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墨書 Inktalez
What does this mean? I felt a bit lost, but at that moment, my head had already turned, staring at the Snake Head!
Indeed, it had been decapitated with a single stroke to the neck. The Snake Head still maintained an upward posture, but now it was motionless. However, its eyes were fixed on me, making me feel quite uncomfortable.
In the light of the corridor, I noticed its black eyes reflecting the light. At that moment, it seemed as if I could see my own shadow mirrored in its eyes.
Before I could examine it closely, the captain quickly jabbed the Snake Head with the tip of his knife and placed it into a black bag while asking me, "Wang Wei, are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine. It's just that it happened so suddenly; I was a bit startled. This is my first time encountering a King Cobra up close, and I'm still feeling a bit tense."
The captain nodded. "Were you the first to spot the snake?"
"Yes."
"That was close! Do you know this is a King Cobra? If you had been bitten, I don't even know if you could have made it to the school clinic."
"King Cobra?" I instinctively asked.
"Yes, no doubt about it. Look at its size and those patterns on its body. I've participated in the Vietnam War and have seen many snakes like this."
At that moment, others gathered around us. Someone asked the captain, "Captain, isn't this strange? No matter what kind of snake it is, we were doing Roll Call in front of the building. How did it get up the stairs?"
"Captain, you were standing at the front of the stairs during Roll Call too. How come none of us saw the snake pass by?"
"Yeah, yeah! We didn't see this snake when we came down before Roll Call. It's really odd; where did the snake come from?"
Yes, where did the snake come from? I was pondering this question as well. As mentioned earlier, the living area mostly had Cement Floors, and due to training at night, the lights were bright as day. In such visibility, not only snakes but even frogs crawling on the ground would be clearly seen. And during our Roll Call with over a hundred people watching, how could we not notice a snake climbing up the stairs?
I looked at the captain in confusion.
The captain's expression was serious. "I need to report this to the school; naturally, someone will come to investigate."
"However," the captain shifted his tone, "Wang Wei, you discovered this snake and caught it. Can we make a deal for you to give it to me?"
I nodded; after all, I had no use for it, so I might as well do him a favor.
To my astonishment, after I agreed, the captain gleefully grabbed the snake's body and skillfully sliced it open with a machete, extracting an oval object from inside.
Someone nearby immediately exclaimed, "It's the Snake Gallbladder!"
"Haha, that's right! This is a good thing; it can be used in medicine. The Snake Gallbladder is cool in nature and has a slightly bitter yet sweet taste. It has effects such as dispelling wind and dampness, clearing the eyes, detoxifying, and alleviating rashes. It can also help regulate the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. Especially the gallbladder of the King Cobra—if you soak it in liquor, it can even delay aging! We had plenty of it when we were in Vietnam; sometimes we even drank snake blood!" The captain rambled on while peeling off the Snake Skin, revealing the white flesh of the snake.
I felt a bit nauseous and turned away to squeeze through the crowd and head upstairs.
As for that snake, it was soon made into snake soup for the entire team to enjoy.
Later, according to the captain, after analysis by the school's security department, it was likely that the snake had crawled out of a sewer or perhaps climbed in through some vines over the outer wall. In any case, it was a strange twist of fate that led me to encounter it. At that time, I didn't think much of it; I just felt that if I could stumble upon something like this, my luck must be good enough to buy a lottery ticket.
However, not long after that incident passed, due to our busy schedules and intense training, everyone gradually forgot about the appearance of the snake, until one day.
That was about a month later. By then, the novelty had worn off, and with training becoming increasingly intense, everyone just wanted to get some sleep. After roll call, we hurriedly washed up and climbed into bed early. After only a few words of night talk, I already felt my eyelids heavy.
The heat was stifling at that time, and since our team leader was checking rooms at night, it was mandated that all doors and windows be left open. Accompanied by a refreshing breeze flowing through the dormitory, we quickly fell into slumber.
I don't know how long I slept; in a daze, I felt something coiling around my body—cool and initially thought to be a blanket—but it increasingly felt wrong. It felt like something akin to a belt wrapping around my arms and legs, tightening more and more. My chest felt heavy as if I could hardly breathe.
I decided to open my eyes. When I looked up, I was shocked to find that each of my hands was wrapped around a King Cobra identical to the one I'd caught not long ago! There was also one lying across my chest! The three snakes brought their heads close to me, their necks swollen almost merging into one! They flicked their tongues at me menacingly just like that King Cobra I'd captured—ferocious, stubborn, and filled with hatred. My heart raced as I opened my mouth to scream just as all three snakes lunged at my face like lightning!
...
I jolted upright! Frantically waving my hands to shake off these snakes, but to my surprise, there was nothing there! I rolled over and looked around under and over the bed—nothing at all. It turned out this was just a nightmare!
The moonlight shone brightly; the night air flowed like water through the open door and windows into the room. Everyone else was still fast asleep, breathing evenly with occasional murmurs in their dreams. Sitting on the edge of my bed panting heavily, I realized I had broken out in a sweat without even noticing. Wiping my forehead dry with my hand and chuckling at my own foolishness, I glanced at the digital clock—it was 1:30 AM. I could still catch some more sleep. To ensure a good rest afterward, I planned to get up and take a quick shower in the washroom.
The moment I stood up, I suddenly felt that something was off around me. Yes, it was different from usual; it was a feeling that left me frozen in place, deep in thought.
Suddenly, I heard the snoring from the upper bunk, Ayu. In an instant, I realized what was wrong!
It was too quiet! Not in the room, but outside!
Usually, during the night when I got up, I would hear a lot of noises—crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and occasionally the calls of unknown birds. In short, it was a vibrant world of sounds at night.
But tonight, there was nothing!
Outside was utterly silent; it shouldn’t be like this. I didn’t know what this abnormality meant, but a sense of alertness began to creep in, and my drowsiness faded away. After standing there for a moment, I decided to take a shower anyway.
As I stepped out of the room and walked two steps to the left down the corridor, I saw something coming up the stairs from the third floor.
Our room was the second to last on the right side of the third floor, seven rooms away from the stairs. Because of the distance and the darkness of the night, I could vaguely see something moving up from the stairway, swaying back and forth on the ground while making a faint rustling sound.
What was that? I wondered to myself as curiosity pushed me to take a few steps closer for a better look.
After passing a few rooms and aided by the moonlight, I finally realized it was a snake! A King Cobra!
Yes, it was a King Cobra larger and thicker than the last one, coiled at the foot of the stairs. It raised its upper body and swayed in mid-air. What was it doing? It seemed to be searching for something. What on earth? How could another one show up?
I instinctively took a few steps back, my hard plastic slippers making soft thuds against the floor.
Suddenly, that King Cobra turned its head toward me. My heart raced as I watched it dart its head forward and slither toward me at an astonishing speed!
Without thinking twice, I turned and bolted back to my room. For some reason, I felt that it must be coming for me.
As I sprinted back to my room, my first action was to turn on the light. I didn’t dare shout for help because I feared waking everyone else; if they were unaware, the snake might bite one of my friends first. But I knew that once I turned on the light, it wouldn’t be long before our team leader would come to check on us!
Once back in my room, my first move was to grab my Type 81 Rifle from the gun rack on the left side of the door. After attaching the Bayonet, I held it firmly in my hand and began waking everyone up one by one.
The other three brothers were clearly still dazed, either lying or sitting on the bed, trying to adjust to the blinding light. There was no time for explanations, so I shouted sternly, "Get up quickly! Grab your Bayonets! The King Cobra is back!"
My voice had an immediate effect. Seeing my serious demeanor, the three brothers jumped up from their beds and rushed towards the gun rack on the left side of the entrance.
Just then, the King Cobra silently slithered through the door, facing off against my three roommates! The King Cobra reared up suddenly, ready to strike!
Caught off guard, the brothers froze in shock. One of them, a chubby guy we called Fatty Hua, was so scared that he fell flat on his backside!
There was no time to warn them. I dashed in front of everyone, pointing my Bayonet at the snake's head and urgently shouted, "Hurry up and get your Bayonets ready to help me! I'll hold it off for a moment."
I really had no confidence in dodging the King Cobra's lightning-fast attack, so I chose to take the initiative. I kicked my slippers at the King Cobra; they were too hard and cumbersome to wear, and moving barefoot would be much smoother.
The King Cobra swayed side to side, avoiding my two slippers. Gritting my teeth, I focused on its form and lunged forward with my Bayonet aimed at its head. To my surprise, it quickly dodged to the side, and I missed. Not daring to stop my assault, I swung the Bayonet horizontally towards its neck. The snake reacted with incredible speed; it coiled its body and arched its upper half backward like a bow before launching itself straight at my face!
It was like a duel between masters—one move would determine victory or defeat. It was too fast; I hadn’t even had time to pull back for defense. I knew there was no escaping this attack!
(To be continued; more excitement tomorrow!)
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