Chapter 15 Escape "I never let any of my collection escape..."
As they got closer and closer to the cave entrance, Lucas couldn't help but show a look of joy on his face.
"Sister, we..." But before he could finish a complete sentence, a giant snake head suddenly appeared in front of him. The rest of his words turned into a terrified scream.
The two braked suddenly, and Catherine, without even looking, grabbed Lucas by the collar and swerved sharply to the right.
"Sister, older sister... cough!..."
Lucas tapped Catherine's hand urgently, and she loosened her grip slightly, a somewhat insincere look of guilt on her face: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention for a moment."
But the relentless pursuit of the snakes didn't give them much time to catch up. Soon, a snake's head suddenly appearing on their left and a snake's tail whipping around from their right rear were enough to keep them busy instantly.
Catherine didn't have time to look back; she needed to concentrate all her energy on dodging the giant snakes' attacks.
She reached behind her and grabbed him, but luckily Lucas was quick to react. Seeing her outstretched hand, he ran as fast as he could and managed to lift his hand and slip it into Catherine's.
Catherine gripped tightly, staring at the layers of enormous snake bodies before her, trying to find the opening she wanted, and then leading Lucas to dodge the attacks that came crashing down on them.
But the giant snakes were just too fast!
Too fast...
Although humans have the advantage of being small and agile, it is still difficult for them to escape the dense, seemingly endless attacks.
Lucas was still young, and his stamina was depleted before he could reach his limit during the constant running. As a result, his speed slowed down uncontrollably, and the next second he received a heavy blow to the back.
Lucas couldn't even scream; he only let out a muffled groan before being sent flying.
Catherine gritted her teeth and held onto his hand tightly from behind, preventing him from crashing head-on into the stone wall. But because of this, they both slid forward a considerable distance.
Seeing another thick snake tail coming from behind, Catherine immediately pressed Lucas's head down, and the sharp tail just grazed the back of their heads.
She glanced behind her; the original cave entrance was too far away, and running back was clearly not a realistic option.
"Can you still move?" Catherine asked, glancing at Lucas, whose mouth was bleeding.
If he is no longer able to act on his own, then she has no choice but to give him up.
This is a very real problem. If she were to drag him along by herself, they would both be stuck here. She's not that selfless.
Fortunately, Lucas shook his head and said firmly, "I'm fine, I won't die."
As he spoke, he rolled to the side again, dodging a snake's tail that came crashing down. Lucas hurriedly slapped the stone wall beside him, using the brief moment of attack to get to his feet.
The giant snakes around them were still chasing them, but there were fewer of them than at the beginning.
Catherine and her companions weren't entirely running away mindlessly. Catherine specifically sought out the intersections between the snakes' tails and heads, successfully getting several giant snakes entangled together. Although the snakes weren't stupid and quickly realized what was happening, it still took some time for the entangled snakes to separate.
Catherine and Lucas ran together, pulling each other along. When one of them ran out of strength, they took turns pulling each other, and they were getting closer and closer to the new cave entrance.
But the giant snakes behind them were getting closer and closer.
They realized that the two damned humans were trying to escape through the hole.
The passageways leading from the cave entrance are quite narrow, only wide enough for one giant snake to squeeze through. Moreover, the limited space inside prevents the snake from turning around, making it even more difficult to catch the two humans once they enter.
Thinking of this, the giant snakes quickened their pace, hoping to intercept them before they could.
Just then, another snake tail came crashing down. Catherine felt the wind behind her, immediately looked down, and casually raised her hand to press down Lucas's head next to her.
The snake's tail barely grazed their heads, taking a few strands of hair with it, before it couldn't stop in time and crashed into the stone wall beside them.
The cave trembled instantly, and several large chunks of rock fell, blocking part of the giant snakes' path. This tremendous commotion also momentarily stunned the remaining giant snakes.
"Xavier!" came the roar of the giant snake from behind.
Catherine turned around, only catching a glimpse of the familiar, slightly mocking expression on the snake's head. Then she turned back, pushed Lucas into the hole, and quickly crawled in herself.
Arnold hissed as he watched the two humans who had already disappeared into the tunnel. He turned his head to look at Xavier, his narrowed eyes filled with warning.
Xavier chuckled and said, "Don't be nervous, Arnold. I just didn't have time to retract my tail."
Arnold recalled everything that had just happened. Xavier was right; if those two humans hadn't reacted quickly, their heads would certainly be stuck in that hole. He hadn't deliberately gone easy on them.
But the fact that he couldn't stop in time left something strange about him. Did Xavier really not have enough time to stop before crashing into the stone wall?
“You know me, Arnold.” Xavier’s languid expression vanished, replaced by a cold and dangerous one. He gazed into the distance beyond the rubble, “I never let any of my collection escape.”
"I mean, any one of them~"
Catherine and Lucas, supporting each other, finally left the long passageway after an unknown amount of time.
Looking at the dim light coming through the tunnel entrance, the two of them couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Finally... we escaped from that dangerous snake pit.
However, neither of them dared to rest there. The giant snakes in the snake pit could catch up at any moment; they needed to get further away.
Lucas clearly had extensive exploration experience.
Although the Devil's Forest was densely vegetated, with massive canopies blocking out the sky, making it difficult to determine direction by the sun, Lucas quickly pinpointed his escape route by observing clues such as the moisture of the soil and the orientation of plant leaves.
After running far enough, they were finally able to stop and catch their breath.
Lucas wiped the sweat from his face, looked up at Catherine, and sincerely thanked her: "Sister! Thank you for saving me! But I may have to part ways with you soon."
He raised his hand and scratched his head, a hint of guilt on his face.
Although saying goodbye to his "savior" immediately after confirming his safety might not sound very ethical, he had been separated from his companions for too long and needed to reunite with them as soon as possible.
Catherine raised an eyebrow at Lucas's words. Feeling her gaze made him even more flustered.
"It's not impossible." Catherine finally spoke, relieving his anxiety.
"but……"
Lucas's gaze grew increasingly resolute. She had saved his own life, even when she herself was in dire straits.
Lucas silently made a decision in his heart: whatever request she made next, he would agree to it as long as it was within his power.
"Help me up first."
“Okay… ah?” Lucas subconsciously looked down and saw Catherine sitting on the ground, having fallen down at some point.
Ah...no? I've prepared everything, and this is all the simple requirement I get?
Lucas reached out in a daze and pulled Catherine up, almost being pulled to the ground in confusion because of the difference in their heights.
"Are you sure you only want this one request?" Lucas asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
Catherine raised an eyebrow, bent down and ruffled his hair: "Kid, you'd better hurry up and leave, or I might not let you go if you're too late."
Lucas pursed his lips: "Then I owe you a request, sister! If we meet again, you can tell me what you need me to do then."
Catherine rested her chin on her hand and nodded indifferently.
Judging from the amount of poison the child carried, it was clear that within the group exploring the Devil's Forest, the child, even if not a peripheral member, wasn't particularly important. Therefore, even if he owed her a favor, it wouldn't bring her any significant benefit.
Unless, of course, the person she's saving now is the leader of their group, then it might be of some use.
However, Catherine didn't regret rescuing the child. In any case, the final outcome was good, and the process in between... was just something that happened incidentally.
Lucas walked away, glancing back every few steps. But halfway there, he seemed to remember something and hurriedly ran back to slip a small bottle into Catherine's arms. Then, without waiting for Catherine to react, he turned and ran off into the distance.
"He ran pretty fast..." Catherine glanced at Lucas, who had long since disappeared into the distance, and muttered to herself as she raised the bottle he had just given her.
The bottle was about half full of fine cinnamon-colored powder, which seemed to shimmer slightly when held up to the light. Catherine looked at the small label on the bottle, trying hard to decipher the tiny print.
"Beast-repelling powder? Its effects...the higher the intelligence of the target, the weaker the effect."
The powder's name was simple and straightforward, immediately revealing its purpose. Catherine smiled; it was indeed a good thing for her.
After all, although she escaped from the snake pit, she should now be located near the center of the Devil's Forest. Alone, without this powder, she probably wouldn't have to travel far before ending up inside some beast's belly.
However, considering the limitations on the powder's target population and its remaining quantity... Catherine realized she couldn't afford to leave the Devil's Forest, as the powder was definitely running out. She needed to find a safe place to hide as soon as possible, or find Tarasco before the powder ran out.
In fact, if the Devil Forest hadn't been so large, she might have simply abandoned the first option.
In any case, Tarasco can at least guarantee her survival in the Devil's Forest, but if she were alone, she would have to consider how to hunt enough food to feed herself when the odds are so high.
However, all of this is predicated on the fact that Tarasco has not yet found a second "special reserve food" like her, and...
She was able to find him.
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