Giant Python

Bill, Jack, and the others rushed toward the riverbank. Meng Zu brought up the rear, gripping the Remington M870 tightly. The river was so muddy that they could not see what was beneath the surface. Suddenly, ripples spread across the water to their left. Meng Zu saw a huge, blurry shape charging toward Doctor Ben.

Although he could not make out what it was, its vague outline looked like some kind of snake. Searching for the Blood Orchid had originally been the plot of Anaconda, so Meng Zu naturally guessed that this was the mutated giant python from the movie, one that had eaten the Blood Orchid.

Without another word, Meng Zu fired at the giant python's blurry form. Bang! Bang! He fired, worked the action, and reloaded in one swift motion, getting off two shots in an instant. Water splashed everywhere as a giant python more than ten meters long rolled out of the river. Its body was nearly as thick as a man's waist, and near its neck were two massive wounds where flesh had torn open and blood poured out.

Hearing the gunshots, Bill and the others immediately turned around. They happened to see the enormous anaconda emerging from the water and froze in terror, unable to take another step.

Seeing that his first two shots had only struck the python's neck, Meng Zu raised his gun and fired at its head. Bang! Unfortunately, he missed. Perhaps because Meng Zu had wounded it, the python either held a grudge or sensed him as a threat. The instant Meng Zu pulled the trigger, it recoiled and lunged at him. The shot only hit its body.

Meng Zu was only three meters away from the giant python. For a python over ten meters long, that was practically face-to-face. With a single launch, it reached him in an instant, opening its bloodstained maw to bite down on his head.

The python struck with incredible speed, but Meng Zu possessed more than four times the physical ability of an ordinary person, along with Basic Neural Reflex. Even as that bloody maw rushed at him, he still had time to consider whether he should fire another shot. This time, it definitely won't be able to dodge. I can blow straight through its head.

But snakes were incredibly tenacious. Even after having their heads cut off, they would not die immediately, and their bodies would continue twitching for some time. This giant python's vitality was surely even greater. Even if he shot through its head, its jaws would still bite down on his skull.

With that in mind, Meng Zu threw away his gun and grabbed the python's head with both hands. A massive force slammed into him head-on, as if he had been struck by a moving car. His body swayed, and he nearly toppled into the water from the impact. Fortunately—

All of this happened in a flash. By the time Bill and the others reacted, they saw the giant python wrapped around Meng Zu's body, trying to crush him to death like the animals it had hunted before.

Seeing the others standing there stupidly and watching, Meng Zu's anger flared. He shouted, "Help me already!"

"Damn it!"

Jack and the others had been stunned by the giant python's immense size. Hearing Meng Zu's shout, they snapped back to their senses. Kerr immediately raised his hunting rifle at the python, but Bill grabbed the gun and forced it down.

"You'll hit Evan if you shoot! Achuan!" Bill called out. Achuan instantly understood what Bill meant. The two men, each carrying a machete, splashed through the water and rushed toward Meng Zu, who was locked in a stalemate with the python.

At this point, Meng Zu felt as though his arms and legs were about to go numb. The moment the giant python had wrapped around him, he had spread his arms and legs to brace against its body. He spread his legs to keep his footing. If the python dragged him into the water, he would be in serious danger.

A python killed its prey by coiling around its body and stopping the heart from circulating blood, causing death when the blood flow ceased. Meng Zu knew that much, so he used both elbows to brace against the python as it coiled around his chest. Although he had four times an ordinary person's strength, it was still not enough against the giant python. His limbs could only barely hold it back, and the pressure on him grew as the python tightened its coils.

Once Bill and Achuan got close, they raised their machetes and hacked at the python's neck. They wanted to cut off its head, but its body was nearly as thick as a man's waist. Bill and Achuan did not have enough strength; their blades sank only three-quarters of the way in before the python's muscles stopped them.

Blood immediately poured from the wounds. In pain, the python released Meng Zu's legs before Bill and Achuan could pull their machetes free, then swept its tail and knocked both men into the water.

Meng Zu saw his chance and exerted all his strength. His right hand released the python's head while his left violently jerked it upward. He stretched out his right arm, grabbed one of the machetes embedded in its neck, and endured the crushing pressure in his chest. Then, gripping the machete with his right hand, Meng Zu swung down at the python's neck with all his might.

A huge snake head splashed into the water. Without its head, the giant python's strength began to fade. With Bill and Achuan's help, Meng Zu pried the python's coils off his body. None of them had time to marvel at what had happened. Worried there might be more giant pythons in the water, Meng Zu retrieved his gun from the riverbed, and he and Bill's group quickly climbed ashore and put distance between themselves and the river.

The group found a safe place to rest. Kerr asked in a panic, "What the hell was that thing?"

"An anaconda!"

Bill had lived here for years, so he naturally recognized the giant python.

"There are snakes that big here?"

"Sam, that was a super giant python! That thing's body was almost thicker than mine! Oh God, I'm losing my mind!"

"If there are a lot of those things, we're definitely dead."

"Once we get back on the boat, we're going home!"

Kerr, Sam, Gale, and Gordon had clearly been badly frightened by the giant python. Agitated, the four of them spoke over one another.

Only Jack seemed thoughtful. He asked Bill, "Bill, are the anacondas here all that large?"

Bill shook his head. "No. That one was definitely mutated. It was the first one I'd ever seen that big. Normally, they're only five or six meters long. I've heard people say the biggest they'd ever seen was nine meters, but that one was already fourteen or fifteen meters long."

Jack said excitedly, "Excellent!"

Seeing Jack's strange reaction, Ben, the team doctor, asked, "What? Jack, what's wrong with you?"

Jack stood up and said excitedly, "We're close to finding the Blood Orchid."

Achuan asked in confusion, "Because of that giant python? Why are you so sure?"

Seeing everyone looking at him in confusion, Jack explained, "Houghton first discovered the Blood Orchid in 1892. He was also the first and last person to bring samples back from Borneo. He once proposed the concept of the Hayflick Limit."

Meng Zu did not understand any of this, so he asked, "What is that?"

"The Hayflick Limit refers to the fact that normal somatic cells in vertebrates can only divide a limited number of times. Once they reach that limit, it means the organism will die. If the limit can be increased, then lifespan can be extended. Houghton discovered that the Blood Orchid contained a component that could extend a cell's lifespan. That anaconda grew so large because it must have eaten Blood Orchids. It extended its lifespan, which was why it could grow that big," Jack said excitedly.

"So we'll find the Blood Orchid soon, and we'll all become millionaires." As someone obsessed with money, Gordon could not help imagining the wonderful life ahead.

"Yes."