CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231 SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCT (1)_1

All of them had been bitten by snakes several times. Yu Zijin stood by Shangguan You, letting out a piercing scream that carried far and wide.

"Damn it! They’re over there! Quickly, head towards the sound!" Liu Dabao shouted as he moved deeper into the dense fog. Swishing sounds echoed continuously. Within the fog, visibility was restricted to a mere meter unless face-to-face; beyond that, everything was a blur.

"Shangguan Qing! Shangguan You! Yu Zifeng! Yu Zijin! Gui Jun! Gui Mo! Zhang Yuchen! Where are you? Where are you?!" Gui Yongjun called out while walking through the thick fog. He knew that if he could hear their cries, they could hear his too. "Where are you?! Where are you?!" Liu Dabao bellowed with his distinctively loud voice through the fog.

"It’s Liu Dabao and the others! It’s them! Ah!" Gui Jun shouted, but his shout turned into a cry of pain. In his excitement and carelessness, one of the three-headed snakes had bitten his leg.

"Ah, Gui Jun, how are you?!" Gui Mo exclaimed in shock, simultaneously fending off snakes and checking on his cousin. "Gui Jun, you call for help! And look after Shangguan You; don’t let the snakes bite her! Leave the rest to us!" Shangguan Qing said calmly, yanking a snake from his arm and effortlessly sweeping away another batch.

"Dad! Dad! We’re in the dense fog! In the dense fog! There are lots of snakes here! You have to be careful!" Gui Jun’s lips were turning black, and his head was spinning. The venom of the three-headed snake was extremely potent; just one bite, and he already felt his entire body weakening.

"Commander Liu! Uncle Gui! Come save us! We’re surrounded by a swarm of snakes! There are so many snakes here! Snakes—" Yu Zijin also cried out at the top of her lungs.

"Snakes? How can there be snakes?! Gui Jun, Gui Mo, hold on! We’re coming to save you right now!" Gui Yongjun yelled. He switched on a high-powered flashlight and slowly navigated through the fog, heading towards the sound of their voices.

"Shouldn’t snakes be hibernating?" Deputy Commander Qian voiced his confusion, but everyone heightened their guard. It was indeed abnormal for snakes to appear at this time of year, especially in such large numbers.

"Everyone, watch the ground! Ready your weapons and stay alert!" Liu Dabao ordered loudly. However, they also had no weapons in their hands.

"Yes, Commander!"

Liu Dabao, leading a group of sixty from his unit, slowly approached Shangguan Qing’s group. Even before they saw the horde of snakes, they detected a strong, strange odor and heard the sound of hissing and slithering all around them.

Gui Yongjun’s expression grew grim. Having just heard Gui Jun’s scream, how is my son doing now? And what about the others? He grew even more anxious. "Switch on all the high-powered lights! Increase visibility to three meters!" Gui Yongjun ordered loudly, then charged forward, taking the lead.

"Gui Jun, where are you?!" Gui Yongjun kept shouting as he advanced. Suddenly, his rapidly moving figure halted, his face turning ashen. He saw a vividly colored mass of snakes blocking their path, staring back at them. The swarm contained all sorts of species, even some rare varieties.

Seeing the vast expanses of snakes before them, cold sweat involuntarily beaded on Gui Yongjun’s forehead. Everyone who had been charging forward stopped, their eyes reflecting shock and, even more so, disbelief. It was still early spring, and the weather remained cold; it was astonishing to encounter such a massive swarm of snakes.

"Commander! Uncle Gui! These snakes are venomous! Be careful!" Shangguan Qing called out while fending off the snakes. He had already seen the lights in the distance and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Liu Dabao’s people have finally arrived.

"We know, Shangguan Qing! Hold on a little longer! We’ll get you out immediately!" Liu Dabao bellowed, then began to issue orderly commands to his subordinates.

"Okay! Gui Jun is poisoned! He’s barely holding on!" Yu Zifeng said quickly, also battling the snakes.

"A snake! A snake is on Shangguan You! Aaaah!" Yu Zijin screamed, stumbling back a few steps. Watching a large snake coil around Shangguan You, her entire body trembled.

Shangguan Qing yelled sharply, his eyes turning cold, but he was too occupied to intervene himself. "Pick up a branch! Knock the snake off! Quickly!"

"That’s right, Zijin! Quickly, use a branch! Don’t let the snake bite Shangguan You!"

"Yu Zijin, quick! The snake is climbing higher!" Zhang Yuchen also exclaimed. All of them, except for Gui Jun who was now semi-conscious from the poison, were surrounded by innumerable snakes. If any one of them faltered and left an opening, the swarm would surge in, and they would be attacked from all sides.

"Mm," Yu Zijin nodded. She picked up a branch from the ground and, with a trembling hand, poked at the snake on Shangguan You. HISS! The snake bit at the branch, then its head whipped around to bite her. "Aaah!" Yu Zijin screamed, stumbling back two steps and falling to the ground. Shangguan You, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them. A flash of crystalline light glinted in her pupils.

"Shangguan You, you’re awake! That’s wonderful! Hurry and save them!" Yu Zijin cried, tears of relief welling up as she saw Shangguan You open her eyes. The tension instantly left her body, as if all her strength had been drained. Seeing Shangguan You, she felt an inexplicable sense of trust.

"Everyone will be fine." Shangguan You leaped to her feet, flinging the snake coiled around her waist far away with a burst of Spiritual Energy. She shuddered, goosebumps rising on her skin. These damn snakes! Kill the big ones, and the small ones come. Kill the old ones, and the lazy ones appear! Today, I’ll annihilate every last one of them and see how they dare to bite me then!

"Brother Qing, all of you, take these and rest for a bit. Leave this to me." Shangguan You tossed a bottle of Antidote Pills to the group. With a leap, she swiftly dispersed a cloud of white powder into the air. The swarm of snakes, which had been writhing and striking moments before, instantly stilled.

Let’s see whose poison is deadlier, yours or mine! Shangguan You sneered coldly. Damn snakes.

She had, of course, also heard the shouts and cries of pain from Liu Dabao and his men. It seems Liu Dabao’s side has suffered heavy losses too. His attempt at a show of authority has backfired and cost him dearly.