Chapter 356 Facing the Challenge
Under the dense canopy of trees, the air was so hot and humid that you could practically squeeze water out of it. Everyone's eyes were focused on Xia Lili and the giant python blocking their way.
Xia Lili is indeed the best candidate at the moment. She is light and agile. If she climbs up the tree to conduct reconnaissance, she can overlook the overall situation and cause the least noise.
Xia Lili avoided the hanging vines, used her toes to gain leverage on the rough bark, and held on to the high branches with both hands. The whole movement was smooth and silent.
But in just a few breaths, her figure had disappeared into the lush green branches and leaves, leaving only slightly trembling branches.
Once you climb up the tree, your view opens up.
Xia Lili pushed aside the leaves in front of her and first confirmed the conditions of the road ahead.
Behind the giant python's huge body, the path was covered with dense thorn bushes and thorny shrubs, but the land was indeed solid, and no swamps or loose traps were found.
More importantly, she carefully searched the ground and low branches and found no fresh human footprints, man-made obstacles, or signs of activity by other large beasts.
Only a few insects fluttered among the thorns, confirming that the area had not been disturbed recently.
Xia Lili withdrew her attention and carefully assessed the load-bearing capacity of the main branch she was standing on. It was about the thickness of a strong man's waist.
She first tiptoed slightly and applied an instantaneous downward force. The branches only bounced up and down very slightly, and quickly stabilized without any unusual noise, which preliminarily ruled out the possibility of internal decay.
She then used her fingertips to secretly apply force, peeling off a small piece of bark, and saw that the wood inside was firm, moist, and full of toughness.
Xia Lili has already determined that this main branch can bear the weight of all the team members passing through quickly one by one using ropes.
But the prerequisite is that the movements must be neat and clear, and avoid hanging the weight in the same position for a long time.
Xia Lili sent a message in the encrypted text channel: [I suggest using the branch I'm on to build a rapid descent path, directly over the densest thorny area. The branch's load-bearing capacity has been verified and is safe.]
Approval flashed across the eyes of everyone who received the message. Li Qihan immediately gestured, "Camel, prepare the ropes. Follow Xia Lili's plan and pass quickly!"
On the tree, Xia Lili took a deep breath and lowered her center of gravity.
She chose a tough vine, held it tightly with both hands, pushed hard with her feet on the branch, and swung out like a civet cat.
Xia Lili's body drew a slight arc and accurately passed over the giant python that was still dormant below.
The moment she landed, she bent her knees and curled up, doing a standard tactical roll, quietly dissipating the impact force in the thick layer of rotten leaves. The whole process made almost no sound.
Then, under Li Qihan's silent command, the team members repeated the action neatly one after another.
Assaultman "Blade" moves with a ghostly agility; Demoman "Blue Flame," despite his massive build, possesses exceptionally steady movements...
Finally, it was Li Qihan. As he swung over the python, he still scanned his surroundings vigilantly to make sure everything was safe.
After everyone passed safely, the team immediately formed a guard formation and walked lightly into the thorn bushes ahead.
After walking a dozen meters, Xia Lili couldn't help but look back. Through the gaps between the branches, the Burmese python's dark brown body was still clearly visible, its abdomen still wriggling, as if it was digesting its prey.
Xia Lili was startled and quickly turned around to catch up with the team.
Everyone stopped talking and continued to move forward in this green maze full of dangers with greater vigilance.
The team continued to travel through the dense forest along the alternative route B.
This road was obviously more difficult to walk on than the main road as expected. The vines were tangled and the terrain was undulating. The team members needed to use machetes to cut through the thorns from time to time, or support each other to climb the slippery rocks.
Although there were some bumps along the way and some obstacles such as small swamps and steep slopes, the team members managed to get through them safely with the skillful cooperation and did not encounter the expected man-made ambushes or major dangers.
The highly intense march for several hours consumed everyone's physical strength.
Li Qihan observed the team members' slightly exhausted state and gradually heavy breathing, then looked at the time and location on his multi-function watch and made a decisive decision:
"Everyone, take note. Rest in the relatively dry boulder area ahead for twenty minutes. Rehydrate, check your equipment, and remain alert."
The team members dispersed as instructed, each found a suitable place to sit down, silently took out their water bottles and energy bars, and took the time to restore their strength.
Xia Lili leaned against a huge moss-covered rock, relaxed her tense muscles a little, and took out her water bottle to take a sip.
Just as she tightened the lid of the pot and was about to stretch her stiff neck a little, she subconsciously turned her head.
My sight suddenly met a pair of cold and ruthless vertical pupils that were right in front of me!
Less than a foot above her head, a venomous snake with extremely bright and dazzling colors slowly emerged from a crevice in the rock.
Its head is a distinct triangle, and the back of its body is bright emerald green with regularly distributed circles of black rings, the edges of which are inlaid with thin, bright yellow lines.
It is a highly poisonous krait.
Although this snake is extremely venomous, it moves relatively slowly.
Xia Lili's breathing stopped instantly, and all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her head.
She clenched her teeth tightly and suppressed the scream that was about to burst out of her throat.
Any sudden noise or large movement could provoke this obviously aggressive snake to attack.
She froze in place, not even daring to move her eyes, and could only stare into those cold, vertical pupils.
In this suffocating stalemate, a hallucination suddenly flashed before her eyes.
The golden ring snake was wriggling in the jungle, as if disturbed by some noise coming from afar. It raised its head and made a threatening hissing sound in a certain direction.
The next second, there was a dull vibration from the ground. A huge wild elephant, as if frightened by something, rushed out of the jungle on the side without any warning!
Its thick legs were like giant pillars, completely ignoring everything under its feet.
One of the wild elephant's hooves stepped right on the unfortunate snake, which had no time to dodge!
There was a slight but creepy muffled sound of "puff".
The scene in the hallucination was cruelly clear. The gorgeous body of the golden krait was instantly trampled into a bloody mess, mixed with the soil and fallen leaves, and no longer had any shape.
The illusion came to an abrupt end, but the deadly threat brought by the cold vertical pupils still enveloped Xia Lili.
She and the gorgeous golden krait still maintained a dangerous balance of staring eyes.
The scarlet tongue of the krait snake almost licked her forehead.
However, the foreseen scene forced Xia Lili to suppress her instinctive fear and her brain worked rapidly.
The instructor's voice from the training echoed in my mind: "When facing a venomous snake, especially one in an attacking posture, panicking and retreating are the worst options. If you can't drive it away safely, you must decisively control it..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com