Chapter 247: The Giant Serpent
Tom, standing nearby, immediately followed Taotie’s lead and charged toward the massive snake.
In one hand, he gripped a black dagger, while the other clutched several Poké Ball bombs.
The moment he laid eyes on the serpent, Tom had already formulated a plan in his mind.
If he could shove those bombs into the snake’s belly, this terrifying beast would either die or be severely wounded.
Taotie lunged forward, leaping onto the snake’s back.
Swinging his machete wildly, he hacked at the creature’s scales.
This snake had lived for who knew how many years—its scales were unnaturally tough.
Sparks flew as Taotie’s blade struck them, as if he were chopping at steel plates.
“Damn it, this thing’s hide is insane!” Taotie cursed but kept slashing.
Though his attacks didn’t break through the scales, the snake still felt the pain.
It twisted its massive head and opened its gaping maw, aiming to swallow Taotie whole.
Seeing this, Taotie didn’t hesitate—he immediately dodged, rolling away from the snake’s strike.
If he hadn’t moved, Fang Xiaocao had no doubt the snake could’ve easily devoured him.
That mouth was easily larger than Taotie himself.
Taotie leapt off the snake’s body and ducked behind the ancient tree.
The snake slammed headfirst into the trunk with a loud thud.
The impact was just right—enough to daze it without causing serious damage.
The collision left the serpent dizzy, its head swaying unsteadily.
“Heh~”
“Stupid overgrown worm!”
“Serves you right!”
Taotie taunted with a grin.
“Hiss—!”
Enraged, the snake coiled around the tree trunk and lunged at Taotie again.
Watching the gaping maw descend, Taotie blinked—then bolted without hesitation.
Taotie’s inner monologue: Yeah, I’m reckless, but I’m not stupid. No way I’m fighting this thing head-on—that’s suicide!
He fled, it pursued—there was no escape!
The snake had locked onto Taotie, relentlessly chasing him no matter how he zigzagged, determined to swallow this annoying pest whole and quell its fury with his flesh.
“Taotie, run around the tree!”
Seeing this, Tom’s eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted advice.
Though Taotie didn’t understand the reasoning, he trusted Tom’s cunning enough to obey without question.
Taotie’s logic: Tom’s a sneaky bastard. Following his lead is never wrong!
With Tom’s guidance, Taotie began leading the snake in circles around the massive trunk—like the legendary “Emperor encircling the pillar” tactic.
The serpent’s body stretched over ten meters long, but these ancient trees were centuries old, their trunks so thick it would take two people to embrace them fully.
No matter how the snake writhed, it couldn’t stretch far enough to catch Taotie once he started spiraling around the tree.
Soon, the snake realized its limitations—no matter how it strained, Taotie remained just out of reach.
“HAHAHA—!”
Taotie laughed triumphantly, standing just beyond the snake’s range and taunting it mercilessly.
Every chance he got, he swung his machete at the snake’s head, not caring whether it actually pierced the scales—his goal was purely to provoke.
“Come and get me~”
His smug expression was so infuriating that even Fang Xiaocao, his ally, felt the urge to punch him.
Let alone the enemy serpent.
If not for the tree blocking its path, the snake would’ve swallowed Taotie whole by now.
Seeing the situation under control, Tom smirked and moved to execute his plan.
He approached Taotie and handed him several Poké Ball bombs.
“Here—when I give the signal, throw these into its mouth. Squeeze hard first until the light turns on—that means it’s armed. I’ll go around back to make it bleed. When it screams in pain, its mouth’ll open widest—that’s your cue.”
Tom laid out his serpent-slaying strategy, and Taotie’s eyes gleamed with admiration.
“Tom, you’re downright evil!”
He gave Tom a thumbs-up.
Tom’s face darkened—that didn’t sound like a compliment.
After shooting Taotie a glare, Tom crept toward the snake’s tail.
The serpent, fixated on Taotie, paid him no mind.
Tom circled the massive body, searching for the perfect strike point.
Originally, he’d aimed for the traditional “seven-inch” vital spot—but with a snake this size, pinpointing it was impossible.
Abandoning that plan, he signaled Fang Xiaocao and Hummingbird to retreat further.
Fang Xiaocao didn’t react immediately, but Hummingbird—having witnessed Tom’s ruthlessness during their fight against Capricorn—grabbed her and hauled her backward without hesitation.
Hummingbird’s thoughts: That lunatic’s about to do something insane. Better get the Princess to safety.
Fang Xiaocao stumbled along in confusion until they were dozens of meters away before protesting, “Hummingbird, this is far enough!”
She suspected Hummingbird would’ve dragged her a hundred meters if unchecked.
Once they were at a safe distance, Tom acted.
He dropped his backpack, pulling out several grooved spikes, which he swiftly assembled into armor-piercing explosive devices.
With a cold smile, he pressed them against the gaps in the snake’s scales, activated the timers, and drove them deep into the flesh.
“HISS—!”
The snake shrieked as blood sprayed from the wounds.
It whipped its head around to bite Tom, but Taotie was faster—he activated a Poké Ball bomb and lobbed it straight into the creature’s open mouth.
“RUN!”
Tom yelled the moment the bomb left Taotie’s hand.
No further explanation needed—both men sprinted in opposite directions at full speed, covering dozens of meters in seconds.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions erupted.
The sky rained blood, chunks of serpent flesh, and shattered scales, pelting the ground like a macabre hailstorm.
Taotie, still mid-sprint, dropped into a prone position, covering his head.
Tom, wiser, ducked behind a tree, pressing his back against the trunk as the crimson downpour cascaded around him.
Watching from afar, Fang Xiaocao shrank back slightly—the scene was horrifyingly spectacular.
Fang Xiaocao’s stray thought: If we filmed this, movie studios would pay a fortune for the special effects footage.
(End of Chapter 247)
