Chapter 41: A Life-and-Death Struggle

    Chen Yuze wiped the blood from his mouth as the giant serpent lunged at him. Drawing his sword, he made no move to dodge. Instead, he gripped the hilt with both hands and swung fiercely at the serpent’s head. “Stop right there, damn it!”

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    The blade struck the serpent’s skull, sending a spray of blood into the air. Lao Hu and the others watched as Chen Yuze, his entire body tensed like an ancient warrior in salute, braced one foot against the wall to keep himself from being slammed into it. His sword had sunk deep into the serpent’s head, as if intending to split it in two—though that didn’t happen.

    Meanwhile, Hu Yifei, who had been clinging to the serpent’s head, was now suspended mid-air, her feet pressed against the wall while her hands still pushed down on her sword hilt. Her full weight bore down on the blade, driving it nearly all the way into the serpent’s body.

    “ROAR—!”

    The serpent let out a deafening roar at Chen Yuze—surprisingly clear for a creature with no vocal cords. But Chen Yuze had no time to ponder how it made such a sound. At such close range, the sonic assault felt like it would rupture his eardrums, leaving his head ringing.

    “Damn it, this thing’s transforming into a dragon!” Lao Hu suddenly noticed two small claws near the serpent’s tail—a sign that it had cultivated enough power to evolve!

    The serpent no longer dared to charge forward. With the sword embedded in its skull, any further movement risked splitting its head open. Instead, it thrashed violently from side to side, finally dislodging Chen Yuze’s weapon. Seizing the opportunity, the serpent twisted its body, as if preparing to flee.

    Chen Yuze and the others were determined not to let it escape. If it got away, not only would they never know peace, but the surrounding people would also be in danger. This creature was destined to wreak havoc if left alive. Since it had attacked them outright, it clearly had no good intentions. No more hesitation—it had to die. (The author decrees: Kill it.)

    Without his sword, Chen Yuze pulled out the black iron dagger he had recently found from his backpack. Ignoring the serpent’s thrashing body beside him, he slashed at its flesh. To his surprise, the dagger cut through with terrifying ease.

    But the serpent’s muscles instantly clamped down on the blade, dragging Chen Yuze along with it. Still, he refused to let go. Lao Hu and Pangzi blocked the serpent’s escape route.

    The serpent reared its head again, clearly planning to break through their defense and flee. Chen Yuze was in an awkward position—wedged against the serpent’s upper abdomen, a spot the creature seemed keen on protecting. Though he hadn’t been injured during the earlier struggle, he hadn’t even noticed how close he was to the ground in the heat of battle.

    Now, with the serpent’s head raised, Hu Yifei still stood atop it while Chen Yuze dangled mid-air, gripping the dagger. His back faced Lao Hu and Pangzi, who were blocking the serpent’s retreat.

    Seizing the momentary stalemate, Chen Yuze hacked downward with the dagger. But the muscles here were too tough. Wrapping his legs around the serpent’s body, he gripped the dagger with one hand and used the other—even his teeth—to tear at the wound he had opened, determined to gut the beast.

    Covered in blood, Chen Yuze bit and clawed like a wild animal. The serpent writhed in agony, its eyes turning crimson as it lashed out at Lao Hu and Pangzi. But the two men held their ground, refusing to let it escape.

    Chen Yuze kept tearing into the serpent’s flesh, as if he were the true predator here. He had no idea how much blood he’d swallowed or how much flesh he’d ripped away. All he knew was that the serpent’s belly now gaped open like it had been blasted by a cannon.

    Gulp—

    Something bitter and astringent slid down his throat. Chen Yuze barely registered it—he’d already ingested so much. But he didn’t realize that this was the moment the serpent went completely berserk, thrashing with unprecedented fury.

    Both Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei were losing their grip, their stamina nearly depleted. Hu Yifei had followed Chen Yuze’s example, using her hands, feet, and sword to pry open the serpent’s skull. Lao Hu couldn’t help but think that these two were the real beasts—while the serpent seemed more like prey.

    Hu Yifei’s attack finally took effect. With a final wrench—squelch!—a torrent of blood sprayed into her face. She accidentally swallowed a mouthful, the cold liquid sliding down her throat. The thought of drinking serpent blood made her want to vomit.

    “Bleh! Bleh!” She spat out the blood and glanced down, realizing Chen Yuze was about to let go.

    Meanwhile, Chen Yuze had finally torn open the serpent’s belly. But the creature’s violent thrashing sent him crashing into the ground multiple times. His bones felt shattered, his strength nearly gone.

    Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the grenades he had found earlier and hurled them into the serpent’s gut. He yanked the pins, but—nothing happened.

    “Let me show you modern firepower, you damn overgrown worm!” Chen Yuze roared, shoving grenade after grenade into the wound.

    “Kid, you gotta pull the pin and then strike the metal cap!” Lao Hu shouted, realizing Chen Yuze was using standard grenade procedures on these Japanese-made ones, which had a secondary safety mechanism.

    Hearing Lao Hu’s warning, Chen Yuze grabbed the last grenade, yanked the pin with his teeth, and slammed it against his forehead to activate it. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the serpent’s belly and let go, dropping to the ground.

    Hu Yifei landed at the same time. Lao Hu and Pangzi hoisted them up and bolted.

    “RUN! IT’S GONNA BLOW! GET AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE—AND WATCH OUT FOR THE GLASS CEILING ABOVE!”