Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Serpent’s Den?
The man pointed to a corner of the wall, piled high with rubble from where a secret chamber had been smashed open. Then, with another BOOM, the wall collapsed. The dim, torch-lit space was instantly flooded with bright light.
It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.
Along with the light came a swarm of snakes.
A swarm of snakes of all sizes, coiled up in clusters.
They flicked their tongues and hissed in unison, a chilling sight.
Without a second thought, Faye Yardley tossed two bombs into the swarm.
She never even considered whether her own people might be in the swarm. If they were, they were likely already dead.
BOOM! BOOM!
Following the two loud explosions, the snakes that weren’t killed scattered in all directions.
"Shit!"
"Fucking hell!"
The group couldn’t help but let out a string of curses.
Fortunately, they were all well-trained and didn’t panic. In the narrow passage, they quickly formed a defensive line, fighting back-to-back.
The slightest lapse in concentration meant a small snake could crawl onto you.
Faye Yardley’s blade, Light Wound, swept lightly across a teammate’s trousers. The snake was sliced cleanly in two without so much as a tear in the fabric—her control over her strength was incredibly precise.
"Yardley, no more bombs!"
Zachary Pierce’s voice came from the other side. Faye Yardley replied, "Got it."
If it were Logan Langdon’s people, she wouldn’t have minded using a couple more bombs to clear out more snakes. But since her own people were on the other side, it was better to stick to blades.
With someone covering her, Faye Yardley swapped Light Wound for a Longbow, then took out a Crystal Arrow and shot it directly into the densest part of the swarm on the other side.
As the Crystal Arrow flew, it kicked up a flurry of Ice Crystals, causing the surrounding snakes’ movements to stiffen.
She recalled the Arrow and shot it at the cave ceiling.
Soon, the snakes crawling on the ceiling, stiffened by the cold, began to fall one after another.
Faye Yardley switched from her Longbow back to Light Wound. Thanks to her superb agility, not a single snake managed to touch her.
It was just that she didn’t feel good. Even with her enhanced Attributes and vastly improved combat prowess, it didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid of snakes—especially a whole swarm of them.
But her actions betrayed none of her fear.
She killed so quickly and efficiently that she carved a path straight through the swarm to the other side.
"Gorgeous Yardley, you’re here too?"
Faye Yardley glanced at Logan Langdon. "Aren’t you here too, Mr. Langdon? Let’s deal with these snakes before we exchange pleasantries."
Zachary Pierce approached Faye Yardley while killing snakes. "Yardley, are you all right?"
"I’m not. Seeing this many snakes is making my skin crawl."
"Then get behind me. I’ll handle them."
Logan Langdon’s gaze swept between Faye Yardley and Zachary Pierce. His brow furrowed slightly, but the snake-killing motion of his hands never stopped.
As if channeling some inner frustration, he began to kill with even greater ferocity.
But even an endless swarm of snakes couldn’t withstand the combined slaughter of two teams.
Once the massacre was over, the smell in the air became even more foul.
Bo and his group wasted nothing. The moment the killing stopped, they began to butcher the Snake Meat. With the help of the system, their speed was astonishing.
Some of Logan Langdon’s teammates looked on with disdain, while others furtively moved to the back to butcher and collect some Snake Meat for themselves.
"Commander Langdon, did you only see these snakes when you entered from the other side? There are a lot of them, but none are particularly large or powerful. Something feels off." Zachary Pierce carefully examined their surroundings. It was very bright, so he could see everything clearly.
Logan Langdon also felt something was wrong. "After we ran in here, we really didn’t encounter anything besides this pile of snakes. This can’t just be a snake pit, can it?"
He didn’t even believe his own words.
Logan Langdon had actually entered the cave to find treasure, based on information provided by Chloe Hughes. And everything was more or less as she had described. The only question was, where was the treasure?
After more than thirty burly men quickly cleaned up the snake carcasses, an intricate pattern was revealed on the floor. The grooves were now stained with Snake Blood, and after being cleared, the blood began to flow freely within the channels, making the pattern look particularly bewitching.
[Friendly Reminder: You have 15 minutes remaining on your accepted Invitation Card. Please plan accordingly.]
Hearing the system’s prompt, Faye Yardley moved closer to Zachary Pierce and tugged on his sleeve. When he looked over, she turned her back to Logan Langdon and whispered, "Mr. Pierce, I’ll be heading back in fifteen minutes."
Watching the two of them so close, Logan Langdon found the sight increasingly irritating. He was even a little vexed.
He took two steps forward, and the pattern in the center suddenly erupted in a dazzling red light. Zachary Pierce instantly yanked Faye Yardley behind him.
After the red light faded, a hole wide enough for one person appeared where the pattern had been.
Faye Yardley frowned. "It’s not more snakes down there, is it?"
Zachary Pierce glanced at her spotless clothes. "What do you think? Maybe the good stuff is down there."
"Send someone down to take a look," Logan Langdon ordered.
Faye Yardley happened to know the person who went from Logan Langdon’s side; it was Gavin Donovan’s senior disciple, Henry Lewis. From her side, Finn Ford eagerly went forward. Both of them lay at the edge of the hole and peered inside. Then, without a word, Henry Lewis jumped down first.
Finn Ford, however, got up and said, "Pierce, there’s no sign of anything unusual down there for now. No snakes or other monsters either."
With that, he also leaped into the opening.
Since no danger was detected, and no sounds of fighting or warnings came after Henry Lewis went down, Logan Langdon and the others quickly approached.
"Mr. Langdon, come on down! No danger down here!"
Henry Lewis’s voice came up clearly from below.
Logan Langdon glanced at his own side, noting he had fewer people than Zachary Pierce. So he said, "We don’t all need to go down, right? Someone should stay up here on guard."
"You’re right. How about five people from each side go down? That should be enough." Zachary Pierce didn’t mind. Since they had agreed to split the loot evenly, he had no intention of taking advantage of Logan Langdon.
Once it was settled, Logan Langdon went down first with his people. Zachary Pierce then pointed to two others to go down with him.
Before going down, Faye Yardley took out a plate of rice balls and handed it to a nearby teammate. "Wash your hands and share these later. And remember to have Mr. Pierce return the plate to me."
After saying that, she shoved it into his hands and jumped into the hole herself.
The area below was a bit smaller than the one above, and the light was softer. ’Where is the light even coming from?’
With that thought, Faye Yardley looked up, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
And that in itself was strange.
"Yardley, come take a look."
Faye Yardley ran to Zachary Pierce’s side. Looking at what he was pointing at, she felt a wave of nausea. "Snake Eggs? So this place really is just a snake pit?"
A wave of revulsion washed over her.
She took a step back, her foot bumping into something, and the wall behind her slowly swung open like a door.
