Crippled

The excruciating pain from the gaping wound in the python's mouth instantly crushed any thought of escape.

It stopped retreating.

The massive body, several meters long, jerked and rolled violently in the soft mud, its thick scales scraping against the icy mud with a rough, grating sound. The muscles beneath its skin bulged hard, and the entire body used every last bit of strength to push itself forward.

It wasn't a deterrent, it wasn't a demonstration, it was simply a desperate last stand.

The python's head thrashed violently from side to side, its movements widening the gaping wound and causing large gushes of warm, foul blood to gush out, staining the mud in front of it black. The previously restrained biting and entanglement had completely spiraled out of control. It didn't care whether the blade stuck in its mouth would cut deeper into its flesh; it only cared about frantically shaking its head, crushing, and squeezing, wanting nothing more than to grind and tear apart the tiny thing pressing against its mouth that was causing it excruciating pain.

The entire swamp surface was constantly shaken by it, mud and water splashed everywhere, and the soft mud kept churning and collapsing.

Lu Heng's current state has long since deviated from normal combat rationality.

The Tiger Potion burned through his entire body, his skin burning hot, and his bones filled with a savage, restless energy. All the aches, the squeezing pain, the numbness in his bones were suppressed deep within by this scorching power. He was unafraid of being rammed, crushed, or attacked by the beast in a desperate attempt to take it down with him; only one straightforward thought remained in his mind—to press down, cleave the wound, and kill it completely.

He neither dodged nor retreated.

His feet gripped the last remaining patch of hard earth, his soles embedded in the mud to stabilize his precarious balance. His arms were straight, his knuckles stiff, and his hands gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, enduring the giant python's repeated violent head-thrusts and ramming. The impacts numbed his torso, his shoulder bones subjected to constant, unbearable shocks, stretching his Combat Suit suit to its limit to protect his flesh and bones, barely managing to absorb some of the crushing pressure.

Under normal circumstances, the impact of a behemoth of this magnitude would be too much for the human skeleton to withstand; it would have resulted in fractures and paralysis.

But the medication kept him going.

Lu Heng faced the giant python's frenzied attack, crouching low and pressing close to its head. He didn't seek clever tricks or angles, but simply used brute force to press down on the blade.

One cut after another.

There's no rhythm, no pauses; it's just the most brutal and straightforward chopping.

The Bronze Hunting Blade was firmly wedged into the giant python's gaping wound. With each forceful press, it tore open a new layer of flesh and snapped several tendons. Thick, warm blood gushed out, filling the python's mouth and flowing down the hilt of the blade onto Lu Heng's palm. It was wet, sticky, and had a strong, fishy smell, covering his hands completely.

The python's struggles grew increasingly frantic.

In pain, it rolled violently, its heavy body crushing the surrounding mud, causing large amounts of icy water mixed with black mud to surge up, splashing Lu Heng with mud. It tried to use the weight of its body to press down on Lu Heng, to strangle Lu Heng, and to use its sheer size to completely crush him into the mud.

The man and the python were locked in a battle of wits, with no tactical maneuvering or back-and-forth struggle.

It's purely a contest of who can endure more pain, who dares to fight harder, and who collapses first from exhaustion.

The giant python relies on its wild instincts honed over millions of years. When faced with imminent death, it will fight back with every last bit of life it has left.

Lu Heng relied on the drug to overdraw his physical body, shielding him from all pain, and with his mortal body, he withstood the final rage of the swamp's top predator.

The wound in the python's mouth grew larger and larger, with torn flesh flaking out and hanging down, and the once stable bite structure completely collapsed. With each shake of its head, the wound would tear open and widen again, the rate of blood loss increased, and the python's strength was visibly being drained away.

Its movements gradually became heavier and sluggish, the frantic thrashing gradually decreased, and the force of its rolling was no longer fierce, leaving only a stiff, dying struggle. The taut muscles under its skin slowly relaxed, the continuous gushing of blood gradually slowed down, and the life force of its massive body was rapidly draining away.

After one last, feeble head shake, the enormous python's head suddenly sank.

All the struggles suddenly ceased.

The taut python's body instantly lost its strength, crashing heavily back onto the mud, and remained motionless.

The Swamp Giant Python was completely dead.

Almost at the same instant its life was extinguished, the effects of the medicine on Lu Heng abruptly disappeared without any buffer.

The burning heat in his chest dissipated instantly, and all the brute strength that had filled his body was drained in an instant. His limbs felt as if all support had been removed, becoming weak, feeble, and numb. An extreme exhaustion and fatigue exploded through his muscles and bones. All the injuries, internal crushing injuries, and bone damage that had just been suppressed by the effects of the medicine all rebounded at once.

My throat felt tight, my chest felt congested, and my bones felt like they were being crushed by countless heavy objects, with layers of soreness and stinging pain surging up.

Lu Heng swayed, barely managing to stay upright by leaning on the hilt of his knife.

He lifted his heavy eyelids and scanned his surroundings.

The entire swamp was laid bare, filled with soft black mud, murky water, and flattened, wet grass. There were no rocks to shield the view, no hollows to hide in, and nowhere to take refuge. It was open and unprotected on all sides; any ferocious beast that came at the sound of its approach would immediately see itself, limp and powerless.

The strong stench of blood lingered in the damp air for a long time.

This scent is the most direct lure in the wilderness.

Without a doubt, it won't be long before this area attracts roaming predators.

He's completely ruined now.

With his strength depleted and his body severely injured, his lower body was numb and stiff, making it difficult to even stand. He couldn't even move to escape, let alone fight.

His gaze fell on the giant python's corpse beside him.

After losing its vitality, the heavy python's body slowly sank, its large body gradually sinking into the soft mud, slowly falling down along the swamp silt.

In an instant, Lu Heng decided on the only way to survive.

Let's take a gamble.

Without hesitation or doubt, he mustered the last of his strength and, taking advantage of the python's downward descent and loosening of its body, lunged forward and squeezed his entire body through the gap in the snake's mouth.

The Bronze Hunting Blade that had gotten stuck in the python's mouth during the earlier struggle was still firmly embedded between the wound and the flesh.

The hard blade forcefully pried open the collapsed space in the snake's mouth, leaving a narrow, enclosed, yet breathable gap.

The gap created by that blade became his only refuge and his only way out.

The moment his body entered the python's mouth, his taut will snapped completely. His exhausted body could no longer hold on; excruciating pain and darkness instantly overwhelmed his consciousness, and Lu Heng's head slumped as he fainted.

The darkness lasted for an unknown period of time.

There was no concept of time, no external noise, only a deathly silence and nothingness.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sense of awareness slowly returned.

Lu Heng was awakened by the pain.

The first sensation wasn't touch, but a dull pain that went deep into my bones. My entire skeleton felt like it had been repeatedly crushed by a boulder; every muscle was stiff and aching. My chest felt tight and congested, and even the slightest effort to breathe would trigger waves of sharp, internal pain.

He tried to move, but found that his lower body was completely unresponsive.

I have sensation, but it's also numb and tingly, with a mix of soreness and stiffness. I can't muster any strength, as if my lower body doesn't belong to me at all.

He instantly understood the reason.

The giant python's previous extreme constriction and crushing force was terrifying. Even with a full set of Combat Suit to cushion and absorb the force, protecting the skin and flesh from being torn apart, the enormous compressive force that pierced through the body still caused severe internal injuries and physical strain.

The current state is tantamount to being half-ruined.

Only his two arms retained any strength; his torso and legs were completely stiff and numb, making it impossible for him to stand up.

Lu Heng slowly tightened his fingers, exerted force with both arms, and supported himself against the soft flesh of the python's mouth in front of him, barely managing to stabilize his swaying body.

My gaze pierced through the narrow slit created by the Bronze Hunting Blade, peering outwards.

Outside, everything was shrouded in a dim, murky darkness. The mud completely blocked out the view, and it was eerily quiet, without a single sound.

If the knife hadn't been wedged in the snake's mouth, creating a breathing space, he would have suffocated inside the python after fainting, without any chance of waking up.

The path to survival, won through a desperate struggle, was fraught with peril.

At this moment, he was hiding inside the giant python's corpse, deep underground in this desolate swamp, temporarily avoiding all external dangers and managing to survive.