The crisis is imminent

Whoosh!

In an instant, the king cobra struck at Tom's shoe.

"My goodness, let's not be so violent," Tom muttered to himself, still shaken by the close call.

Just moments ago, if he hadn't reacted quickly, the king cobra would have bitten his hand instead.

And a bite from a king cobra could be fatal within half an hour!

Seeing the aggressive nature of the king cobra, Tom was fully alert.

Luckily, Tom had experience catching snakes for money since he was young.

He didn't approach the king cobra recklessly this time but instead picked up a stick and began to tease it.

Each time the stick neared the king cobra, it attacked. After several attempts, the snake's energy was clearly depleted.

Only then did Tom slowly lower his body and move closer to the king cobra.

Instead of grabbing it with his hands, he shook his shoe to catch the snake's attention.

When the king cobra was fully focused on the shoe, Tom swiftly grabbed it by the back third of its head.

The king cobra tried to resist, quickly coiling towards Tom's wrist.

But with the back third of its head secured, the king cobra was like a toothless tiger, no longer a threat to Tom. Holding the snake in one hand, Tom quickly removed his sock with the other and slipped it over the snake's head, then wrapped the snake completely with his shirt.

At this point, the king cobra was no longer able to resist.

Tom put his shoe back on and rested for a few minutes before heading towards a water source.

After reaching the water, Tom cut a few bamboo sticks slightly thicker than his thumb and returned to camp.

Seeing Tom return, Olivia and the others immediately gathered around.

"Did you catch the venomous snake?" Isabella asked first.

"When I'm involved, how could I return empty-handed?" Tom said proudly, showing off the king cobra to everyone.

Seeing the still wriggling snake, a nervous expression appeared on everyone's faces.

"Tom, why did you put your stinky sock over the snake's head? Aren't you afraid it will suffocate?" Evelyn asked teasingly, looking at the black sock on the snake's head.

"Don't worry, snakes are very resilient. It could survive a week in there," Tom replied with a smile.

"But it's a stinky sock, man. That smell... I'll mourn for the snake for three seconds," Olivia joked.

"I bet the snake is questioning its life choices. If it had a knife, it would definitely commit suicide," Isabella added, continuing the joke.

Everyone burst into laughter, lightening the previously tense atmosphere.

After laughing, Tom sharpened the front ends of the bamboo sticks into spears.

As evening approached, Tom headed to the beach.

The sea was calm, and Tom jumped in to catch some fish and gather some oysters for dinner.

After eating, Tom began extracting venom.

It wasn't a difficult task for him.

Tom cut the top half off a plastic bottle, held the snake by the neck, and brought the bottle to its mouth.

Instinctively, the king cobra bit the bottle and began injecting venom, which collected at the bottom of the bottle.

Once the snake stopped releasing venom, Tom carefully reapplied the stinky sock over its head and cautiously smeared the venom on the tips of the bamboo spears.

"Tom, do you need any help?" Evelyn asked, standing nearby.

"No need, I've got this. Just stay back a bit to avoid any splashes," Tom replied, waving them off.

"The venom of the king cobra is very potent. If anyone has an open wound, they could be poisoned just by contact."

Hearing this, Evelyn and the others retreated to the hut to wait.

Soon, all six bamboo spears were coated with venom.

Once the venom dried, Tom stored the spears in a well-ventilated area.

Night had completely fallen.

Normally, Evelyn and the others would gather around the campfire to chat and gossip, but due to the threat of Boss Rex, everyone was too somber for idle talk.

"Let's all get some sleep early. Don't worry too much. As long as we show strength tomorrow, I believe that Boss Rex won't dare to mess with us," Tom said.

Everyone understood Tom's intention and without further ado, returned to their huts to sleep.

...

Time passed, and daylight chased away the darkness, bringing a new day.

However, due to the lingering concerns, everyone had slept poorly the night before.

Tom knew that the main component of snake venom was protein, which typically loses its potency within twenty-four hours at room temperature. On this tropical island, the heat accelerated this process. To prevent the venom applied last night from losing its potency, Tom forced the king cobra to release more venom, which he then reapplied to each spear.

After finishing, Tom considered catching more fish when Olivia's voice suddenly rang out.

"Tom, they're here!"

Looking in the direction Olivia pointed, it was clear to see a group of men and women, armed with clubs, walking out of the forest at a steady pace.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in his forties, his face pockmarked and scarred, with a shifty look that even Tom, who wasn't usually judgmental about appearances, found unnerving.

Eventually, they stopped about 6 feet away from Tom and his group.

"I hear you refused to join us," the middle-aged man said, looking Tom over with a commanding air.

"That's right," Tom replied calmly, showing no fear despite their numbers.

"You should know that on this island, unity is the key to survival. I'll give you another chance to join us. If you agree, I can make you the third in command. What do you say?"

The man asked again, seemingly negotiating, but his tone was unmistakably imperious.

"Sorry, I'm not interested," Tom responded firmly, rejecting the offer outright.

"You little brat, don't push your luck!" Lucas, standing next to the middle-aged man, pointed at Tom and shouted angrily.

"I'm talking to your boss. What's a dog like you barking for? Get lost!" Tom retorted coldly, not mincing his words.