Trap Serpent People

The night was like water.

A cool breeze swept across the plains, plunging everything into darkness.

The four members of the Earth Dragon Squad, wearing multi-functional helmets with night vision activated, walked and chatted.

"Speaking of which, we've been walking for three or four hours, and we haven't found any clues."

Xiao Yunlong said dejectedly.

Qin Tian frowned slightly. At first, he could still smell traces of blood along the way, but at a certain point, the smell of blood suddenly disappeared. After that, they could only randomly choose a direction to continue.

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"Why don't we find a place to rest first?"

Xiao Yunlong looked at the desolate and lonely environment around them and said, "It's not safe to travel at night."

"Okay."

Qin Dadi nodded.

The group found a small hill and sat on its leeward side. Qin Dadi took out some instant food and mineral water from his backpack and distributed it to everyone.

"Captain, I forgot to ask, which regiment do the teams we're looking for belong to?" Xiao Yunlong asked while eating.

Qin Dadi unscrewed the cap, took a sip of water, and said, "White Tiger Legion."

"White Tiger Legion Special Forces Team~"

Xiao Yunlong was surprised: "It's them? I feel like this mission is getting more and more dangerous."

"That's why we need to be even more vigilant."

Qin Dadi said solemnly: "Once you notice something is wrong, contact headquarters immediately. Don't try to be brave."

"Yeah, I definitely won't be brave. I'm a coward."

Xiao Yunlong shrugged.

Qin Tian ate his compressed biscuits in small bites. They tasted much better than he expected, chocolate-flavored, but a bit too dry, requiring water to swallow.

Just then, an extremely faint sound came from afar, instantly catching his attention.

After listening carefully for a moment, Qin Tian narrowed his eyes and said:

"Someone is nearby."

Someone?

Hearing this, the three immediately became vigilant.

Qin Dadi asked in a low voice, "Which direction?"

Qin Tian pointed in one direction, "This way, about two kilometers away."

"No, you can hear sounds from two kilometers away."

Xiao Yunlong's mouth widened, and he said in shock, "What kind of ears do you have? Are you a bat?"

It's a cat, cats have very good hearing too.

Qin Tian answered inwardly. His current [Shadow Muscle and Bone] was obtained from a fourth-tier Shadow Catman, and the talent light cluster had reached deep blue.

Hearing, smell, and Night Vision Ability far surpassed ordinary people.

Moreover, they were currently in a plain, with no other noise besides the whistling wind. It wasn't strange to hear movement from two kilometers away.

"Qin Tian, are you sure it's people? Could it be some small animals?" Qin Dadi asked cautiously.

"I heard voices talking," Qin Tian said.

Liu Zhaozhao said, "Could it be another squad?"

"No."

Qin Dadi shook his head. "For this mission, each squad has a designated area. I'm sure only our Earth Dragon Squad is in this area."

"If it's not a Special Forces Team, then that means..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Yunlong's eyes. "We've found the target!"

"If Qin Tian didn't mishear, then it should be."

A smile appeared on Qin Dadi's face. The military attached great importance to this mission and offered generous Military Merit Points. In just half a day, they had successfully found the missing personnel.

This operation was unexpectedly smooth~

"Let's go~"

The Earth Dragon Squad immediately took action and ran quickly. Soon, they arrived in front of a cave entrance.

"Is anyone inside?"

Xiao Yunlong stood at the cave entrance and shouted.

"Someone, someone."

A hurried and slightly weak voice came from inside.

Someone's here!

The few exchanged glances and turned on their flashlights, entering the cave.

The cave was dark, with a distinct damp smell, and also carried a faint scent of rust.

"We're over here~"

A voice came from ahead. Qin Dadi quickly turned his flashlight over.

They saw two men in Special Forces Uniforms sitting on the ground, leaning against the cave wall. Their clothes were tattered and stained with dark red blood. Their lips were pale, and they looked to be in bad shape.

"Which Special Forces Team are you from?" Qin Dadi asked.

A man with a buzz cut said weakly, "My name is Xue Lin, and this is Wang Tiancheng. We're both members of the White Tiger Legion's Skywind Squad."

Xue Lin, Wang Tiancheng.

Qin Dadi compared them to the missing persons list and their faces, confirming their identities. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "We are the 319th Legion's Earth Dragon Squad. We were ordered by the military command to search for personnel who went missing a few days ago. Your identities have been confirmed. I will contact command now and escort you back to base."

"Thank you."

Wang Tiancheng spoke, his voice hoarse and weak. "Brothers, could you get us some water to drink first?"

"No problem."

Xiao Yunlong immediately took two bottles of water from his backpack and handed them over.

"Thanks."

The two acted as if they had found treasure. They quickly unscrewed the caps, tilted their heads back, and gulped down the water without pause.

"Don't rush, drink slowly. I still have..."

Before Xiao Yunlong could finish speaking, the two had already finished a full bottle of water.

"...a few more bottles~"

Xiao Yunlong's voice trailed off.

"How are your injuries? Do you need medicine?"

Qin Dadi noticed the multiple wounds on their bodies, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"No need. We'll get treated back at the base."

Xue Lin refused Qin Dadi's kind offer.

"Can you give us some more food?" Wang Tiancheng said hoarsely.

Hearing this, Xiao Yunlong quickly rummaged through his backpack, put back the hard-to-swallow compressed biscuits, and took out two energy bars.

"Thank you."

Wang Tiancheng handed one to Xue Lin, then slowly tore open his own wrapper, opened his mouth, took a small bite, and chewed with difficulty.

Just then, Qin Tian suddenly spoke:

"What happened to your injuries?"

At this question, Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng paused, and both looked up at Qin Tian.

"I'll explain," Xue Lin sighed. "A few days ago, several of our squads received a mission to investigate the disappearance of Steel 7th Company. Upon arriving at the scene, we found no valuable clues. So, the captains agreed to split up and share information daily."

"Later, our Skywind Squad searched in one direction, and unexpectedly, we encountered a group of snake people halfway."

Snake people?

In Qin Tian's mind, a classic snake person image immediately surfaced—Medusa.

"These snake people weren't very strong, and we quickly killed most of them. However, just as we were about to finish them off, a fourth-tier Myriad Poison Snake Person suddenly appeared."

"Myriad Poison Snake Person!"

Xiao Yunlong exclaimed, and a look of shock also appeared on Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao's faces.

"That's right, a Myriad Poison Snake Person," Xue Lin said with a bitter smile. "After he appeared, the situation immediately reversed. Our entire squad combined was no match for him. In the end, the captain burned his bloodline power and held him back, creating an opportunity for us few members to escape."

"We split up in pairs and fled. Tiancheng and I were together. On our escape route, we encountered many snake people. We both fought with all our might to break through the encirclement and found a safe place to hide."

"But we both lost our communicators during the fight, so we couldn't contact the military. Fortunately, the military didn't give up on us."

After hearing Xue Lin's account, Xiao Yunlong and the other two were secretly alarmed. A Myriad Poison Snake Person was several times more terrifying than the Shadow Catmen they had encountered before.

That Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng were still alive after encountering a Myriad Poison Snake Person was truly a testament to their great fortune.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the Myriad Poison Snake Person, Qin Tian felt that something was still not quite right.

What was it?

Qin Tian's gaze swept over Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng, and suddenly, a detail caught his attention.

Wang Tiancheng's leg!

Xiao Yunlong and Qin Dadi's flashlights aimed at the upper bodies of two people, their lower bodies hidden in the dark environment.

However, Qin Tian possessed a powerful Night Vision Ability, allowing him to see everything very clearly.

Wang Tiancheng's leg was severely injured, as if it had come into contact with something highly corrosive. A large patch of skin had rotted away, extending from his calf to his ankle.

His once well-developed calf muscles now looked like a large chunk had been gnawed off.

With such a severe injury, it was difficult to even walk, so how could he have broken through the snake people's encirclement?

Was he lying?

But why would he lie?

Qin Tian frowned. Just then, his vision suddenly blurred, and a faint sense of dizziness washed over his mind.

Thump~

Thump~

The sound of bodies falling to the ground reached his ears. Qin Tian turned his head and saw Qin Dadi, Xiao Yunlong, and Liu Zhaozhao all collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

His heart immediately leaped. He swept his gaze to the side.

He saw Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng staring intently at him, their eyes filled with emotions that were hard to describe, a mix of helplessness, struggle, and guilt.

Qin Tian's thoughts raced. He clutched his head, staggered a couple of steps, and then his body went limp, and he fell into unconsciousness.

Ten-odd seconds later.

Rustle, rustle.

A faint, scraping sound echoed from the depths of the cave, as if something smooth was rubbing against the ground.

Not long after, several tall figures appeared.

Their upper bodies were bare, muscular, and strong, with dark green hair. Their faces bore distinct features of both humans and snakes, with a pair of sharp yellow eyes whose pupils were narrow slits like those of a snake.

Their lower bodies were thick snake tails, their scales shimmering with a faint blue-black hue in the dim light.