Chapter 5

Kacha, kacha...

The sound of an empty gun was heard.

A black shadow darted out like lightning, leaped up suddenly when it got close, and opened its fierce, blood-stained mouth to bite at Captain Chen's neck.

Captain Chen's face changed drastically. Seeing the wild cat pounce, he was momentarily frozen in fear.

At this moment, Luo Yuan suddenly accelerated from a standstill, dashing over in one swift step. He lowered his shoulder and collided heavily with the wild cat. The cat, suspended in mid-air, had no resistance and was immediately thrown several meters away. It rolled a few times, stood up, and shook its head, clearly still dizzy.

Luo Yuan didn't give it any time to react. He raised his knife and stepped forward, covering the three to four meters in an instant, and slashed at the wild cat's waist.

The heavy machete was good for chopping, though not very sharp, its killing power was no less. With a kacha, the spine was severed, and the knife continued downward, splitting the body in two.

"Meow!"

The wild cat, cut in half, let out a series of pitiful cries, struggling to stand up. Its front legs kept moving forward, and its internal organs and intestines flowed out, dragging along the ground, filling the air with a strong smell of blood.

"Bang! Bang!" Zhao Qiang, having recovered, fired his gun repeatedly.

"Damn beast!"

The wild cat was hit twice in the head, trembled, and finally stopped struggling.

"Ugh!"

Huang Jiazhui, seeing the extremely bloody scene, her face turned pale and green. Her stomach churned, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She walked to the side of the grass and began to vomit violently.

Luo Yuan wasn't feeling much better. He had acted on impulse, without even a moment to think. Only now did he feel a bit of fear. His hands were shaking, and his body trembled slightly. If he hadn't been gripping the knife handle tightly, it might have slipped out of his hands.

When did I become so brave?

At this moment, Wang Fei, holding his right cheek, slowly crawled out of the thorns, his face full of fear. "Captain, it's too dangerous here. We are severely understaffed. One wild cat has us like this; who knows what we'll encounter ahead? I think we've come far enough. Those missing people are probably not findable."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed signs of wanting to retreat.

Luo Yuan's face changed. The worst had happened. He immediately said, "I won't believe my brother-in-law is dead until I see his body. At the very least, we should go to the top of the mountain and look!"

"This isn't your place to speak. If you want to die, go ahead, but don't drag us down with you!" Wang Fei suddenly burst out, seeing Luo Yuan speak.

Luo Yuan looked at Wang Fei, a bit stunned. He had no idea why Wang Fei was suddenly angry at him. He didn't think he had offended him. Anger rose in his heart, and his words were not very pleasant: "If you're scared, you can leave first. You haven't been much help anyway."

Luo Yuan's words immediately touched Wang Fei's sensitive heart. His face turned red, and he pulled out his gun, pointing it at Luo Yuan. "Damn, say that again and see what happens!"

"Don't!" Huang Jiazhui cried out in shock. She had never imagined that the usually shy Wang Fei would be such a person, pulling out a gun at the slightest disagreement. This was too impulsive.

"Wang Fei, put the gun down!" Captain Chen's face darkened as he shouted.

Seeing Captain Chen's stern command, Wang Fei was momentarily scared and hesitant, but his fragile self-esteem made him hold on. His face flushed as he shouted, "Captain, I'm not disobeying you, but I want him to apologize to me!"

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Luo Yuan's mind. Being pointed at with a gun was terrifying, and his heart raced. The fear a gun instilled in modern people was incomparable to that of cold weapons. For a moment, his mind seemed to freeze.

Death was so close, seemingly right in front of him.

He almost wanted to beg for mercy and apologize!

But a deep-seated pride supported him. He could bow his head, but not under the barrel of a gun. That would be a humiliation.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind, and he gradually calmed down, realizing that things weren't as scary as he imagined. He didn't believe that the rational Wang Fei would dare to shoot in front of everyone.

Moreover, he and Wang Fei were only a meter apart. If he moved fast and decisively, he could even cut off Wang Fei's arm or even kill him, though that would only make things worse.

Thinking he had the ability to counterattack, he completely calmed down.

He thought for a moment and said, "If you want me to apologize, put the gun down first. If it weren't for Captain Chen saving you just now, you would have been dead already. Being scared now is useless. Follow Captain Chen's orders. If Captain Chen says to leave, I won't argue!"

This was a clever move, isolating Wang Fei while subtly reminding everyone of how Captain Chen had been saved, preventing the police from sticking together.

Captain Chen's face darkened. He remembered the near-death experience just now. If it weren't for Luo Yuan saving him, he would already be lying on the ground. One was a life-saving favor, the other a hindrance, and he naturally favored Luo Yuan, while feeling a bit of disgust towards Wang Fei.

"Wang Fei, I order you to put the gun down, do you hear me!" he said sternly.

"Captain... Captain... I..." Wang Fei stammered.

"Xiao Wang, put the gun down," Zhao Qiang also advised, having no good feelings towards the overconfident Wang Fei.

This was the last straw. Wang Fei glared at Luo Yuan with hatred and reluctantly put down the gun.

Luo Yuan didn't even look at him, walking to Captain Chen and said sincerely, "Captain Chen, I was too impulsive just now. I apologize to you!"

Captain Chen's expression softened, and he said earnestly, "I understand your feelings. Anyone would react this way if their family member was in such a situation. However, it is indeed dangerous here. If we don't find anything at the top of the mountain, we'll go back. How does that sound?"

This was the result of the risk he took to save them. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so lenient. As for apologizing to Wang Fei, it was forgotten.

"Alright!" Luo Yuan said heavily, "I know the chances are slim, but there's still a bit of hope. If we don't look, there's no hope at all."

Huang Jiazhui also came over to comfort him, "Are you okay? Wang Fei is new to the police station, a bit impulsive and lacks experience. Don't take it to heart!"

"I'm fine, Sister Hui! I'm not that petty."

"How did it feel to be pointed at with a gun?" Zhao Qiang walked over, grinning.

"My legs are still a bit weak," Luo Yuan said with a bitter smile.

Zhao Qiang gave him a thumbs up, deeply impressed. He had seen many people who were arrogant and aggressive in normal times, but when pointed at with a gun, they would beg for mercy or even soil themselves. Luo Yuan was the only one he had seen who remained so brave.

Compared to the lively scene with Luo Yuan, no one paid attention to Wang Fei. He stood alone nearby, feeling angry, resentful, regretful, and jealous, a mix of emotions.

After a while, many rustling sounds came from around them. A large rat was the first to emerge from the grass. It looked cautiously at the group and the pile of bodies, hesitating.

Captain Chen stood up alertly, "Let's go, we can't rest here. The smell of blood will easily attract other wild animals."

"Captain Chen, I think we're already halfway up the hill. Why don't we call out? If anyone hears, they should respond!" Huang Jiazhui suggested.

"Let's wait until we pass this area before calling. I'm worried about alarming nearby animals," Captain Chen said.

Although Luo Yuan's strength hadn't fully recovered, after resting for a while, he wasn't as tired. He swung his machete and continued forward. Due to the smell of blood, more animals appeared around them, but most fled, and none attacked.

After walking for dozens of meters, they started shouting, but there was no response.

Luo Yuan became anxious. Could Chen Weiqiang really be dead?

"Hey, look, isn't that a piece of clothing over there?" Huang Jiazhui suddenly pointed to a thin, strip-like object about ten meters to the left.

Luo Yuan's spirits lifted, and he immediately followed her finger. "It looks like it. There's a trail over there. It seems they entered the mountain from that direction. Captain, shall we check it out?"

"Alright, let's go!" Captain Chen said.

Luo Yuan immediately changed direction. After about ten minutes, they reached the spot Huang Jiazhui had pointed to.

It was a narrow path, with trees leaning in all directions, as if something had ravaged them. A shirt sleeve was hanging on a branch by the path, with spots of blood on it. The owner of the sleeve was clearly in a bad situation.

"Judging by the freshness of the blood, it shouldn't be more than two days old. It's likely left by Mayor Xia and his group!" Captain Chen said, then squatted down to examine the area. "There's more blood on the ground. They might have been attacked by wild animals and fled down the mountain in a panic. Should we follow the path down the mountain?"

Luo Yuan nodded. With a clear path, they moved much faster. But after walking for dozens of meters, the blood trail suddenly disappeared, and a side path about a foot wide appeared. The path was winding, but strangely, each curve was very regular, as if precisely measured.

Looking at the regular path, Luo Yuan suddenly remembered something. A chill ran up his spine and spread throughout his body!

"Damn, this can't be a snake path, can it?" Zhao Qiang also remembered and immediately raised his gun, on high alert. "How big is the snake that made this path?"

Luo Yuan saw Wang Fei secretly step back a few steps, standing behind everyone. If it weren't for the danger of going down the mountain alone, he would have turned and run.

"Xiao Luo, you decide. Do we check it out or go down the mountain?" Captain Chen gave the decision to Luo Yuan.

"Let's go down the mountain. Your brother-in-law is probably beyond saving," Huang Jiazhui said, trying to persuade him.

Luo Yuan pondered for a moment, then bit his lip and said, "Captain Chen, I can go down the mountain and leave immediately, assuming my brother-in-law is dead."

He paused and continued, "I can leave, but you can't. This snake is already so big. If this cursed weather doesn't return to normal, it will only get bigger. When the animals on the mountain can't satisfy it, it will come down to eat people. You are the police of Gaotang Town. Since you chose this profession, you can't escape. When the time comes, you'll still be the ones sent out.

Do you think a snake that's already full and can't move is easier to deal with, or a larger, more ferocious, and starving snake?"

"How do you know it can't move?" Wang Fei seized the opportunity to challenge.

Luo Yuan glanced at him, as if looking at an idiot, and said, "Even if a snake is as thick as a bucket, after swallowing four or five people, it will need several days, even a week, to digest. During this time, its movement will be greatly restricted, and it might not be able to move at all. It's not as dangerous as you think."

After saying this, he looked at Captain Chen, waiting for his decision.

If they gave up, he had no choice but to let the mission fail. He was unprepared this time, and a single person couldn't deal with a giant snake, especially with his fear of snakes. He probably wouldn't be able to perform at even half his capacity.

Captain Chen's expression changed, and after a long moment, he stared at Luo Yuan and said, "I hope you're right. For the safety of the villagers, we'll check it out!"

He still had a sense of justice. The giant snake, if not killed early, would pose a great danger to the villages below. More people would die.

In the face of righteousness, even the terrified Wang Fei closed his mouth!

As soon as they stepped onto the snake path, the atmosphere became oppressive. The broken branches around them gave a rough idea of the snake's strength. A single swipe could probably leave someone half-dead.

Huang Jiazhui stayed close to Luo Yuan, almost touching him, clearly feeling safer by his side.

Luo Yuan smiled bitterly. His palms were sweaty, and the knife handle was slippery. If she knew how terrified he was, what would she think?

Everyone moved cautiously, their nerves on edge. In just a few minutes, they were drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked as if they had been in water.

After half an hour, the snake path ended, and ahead was a barren slope. From below, they could see scattered fallen trees. It was hard to imagine such an open area in the dense forest!

They immediately crouched down, not daring to breathe. There was no doubt that this was the giant snake's lair.

"Xiao Wang, go check it out, but be careful not to alarm it!" Captain Chen whispered. He had originally wanted to call Luo Yuan, but then thought that since Luo Yuan, a civilian, had been helping most of the way, while the police had done nothing, it wouldn't be right to ask him to take the risk again.

Wang Fei's face turned pale. He looked at the others, then at Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan seemed to sense it and turned back, giving him a mocking look.

That look made Wang Fei feel extremely uncomfortable, a lump in his chest. He blurted out, "Alright!"

As soon as he said it, he immediately regretted it, but it was too late to take it back.

He hesitantly took out his gun and moved forward step by step, as if going to his execution. The short distance of a few dozen meters took him over ten minutes. In the last few meters, his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, like a worm, too afraid to move forward.

Captain Chen's face darkened.

"Shame on the police!" Zhao Qiang grinned. "I'll go!"

Luo Yuan sneered inwardly. Wang Fei had the nerve to pull a gun on him when mocked, but in the face of real fear, he couldn't even stand up. Even with a gun, there was nothing to fear.

Captain Chen nodded. He was thoroughly disappointed in Wang Fei. How could such a person be a police officer, worse than a civilian?

Zhao Qiang, clearly a veteran, crawled forward on the ground, moving surprisingly fast. In a few minutes, he had reached Wang Fei, took Wang Fei's gun, tucked it into his belt, and continued forward.

Soon, Zhao Qiang returned. The usually carefree man now had a face as pale as paper!