Boom! Boom boom boom!
The giant python was rapidly drilling into the ground, its massive body smashing into rock layers, sending countless fragments tumbling down.
Its mouth still clamped onto its own kind, and it could sense that this miniature creature’s flesh contained an incomparably powerful energy—far stronger than the ants it had devoured before!
Throughout the descent, the black snake remained motionless, as if it had already been bitten into a grievous state.
“Bang!”
The giant python’s head finally reached the bottom, and the first thing it did was swallow its kind whole.
However, in the very next second, blue flames scorched its mouth and tongue. Its already mangled snake tongue was instantly burned black upon contact with the fire!
“Hiss!!!”
The giant python let out a painful shriek, its mouth opening wide as the black snake tumbled to the ground.
Finally, it had found its opportunity! Towering blue flames engulfed the giant python’s head. Under the scorching force of a Tier 4 ability, a large number of scales peeled away, and the faint scent of roasted flesh filled the air.
The black snake gazed coldly at its kin, dozens of times larger than itself. Blood continued to stream from its own wounded body.
“Hiss!”
The blue flames expanded once more, spreading to the python’s lower jaw and coiling body.
The latter writhed in agony, thrashing wildly against the surrounding rocky cliffs. Its thick and powerful tail lashed out violently, sweeping toward the black snake in a devastating attack.
Such a massive, thick tail! It nearly filled the entire underground cavern!
As it swept across, it completely blocked any escape routes.
The black snake was sent flying with a “slap!” Before it even hit the ground, the snake’s tail coiled around it again.
With its burning head, the giant python opened its gaping maw, braving the risk of mutual destruction—it swallowed both the blue flames and its own kind into its belly!
Gulp.
The miniature black snake vanished completely.
—
Back in college, Su Su had once been coaxed by her classmates into trying cliff-jumping with a rope. That sensation of weightless terror had made her heartbeat skyrocket, all her blood rushing to her brain, her body feeling as if it had become light as a feather…
That was precisely how she felt now, plummeting downward while clutching the snake’s tail.
If not for the thin layer of air protecting her body, she might have already crashed into the surrounding rock walls during the fall. Even if she survived, she would have suffered serious injuries.
Bang!
The giant python hit the ground. It seemed to realize that an ant had been clinging to its tail, and before landing, it impatiently flicked its tail, hurling the ant away.
Splash!
Su Su crashed heavily into an underground pool, her thick cotton jacket instantly soaking through, adding considerable weight to her body.
Her warm clothing lost its effectiveness, and the biting cold penetrated every pore in an instant. Her body stiffened from the chill, and she choked on several mouthfuls of water.
If not for her ability-enhanced physique, she might not even have the strength to lift her arms.
She had no idea how long she struggled before she finally managed to break through the surface. Gasping for breath, she sluggishly swam toward the shore.
Splash.
Shivering, Su Su stripped off the heavy, soaked cotton jacket, leaving only a thermal shirt and a sweater, both drenched with icy water.
If she didn’t remove it, her body would lose heat even faster.
If she did, the cold in the underground cavern would be even more unbearable—she wouldn’t last long.
Su Su chose the former.
Hugging herself, she trembled as she took a few steps forward.
Darkness surrounded her. She couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face. Blindly, she reached out and touched the rocky walls, guessing that she was inside a vast underground cave.
“Xiao Hei…”
Her voice echoed through the cave, trembling with the chattering of her teeth.
“Xiao Hei!”
“Are you there?!”
Her shouts spread out, layer upon layer, bouncing back in a fading echo.
Su Su groped her way forward in the pitch-blackness for what felt like an eternity, seeing no light, hearing no response. Every now and then, she tripped over stones and stumbled to the ground.
The moment her palm scraped against the rough rock, pain flared up, and the tears she had been holding back suddenly spilled uncontrollably into the darkness.
Cold. A bone-deep cold.
And fear.
Fear of not finding Xiao Hei. Fear that she might die here.
She lay on the ground for a long time. When she felt her body stiffening, she wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to stand.
“Xiao Hei!!!”
“You’re definitely not dead, right?!”
“Come out already!!”
Amidst the lingering echoes of her cries, a faint rustling sound suddenly emerged.
At first, Su Su didn’t notice it. But the sound grew closer, louder—like something crawling toward her, slowly and deliberately.
“Xiao… Hei?”
Was it Xiao Hei? But the noise was too loud, far beyond what Xiao Hei could make!
That meant… it could only be the giant python…
The young girl’s heart leaped to her throat, her face turning pale with fear.
Su Su dared not move forward, nor did she want to retreat.
She had to see what was coming. Even if it was the giant python… Xiao Hei might still be with it!
The rustling grew louder, nearer.
Even in the darkness, Su Su could sense something alive approaching, the damp scent filling the air. A serpent’s hiss stopped just a few meters away.
Then, a pair of vertical pupils, as large as bronze bells, suddenly opened—suspended in midair, the only source of light in the endless darkness.
It was the giant python!!!
Su Su’s tears silently streamed down her face as she called out softly, with one last sliver of hope:
“Xiao Hei.”
Where are you?
Were you eaten by the python?
The familiar hissing never came—only those vertical pupils drew closer and closer.
Su Su pushed out every last bit of her ability, but it did nothing to slow the creature’s advance.
Run! Run now!
Her instincts screamed at her to flee. She forced her stiff legs to move and had barely taken a few steps when a powerful gust of wind surged behind her.
The massive snake tail swept toward her.
Su Su closed her eyes in despair, waiting for death.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds…
The thick tail didn’t smash her to pieces. Instead, it gently coiled around her and lifted her up.
Su Su was stunned.
What was it doing? Was it saving her as emergency rations, to be eaten later?
The python turned and slithered toward an unknown destination.
Su Su’s heart pounded violently. She was so overwhelmed with fear that she failed to notice—the tail wrapped around her now was noticeably thinner than the one she had clung to earlier.
The giant python moved swiftly. Before long, it brought her to a flat rocky ledge.
There, between the solid rock walls, was a fist-sized crack through which a faint light shone.
The pitch-black underground cave finally had a source of illumination.
After being in darkness for so long, Su Su instinctively shut her eyes the moment the light touched them.
When she opened them again, the snake tail had already set her down on the ledge.
Rip.
Her frozen limbs were still too stiff to react when—before she even realized what was happening—her clothes were torn to shreds by the snake’s tail.
“What are you doing?!”
Her voice was shrill with panic. Su Su curled up in terror, unable to comprehend why the giant python was tearing her clothes apart! Was it going to skin her before eating her?!
But the snake tail didn’t stop despite her resistance.
Once her body was completely stripped, it coiled around her again—tightly enclosing her within its body.
Was it preparing to swallow her whole?
Su Su’s mind went blank.
Then, warmth.
A steady heat spread from the snake’s body, seeping into every inch of her frozen skin. The numbness in her limbs slowly faded.
The coils wound around her, layer by layer, until she was completely encased—like a massive, living heat pack, firmly wrapping her inside.
Su Su’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.
Why?
The massive snake’s head circled from behind, moving in front of her. Its vertical pupils, as large as bronze bells, reflected the faint light, revealing a familiar dark green hue—far clearer than in the pitch-black darkness.
“Hiss~”
A crimson snake tongue cautiously flicked out, lightly licking Su Su’s frozen, ice-cold cheek.
Her heart, which had been filled with terror, suddenly shifted to utter disbelief.
Trembling, she stretched out her bare arms and, gathering her courage, wrapped them around the enormous head, pulling it closer for a better look.
That familiar dark green gaze, that smooth-scaled head…
This wasn’t the giant python!
Su Su’s voice trembled. “Xiao Hei? Is that you?”
“Hiss!”
“It really is you!”
She threw her arms around the massive head, holding on tightly, pressing it against her chest. Tears spilled uncontrollably, soaking the sleek serpent scales.
“Xiao Hei, I thought… I thought you were dead!”
“Hiss~”
The black snake—now the new giant python—silently reassured the human wrapped within its coils.
It hadn’t died.
Instead, she had failed to recognize it at first sight.
Su Su cried until she was exhausted. Finally, she lifted her tear-streaked face, her blurry gaze settling on the enormous snake head.
“Xiao Hei, you… how did you get so big?”