Liu Zhi was the first to reach the bank. Once ashore, he didn't stop. He quickly found a boulder to hide behind, and only then dared to peek out and look around.
York, the jungle survival expert, had also reached the bank by then. Compared with Liu Zhi, who had been able to charge straight ashore, York was much more cautious.
He found a tree root extending into the water and gripped it tightly. He didn't climb ashore right away, but carefully surveyed his surroundings.
The giant snake clearly had no intention of letting the people aboard the ship escape. It plunged into the water and swiftly swam beneath those who hadn't yet reached the bank, swallowing them with a single bite.
The first to be swallowed was the captain. Although he had jumped into the river early and was a fast swimmer, he had made far too much noise. The giant snake had targeted him at once.
The captain was already close to the riverbank when the giant snake shot out from behind him, opened its jaws, and swallowed him whole from behind.
In his panic, the captain grabbed Liu Zhi's scimitar, which was stuck in the giant snake's tongue, and pulled it free.
The captain's action not only failed to inflict further harm on the giant snake, but also freed its tongue. From the bank, Liu Zhi saw the giant snake coil its tongue around the captain and swallow him down its throat.
This was even more terrifying than when the giant snake had crushed several people to death in its coils. Hiding behind the boulder, Liu Zhi even clutched his Fine-Thorn Sword, wondering whether he should just leave.
Just then, York hauled himself up and climbed ashore along the tree root. He had somehow found a long branch and was beating the surface of the water with it as he shouted, "What are you standing there for? Do what I'm doing and draw the snake away!"
Liu Zhi hurried into the nearby jungle and found a long branch of his own. Just as he was about to strike the water, York shouted again, "Do you want to die? Get a longer branch, at least three meters long! Then keep hitting the water. Remember, no matter how much noise the water makes, don't move your body!"
Following York's instructions, Liu Zhi found a long branch and began striking the water repeatedly.
Liu Zhi noticed that as they struck the water, the giant snake seemed to hesitate, as if trying to decide which side to go to first.
York waved to Liu Zhi. "Move over there and keep up this rhythm. Don't get close to the water, and don't be afraid..."
Taking advantage of the giant snake's hesitation, the others also began sneaking toward the bank.
Perkin was the first to reach the bank, having been the first to jump into the river. In fact, if he hadn't been startled again and again just now, he would already have been ashore.
Once he climbed out, Perkin didn't hide like Liu Zhi. Instead, he asked York, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Do what we're doing. Hit the water with a long branch. That's how we can save more people."
Perkin immediately got to work. The remaining people also swam toward the bank in ones and twos.
As York kept a steady rhythm with his strikes, he explained to those who climbed ashore, "Everyone, pay attention. When you use the sound of your strikes to mislead snakes, keep an eye on the water. If you see something like a piece of wood floating by, stop striking. It could be a crocodile. And don't strike too fast; keep a steady rhythm. When everyone's out of the water, don't all stop at once. Stop one at a time..."
Everyone who reached the bank followed York's instructions, using branches to strike the water while keeping their eyes on the giant snake, which was extending its tongue to sense everything around it.
Just as York had said, the more people struck the water, the more uncertain the giant snake seemed. By now, it had come somewhat closer to the bank, but it kept swimming back and forth, seemingly unsure whether it could swallow the creatures making the noise.
There were only two people left in the river: the mercenary leader and the musketeer. Both had seen the others climb out and knew they couldn't afford to rush.
So the two of them swam forward carefully. Just then, the female knife-thrower seemed to spot something and shouted, "No good! It's a crocodile!"
As she spoke, she drew her throwing knives. York turned to look and shouted, "Don't!"
But it was already too late. The female knife-thrower was renowned for her speed and accuracy. By the time York shouted, both of her short throwing knives had already struck the crocodile.
The crocodile wasn't badly hurt. It thrashed and rolled around in the water, trying to shake the knives off its body.
Seeing this, York hurriedly shouted to the mercenary leader and the musketeer, who were still in the water, "Get up here! If you don't hurry, it'll be too late!"
But the giant snake had already figured out what its prey in the water was. That kind of rolling movement meant it was a crocodile.
The giant snake immediately judged the size of the crocodile thrashing in the water and decided it was edible. Then it opened its mouth and lunged toward it.
The crocodile was close to the mercenary leader and the musketeer. Even with their battle experience, they couldn't withstand the giant snake's sudden attack. They abandoned caution and swam for the bank as fast as they could.
The giant snake also sensed the two of them amid the chaos. After swallowing the crocodile, it opened its mouth and lunged at the mercenary leader.
The musketeer had already grabbed a tree root on the bank and was about to climb up. When he suddenly saw what was happening behind him, he actually raised his hand and fired straight into the giant snake's open mouth.
Then, while pulling himself up with his left hand, the musketeer kept reloading with his right. Somehow, the gunpowder in his weapons had stayed dry despite being submerged for so long, and the guns still fired.
After each shot, the musketeer tossed the gun onto the bank. It was clear he planned to retrieve them and use them again once he got ashore.
But he didn't see York's expression. York kept muttering, "Madmen. They're all madmen. Why won't anyone listen to me?"
Liu Zhi also saw that something was wrong. The musketeer seemed quite confident, but behind the smoke was an enraged giant snake. Liu Zhi could even see its pupils narrowing into vertical slits.
York noticed it too and roared, "Run! Everyone, run into the woods! Don't run in a straight line—circle around the trees! Run, now!"
As he spoke, York threw away his branch and sprinted off before the giant snake could bite.
When Liu Zhi and the others heard him, they immediately understood what was happening. Without a second thought, they dropped their branches and fled into the jungle without looking back.
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