Chapter 235 Lizard 5
It was still early. According to Yu Mo's observations, the islanders would organize their young men to hunt in the nearby forest every few days. The deserted island was vast, and the forest occupied the largest area. It turned out that the chief's son, dissatisfied with his catch, led his men deep into the forest and never returned. Neither did anyone else who went with him.
Later, the chief discovered a telescope on a shipwreck. He surveyed the area from afar, but what he saw horrified him. He spent two weeks in bed, then forbade the islanders from entering the deep jungle. Through the telescope, he saw a giant python, thicker than himself, coiled between two trees. However, this was only the distance the telescope could reach; there was no telling what lay hidden in the unknown.
The islanders and the inhabitants of the jungle didn't interfere with each other. However, the food available at sea was limited, and the risks involved were too high. The leader organized hunting trips into the forest every few days, but the long intervals were due to the fear of overfishing, fearing that if all the prey were gone, the wild beasts of the jungle would emerge and devour them.
Today was hunting day. They would be in the woods all day. Yu Mo decided to take the opportunity to retrieve her backpack and then leave by boat. Preoccupied with her own affairs, she paid no attention to Min Xi's distraught state, leaving only two sweet potatoes in front of him. Then, calculating the time, she stood on the hillside and gazed out.
Min Xi left. Yu Mo realized the sweet potatoes were gone. She could only shamelessly treat them as a token of gratitude, since she had nothing to thank him with. If she ever met him again in the future and he needed her help, she would definitely repay him without hesitation.
Yu Mo realized something was amiss when she encountered two strong men on the road. But it was too late. The men started chattering as soon as they saw her. Yu Mo could only understand English, which was clearly not what they were saying. She was tied up.
It wasn't that she didn't resist, but she saw many women and children like her tied up in front of the chief's cabin. There were also a few men. Compared to the men around them, those tied up men were noticeably thinner and seemed to have problems with their legs and feet.
Self-defense weapons are only suitable for small areas. When the number of people increases, even if she has ten knives on her waist, it will be useless.
She heard a cacophony of unfamiliar languages, each spoken with the most resentful and cowardly expressions. A middle-aged woman nearby cried, "I'd sacrifice my life to appease the wrath of the forest god. But my child is only two years old, so small that even sacrificing her would be useless. Please, Chief, release her!"
The chief said, "It will be of no use if she stays."
This was because they thought she was useless. Those tied up were those the village considered useless. They were called sacrifices and sent to the forest to be offered as offerings to the forest god. Although they were called forest gods, they all knew that there was no forest god, only wild beasts in the forest.
This prey was enough to satisfy the beasts of the forest. Once they were well fed, they wouldn't come out to harm the useful people in the village. Indeed, the chief had considered the bodies of Lauren and the others a few days ago as a protest, expressing his displeasure at their frequent hunting trips into the forest. To show his unwillingness to compete with them for prey, the chief decided to deliver the prey right to their mouths.
Their voices were mixed with local accents, so Yu Mo couldn't hear them clearly. But this didn't prevent her from knowing that she was about to be sent to the forest to feed the wild beasts.
She struggled. She could still distinguish the danger levels of humans and beasts. The severed tail she had seen that day made her think the creatures in the forest might be more ferocious than she had imagined. Just as she was about to touch the hilt of the knife, the leader ordered all the sacrifices to be knocked unconscious! Otherwise, the noise during transportation would attract wild animals and cause the entire army to be wiped out.
When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by dense branches and foliage. The broad branches blocked out the sunlight, and the surrounding trees were incredibly thick. Yu Mo lay on the ground, her head resting on the slightly damp grass. She heard breathing nearby, and her limbs suddenly stiffened. Then she realized it was another "sacrifice" sent to the dense forest like her.
She took a quick look around her and, after some effort, untied the ropes. Untying her hands was easy enough. She had a knife hanging from her waist, and after cutting the ropes, she followed the same pattern, untying everyone around her.
The middle-aged woman who had wanted the leader to spare her daughter was also there, but when she didn't see her daughter around, she burst into tears. Yu Mo frowned, her voice filled with anger: "Shut up! Are you trying to attract attention?"
The middle-aged woman sobbed, "My daughter..."
"They must have scattered us. Attracting anything from the forest would do us no good. If you want to find your daughter, stay quiet. Stay alive and maybe you'll see her."
The people who untied the ropes hugged each other with those they knew. They seemed to be relying on Yu Mo. Just when Yu Mo untied the last person, someone suddenly cried out in surprise, then covered their mouths and pointed behind Yu Mo to remind her. Yu Mo saw the person's eyes widened with fear and thought to herself, "Oh no..."
The rustling of grass blades echoed. A cool breeze blew against her back, a damp, fishy air that made her limbs go limp. She bit her tongue hard to stay calm, and rolled away. At the same moment, a snake head the size of a watermelon crashed into her!
Looking back, Yu Mo's heart nearly jumped out of her chest! The giant python was wrapped around a tree that was so thick that ten people could hug it. Its body was brown, and it blended seamlessly into the tree. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even notice it was there! It was just wrapped around it, staring down at its prey...
Yu Mo shouted, "Run! Split up!" If they fled in a group, they would likely be wiped out. Splitting up meant they could each try their luck. She braced herself against the ground, biting her tongue hard to quell the instinctive fear and self-destructive impulse that came with facing the giant python. She raised her voice and shouted again, "Run!"
The powerful voice shocked everyone back to their senses and made them scatter in all directions.
Just then, sobbing began. It was an Asian girl, and the way she cried was not pretty. She had twisted her leg and couldn't move, so she could only watch helplessly as the giant python approached her. She felt death approaching, and her sobs only intensified.
Yu Mo is not as kind as her appearance suggests.
When she was a child living with her uncle, her younger sister was bullied by her cousin. She apologized to him, pretending to be a younger sister and asking him to stop bullying her. However, that evening, she screwed a screw in the stool his cousin was sitting on. As expected, during dinner, his cousin fell to the floor, his food all over him. Even her aunt and uncle didn't realize she had done it; they simply thought the screw was loose and that it was his bad luck.
Of course, she wouldn't do something good at the cost of her own safety at a time like this. But the Asian girl's cries reminded her of her younger sister, who she didn't know if she could return home. Her younger sister's personality made her prone to bullying, and she didn't want no one to lend a hand when her younger sister was bullied or hurt.
So she offered a helping hand. She ran to the girl's side, carrying her to the side. She rolled down the hillside. She hid the girl in the concealment of gravel and grass, then, knife in hand, ran toward the python's sight.
She had been targeted by the python. It probably saw her as the culprit behind the food's disappearance, and therefore despised her. It opened its mouth and hissed at her, irritated.
Yu Mo ran in the opposite direction with all her might. She could only hope that the python, trapped by the increasingly narrow trees, would give up. But she clearly underestimated the python's vengeful nature. It easily broke through two trees and lunged straight at Yu Mo! Yu Mo quickly grabbed the vine that swung down, swung onto the branch, and then pressed the anesthetic on the snake's head.
"Damn it!" The python was so massive that the stored dose had no effect on it. The python gradually revealed a determined look, as if Yu Mo was already on its plate, and slowly coiled around the tree that held her.
Yu Mo gritted her teeth, knife in hand, and leaped from the tree! The blade pierced the python's body. Instantly, the attacking tail entangled her, slowly tightening, nearly draining all the oxygen from her lungs. Her face gradually turned purple.
She was a bit hazy about what happened in the end. She'd been bitten by the python's fangs while struggling with them, and those fangs seemed to have a hallucinogenic effect. She felt her vision blurring. It seemed like Min Xi had arrived.
Min Xi was completely different. He tore off the clothes that were in the way, revealing a body covered in rough, scaly scales. He quickly pounced on the python. Without the white gloves, his extraordinarily broad palms were clearly powerful weapons. His nails sliced through the python's body, splattering a rich, fishy fluid. The pain caused the python to release its prey, and its fangs stabbed at Min Xi, but were blocked by the scales covering his back.
The tide of battle had turned. Min Xi grabbed the python's head and slammed it to the ground, killing it completely! He then carried the unconscious Yu Mo away. The jungle, considered dangerous, was a place he was most familiar with. He thrived in it like a fish in water and quickly brought Yu Mo to his territory. Wherever he was, he considered it his territory.
He used his tongue to clean Yu Mo's wounds. When he licked the blood, her pupils suddenly contracted and he whimpered. His tongue became more and more gentle, cleaning her wounds and removing the foreign smells that had stained her.
He quickly dug a burrow and hid her inside. Then, he left a liquid with his scent around the area away from the burrow. Once he was sure the scent was strong enough to keep any creatures away, he left the new burrow that held the young female.
Min Xi returned with his prey and new clothes. He lifted the covering from the burrow, where Yu Mo was still unconscious. He replaced the covering. He twisted around and licked his back, where the python had bitten him. After tending to the wound, he changed into his clothes; he had a whole box of them stored away.
Wearing such clothes would hide his scales and not scare the females. He was uncomfortable in the suit, but it didn't affect his speed in grilling the prey at all.
When Yu Mo awoke, the first thing she could smell was the earthy odor. Her vision was dim. She seemed to hear the sound of flames scorching something. She waited a moment, then slowly sat up. She discovered she was in a cave. There was light above her head, and without hesitation, she pushed aside the pile of grass blocking her way.
As soon as she emerged from the scene, her eyes met Min Xi's. Before she could calm down, a piece of greasy roasted meat was placed next to her. She was stunned for a moment, without reacting. Min Xi squatted beside her and put the meat next to her mouth.
"Hungry. Eat." He cracked a brief smile, then quickly closed his mouth and looked at her expectantly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
