Chapter 255: Desperate Moment
Seeing that the bombs did little actual damage to the giant serpent, Tom felt his scalp tingle.
Those were two powerful bombs!
Forget about killing a person—even an elephant would have been obliterated.
Yet, against this serpent, they merely scraped off a layer of skin.
Now Tom was truly panicking.
For now, he had no choice but to retreat.
Better to run first!
Looking around, Tom realized that running in any direction would likely draw the serpent’s wrath toward Fang Xiaocao and Hummingbird. He couldn’t just hide like Taotie, curling up in a rock crevice like a coward, right?
So…
A brilliant idea struck him. He decided to lure the giant serpent deeper into the tunnel.
Might as well let the serpent clear the traps ahead.
“Your Highness! Hurry and help Taotie!” Tom shouted while running.
Watching Tom lead the serpent deeper into the underground passage, Fang Xiaocao patted her chest in lingering fear before stepping out from behind the boulder where she had been hiding.
The place where she stood was less of a tunnel and more of an underground cavern.
A massive underground cavern connected to the man-made passage outside.
It was incredibly spacious.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough room for a twenty-meter-long serpent to thrash around inside.
If it had been any narrower, the serpent would have ended up like Taotie—stuck, wriggling like an oversized maggot.
“Hummingbird!”
“Hurry up and help get Taotie out!”
Fang Xiaocao ran toward the rock crevice where Taotie was trapped while shouting at Hummingbird, who was still standing there, dumbfounded by the terror of the serpent.
“I’m coming!”
Hearing Fang Xiaocao’s shout, Hummingbird snapped back to reality and rushed over.
From within the crevice, Taotie looked at them with teary eyes.
“Waaah~”
“Your Highness~”
“Please save me~”
His voice was filled with emotion.
Fang Xiaocao shivered at the sound.
A full-grown man…
A burly, muscular man at that!
Yet, he could whimper so dramatically—disgusting beyond words.
“Shut up!”
Fang Xiaocao glared at Taotie and scolded him.
She really couldn’t stand his pathetic act.
At her yell, Taotie pouted, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes.
Another shiver ran through Fang Xiaocao.
She seriously couldn’t take it!
She wanted to slap him so badly.
With great effort from both Fang Xiaocao and Hummingbird, Taotie finally managed to free himself—at the cost of losing a few patches of skin.
“Whew~”
Now that he was free, Taotie exhaled deeply and stretched his stiff limbs.
He turned to Fang Xiaocao.
“Your Highness, that serpent is terrifying. Let’s get out of here!”
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes and kicked Taotie hard.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Tom is still in there, and you want to run?”
“If we don’t save Tom, none of us are getting out alive today.”
Standing on tiptoe, she grabbed Taotie’s ear and knocked on his thick skull while launching into a lecture.
She knew that Taotie was suggesting this for her sake.
He wanted her to leave first and figure out another way to save Tom later.
“Let’s go!”
“We’re saving Tom!”
After scolding him to her satisfaction, she released his now-red ear and declared fiercely.
“Yes, yes~”
“Your Highness is always right~”
Taotie rubbed his sore ear, looking like a big obedient puppy.
“Good boy~”
“I’ll buy you candy later~”
Fang Xiaocao patted his head with a grin.
After a brief discussion, Fang Xiaocao decided that Taotie and Hummingbird should rush ahead to support Tom, while she followed at a slower pace.
After all…
This wasn’t a battle she could participate in.
She would only get in the way.
Taotie and Hummingbird obeyed and quickly moved out.
After running for ten minutes straight, they finally saw Tom—being utterly battered by the giant serpent.
Tom was in such a sorry state that even his hair was disheveled.
One of his shoes had fallen off from all the running.
Seeing this, Taotie grinned.
His smile was full of schadenfreude.
Seeing Tom in such a miserable state, he almost wanted to take a picture for memories.
“Hummingbird, you distract the serpent. I’ll jump onto its back and retrieve our blades.”
“This gun is powerful, but the sword still feels better in my hands.”
Taotie said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Hummingbird nodded.
She completely agreed.
She also found guns less effective than her katana.
Hummingbird disengaged the safety on her gun and fired several rounds at the serpent.
Meanwhile, Taotie hid behind a boulder, waiting for the right moment.
Hummingbird was cunning. Knowing that bullets wouldn’t do much damage, she aimed for the area Tom had already blasted open.
She emptied the magazine—eight shots in total—all piercing into the serpent’s wounded flesh.
The serpent shuddered violently in pain.
It abandoned Tom and turned its vicious gaze toward Hummingbird.
“Hisss!”
With a sharp screech, it lunged at her.
Hummingbird turned and ran, fearing that if she slowed down even a little, she’d be caught.
As the serpent’s massive body slithered past Taotie, he seized the chance.
With a powerful leap, he landed on the serpent’s back, grabbing his machete and katana.
With a forceful pull, he yanked both weapons free.
Now armed, he immediately moved to the serpent’s large wound, raising his blades high and driving them in.
With a sickening squelch, the blades sank deep.
Blood sprayed everywhere!
The serpent writhed in agony and snapped at Taotie.
Taotie gritted his teeth and yanked his weapons out.
As the serpent’s gaping maw came closer, an idea struck him.
Since it was opening its mouth so wide, why not take a page from the Monkey King’s book and attack from the inside?
Once the plan was set, he wasted no time.
As the abyss-like mouth closed in, he did the unthinkable—he charged straight into the serpent’s mouth, heading toward its throat.
The serpent was stunned.
It had never seen such a proactive little monkey before.
Instead of running, this one delivered itself willingly.
Standing inside the serpent’s rancid mouth, Taotie’s eyes gleamed with madness.
He brandished his swords and unleashed a long-lost martial technique—The Chaotic Cloak Blade Art.
If performed with fists, it would be called Turtle Punching.
As his blades slashed wildly, the serpent got a taste of true suffering.
Blood poured like a flood.
It was as if a faucet had been turned on, drenching Taotie completely.
Soon enough, he was dyed red from head to toe.
