Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The three of them were unclear about the current situation, feeling as if time had slowed down. At that moment, three heads grew back, and instantly, whether it was the Sniper Rifle, the Rifle, or the revolver, all three heads exploded simultaneously. The lifeless bodies trembled slightly before collapsing to the ground.
At this point, everyone seemed to awaken from a dream. They looked up to see that the snake-like predator had become completely motionless. Freyr knew well that this type of snake had a terrifying growth rate; for every head severed, two would grow back, and it wouldn't die unless all three heads were destroyed. This was akin to striking at the snake's vital point, which was no easy feat. It was fair to classify it as an Undead creature, but it was evident that this snake was merely an entry-level Undead in terms of difficulty.
Clearly, there were more dangerous predators lurking around, but their current coordination and strength could only allow them to avoid confrontation. In reality, that snake was utterly dead; it was dead for good. They took a moment to slice off its venomous sacs and cut the flesh into chunks with a stone for protein supplementation.
Despite the meat looking somewhat grotesque, with bright red capillaries visible, the more vibrant the flesh appeared, the more nutritious it was. Once consumed, it felt like a refreshing stream coursing through their bodies, revitalizing their sore muscles. Others ate as if they were indulging in rich fatty meat; the women wore embarrassed expressions on their faces but understood that without eating, they wouldn't survive in the desert. They were resigned to their fate as they consumed the snake meat.
"Hey!"
Someone in the group quickly sensed the benefits of the meat. Those women who had needed assistance to walk now felt a surge of strength coursing through them. A refreshing flow spread throughout their bodies, healing their sore muscles and enhancing their muscle elasticity—resulting in increased strength and speed.
"This is quite a tonic!"
Everyone wore similar expressions of astonishment as one person excitedly exclaimed. Freyr recognized that their curiosity stemmed from the convenience this meat provided.
It reminded him of his own first experience eating meat. He stepped in to prevent them from lingering any longer; no one knew how many types of predators lay hidden in the sand. The size of the snake they had just encountered was clearly normal; there were also giant pythons in the desert—kings among snakes. Once they sensed that one of their kind had perished, they would naturally return to the scene of the incident. If they stayed here too long, they would become prey for these larger snakes.
Thus, they couldn't linger any longer. Before leaving, Freyr poured out a jug of water to mask their scent as they moved on. However, he wasn't sure if this would be effective or not; after all, snakes had keen senses of smell. With their stamina restored, they picked up their pace because no one wanted to remain in a dangerous area longer than necessary—their weapons wouldn't last forever and would eventually run out.
They navigated by looking at the map, choosing paths that circumvented predator territories. Although this meant taking a longer route initially without much complaint, over time, fatigue began to set in again. Human stamina isn't an endless cycle; everyone needed rest to regain some energy before continuing onward. As such, fatigue would soon reach critical levels.
This time around, there would be no predators appearing; such luck was unlikely. Most predator meats were inedible; only a few types offered significant nutritional benefits while most were tough as leather or rubber and difficult to consume. Making leather from them would be more effective—it could reduce friction and insulate against temperature changes during combat while also alleviating weight issues. The problem was that they had already consumed quite a bit of water since starting.
From their conservative estimates of distance traveled so far—over ten kilometers—the surroundings remained a vast expanse of yellow sand with only occasional glimpses of greenery peeking through the surface; at least they were spared from visual pollution.
"Water! Does anyone have water? Can I borrow some?"
A woman's thoughts were interrupted as she licked her lips. She reached out and tugged at the corner of a nearby man's shirt, who looked worn and weary. The man gazed at her with a dazed expression, maintaining his distance. After all, water was more important to him; plans could not be changed. Given everyone's exhaustion, even finding another cactus to replenish their water supply wouldn't solve the problem of thirst.
"Let's go. I don't have much water left either. I can't help you; you can ask someone else."
In moments like this, when faced with death, unexpected things often happen. The woman noticed that everyone remained unmoved, and now she couldn't even cry. Her fists clenched tightly, making a creaking sound as she buried her head in resentment and took a few steps forward.
"Why won't you lend me water? I need to drink!"
With a dark expression, the woman suddenly lifted her head and lunged at the man in front of her. A surge of strength emerged from nowhere; despite using all his might, the man couldn't push her away. The woman bit down hard on his arm.
"Gulp~"
Her throat moved rhythmically, and a look of ecstasy crossed her face. At that moment, the man's scream pierced the air as he raised his gun and swung it toward the woman. Just then, the gun went off unexpectedly. Blood gushed from the woman's mouth; she never imagined she would die like this, a bullet had pierced through her skull and exited from the back of her head.
"Where did that gunshot come from?"
Upon hearing the gunfire, everyone should have intervened when they heard the argument escalating. But where were they? Intervening? Don't be ridiculous; who would take the time to stop someone who had lost control? Unless they too lost control, there was no way to balance the situation. But it wasn't until the gunshot rang out that they snapped back to reality—something terrible had happened.
Freyr was already fast; he rushed over first—not to help the man with bite marks on his arm but to check on the woman lying on the ground. There were no signs of life—no heartbeat or pulse. Her head had been blown apart by a bullet, her pupils dilated, and there was no struggle left in her. A mysterious smile appeared at the corners of her mouth as blood slowly trickled down.
"This witch... she bit my artery and is drinking my blood! I didn't want to kill her; I didn't want to face a military tribunal either. I was dragged into this military service without reason. They tricked me into joining with sweet words and sent me to this godforsaken desert, disregarding my life or death. What does it matter if I die? I have nothing left anyway."
The crowd's heads buzzed as they heard a man nearby scream in despair. At the same time, he pressed the gun against his chin, his eyes becoming vacant. However, this action was quickly thwarted by a hand that grabbed his arm and slapped it away. The person’s fist struck hard against his nose and eyes—anywhere that radiated pain—landing several blows until he was brought back to reality.
Froth held onto the man's arm while Duan Shuai stepped forward and delivered another punch to him before grabbing his head and staring into his lifeless eyes with fury. "What good will dying do? You're innocent; we can testify for you!"
The more the people around him spoke kindly, the more it ignited his hysteria. He pounded his chest and shouted, "What can you do to testify? Look, it was my gun that killed her! Just let me die."
Freyr, however, impatiently grabbed the handle of his revolver. He charged right in front of the man and slapped him across the face, saying, "Die, die, die! All you know is death. Fine, go ahead and die! I promise I'll watch you die with a smile. No one wants a useless waste of space trailing behind. Your loud voice will only attract more predators, you fool."
The man staggered back and spat out a mouthful of blood. Upon closer inspection, it was surprising that one of his teeth was missing from the bloodstains. Everyone froze for a moment until Duan Shuai spoke up, "Alright, alright, we're all teammates here. It's normal for him to be in this state. You’ve had enough; it’s not time to die yet. As long as we can get out of here, we’ll help clarify that your actions were in self-defense."
Duan Shuai paused briefly and glanced at the body lying in the bloodstains before continuing, "Bury her body—just cover it with sand. We have no other options; we can't carry a bleeding corpse with us. The smell of blood will attract more enemies. This place can at least buy us some time. Afterward, you should bandage your arm."
Freyr stood atop a sand dune, letting the wind blow against him as he held the compass to check the direction. His face was surprisingly calm, showing no concern for the opinions of the group behind him. His hearing was also remarkably sharp; he could hear them discussing him and referring to him as the Cold Noodle Reaper—a title usually reserved for special individuals, now crowned upon him.
But this did not affect his judgment. After a few seconds, he took a slow deep breath and said, "Are we done? Our journey is still long, but we've only covered half of it. The situation earlier was too sudden; everyone needs to calm down a bit. If water is running low, let’s pool our resources together. Don’t waste urine either; although it’s not very sanitary, desperate times call for desperate measures. You understand what I mean?"
"Urine too?"
The only girl left in the group remained relatively composed despite her red eyes; she had reacted most intensely during the earlier chaos. Jennily trembled slightly all over when she heard about urine and glanced at the other boys nearby. If sharing a water bottle was already pushing it to the limit, sharing something as disgusting as urine was definitely crossing a line no one wanted to cross.
"Oh? Don’t misunderstand; urine is for your own use—I’m not asking you to share! If you don’t mind each other’s company, feel free to try it out. Saving clean water is essential; this is just a last resort. The remaining journey will be exhausting; those who aren’t injured should take care of those who are while everyone else keeps their spirits up and stays alert."
At that moment, Freyr turned away with an air of nonchalance once again. The group behind him appeared somewhat indifferent as they nodded at each other; aside from smiling to boost morale, what else could they do?
Comment 0 Comment Count