Chapter 67: The Road of Exile, Part 9

The tires were sinking—

The thick, powerful body of the serpent wrapped tightly around the off-road vehicle, its head pressed against the window glass, ready to strike the moment anyone inside made a wrong move, jaws poised to open wide and devour them.

Inside the car, Ye Liuyun was so anxious she could barely stay still, pounding the back of the front seat with all her strength. “Bearded! Can you do it or not?!”

The bearded man was drenched in sweat. “I damn well want to do it! But I just can’t!”

He floored the accelerator; the tires spun, spraying sand everywhere, but the vehicle didn’t budge an inch. Instead, it sank deeper.

Radish wailed in despair, “We’re going to die! We’re going to die! We’re really going to die, ahhh!”

“Shut the hell up! You’re driving me crazy!” Ye Liuyun snapped. “Check again—do we have any ammunition left?”

“None! It’s all gone!” Radish wanted to cry, but his body was so dehydrated that even tears wouldn’t come.

Last night, they’d stumbled upon the nest of the Bramble Python. The sand looked flat, but beneath, it was hollow. As soon as the off-road vehicle drove across, it began to sink. Worse yet, the pit was crawling with nests of small snakes!

“Small” was relative—each was as thick as a bottle cap, and their venom was just as deadly as the mother python’s. That was when they’d used up all their bullets.

Who could have guessed that just as they ruined the snake nest, the mother python returned!

It was well-known that in nature, many female creatures were much larger than males. This mother python’s body was as thick as a utility pole! Seeing her nest destroyed, she went berserk. If they hadn’t managed to hide in the vehicle in time, they would have been swallowed alive.

But even inside, they weren’t safe. The python coiled around the car, lifting one side so the wheels barely touched the ground. The remaining wheels, spinning uselessly, only drove the vehicle deeper into the sand.

“Boss, what kind of route did you pick?! It’s a dead end! Dead end!” Radish’s nerves broke first. “I’m only seventeen! I don’t want to die!”

The bearded man up front cursed angrily, “So what if you’re seventeen? You think I want to die at thirty?! I haven’t had enough of life either!”

Ye Liuyun was exasperated. “What good does talking do now?! Think of something—fast!”

She hadn’t expected that after dodging the insect monsters, they’d fall into the Bramble Python’s lair. She hadn’t traveled this path in a long time, and none of them could have known the python would nest here.

She couldn’t help glancing at the man in the passenger seat. If it hadn’t been for bringing this man, Lin Yuan, to the Qinghe Oasis, they wouldn’t be trapped in this deadly situation. The original mission was complete, and they were ready to head back to the oasis, but they’d spotted him lying roadside, curiosity got the better of them, and now they were paying dearly for it.

Ah! Curiosity truly kills!

Lin Yuan seemed to sense her gaze, turned his head and suggested, “The doors won’t open, but the window on my side can. Why not escape through the window?”

“The moment we get out, the python will swallow us whole!” Radish shrieked. “It’s not stupid!”

The bearded man was unwilling as well. “There’s still the mutant beast we hunted for this mission in the car. Its hide, teeth, and bones are worth a fortune. Are we supposed to leave it all behind?”

Lin Yuan frowned, looking at Ye Liuyun. “You do missions outside often—do you know the python’s weakness?”

Ye Liuyun gritted her teeth. “The Bramble Python is a mutant form of the Desert Horned Viper. Its body matches the color of the sand and is highly venomous. After mutation, its size increased tenfold, and its tail sprouts numerous thorny spikes. When hiding, only its tail sticks out, resembling a bramble plant in the sand, luring herbivores. If you ask about weaknesses… it fears the Giant Flower Lizard most.”

She paused, then cautiously added, “In the desert, it’s better to meet the Bramble Python than the Giant Flower Lizard. That beast is even more terrifying.”

The man asked, “Is it really that powerful?”

Ye Liuyun, Radish, and the bearded man all showed fear.

“The horror of the Giant Flower Lizard,” Ye Liuyun swallowed nervously, “is that anyone it bites, it will never forget. No matter how far you run, it will hunt you to the ends of the earth, relentless!”

The bearded man added, “There’s a giant flower on its back with six poisonous tendrils. Even if you manage to kill it, the tendrils can live for ages, and if they lash you unexpectedly, you won’t survive!”

Radish pressed his pale face. “Meet the python, you might die by poison or strangulation. Meet the Giant Flower Lizard, and death would be merciful!”

Lin Yuan: “…………”

It did sound terrifying.

Ye Liuyun reassured her team, “The Bramble Python’s patience is limited. We’re stuck, but it can’t get in. With the sun blazing, the car’s so hot you could fry an egg. Maybe it’ll give up before we do.”

Radish pessimistically replied, “The python isn’t patient, but if its nest was destroyed and all its offspring wiped out?”

Ye Liuyun: “…………”

The bearded man sighed heavily.

The situation was dire.

Lin Yuan glanced at the three, realizing they were out of ideas, and suggested, “There’s no water in the car. Being trapped here does us no good. Once night falls, even if the python leaves, we’ll meet other mutant beasts. We should risk escaping.”

Ye Liuyun disagreed, shaking her head. “Do you know how far the nearest oasis is? If you escape now, you’ll die of thirst or sunstroke before you ever find your way back!”

Lin Yuan grew frustrated. “So what do you suggest? Wait here for death?”

Radish couldn’t help shouting, “If it weren’t for taking you to Qinghe Oasis, we’d have left already! We wouldn’t be waiting here to die!”

Lin Yuan shot him a cold look. “If you want to leave so badly, you can go first. I hear pythons move sluggishly when feeding. While it’s swallowing, the rest needn’t worry about being bitten.”

Radish shrank behind Ye Liuyun in terror. “…You—you’re threatening me?! I saved you, and you’re so ungrateful!”

“You saved me?” Lin Yuan sneered. “Did you? Because from what I recall, you were just scavenging from my body.”

Radish avoided his gaze, guilty and silent.

Lin Yuan extended a hand. “Give me back what you took.”

Ye Liuyun turned in surprise to Radish. “You really took his stuff?”

Radish’s eyes darted, head lowered, silent.

“Damn!” Ye Liuyun slapped him. “Are you out of your mind? Taking from the dead is one thing, but from the living? Give it back, now!”