Struggling to Spare Lives

The relentless cycle of suffering persisted for another grueling three days. Every time exhaustion threatened to overtake him, the child fought against the pull of slumber. It was an extraordinary feat, for even an average person would struggle to stay awake for an hour without moving or closing their eyes.

Staying awake for a staggering 72 hours, equivalent to three days, was nothing short of madness. Yet, this remarkable five-year-old managed to accomplish it. Despite his mental age surpassing his physical years, verifying or believing such a claim proved difficult.

In the aftermath of his encounter with the trio of snakes, the child began piecing together the puzzle of his situation. He formulated several hypotheses, shedding light on the purpose behind the tests.

Firstly, he observed the increase in food portions from the very beginning, as if signaling a new phase of the trial. Moreover, the introduction of snake venom indicated a significant shift. These venomous encounters seemed to serve both as tests and rewards. If he could endure the poison without succumbing to death, he reaped tremendous benefits: improved vision and enhanced joint flexibility.

These clues led the child to believe that there was something unique about these snakes. Perhaps they belonged to a distinct species or carried a special type of venom. To confirm his suspicions, he meticulously examined the snake's mouth, searching for traces of venom within its salivary glands. His investigation revealed that the poison these snakes carried was not their natural venom but rather an injected substance.

Discarding the lifeless snake, the child pondered the scientific understanding of the test creators. While their creativity impressed him, he felt their methods could be refined. If the body developed an intrinsic resistance to the toxic substance, a gradual increase in dosage might prove effective, but it wasn't necessarily the most efficient approach. A mischievous smile played across his lips as he considered tweaking their plans.

Returning to his self-imposed training, the child focused on honing his skills for four consecutive days until the fateful moment when the familiar hissing sound resurfaced. This time, the noise reverberated louder, and the number of snakes multiplied to nine.

However, the child refused to allow the snakes to sink their fangs into him. With lightning-fast reflexes, he twisted his body, deftly evading the first snake's attack. In mid-air, he seized the snake by its head and forcefully closed its mouth shut. Realizing their comrade's fate, the other snakes launched their assault on the child.

Defying the laws of physics, the child contorted his body, eluding the snakes' strikes while maintaining a tight grip on the first snake. Had the snakes possessed higher intelligence, they would have targeted his hand to force him to release their companion. However, luck was not on their side.

Utilizing a cork plate, the child pressed the back of the snake's head with force, compelling it to release its venom. Once the snake was drained, he discarded it and continued his agile defense against the remaining serpents. One by one, he repeated the process, engaging in this macabre dance until all nine snakes lay lifeless, vanquished by their venom.

Exhausted and panting heavily, the child found a slight smile forming on his lips. "It appears that I still have much to learn when it comes to refraining from lethal force. Nevertheless, my work is far from over."

Regaining control of his breath, the child approached the extracted venom. After a brief inspection, he turned his attention to the snake corpses, meticulously collecting all twelve, excluding the rotted remains.

With practiced precision, he began dissecting the snake carcasses, separating the fangs and the mucus-filled ligaments found within their mouths. He then carefully extracted the venom channels, the conduits responsible for transferring venom from the salivary glands to the fangs—a crucial mechanism for the snakes' self-defense.

Simultaneously, he collected the blood from the snakes, preserving it on another cork plate. Aware of his compromised kidney function due to dehydration, he acknowledged the pressing need to find alternative sources of fluids. Although the meat he consumed was purposely enriched with liquid, it could not fully replace the necessity of water for his daily survival. The sight of the blood before him provided a glimmer of hope, yet he understood that direct consumption was not yet feasible.

Temporarily setting the blood aside, the child resumed his meticulous work. Each snake yielded at least two fangs, which he held in his hands, skillfully grinding them together until they possessed the sharpness akin to kitchen knives. However, their diminutive size hindered their usefulness.

Seated on the ground, he contemplated a solution to overcome this challenge. After a moment of reflection, a revelation struck him. "How foolish of me! I dismissed the decaying carcass due to its rot. Yet, when deprived of all moisture, the decomposed flesh becomes as hard as dried tree bark. It can serve as a handle for the snake's fang, acting as a makeshift scalpel."

With utmost care, he extracted the meat from the decomposed remains and fashioned a piece the size of an adult's palm and as wide as a finger. Taking one of the fringed fangs, he painstakingly inserted it into the dry flesh, creating a crude yet functional scalpel.

However, his work remained unfinished as he grappled with the challenge of effectively wielding the scalpel crafted from dry flesh and fangs.