Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 520 - 261 Prey

Chapter 520: Chapter 261 Prey

Shana laughed and hit Lin Wu, "The atmosphere at the base has been a bit oppressive these past two days."

Lin Wu asked, "Doesn’t the old man have any tricks up his sleeve?"

Shana said, "Stone’s tricks can only deal with temporary situations. When there’s plenty of supplies, any conflict isn’t really a conflict. When supplies are scarce, everything becomes a conflict. Of course, I might be overthinking it; these are just small problems right now. Shadow’s core is still very strong, with great unity. Ah..."

Lin Wu: "What is it?"

"Don’t move," Shana said. "There’s a big snake above us, coiled around a tree trunk five meters high, its head hangs half a meter down as it flicks its tongue at us, seemingly trying to identify us before preparing to attack."

Lin Wu said, "I could run away." If you can catch me, you win.

Shana, fighting back tears, said, "I know." The unfortunate Shana remained with her hands propped behind her, head tilted up, frozen in a face-to-face stare with the serpent. She didn’t dare move for fear that any sudden action would prompt the snake to pounce.

Lin Wu said, "We have a doctor; even if we get bitten, it’s no big deal."

Shana: "It’s not about being bitten."

Lin Wu: "Then run."

Shana: "I can’t move my legs."

Lin Wu: "Oh no."

Shana: "What?"

Lin Wu said, "There’s a skinny tiger 30 meters behind us, slowly closing in." After hearing about the snake, Lin Wu wondered why he hadn’t noticed it earlier. He therefore called back the drone. Unaware that snakes are cold-blooded and the drone couldn’t detect them hidden under the canopy, he didn’t find the snake but saw a tiger instead.

Although it’s not ideal to be out in a downpour, predators are predators. After several days of hunger, no amount of rain could stop them from seeking food. Otherwise, what about their wives? Their children? The big tiger could tolerate hunger, but the little ones could not.

Lin Wu and Shana, being educated, knew of the tiger’s extraordinary combat capabilities. Even though it was a carbon-based life form, its skull was three times harder than that of a human. Lin Wu’s Silencer and Silent Night’s .22 bullets might not pierce its skull. A bite from a snake was treatable by a doctor, but a bite from a tiger meant you could only hope for a resurrection.

"What do we do now?"

Lin Wu said, "Now, there’s more bad news."

"A lion is coming?"

Lin Wu: "No, the tiger is leaving."

Shana, between laughter and tears: "Isn’t that good news?"

Lin Wu: "You idiot, what’s our purpose here?"

"To hunt wild beasts." Shana started to cry, "Whether it stays or goes, it’s a problem. Can’t you just deal with the snake already?"

Lin Wu: "It’s time to make a bet."

"On what?" A sense of foreboding.

Lin Wu: "Bet that my skills can lock onto the snake’s head."

Shana: "Do we have to? You could just take this chance to hold me."

Lin Wu: "Do we have to? At such a life-and-death moment, how could we spoil the pure friendship between us?"

Shana fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "You’re afraid too, right?"

Lin Wu managed a wry smile: "Aside from movies, I’ve never seen a real snake."

Shana: "Are you afraid of ghosts then?"

Lin Wu replied, "Not afraid."

Shana: "Exactly, aside from movies, you’ve never seen a ghost. Why would you be afraid of snakes?"

Lin Wu said, "If I could see ghosts, I would be the first person in the world to do so. They are completely different matters."

Shana: "It slid down a bit more."

"Shall we go for it?"

"Let’s do it."

Lin Wu took a deep breath, kicked off the ground, and his foot landed on Shana’s head, sending her to one side. The venomous snake, seeing the movement, lunged directly for it, biting into Lin Wu’s flying kick, and coiled around his body.

"Fuck, fuck!" Lin Wu jumped on the spot: "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

The startled snake bit into Lin Wu’s flailing left arm. With his right hand, Lin Wu grabbed the snake’s head, jumping and shouting, "Fuck, fuck..." Despite his extensive reading, at that moment he couldn’t find the words to describe the terror in his heart. Especially after touching the creature, he found it cold, slimy, and utterly disgusting.

"The tiger." Shana aimed her gun at the tiger ten meters away, confronting it: "Go away, you go away." Her mind wasn’t working well. Subconsciously, she felt she shouldn’t kill the tiger, confusing reality with the games she’d played.

"Fuck..." Lin Wu wasn’t in a position to care about the tiger, continuously kicking against the tree, desperate to get rid of the damn venomous snake. This was the consequence of playing the hero.

Perhaps the snake was hurt from the jarring collision and loosened its grip on Lin Wu’s calf. Lin Wu, holding the snake by the head, flung it around and then threw it harshly to the ground. He muttered curses as he hopped three meters away, still in shock. By then, the snake’s neck was broken, rendering it completely motionless.

A gunshot snapped Lin Wu back to reality. He turned to see the tiger had knocked Shana to the ground, biting into her left shoulder. Lin Wu fumbled hastily for his gun; his Beretta slipped from his hands, and he struggled to catch it.

As Shana let out a scream, the tiger crushed her shoulder bone and tore off a piece of flesh, pouncing toward Lin Wu. Lock Head fired, and the next moment his head collided with the tiger’s, knocking him unconscious.

Unable to reach her backpack with one hand, Shana saw Lin Wu pinned under the tiger. Panicked and frightened, she connected to the public channel and cried out, "Help, help!"

Maya was the first to ask, "What’s happening?"

"Tiger."

Maya: "Where’s Lin Wu?"

"Lin Wu is beneath the tiger."

"Shoot it."

"My shoulder bone is shattered."

Stone: "Hang in there, I’m on my way."

Lin Wu, who had a mild concussion, came to, his head buzzing, stars dancing before his eyes. Push, I have to push... Lin Wu wriggled out from under the tiger. With an overheated CPU and in a daze, he managed to escape.