Chapter 51

With the scalp split open, the next steps became easier; he just needed to keep expanding the crack. Additionally, many of the snake scales on Lin Bei's body had already loosened. If any part was still tight, Lin Bei would rub it there.

By doing this with a clear purpose, Lin Bei's shedding of his skin was clearly much easier than that of other snakes. When the entire head was rubbed open, Lin Bei did not feel terrified; instead, he felt a sense of relief.

"If this were a human, how terrifying it would be. Fortunately, I'm a snake," Lin Bei thought to himself.

At the same time, Lin Bei noticed that as the scalp was peeled off, his range of perception seemed to have expanded, and it was even clearer than before shedding the skin.

"It seems that every time a snake sheds its skin, its strength increases," Lin Bei nodded, feeling somewhat pleased. Although he currently had no natural enemies, strength was always better when it was stronger.

The scalp had already been rubbed off, and the next step was to wriggle out of the entire body. This was not difficult, but it required some time.

The moon was high in the sky, and it was just past midnight. Lin Bei's skin-shedding process was almost complete, with only the tail part left to shed.

At this moment, Lin Bei's body turned bright red. A snake's body is very fragile after shedding its skin, and the new scales are even more delicate than human skin. Due to excessive force, the blood vessels had burst, and blood seeped out. At the same time, Lin Bei felt a wave of fatigue, entering a period of weakness.

Snakes are in a period of weakness for some time after shedding their skin, which is a natural characteristic of snakes. Lin Bei could not prevent this period of weakness.

Suddenly, Lin Bei stopped his movements, lifted his head, and looked toward the depths of the forest. He sensed that three auras were approaching him.

Soon, one of the auras approached within Lin Bei's range of perception. His eyes narrowed; it was a pack of seven wild wolves. Lin Bei smiled bitterly because he was very familiar with these seven wolves. They were the first opponents he fought when he first came to the forest. At that time, Lin Bei killed over a dozen wolves, but the lead wolf escaped. It seemed to be preparing to come back for revenge.

Wolves have a strong sense of revenge and are also very resilient. Even Lin Bei did not know that these wolves had been hiding around his territory, waiting for the moment when Lin Bei would shed his skin and enter a period of weakness.

Lin Bei did not take these wolves seriously. Although he was weak, he could still use weapons. The difference between having and not having weapons was significant. A child with a machine gun could kill tigers and leopards, and these seven wolves were not enough for Lin Bei to even swing his club. What he was concerned about was the aura coming from the east, which was very dangerous.

As it got closer, Lin Bei finally saw that it was a pack of hyenas, over thirty of them. Lin Bei immediately spotted the hyena king, as it was extremely conspicuous.

This hyena king was rare in that it was a one-eyed creature, with a large hole in its left eye. In the forest, injured animals were extremely rare because an injury often meant death. For this hyena king to be injured and still become the leader of the hyena pack was quite surprising to Lin Bei. However, seeing that it was much larger and more robust than the surrounding guard hyenas, Lin Bei understood. Even injured, the hyena king was still the most ferocious.

Lin Bei could ignore the seven wolves, but facing over thirty hyenas was a headache.

Hyenas are among the most organized animals. The hyena king is the leader, and the guard hyenas follow the king, rarely attacking unless they encounter an animal that the soldier hyenas cannot kill. Soldier hyenas are responsible for hunting, while nanny hyenas, usually female, store food during harsh winters and treat the wounds of injured hyenas by licking them. They also take care of the young. Besides these, there are also the weakest hyenas, known as the poor hyenas, which are either injured or old and can no longer fight. During times of abundant food, they get the leftovers, but if food is scarce or they encounter a strong enemy, they become cannon fodder, sacrificed by the hyena pack.

Like wolves, hyenas are very vengeful. Lin Bei was not concerned about the hyenas during his prime, but now he was really troubled. He was also puzzled about when he had offended these hyenas, as he clearly remembered checking the surrounding territory and finding no hyena pack.

Lin Bei did not know that the hyena pack was not actually there for him, but it was impossible to say that there was no connection. The hyena pack responded to the call of a young hyena, which was why they came here.

Hyenas are highly organized, although they are fierce, they are usually friendly to their own kind, which is the basis for their cooperation. Therefore, it is rare to find a solitary hyena, as most are absorbed into a hyena pack. The young hyena, driven by hunger, emitted a unique infrasound, which most animals cannot hear but can travel a considerable distance. If there is a hyena pack within this range and they want to recruit members, they will respond. This is why the hyena pack came here.

The arrival of the hyena pack was like Lin Bei being hit by a stray bullet. If Lin Bei were not nearby, the hyena pack would generally not engage in a battle with large animals. However, the young hyena was next to Lin Bei, and the hyena pack would assume that Lin Bei was keeping the young hyena as stored food, which they could not tolerate. When communication fails to resolve the issue, violence is the only solution.

The third aura also appeared, and it was the clouded leopard that Lin Bei had encountered several times. This time, it did not leave as it had before. Instinct told it that the enemy in front of it was at its weakest. If there was an opportunity, the clouded leopard would definitely pounce and bite Lin Bei.

The hatred between the wolf pack and Lin Bei was the deepest, and they had already noticed that Lin Bei was aware of their presence. Therefore, they did not hide anymore and ran to the edge of the fence, starting to emit low growls to intimidate and demoralize Lin Bei. If Lin Bei showed any sign of fear, the wolf pack would pounce.

Lin Bei suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and looked up at the sky. There were several small black dots circling in the sky, which were likely large birds like eagles or vultures. Lin Bei truly smiled bitterly. These creatures, though lacking intelligence, had a terrifying instinct. He had just entered his period of weakness, and they all came, as if they had made a pact, clearly intent on killing him. Lin Bei suddenly thought of the Titan Python. Could it have been exterminated this way?

The Titan Python had no intelligence, so if it entered a period of weakness and encountered a powerful animal, it would fight out of the pride of a top predator. However, without the protection of its tough scales, the Titan Python's true strength was not great, as it lacked effective ways to kill its enemies. In such a situation, encountering animals with sharp claws, the probability of losing was very high, and the final result would be death.

Fortunately, Lin Bei was not a real snake but a snake with human intelligence, so the outcome would be completely different.