[You gained 28 merit points]
[You gained 39 merit points]
[You gained 51 merit points]
[You gained...]
As Gao Teng ventured deeper into the forest, he cut down one mutated creature after another.
This place was far more dangerous than the sewers. Venomous snakes would suddenly dart out of hiding to attack, their aggression intense.
However, perhaps because people often came to the island to clear them out, the venomous snakes that attacked him were pathetically weak, mostly below Level 1.
Gao Teng had been deep in the forest for more than twenty minutes without encountering a mutated creature that could threaten him.
He was even bitten by a snake once or twice by accident, but his skin didn't bear so much as a scratch. That was how terrifying a Level 3 physique was!
[You gained 168 merit points]
Amid the pleasant notification chime, Gao Teng pinned a king cobra to a tree.
He raised an eyebrow. That snake had given him a lot of merit points. If he ran into more mutated creatures like it, he'd make a fortune today.
Gao Teng pulled out his knife and flicked the blood off the blade.
"Hey! You got blood on me!"
Meng Yao shouted.
Gao Teng turned around, his face full of apology. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Weren't paying attention?"
Meng Yao pursed her lips. "I think you did it on purpose to get my attention. You saw a pretty, adorable girl like me and got a little smitten, didn't you?"
"?"
A question mark appeared over Gao Teng's head.
Meng Yao continued, "You've been rushing to kill all the snakes and haven't given me a chance to fight. Isn't it because you're afraid I'll get tired?
I know exactly what you're thinking. But I can't blame you. I mean, who could help liking me?"
Gao Teng's lips pressed into a thin line. He hadn't expected Meng Yao to be that conceited.
He pointed at Liu Ming. "I haven't let him fight either, so does that mean..."
However, before he could finish, Meng Yao cut him off. "Now you're making excuses? You won't let him fight because you want to show off in front of me and prove how capable you are, right?"
"Hey!"
Gao Teng was completely at a loss for words.
But he had to admit that Meng Yao wasn't annoying like this. She was actually kind of cute in a way he couldn't quite describe.
Her petite frame, sweet and adorable face, crisp voice, and mischievous personality made her really fun to be around.
"Meng Yao, you three, stop chatting and watch out for snakes!" Chen Yan sternly scolded them from behind.
Just then, a series of sudden explosions rang out in the woods. Thick smoke instantly billowed everywhere, swallowing them all in the blink of an eye.
Gao Teng's expression changed. Then he heard Chen Yan's voice behind him.
"Quick! Everyone, gather around me!"
Gao Teng turned around, but all he could see was thick fog. Chen Yan was nowhere in sight.
Luckily, she was nearby. He followed her voice and rushed over, reaching his homeroom teacher's side.
"Is everyone here?"
Chen Yan quickly scanned the students who had gathered around her. Seeing that no one was missing, she breathed a little easier.
Then she and the Public Security Bureau members formed a protective circle around the students, warily watching their surroundings.
The next moment, a strange whistling sound rang out through the forest. Infused with true energy, it echoed all around them, seeming to come from right beside their ears.
Chen Yan's expression darkened. Then she saw swarms of venomous snakes pouring in from every direction, rapidly slithering toward them!
"Don't panic! I'll protect you!"
Chen Yan gathered her true energy and struck out with her palm. A fierce chill burst forth, freezing the mass of venomous snakes surging toward them in place. A layer of frost formed over their bodies.
The Public Security Bureau members also showed off their abilities, channeling true energy and attacking one after another, killing snakes as easily as chopping vegetables.
Their group managed to hold its ground, but the other classes weren't so lucky.
There were too many students to protect them all. Screams kept ringing out through the fog. Clearly, many students had already been bitten by venomous snakes—or even killed!
After all, not every student had a powerful physique. Those who were weak couldn't withstand the snakes' sharp fangs.
If six or seven venomous snakes bit someone at once, they would die on the spot!
"Are there other people on this island? Ma Wei, what the hell are you doing?"
Chen Yan demanded as she struck down venomous snakes with her palm.
Ma Wei's face showed a hint of panic. This situation was completely unexpected.
"I...I don't know what's going on. The island is full of venomous snakes. Why would there be..."
As he spoke, several giant snakes suddenly lunged out of the fog.
They were not only enormous, but shockingly fast.
Ma Wei quickly fell silent and swung his sword, sending several blasts of sword energy into one of the giant snakes. It was instantly chopped into pieces.
The others also launched their attacks, killing the giant snakes as they lunged at them.
But the moment they spent fighting gave the snake swarm an opening. A mass of venomous snakes rapidly slithered toward Gao Teng and the others.
Gao Teng and the others hurriedly swept their blades across, but they still couldn't hold back the overwhelming assault. In an instant, the swarm scattered them, leaving each to fight alone.
Explosions continued to ring out through the forest, making the smoke in the air even thicker.
Unable to make out any direction through the fog, Gao Teng retreated as he fought, protecting his vital areas.
"Students, hurry and gather around me!"
When Chen Yan's voice rang out again, Gao Teng was shocked to realize he was already very far from it.
"This is bad."
Gao Teng's heart sank as his mind raced, searching for a way to break the deadlock.
Before long, he came up with a plan.
Someone was controlling these venomous snakes. If he could steal the snake-taming method, perhaps he could put an end to this crisis.
However, the whistling used to control the snakes seemed to be coming from right beside his ears. He couldn't tell where it was coming from.
What should he do?
Just as Gao Teng was fretting, a figure suddenly appeared in his field of view. Meng Yao had been driven right over to him by the venomous snakes.
Gao Teng's eyes lit up. He had another brilliant idea.
"Meng Yao!"
He rushed over and swung his knife, driving away the venomous snakes attacking Meng Yao.
Then he grabbed her arm and ran toward the depths of the forest.
The venomous snakes pursued them relentlessly. As he ran, Gao Teng said, "Someone's controlling these venomous snakes. I have a way to learn the technique, but we have to find that person first.
They must be deep in the forest. Carry me in there. Once we find them, we can save everyone!"
Meng Yao wondered if she'd heard him wrong. "You want me to carry you?"
"You're a Level 4 martial artist, so you're fast.
If I go looking for the person myself, we'll waste time, and more people will definitely die!"
"..."
Meng Yao fell silent for a moment, then finally agreed.
Gao Teng didn't waste any time. He immediately jumped onto Meng Yao's back and wrapped his arms around her neck.
"You're too tall."
Meng Yao grumbled in frustration and channeled her true energy as she ran.
Her little legs moved incredibly fast. Although she couldn't tell which way was deeper into the forest in the smoke, all she had to do was run in the direction opposite the sounds of fighting.
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