Chapter 106 Roasted Snake Meat

But the skinning work was even more difficult. The snakeskin was tough, and they were physically exhausted, and their tools were not professional enough.

They managed to remove only a few relatively intact pieces of the snake's belly skin, found a dark green snake gallbladder the size of a basketball, carefully wrapped it in a waterproof cloth, and extracted two sections of incredibly elastic main tendons, each several meters long.

As for the large amount of snake meat, although it contained energy, they didn't have the time or energy to process it, so they could only cut off a few large pieces and leave the rest.

After doing all this, the three of them were almost exhausted again, drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked with blood and sweat once more.

"Let's go...we have to get out of here." Ruan Ning looked at the sky beginning to lighten, the stench of blood in the air growing stronger. They hurriedly stuffed the collected materials into their backpacks and the car, helping each other into the vehicle.

Ruan Ning forced himself to start the car and drove away from the abandoned service area where a night of fierce fighting had yielded both gains and losses. The car bumped along in the morning light, and no one spoke in the car except for heavy breathing.

The fire trotted around beside it, and after eating a few pieces of snake meat and drinking the spiritual spring water, its wounds began to heal slowly, at a rate significantly faster than usual.

Zhou Min and Lin Yan leaned back in their seats, feeling the continuous restorative effects of the magical "water" in their bodies. Their hearts were filled with questions, but looking at Ruan Ning's pale profile and focused driving, they ultimately suppressed their questions.

In the apocalypse, everyone has secrets. The important thing is that they survived together once again, and they seem to have a more reliable support.

New wounds, new gains, new understanding.

The road ahead remains long and dangerous, but the team's resilience seems to have grown even stronger.

Around 10 a.m., the car stopped in a desolate area. In the distance were barren hills, and closer by were only drought-resistant brambles and gravel. After driving for several hours, we were completely far from that service area.

The three got out of the car, all showing obvious signs of exhaustion and pain. Da Huo lay down on a slightly shady rock, his tongue lolling out. Although his wounds had stopped bleeding, his charred fur and torn flesh looked frightening.

After running for several hours, it also needs to rest.

Ruan Ning took three bottles of mineral water out of the car, drank one herself, and gave the remaining two to Lin Yan and Zhou Min. She also poured some water into the fire pit.

The effects of the spiritual spring water continued; the wounds were slowly healing, and physical strength was gradually recovering, but it was still far from being completely healed.

"Take care of the wound first, then eat," Ruan Ning said, her voice still hoarse.

They took out their basic medical kits and helped each other clean, disinfect, and bandage their wounds.

Ruan Ning's shoulder was covered in bruises, and her ribs were likely fractured; she was in pain with any movement. Lin Yan had multiple abrasions and frostbite on her arms and legs. Zhou Min mainly suffered from headaches due to mental exhaustion.

The fire animal had the most injuries, but animals have strong regenerative abilities, and with the help of the spiritual spring water, its condition was actually better than theirs.

By the time I finished treating the wound, it was almost noon. I had only drunk some water since morning, and I was starving.

"Process the snake meat." Ruan Ning took out several large pieces of relatively intact snake meat that she had hastily cut off that morning from the car. The snake meat was dark red in color, with a rough texture and a faint fishy smell, but one could sense the energy it contained.

Lin Yan took out a knife and found a flat stone nearby to use as a cutting board. The snakeskin was tough; they had only peeled a few pieces that morning, and most of the meat was still attached to the skin.

Lin Yan painstakingly cut the snake meat into small pieces. Zhou Min gathered some dry thorns and low shrubs, piling them together. The fire, with a carefully controlled burst of flame, ignited the pile of firewood.

Ruan Ning took out the large pot and placed it on the fire. She condensed some water, put in some of the chopped snake meat, added a few pieces of dried meat and some dehydrated vegetables, sprinkled some salt, and began to stew.

Snake meat takes a long time to cook.

On the other side, Lin Yan skewered some more pieces of snake meat with tree branches and roasted them by the fire. The fire occasionally looked up, staring at the roasting meat, its nose twitching.

As the snake meat is stewed and roasted, it gradually releases an aroma that is a mixture of charred fragrance and a unique fishy smell. The color changes from dark red to deep brown.

More than an hour later, the meat was cooked. The stewed snake soup was milky white with oil floating on top. The roasted snake meat was crispy on the outside.

The three men and the dog sat around the fire. Ruan Ning served each person a bowl of soup and then distributed roasted snake meat. Da Huo got the largest piece of roasted snake meat.

Drink the soup first.

The soup is rich and flavorful, with the unique umami taste of snake meat and a slight fishy smell, but it's very warming. The meat is stewed until tender, and the energy flows into the body with the hot soup, replenishing what you've lost.

Roasted snake meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, very fragrant, and its energy reaches all the internal organs.

No one spoke; they were all focused on eating. This was the first time they had eaten the flesh of a fourth-tier mutated beast. They could clearly feel the energy contained within the meat nourishing their damaged bodies. Although the effect was far less than that of crystal cores or spiritual spring water, it was more sustained.

Da Huo devoured his portion in a few bites, then looked at them longingly. Lin Yan smiled and gave him another small piece.

After finishing the meal, although my body still ached, my spirit and strength had recovered considerably. I simply rinsed the pot and bowls with the water that Ruan Ning had prepared.

"Let's rest until the afternoon before leaving." Ruan Ning glanced at the sky. "There's a big fire, be on alert."

The fire gave a low growl and its ears perked up.

The car was stiflingly hot, like a sauna, with no shelter from the post-apocalyptic heat. The three of them lay on the seats fully clothed, their clothes quickly soaked with sweat.

Ruan Ning closed his eyes and concentrated, then raised his hand and pressed down lightly.

Moisture in the air was rapidly extracted, condensing into three basketball-sized, slowly rotating, clear water spheres that hovered below the carriage ceiling. The surface of the water spheres emitted a slight coolness, like miniature air conditioners, lowering the surrounding temperature slightly.

She rolled the car window down a few inches to create a ventilation gap.

"Just make do with this sleep," she said wearily.

Lin Yan and Zhou Min nodded, adjusted their positions, and tried to relax. Their wounds still throbbed, and fatigue washed over them like a tide. Da Huo lay hidden in the shadows outside the car, its ears twitching constantly, alert to any movement outside.

Three hours later, around two or three in the afternoon, the sun was setting but still scorching. Ruan Ning was the first to wake up, removing the now lukewarm water sphere and re-condensing several cool ones.

Lin Yan and Zhou Min also woke up one after another and moved their stiff and painful bodies.

"We can't delay any longer. Let's go as far as we can while it's still light." Ruan Ning started the car, the engine breaking the silence.

Da Huo stood up, shook its fur, and followed the starting car.

Ruan Ning unfolded the map, and Zhou Min leaned over to look. "About thirty kilometers ahead is 'Linfeng City,' a large city with several million people before the apocalypse." Zhou Min pointed to a circled point on the map. "The situation inside is definitely complicated, with plenty of zombies and mutants. We can't go around it; the main road runs through the city."

“We can’t go into the city,” Lin Yan said immediately. “Let’s see if there’s a ring road around the city, or we can go through abandoned villages and towns on the outskirts of the city.”

"We'll look around when we get there. Try to stay on the outskirts and away from the city center." Ruan Ning decided on the direction. "We won't go into the city today. We'll stay on the edge of the city and find a place to stay overnight, preferably a high-rise building with a good view."