Black Snake

Time seemed to stand still.

Lin An remembered.

He had always heard people say that time slowed down before death, allowing you to slowly relive your life like an unfurling scroll.

He had not believed it before, but he did now.

A tangible wave of Mental Shock distorted space as it slowly yet unwaveringly slashed toward his head.

He could even feel the pain between his brows, his scalp slowly splitting apart.

The Zombies around him, drawn by the scent of blood, swung their arms in slow motion, looking absurdly comical.

Grains of dust wrapped in Mental Strength fell one by one.

The roaring sound stretched and warped, becoming low and indistinct.

Everything was so slow.

Yet, in the center of that scroll, a Long Serpent flashed into view like a bolt of black lightning.

It moved so fast that even Lin An, in his current state, could not react.

It arrived with a single thought!

"Pfft—"

The Black Snake leaped up, placing itself between Lin An and the Mental Shock.

The shockwave, powerful enough to slice through tank armor, sank into the Black Snake's body and vanished in an instant.

Like a stone swallowed by the sea, it disappeared without a trace.

The Black Snake gave a satisfied burp, then wagged its tail at Lin An as if seeking praise.

Time resumed its flow, and the rushing river of time continued to roar onward.

Lin An's heart shook violently as he stared at the Black Snake before him in disbelief.

Too fast.

The speed the Black Snake had unleashed just now had absolutely surpassed the speed of sound!

If converted into Agility, it had to be at least over 45 points!

Even a Third Order Mutant could not achieve such speed!

"Hiss—"

Its tongue flicked out as the Black Snake arched its body.

Lin An actually saw a trace of fawning in its cold pupils.

He did not know why he could see emotion in a snake's eyes.

His mouth was dry.

Lin An did not know what to do with his hands or feet.

What the hell was this thing?!

It had appeared here out of nowhere and saved his life.

It was even showing him such obvious favor.

Before Lin An could think any further, the Black Snake suddenly turned and reared upright.

It instantly expanded, transforming from a slender little snake into a four-meter-tall giant python.

Its pitch-black scales devoured the sunlight like a Black Hole.

Two bulging protrusions stood atop its sharp head, as though something was trying to grow out.

The Red-Clothed Girl floating in midair stopped moving.

She remained expressionless, her deathly pale eyes fixed on the Black Snake.

Wariness?

From her reaction, Lin An sensed that this suspected Third Order Mutant was somewhat afraid of the Black Snake.

"Chi!"

The Red-Clothed Girl stood suspended in the air, powerful Mental Strength spilling from her body and rending everything around her.

"Buzz!"

She raised one hand, her pale fingertips pointed at the Black Python.

In Lin An's perception, a mental fluctuation far stronger than the Blast that had struck him earlier erupted and slammed into the giant python in an instant.

The two beings, both clearly monsters, began fighting without saying a word.

This left Lin An deeply puzzled.

The Mental Strength Impact arrived in an instant, yet just like before, it vanished after sinking into the giant python's body.

The Black Python opened its jaws and remained where it was, seeming to mock her.

"Boom!"

The next second, its massive body sprang into the air at an impossible angle and appeared before the Red-Clad Mutant.

Its bloody maw opened and bit down.

"Ah!"

As the enormous jaws closed.

The Red-Clothed Girl let out a shrill scream filled with Mental Shock, instantly bursting the heads of all the Zombies within a hundred meters.

Lin An let out a muffled groan, two streams of blood running from his nose.

His head felt as though it were splitting apart. If his Willpower Attribute had not far surpassed that of ordinary Awakened ones.

That scream alone would have shredded his consciousness.

Other than that.

He could sense that the scream's true target was not him or the surrounding Zombies.

It was the Black Python.

Lin An gave a bitter smile. He had not expected that he did not even qualify to watch the battle.

The aftershocks of the fight alone had nearly taken half his life.

His gaze turned solemn, but much of the confusion in his heart had been cleared away.

That scream was what he had heard last night!

Its venomous, piercing sound had left a deep impression on him.

What had happened last night?

Before Lin An could figure it out.

The Black Snake refused to let up. That scream, enough to kill thousands, seemed like nothing more than noise to it.

It paused slightly, but was not hindered as it continued swallowing the Red-Clad Mutant.

"Buzz."

A faint spatial ripple spread out.

To avoid being Devoured.

The Red-Clad Mutant vanished strangely, reappearing some distance away as if she had teleported.

Her aura had weakened considerably, and the Mental Strength spilling from her body had retreated back inside.

It seemed that this teleportation-like ability consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

The Red-Clad Mutant remained where she was, and the Black Python did not continue pursuing her.

It was unclear what it was waiting for.

The two faced each other in a standoff. Lin An did not know why the Black Python, despite clearly holding the advantage, did not attack again.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss."

Its tongue flicked out.

During the standoff, the Black Python seemed to begin communicating with the Red-Clad Mutant.

A few seconds later, Lin An watched as the Red-Clothed Girl hesitated briefly before taking off the Necklace around her neck and throwing it toward the Black Python.

For the first time, Lin An saw emotional fluctuation on her childish face.

Resentment, reluctance, and helplessness.

As the Necklace flew through the air, the Obsidian at its center shimmered with a mysterious glow, drawing Lin An's gaze after it.

It would be great if he could get it.

Lin An's heart burned.

According to the equipment description, Skull Crusher's Hand would rise to Epic Equipment after merging with its missing component.

As the name implied, such equipment possessed boundless power.

In his Previous Life, Lin An had only heard a little about it when the strongest Awakened ones chatted.

Epic Equipment could overturn mountains and seas, bringing a qualitative leap in strength to a Player.

Lin An guessed that there might not be many such pieces of equipment in the entire Doomsday Game.

Wanting it was one thing.

Lin An could only remain where he was, not daring to make a move.

The Necklace had been thrown to the Black Python.

Although the Black Snake had saved him and had even shown inexplicable favor.

Lin An would never narcissistically assume that the Black Snake would definitely not attack him.

A Black Snake capable of ignoring a Third Order Mutant's Mental Shock and moving at a speed comparable to 45 points of Agility.

At this stage, such strength was practically invincible.

Lin An knew that if the giant python attacked him, he would not be able to withstand even one strike.

With that speed alone, he would not even have time to react.

Although he did not know where the Black Python transformed from the Black Snake had come from.

Lin An vaguely felt that this monster was different from mutated creatures infected by the Zombie Virus.

After throwing away the Necklace, the Red-Clothed Girl turned without hesitation and flew away through the air.

However.

After carefully comparing the direction she was flying in, Lin An was shocked to discover that she too was heading for the City Center.

He had no idea what was in the City Center.

Lin An recalled the Corpse Mountain at the entrance to the city.

There had also been traces of a Third Order Mutant there, and its target had likewise been the City Center.

His head hurt, and unease filled him.

The course of this Doomsday was completely different from his memories, giving him a sense of losing control.

But after a moment, Lin An suppressed those thoughts.

No matter what changes occurred, he would have to face them.

Pointless emotions were useless.

A cold wind suddenly rose. The weather after Doomsday was unpredictable.

Lin An quietly remained in the Deep Pit, watching as the Black Snake picked up the Necklace and swallowed it whole.

What a pity.

Lin An sighed softly.

It seemed that the Black Snake's target had also been the Obsidian on the Necklace.

He just did not know why it had saved him.

But no matter what, it seemed that his hope of completing the equipment had been completely shattered.

He could not fight either of those two monsters.

Letting go of his desire to obtain the Obsidian, Lin An ran his fingers over Skull Crusher's Hand on his right hand.

What a shame. If he had completed this equipment, he would have been completely confident in killing the Stitcher.

Still, the outcome was not too bad. At least he had survived an encounter with a suspected Third Order Mutant.

That was already extraordinarily fortunate.

He did not dwell on it further.

The injuries on his body were gradually recovering. With his high Physique, his body healed roughly seven times faster than an ordinary person's.

Though he could not regenerate severed limbs, he could rapidly close wounds and repair internal organs.

As if awaiting judgment.

Even now, Lin An did not know why the Black Snake had suddenly appeared or why it had suddenly stepped in to save him.

"Smack."

Just as Lin An was anxiously speculating, the Black Python transformed back into a slender Black Snake.

It happily slithered to Lin An's feet, then opened its mouth.

The Necklace, covered in slime, was spat onto the ground as though it were presenting him with treasure.

His breathing quickened as Lin An stared fixedly at the Black Snake and the Necklace.

This was!?

In his mind, a childish voice rang out.

"Fuse... equipment!"