Chapter 8

The other side consists of three people, armed with a machine gun and a flying nail crossbow. If Chang Ming were to just charge in, he would definitely be walking to his death.

Therefore, before going up, Chang Ming must make thorough preparations.

His back was still burning with intense pain. Enduring it, he took out a small bamboo tube from his pocket—this was the external medicine given to him by Old Ping, which he had always carried with him just in case. He never expected it to come in handy so soon.

Chang Ming tore off a piece of his shirt and applied the medicine to his back. Indeed, it was a good medicine; the area where it was applied immediately felt a cool sensation. The burn on his back covered a large area, and many places were hard to reach, so Chang Ming simply ignored them. This residual pain could well serve to fuel his anger and fighting spirit!

After applying the medicine, Chang Ming began to act.

He had been coming to the golden bamboo forest every day for a month, and with the guidance of the villagers, he was extremely familiar with the terrain.

He closed his eyes and thought deeply.

A few days ago, when he came to the golden bamboo forest with the villagers, he often noticed that the markers they had set up were problematic. It wasn't a big issue, just slight displacement or breakage. The villagers found it strange but didn't investigate further since it didn't affect their work.

Now, thinking back, the reason these markers were problematic was that the golden bamboo python had passed by!

Relying on these memories, Chang Ming sketched out a rough area in his mind. The golden bamboo python had come at an unknown time and stayed for an unknown duration, but when it was in the bamboo forest, it moved within this area, rarely leaving.

"Hisss—"

Another snake hiss made Chang Ming's mind buzz. He shook his head and roughly determined the position of the golden bamboo python.

He calmed himself, using the bamboo poles and the undulating terrain to hide his figure, and cautiously crept forward. Through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, he saw a brownish-yellow figure flash by. In the next moment, he saw the golden bamboo python, and he was startled!

Previously, he had seen some pictures of golden pythons online and thought this golden bamboo python would be similar, with a thickness comparable to a bowl. He never expected the golden bamboo python to be so enormous, with its thickest part rivaling a bucket.

Despite its massive size, it moved very agilely. It seemed to have grown in the bamboo forest, moving as freely as a fish in water. It climbed nimbly on the bamboo poles and the ground, without breaking even the thinnest bamboo branch.

It seemed that the villagers who came to the golden bamboo forest every morning to cut bamboo had never seen this golden bamboo python. This was partly due to the different activity times and partly because of its unique movement style.

The golden bamboo python was huge, but its eyes were disproportionately small, almost squinted into a line. No matter which direction it moved, its head always pointed straight ahead, without looking around.

Moreover, every time it slid a certain distance, it hissed, sending out invisible waves to scan the surroundings.

After observing for a while, Chang Ming had a bold idea.

Could it be that the golden bamboo python's vision was weak, and it didn't use its eyes to observe its surroundings? The timing of each hiss seemed to follow a certain pattern. Could it be using sound waves to detect its position, like a bat?

After observing for a bit longer, Chang Ming had a plan and quietly left the area.

He crept to the edge of the bamboo forest on the other side, where there was a hill covered with many vines. The vines were thin but very strong. Chang Ming took out a wrench he carried with him, unscrewed another cap, and pulled out a small knife. He carefully cut some bamboo branches and collected many vines, skillfully making several traps, and then crept back to the area where the golden bamboo python was active.

His movements were very cautious. On one hand, he had to avoid the golden bamboo python, and on the other, he had to avoid the three people. To do this, he stuck bamboo branches on his head and body to make himself look like a messy broken bamboo.

His actions were clearly very successful, and he never encountered those people. Whenever he caught a glimpse of their movements, Chang Ming quickly avoided them.

He thought with a slight sneer, "When you miss that crystal core, you'll know what regret feels like!"

When he was a child, there was a mountain behind the factory, and Chang Ming often went up to play. Back then, he and his friends had learned how to set traps for small prey like rabbits, birds, and insects.

Although catching a snake was his first time, and catching such a large snake was even more so, he already had a clear idea of where to set the traps, how to set them, and whether to restrain or capture the prey based on the prey's habits.

At this moment, if those people could see his face, they would be greatly shocked.

His expression was unusually calm, his movements swift, light, and efficient, as if a thread had connected everything in his mind, making him extremely clear about what he should do and how to do it.

A cold sneer played on his lips, a sneer that would make anyone who saw it feel a chill!

If those people saw Chang Ming now, they would be shocked and either terrified or determined to kill him first, regardless of the golden bamboo python. Unfortunately, they were only interested in the valuable crystal core of the golden bamboo python, and to them, Chang Ming was just an insignificant lackey who could be dealt with later.

After setting everything up, Chang Ming hid and waited patiently.

The golden bamboo python hissed repeatedly, getting closer and closer.

The swaying bamboo branches made it hard for Chang Ming to see the movements, so he closed his eyes and listened carefully to the surroundings.

He had always admired his grandfather's ability to diagnose problems by sound, and he had practiced his hearing for a while. He never expected this skill to come in handy here.

He could hear clearly: the extremely light, slippery sound was the golden bamboo python sliding; the cautious but inevitable sound of dry branches breaking was the three people from the Qi family.

His estimation was correct; they were indeed heading in his direction, completely unaware of his presence.

Closer, even closer.

Yes, right there!

With a swoosh, the golden bamboo python triggered a trap!

The trap was small and couldn't harm the massive python, but it had a sharp protrusion. As the python slid over it, the protrusion scratched its skin, causing a sharp pain!

"Hisss—!"

The python hissed sharply and suddenly coiled up!

The three people who had been stealthily following were already prepared to ambush the python. The one with the bone-piercing nails was just about to aim at the python's eyes with the crossbow. The sudden movement of the python startled him, and his hand trembled, causing the bone-piercing nail to shoot out and embed itself in the python's skin!

The bone-piercing nail was very sharp and shot with great force, but it was small. For such a large python, unless it hit a vital spot, it would only anger the python, not cause real damage.

Indeed, the bone-piercing nail only made the python even angrier! It turned its head and saw the three people stealthily following. It coiled and sprang, attacking without hesitation!

Chang Ming, hiding nearby, watched the situation unfold as he had imagined and couldn't help but sneer.

Was it a coincidence? Of course not.

He had already observed the surroundings and determined that the location was the best for an ambush, both for him and for the three people. Even if they hadn't made a mistake, he would have provoked the python to discover them and attack.

Now, everything was unfolding as he had planned, and a light smile played on Chang Ming's lips.

The three people engaged in a fierce battle with the python. They were well-prepared, and the ambush was just a failsafe. Even in a direct confrontation, they were confident they could handle the python. They didn't know why the python had been startled, but they had to act now.

The three people gradually gained the upper hand, but Chang Ming wasn't worried. He hid behind a tree, watching the scene, his gaze occasionally falling on several nearby locations.

The once-quiet bamboo forest became incredibly noisy, with the sound of bamboo poles breaking everywhere. The fallen bamboo poles made the forest a mess, causing significant trouble for the three people.

In contrast, the golden bamboo python seemed to have been born for the bamboo forest. As long as there were bamboo poles, it moved as usual. However, for some reason, its movements gradually weakened, and the three people took advantage of this to strike it several times. The bright red snake blood splattered on the bamboo leaves, further fueling the python's ferocity, causing it to attack and roar continuously.

Its tail suddenly lashed out, hitting one person in the chest. The person grunted and flew backward, breaking two bamboo poles before landing and groaning.

The three people's coordination wasn't very good, and this blow disrupted their formation. The other two were also injured, and the situation quickly became chaotic.

Waves of sound attacked outward, making Chang Ming dizzy. He frowned tightly, forcing himself to stay calm and observe everything clearly!

In a critical moment, several bone-piercing nails shot out in quick succession, hitting the python's vital spot as it stretched out its body.

This time, the python was clearly hit hard. Its hissing became weaker, and its coiling and sweeping movements gradually slowed down.

The three people's eyes flashed with joy. The person who had been thrown to the ground coughed and wiped the blood from his mouth, then stood up. They intensified their actions, and soon the python was hit repeatedly, looking much more weakened!

One of them shouted, "We've got it, hurry up!"

A minute later, the python let out a long hiss, its voice becoming weaker and weaker until it finally relaxed and collapsed on the ground!

The three people, who had been preparing for a long time, had successfully killed the golden bamboo python despite some initial problems!

The three people sighed in relief. One of them laughed, "The boss was indeed wise to prepare this bone-piercing crossbow."

Another person also laughed, "That's right. The bone-piercing nails are not easy to deal with. Once they enter the body, they move around, destroying body tissues... Without them, such a large python would be hard to handle."

"Yes, the python's hiss can unsettle the mind. Fortunately, we sprinkled a potion on its path to weaken its abilities. Otherwise, just the sound alone would be hard to deal with!"

"Without some skills, how could it be called a strange beast?"

"You're right, hahaha!"

They laughed and chatted as they walked toward the python to collect its body.

After a fierce battle, they were all injured, with bloodstains all over their bodies. The one who had been thrown was the most seriously injured, limping as he walked. Despite this, their spirits were high. Successfully killing the python, they were elated at the thought of the benefits the strange beast's crystal core and body would bring.

One of them took out a sharp knife and quickly cut open the python's head, extracting a translucent crystal the size of a baby's fist.

Their goal achieved, they smiled with joy, just about to speak, when they saw a blur of black flash by, and the crystal core disappeared!

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I'm sorry, I forgot to set the update time for the draft... (⊙__⊙) I'm still as forgetful as ever.

Please give me the motivation to update...

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