Chapter 39: The Anaconda Disaster – The Giant Python and the Hand

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, the light in the rainforest seemed to be swallowed whole by something unseen.

From deep green to dark green to pitch black, the transformation took less than fifteen minutes.

No one had eaten much at dinner.

After Salang returned with a wild boar, everyone realized they were hungry again.

Salang and Mate volunteered to prepare the meal.

Inside the kitchen, the two of them chatted casually.

Their expressions were perfectly normal.

No one would have guessed they were discussing how to trick the others into blowing open the barricade tomorrow.

“I don’t care what you’re planning.”

Hyman suddenly appeared in the doorway.

He leaned against the frame with one knee bent.

In the dim light, the overhead lamp cast sharp lines of shadow and illumination across his face.

Those dark green eyes seemed to shine more brightly in the darkness.

There was something more primitive hidden deep within them.

Something cold.

Something slowly gathering.

The light lingered on his irises for only an instant before being swallowed by the endless green in his gaze, leaving behind two deep, bottomless voids.

He tilted his head slightly.

His eyes locked onto them.

“Stay away from Jiang Shulan. Okay?”

It was phrased as a question.

But the tone was commanding and unquestionable.

This was the arrogance common to those who wielded absolute power.

And men like him had every reason to be arrogant.

Mate didn’t even know how Hyman had discovered their plan.

Terrified, he nodded frantically.

“Understood.”

“We understand.”

Hyman’s gaze darkened.

“I want more than understanding.”

Salang quickly added, “We’ll do it.”

Hyman turned away.

In his hand, he casually played with a strip of apple peel.

He’d been led around like a dog for long enough.

It was time to ask his owner for a reward.

And if his owner refused…

He would bite back.

Hyman took a bite of the apple.

The flesh shattered between his teeth, releasing a burst of sticky sweetness.

As he swallowed, that sweetness gradually transformed into something else.

The next morning, the moment Jiang Shulan woke up, he felt something wrong with his chest.

He pulled open his collar.

For the first time, he couldn’t stop himself from swearing.

“F***!”

It was swollen!

Terry surveyed the surroundings.

Dead trees protruded from the water.

Vultures perched upon them.

Every direction radiated a chilling sense of unease.

She turned to Mate.

“Are you sure this is the right route?”

“Of course.”

Salang sat on a stool at the edge of the boat, fishing.

“If you don’t believe me, ask Mate. Although not many people travel this route. I’m not sure if he knows it. Very few people take this route.”

“But that doesn’t mean no one does.”

Mate leaned out from the wheelhouse.

“I heard from the elders in our village that this path could be used.”

“What’s wrong, Terry?”

Kyle asked.

“Nothing. I just have a bad feeling.”

Salang pulled a large fish from the river.

His tone carried deeper meaning.

“In the rainforest, danger and opportunity coexist.”

The boat continued forward for a while before coming to a stop.

Mate shouted for everyone to come look.

On either side of the waterway stood enormous serpent statues.

Beside them lay the remains of a broken barricade.

It looked as though there had once been a fence blocking the passage.

Salang was stunned.

The last time he’d been here, it had been completely intact.

That was why he’d brought explosives this time.

Now it seemed all that effort had been wasted.

However, judging by the damage, the barricade had been destroyed by immense force.

As far as he knew, even the largest giant python didn’t possess enough strength to do something like this.

Could there be an even larger one?

Salang’s heart pounded with excitement.

He muttered to himself.

“Could the Python God really exist?”

If he could capture the legendary Python God…

Wouldn’t he possess endless wealth?

The journey ahead remained unobstructed.

Then Warren spotted another stranded boat.

Unable to resist, he mocked, “Are stranded boats really this common around here?”

“Are these actually local people? Do they seriously not know the tides? Oh, come on, man.”

Danny, as always, played peacemaker.

“We should check if anyone needs help.”

Mate and Salang joined Danny.

Jiang Shulan wanted to go too.

His reason was simple.

He didn’t want to stay alone with Hyman.

The moment he stepped into the water, however, he regretted it.

He’d seen the water only reaching Danny and the others’ chests.

That’s why he’d dared to get down.

But for him, the water came all the way up to his neck.

One careless step and he’d choke.

Just as Jiang Shulan was about to turn back, he saw Hyman crouching behind him.

Those long fingers tapped lightly against his cheek.

There was laughter in his deep voice.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Want to come back?”

“Pervert! I’m not going back!”

Jiang Shulan was instantly provoked.

Furious, he followed behind Danny and climbed onto the stranded boat.

Danny carried the camera and exclaimed, “What happened here?”

Several massive holes had been torn through the hull.

No one knew what had caused them.

And there wasn’t a single person on board.

The boat was small enough that everyone could hear one another.

Since there was no immediate danger, they split up to investigate.

After confirming there were no clues and no survivors, everyone prepared to leave.

Jiang Shulan didn’t want to return and face that shameless Hyman so soon.

He deliberately lagged behind.

He had only taken a few steps and hadn’t even gotten off the boat when he suddenly heard a sharp cracking sound behind him.

He turned instinctively.

The giant python occupied the entire corridor of the boat.

Its enormous body looked capable of bursting the vessel apart from within.

Its scales reflected a cold, black sheen.

Its pupils were narrow vertical slits set within molten gold irises.

Its forked tongue slid out between slightly parted jaws.

The tip flickered rapidly in the air, accompanied by a faint hissing sound.

There really was a giant python!

Its head alone was almost taller than the boat itself!

Jiang Shulan’s legs trembled uncontrollably.

His throat tightened.

He couldn’t speak.

The only thing he could be grateful for was that the python didn’t seem to have noticed him.

Its head was turned to the left.

He struggled to lift his foot from the deck.

Just as he was about to run, someone covered his mouth from behind.

“Don’t move.”

The man’s voice was low and soft.

He spoke close to Jiang Shulan’s ear.

“Snakes can’t see well. They identify targets through heat signatures. As long as you don’t move, you won’t become its target.”

Move?

Jiang Shulan nearly lost his soul from fright.

He had almost been discovered.

He had been about to thank Hyman for putting aside their differences to save him.

Then, in the next second, an extremely faint sob escaped his throat.

“You…”

Jiang Shulan had been wrong.

What he’d encountered wasn’t a fairy-tale merman.

It was a dangerous and malicious predator.

A siren.

Unlike humans, sirens had no legs.

They moved through the water using their tails.

Their sharp fingers were their primary weapons.

When emotionally agitated, those long, perfect fingers, beautiful enough to resemble works of art, would sink deep into an enemy’s body, reaching for the heart itself.

Their personalities were cruel and malicious.

They enjoyed toying with their prey.

They would deliberately spare an enemy after convincing them all hope was lost, only to strike again once their victim relaxed.

Jiang Shulan’s feet left the ground.

Yet inertia pulled him downward.

He slid lower.

And lower.

Until he could go no farther.

The giant python shifted.

The movement caused the boat to rock violently.

Jiang Shulan’s eyes grew redder and redder.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

His mind had become complete chaos.

He could no longer think.

But he remembered one thing Hyman had said.

Don’t move.

Their bodies remained pressed together.

Neither of them moved.

And thermal vision couldn’t exactly distinguish where one body ended and the other began.

Perhaps because it couldn’t find its target, the giant python became increasingly agitated.

It lashed its tail.

The boat rocked violently.

The two of them lost their footing and fell together.

Jiang Shulan couldn’t help letting out a tiny sound.

The moment he realized it, he bit down hard on his own lip.

He didn’t dare make another sound.

Sweat beaded on his pale forehead.

Mixed with tears, it flowed continuously down his face.

The giant python treated the boat like a toy, tossing it back and forth.

Jiang Shulan’s stomach churned violently.

He desperately wanted to vomit.

But nothing came out.

All he could do was endure it.

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