Chapter 8: Time to Hunt

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In the rainforest, a youth clad in leather armor, his face marked by acne, his body robust, roared incessantly at a tall and thin student in front of him clutching a steel pipe.

"That's clearly a Yuan Force creature! It just slipped away right before our eyes! Why didn't you stop it? What's the use of bringing you along!"

Although this acne-covered young man was the same age as the slim student in front, his physique was clearly much more robust, indicating he likely enjoyed better meals regularly.

He wore a set of leather armor similar to Tao Yu's, and held an assault rifle in his hand, which was clearly superior to the tall and thin student's sharpened steel pipe and ordinary clothes.

Facing his companion's scolding, the tall and thin student dared not retort, quietly listening on the side.

After venting for a while, Liu Wen looked at Zhang Wei, who was honest and didn't talk back, and felt slightly more at ease.

His heart had always been full of resentment due to his dismal awakened talent, and he had just taken the opportunity to lash out.

Liu Wen being able to grow so robust in the outer city environment and have decent equipment indicated that his family's situation was quite good.

His father possessed Keen (C class) combat talent and served in the security forces; his siblings' talents weren't bad either, all somewhat related to combat.

But who would have thought that he himself would awaken a Sensitivity (D class) talent that was as useless as chicken ribs!

To him, this talent seemed to be a negative enhancement, magnifying many of his sensations.

Pain, itchiness, stuffiness, and other sensations were all intensified, which was sheer torture in the rainforest!

He also felt a wave of darkness about his future.

This talent wasn't without employment or developmental prospects, but most were auxiliary roles such as drug testing or skill assessment. Although the income might not be bad, the environments were fairly terrible.

If he didn't take on such work, he feared that even with the effort to have many children, he might still end up queuing for the cannon fodder list in his middle age.

In contrast, the mud-leg orphan before him claimed to have an Endurance (E+ class) talent!

Although it wasn't very strong, at least it was somewhat beneficial to fighting, and with training, the fellow's physical fitness would certainly be somewhat superior to an ordinary person's.

After Awakening Day was over and they returned, the company would definitely be willing to provide some resources to nurture him. Fatherless and motherless, he might just become the motive for some people to want to take him under their wing!

With effort, that person might never enter the cannon fodder list for life!

Although the two of them were still mainly reliant on him, his future already seemed less promising than the other's, which left a bitter taste in Liu Wen's mouth, along with a sense of impotent rage.

If it weren't for needing someone to help keep watch at night in this damn rainforest, he really felt the urge to lash out and assail the other person.

After all, deaths on Awakening Day were normal, and even more so with his gear.

"What are you standing around for? Chase after it! Do you expect me to lead the way?"

Liu Wen chided the dazed Zhang Wei, who muttered a low 'oh' in response before slowly advancing with the steel pipe towards the direction the python had fled.

Orphaned since young and raised by his aunt as a token for cannon fodder ranking points, Zhang Wei learned early to recognize his status and surroundings.

With no opportunity to learn any skills, it would be difficult to survive in the rainforest without others, especially with abnormally large pythons like this one.

Though he was filled with fear, he still trembled as he parted the bushes, following the winding snake trail ahead, the icy steel pipe in his hand providing no assurance of safety.

It was only the Endurance (D+ class) talent he had awakened that gave him a nice boost in physical strength, allowing his fitness to far exceed that of an ordinary person even without any Yuan Force enhancement.

Previously, he wanted to demonstrate his value without inciting jealousy, so he underreported his talent as (E+).

It seemed, though, that he had still agitated his temporary partner, who might not have awakened a combat talent. He really feared the man might turn on him.

But in such a rainforest, where survival was everyone's top priority, a sidekick who would take risks on his command and keep watch at night was likely more valuable alive...

Zhang Wei had never considered ambushing Liu Wen and going solo because he had no experience with firearms and few other survival skills. Alone, even with a gun, he feared the danger would be greater.

Survive!

This was the ultimate goal he set for himself on Awakening Day!

Now with a decent talent, he could sell himself for a good price upon returning. This was the darkness before the dawn!

He must endure through it!

And at that moment, he noticed that the snake trail ahead seemed to suddenly turn.

Following the crushed foliage and the contorted path that veered to one side, as he changed direction to continue along the snake trail, he suddenly found himself stunned to see that the trail had turned again!

Looking at the twisted and broken branches along the way, Zhang Wei followed the signs upward only to discover that the creature had climbed atop a massive tree and moved towards the back...

Swallowing hard, he slowly turned around to see a massive snake head, as big as a water tank and smeared with blood, silently descending from above.

The coiled body, akin to a tightly compressed spring with terrifying explosive power, had already appeared just a few meters behind Liu Wen.

"Watch out! Behind you!"

Zhang Wei yelled out a piercing warning, not only to save Liu Wen but for his own survival!

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While roaring, he also howled strangely, waving the steel pipe in his hand and making various movements in an attempt to draw the attention of the Python!

He knew clearly that the gun in Liu Wen's hand was the real Assassin to deal with this creature.

If the Python turned to look for him, who was at a farther distance, then Liu Wen would have the chance to spray bullets and take it down.

It wasn't that he had a fearless spirit of self-sacrifice, but that he had to do this!

Liu Wen, who had always been a bit distracted due to his Sensitive skill, jerked to alertness upon hearing Zhang Wei's loud roar.

After all, they had done a lot of specific training before coming in, and without even turning his head, he raised the muzzle of the gun and pulled the trigger.

Sparks flew with the rat-tat-tat of gunfire as he turned his body.

He tried to scare off any potential attacks in this way, fighting for a bit of time!

However, since the Python had already turned to ambush from behind, it was clear that it had identified the more threatening target.

At first, it approached slowly while in hiding, but now that it had been discovered, the coiled muscles of its body suddenly exploded with force, catapulting itself forward with released tension.

The Python's massive head dodged the gunfire with a side strike and bit Liu Wen into its mouth in one bite.

The sound of crunching bones also demonstrated the Python's terrifying bite force.

The powerful impact instantly crushed Liu Wen's bones and burst his internal organs.

If he had been a normal person, such instantaneous injuries would not have been felt, but Liu Wen, endowed with the Sensitive skill, still managed to let out a pig-like scream.

This scream seemed to be the Python's war song, prompting it to toss the rag-doll-like body with a snap of its jaws and bite down hard once more.

The gunfire and the screams both stopped abruptly, and then the Python's mouth bulged as it shifted the corpse from a horizontal aspect to a more swallow-friendly direction, swallowing it down at a speed far exceeding that of a normal snake.

Normally, snakes have little desire to attack while swallowing food and may even regurgitate their food when threatened.

But this Python was different, gulping down Liu Wen's body while its water-tank-sized head turned towards Zhang Wei, who was holding the steel pipe and halfway to a charge, rapidly slithering in his direction.

This caused Zhang Wei, who was frozen stiff, to show a look of despair, forced to firmly grasp his steel pipe and retreat to lean against a thick tree trunk.

He braced the tail end of the steel pipe against the tree, then stared fixedly at the Python slithering towards him.

With Liu Wen gone, he knew he couldn't outrun the Python on his own. The Python's speed and Dexterity clearly surpassed those of regular snakes. The current moment was his last chance for a desperate blow!

"Come on, you beast!"

The desire to survive overcame fear and despair. He couldn't afford to die here after finally awakening the fighting Skill he had longed for.

The Python had already started to coil its upper half, like a compressed spring ready to burst at any moment.

But just then, a series of blood spatters suddenly burst from the massive head of the Python, and at the same time, the rat-tat-tat of gunfire came from not far away.

The powerful bullets of the assault rifle hit their target accurately, with many piercing right through the eyes, almost instantly incapacitating the Python.

Due to the primitive nervous system of snakes, even after its brain had been peppered with bullets, the Python's massive body still writhed violently.

The force was so strong it crushed many branches and shook the huge tree that would take several people to encircle with a single slap.

The terrifying explosive power and raw brutish strength seemed to proclaim the dominance of this jungle overlord.

However, it was unfortunate that even as the head of the flesh and blood Python was turned to a honeycomb, it couldn't survive.

Even as the Python's head fell to the ground and its body still moved unconsciously, it was likely dead.

"Could you please check and see if it's dead? I'll cover you from behind."

Tao Yu emerged from the bushes and smiled politely at Zhang Wei.

He had also faintly heard Liu Wen's scolding previously, and had been observing from a distance, using his Keen eyesight to keep watch.

Having learned from previous mistakes with gunfire, he didn't take the risk to shoot when the Python attacked Liu Wen, and instead went to a range where he was sure the bullets wouldn't fly erratically before he started firing.

The result wasn't too bad.

This tall and thin guy, through preliminary assessment, seemed like a good temporary teammate. It was clear he understood his position well and was cooperating.

By speaking up and daring to draw the Python's attention, he showed that he had a good grasp of the current situation.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Please cover me..."

Zhang Wei looked at Tao Yu, who had arrived like a heaven-sent soldier and rescued him, with a face showing a mix of emotions.

Zhang Wei perked up upon hearing Tao Yu's words and, while his mouth overflowed with gratitude, controlled his trembling legs and walked toward the Python.

He prodded the Python's head with his steel pipe, making sure it was thoroughly dead...

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