The Viper

"Be careful. Watch where you're going. The fireflies will only lead us along the shortest route, not the safest one. You all need to be careful."

As the group followed the fireflies deeper into the jungle, they listened to Perkin's constant muttering.

Perkin wasn't speaking loudly, but in the quiet of the night, his voice carried a long way.

They were heading in the opposite direction from where Mr. York had gone to look for food. They had been walking for nearly an hour, but still hadn't seen any sign Mr. York had left behind.

By now, Liu Zhi had also lost track of their route. He couldn't shake the feeling that they had strayed from their destination.

Several times, Liu Zhi had considered giving up the chase. But their earlier treatment of him had left him with a grudge. He wouldn't be satisfied unless he saw every last one of them dead.

That thought was what kept him following them.

But soon, Liu Zhi spotted an opportunity. He caught the slick, fishy stench of a giant snake in the air.

"This is the fourth one. What's going on with this jungle? There's no way a place like this could support so many giant snakes."

Muttering to himself, Liu Zhi gave up tracking Perkin and the others and crept toward the source of the snake's scent.

Before long, he spotted the giant snake slithering down a tree in the distance.

This one was smaller than the others he had seen, but Liu Zhi didn't dare underestimate it. Unlike the others, it had a triangular head.

"How is this possible? A viper can grow this big? Something must be wrong."

Liu Zhi stared at the sight in disbelief. Compared to the giant snakes that swallowed their prey whole, this one was even more dangerous. Who knew how long the venom in its mouth had been there, or what mutations it had undergone?

Liu Zhi carefully backed out of the giant snake's range. But after he had retreated only a few steps, the snake seemed to notice him and slithered in his direction.

Liu Zhi took stock of the situation. He checked himself and found that the various herbs he had prepared to mask his scent were still there and hadn't lost their potency. So why was the giant snake coming this way?

With no time to think, Liu Zhi hurried toward Perkin and the others. As he moved, he searched for a spot downwind of them, hoping their scent would draw away the giant snake that might have detected him.

Liu Zhi didn't know if his plan would work. He had already decided that if the giant snake was still after him once he reached the downwind side, he would abandon the mission, leave the jungle, and go look for the Golden City. Whoever wanted to get involved could deal with this mess. He wasn't about to leave his life behind here.

Fortunately, after catching the scent of the others, the viper changed its target. It left Liu Zhi, whom it hadn't yet found, and headed toward Perkin and the others.

Watching the black-and-white-patterned giant snake slither beneath the tree where he was hiding, Liu Zhi felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest.

He remained perfectly still in the tree. He knew that if he so much as moved, there was a good chance he'd find himself face-to-face with the viper's deadly gaze.

So he stayed hidden. Even when he checked on Perkin and the others, he only watched them from the corner of his eye.

It was nearly dawn. The fireflies were slowly coming to a stop, and Perkin didn't put them back in their jar. He let them die where they were.

"We've been traveling all night. Let's rest for a while."

As the last firefly's light went out, Perkin stopped as well. "Could one of you climb a tree and check whether there's a waterfall nearby?"

The swordsman, who had already sat down on a rock, got to his feet. "I'll take a look. You all be careful."

After speaking, the swordsman looked around, chose a particularly tall tree, and climbed up several meters in a few swift moves.

Then he hung from a branch and was about to climb higher when he spotted a pair of eyes the size of headlights staring at him from among the leaves.

The hairs on the swordsman's body instantly stood on end. Without a second thought, he let go and dropped toward the ground.

In midair, he drew the long sword strapped to his back, ready to fend off an attack from above. He had seen the giant snakes attack often enough by now: they always opened their mouths and bit. If he could wound one right away, he might have a chance to escape.

But no bite came from above. The giant snake burst out of the leaves with its mouth open, but instead of biting down, it sprayed a stream of clear liquid.

Unable to turn in midair, the swordsman took the full brunt of the spray.

He cried out as his body rapidly turned black and swelled up. By the time he hit the ground, he was already dead.

Seeing what had happened, the three people below screamed. The female knife-thrower raised her hand and flung two knives at the viper, then turned and fled the way they had come.

Perkin and Lloyd didn't stop to think. They didn't even bother retrieving the backpacks they had just set down, and ran in the opposite direction.

After the female knife-thrower attacked it, the giant snake opened its mouth and lunged after her. But she was fast, and in an instant, she had left the snake behind.

The giant snake held a grudge. After the female knife-thrower escaped, it slithered down from the tree and chased after her.

From his hiding place in the tree, Liu Zhi watched the female knife-thrower run beneath him. He waited until the giant snake had chased her far away before daring to climb down.

Only after making sure he hadn't left behind any scent or clues did he cautiously approach the place where Perkin and the others had rested.

By then, the swordsman's body had turned completely black. Even the long sword he had clutched in his hand had lost all its metallic shine.

Liu Zhi thought for a moment, then tore off a piece of his clothing. Using a branch, he pulled the long sword out of the venom and tightly wrapped the strip of cloth around its hilt.

Only after picking up the sword did Liu Zhi turn his attention to the backpack Perkin and the others had abandoned.

Lloyd hadn't carried his pack when he fled, and he hadn't brought much luggage on the journey. Perkin, however, had kept all the important things close at hand. His pack was the key to the trip.

They had left the pack here, and Liu Zhi wasn't about to pass it up. He picked it up and headed off in another direction. As for whether Perkin and the others would come after him to take it back, Liu Zhi could only say he wasn't afraid of them.

Not long after Liu Zhi left, Perkin and Lloyd sneaked back.

Seeing what lay before him, Perkin couldn't help shouting, "Where's my pack?"