around the big trees on the rocky ledge, and scrambled up as fast as they could, trying to snatch her from the air.

Yang Jin hurled a rock at the trunk of a tree, pulling the pythons’ attention away and sending them slithering after him instead. In that short distraction, Xia Qing rose sixty meters straight up, higher than the mountaintop, then zipped off toward the west.

She didn’t dare fly straight north, worried that the black python was still watching her from the pond.

Yang Jin also kicked into high gear, vanishing from the pythons’ senses almost instantly. With no targets left, the three pythons slammed their bodies against rocks and trees in a wild frenzy, sending boulders crashing into the pond with massive splashes. The black python surfaced again, raising its head to stare at the mountains to the west.

Atop the western peak, an evolved wolf in a snakeskin protective suit stood with head lowered, lost in thought as it gazed down at the black python in the pond.

The straight-line distance from the python pond on Hill Fifty-Five to human territory was thirty li. Fully fueled, a personal flight equipment could just barely make that trip. But since Xia Qing took a detour, she couldn’t go all the way back home in one go—instead, she landed atop Third Peak, Hill Fifty.

“Xia Qing, out of fuel?” Yang Jin’s voice buzzed in her earpiece walkie-talkie. He sounded a little breathless, almost like his voice could scorch your ear.

“Yeah, I’m out.” Xia Qing felt calm now, seeing how quickly Yang Jin emerged from the Evolved Forest. No wonder Broken Back had nothing nice to say about personal flight equipment—it was basically useless.

Speed Evolution. She desperately needed Speed Evolution!

Yang Jin couldn’t sense Xia Qing’s frustration—he was too happy. “No more Devastation Snakes have been spotted in the territory or on Hill Forty-Nine, and the water’s still safe. Once we hand in the snakes, the emergency disaster status can be lifted. Should we head right back, or check out Hill Fifty first and clear out any trouble?”

“Let’s hand in the quest first. I’ll return to Hill Fifty afterwards for a sweep.” They also needed to deliver the herbs to Zhang San ASAP to test their potency. Plus, Xia Qing hadn’t been home all night. Old Goat was probably worried sick about her, and she wanted to hurry back.