11 The giant snake’s den

Chapter 11

…

In the depths of the night where the crescent moon looms high up in the sky, the scent of blood wafted through the forest air giving off a sense of dread and eeriness in the surroundings. Corpses of 15 men are littered all over the ground dying the earth red with some of them missing some limbs and even... their heads.

In the middle of this all... there stood a bloody figure heavily breathing while his eyes are turning shifty as if he could not believe what just happened in his surroundings.

Xin Wei was drowned at the moment, and it seems to him that he has gone berserk after his hands tasted blood for the first time.

His mind feels like breaking as he is being torn between his own morals and principles, against his natural desire as a normal person.

It is said that what separates us, humans, from beasts is our control over our desires. Once a human loses that control then that human is no better than a beast.

…

As I look around I could feel my heart thumping and my stomach would not stop churning. I have already vomited many times, but still, I could not get used to seeing such a horrifying scene in front of me.

In the middle of this all, my eyes suddenly caught something in the darkness. There is something flashing coupled with the buzzing sound from the tall bald man's pants.

It was his phone...

I took the smartphone but then subconsciously dropped it on the ground. This is because I saw the name displayed on the screen. It was a very familiar name and a name that I am well acquainted with.

Ling Ting… He is one of the people who stabbed me back then. I could still remember that crazy look he had in his eyes as saw his hand moving... stabbing. I remember that he seems to have stabbed me multiple times... and he seems to have enjoyed it.

Anger suddenly rose through my head as I pick up the phone and then accepted the call.

'Hey, you baldy, asshole! Where are you now? I can't wait to receive the new products that you are picking up. Remember to not touch the most beautiful woman in the group. I will have her for myself; your group can enjoy the rest! I will be waiting at our old place... the Dancing Swan Bar…'

'Toot… Toot…'

The call was dropped without the other person in the line waiting for an answer. When I heard that voice, my eyes seem to have flared up in anger. I wanted to crush the phone, but I did not.

I know that these people have a connection to those who orchestrated the demise of my loved ones.

The guilt that I was feeling a while ago suddenly vanished into thin air, as my mouth turned into a sinister smile. Suddenly, my eyes landed on the handguns on the ground.

"Since I will be fighting people who will use guns from now on. I better be prepared…" I muttered as I began collecting the guns and the knives.

I then pick up one of the corpses and removed his jacket and pants and don it to me. I knew that my clothes are already in tatters and I need new clothes and shoes. The things I got from the students are well and good, but they are not sturdy enough.

The clothes of these gangsters have good materials, hence I decided to take the one that fits me and has not been tainted with blood.

After getting what I need, I just left the area. I could sense that something in the shadows is approaching this place, something that I don't want to be entangled with, for now.

I soon came back to the campsite and checked the condition of the people. I am not sure what to do but I cannot leave them here as food for those beasts, I am not that heartless. And so I decided to put everyone inside their own tents.

Then I dragged the large carcass of the snake towards a certain distance from the campsite.

After securing the place, I left with a large bag on tow filled with food, clothing, guns, bladed weapons, and tools.

My destination is the small cave where the snake's den is.

It didn't take me long to find the place and after reaching it, I immediately crawled inside the small dark cave. It was really dark inside, but my vision is clear enough because of the floating window panel in the right corner of my sight.

Though it did not produce light outside, it has the ability to illuminates my vision making me able to see my surroundings at about 3 meters ahead of me.

I soon reached a large cavern the size of a small house. It has a slightly stale smell in the air and I noticed the smell is coming from one corner of the cave. This is where many skeletons are lying on the ground.

But what caught my attention in this place is the presence of the thick Qi inside the cave. As I observed the area I can see that it seems the Qi is being produced from a patch of plants at the left side opposite the skeleton remains.

As I checked the area, I also found some belonging from humans. Like phones, backpacks, clothes, and etc… the snake seems to have collected them and brought those things inside the cave.

After checking the place, I decided that I needed to clean the place. I can see that the cave is a perfect place for me to stay for a while. I just need to remove the rotting stink and it would be a good place to meditate.

With that in mind, I began working.

After I finished, I soon discovered golden lights entering the dark cavern and slowly illuminating my surroundings.

"It seems that it's already morning…" I muttered as I arrange the place where I am going to stay and meditate.

Then I also noticed that on a dark corner of the cave, there is a slight sound of trickling water. I did not notice it a while ago for I was busy cleaning everything, but now I have finished, I can clearly hear the slight sound.

As I walked towards that corner, I saw a small pond filled with clean water. Last night I only thought that it was just some rock formation, I guess I did not observe enough to notice it.

I took out a small wooden cup from the large bag and then filled it with water from the small pond. Then I carefully take a sip and found out that it was very refreshing.

It tasted like purified water that I usually have at home.

"This is good…" I said as I take another sip and finished the whole cup.

I did not discover any toxic materials from the water, so I knew that it is drinkable.

As I found myself in this tranquil place, I decided to sit down in a lotus position and began meditating to absorb the rich Qi in the air.

I spend my time in this place for a while. As the cave emits a large amount of Qi from the plants inside of it, I did not want to waste this opportunity to grow stronger.

In my fight against those gangsters, I now discover my weakness while fighting.

Although my skill, strength, and speed are superb when it comes to other people, I still lack the experience, finesse, and subtlety when facing others. Plus, bullets are really scary. I can dodge them and when I am hit my skin would heal itself really fast, but it is still really painful.

So, I knew that I need to gain more experience in fighting and I have to strengthen my constitution further by gaining more strength and dexterity.

I suddenly noticed something with my constitution stats. When I observed it a while ago and my gaze stayed on it for about ten seconds, the numbers suddenly changes.

When the number has changed it displayed a smaller value yet behind that new number is a red gauge.

I suddenly recalled that in my fight a while ago, I had actually seen this, but I just did not give it heed. I knew in my mind that this red gauge is the percentage of my constitution and that the smaller number represents how strong my constitution is.

The number is now 5. If I am not wrong, this represents that I am as sturdy as 5 people. I knew this because I can feel it for myself. As long as I continue absorbing Qi and training every day, I knew that my stats would increase. And my goal is to reach 100 for strength, dexterity, and Qi, and at least 10 for my constitution.

As I ponder and began setting my next goals, my desire to become stronger and my resolve was once again renewed.

I took a glance at the phone at the top of the backpack which is already turned off and a sinister gleam appears in my eyes.

"Just wait for me for a year… I swear to get my life back and get the justice I deserved…" I muttered as I slowly closed my eyes and once again meditate.

My routines now are as follows, I will absorb Qi in the morning, find food that would last me for 3 days while training my physique, then do target practice in the afternoon. Though I only have one of those silencers thingy that I grabbed from one of the corpses, it seems to fit all the guns I have picked up as they seem to be of the same model. Then at night, I would spend my time training my Qi.

This routine of mine is not perfect but it has given me too much of an advantage so far. And because of my gun training, I have already gained a new skill called gun marksmanship. I have learned that its effect is preventing my hand from trembling while holding any single-handed weapon. Plus my hand and eye coordination has improved.

And with that, I am really happy and satisfied with my growth.

…

One year later...

Time passes by in a blink of an eye, and now I have stayed inside this small cave in this huge and vast forest for a year. I have hunted, scoured the forest, and trained my body and Qi to their limits while living in this place. I have fought against the denizens of the forest and have lived through it all.

I know that I am ready now. I am now ready to face my enemies. And my stats are now as follows…

Stats:

Strength: 100

Dexterity: 100

Constitution: 9/100%

Intelligence: 14

Qi: 150

Available Skills:

Active skills: Acupuncture, Heaven seeking fist, Identification, Qi extraction and purification, and Gun Marksmanship.

Passive skills: Herbalist, Toxic & Venom resistance.