Chapter Eight: Indifferent to Life and Death, Unyielding in Defiance

To treat life and death lightly, and if you’re not convinced, then fight! Before his eyes lay the best opportunity—if only he could bite his opponent. With the powerful force of his sharp jaws, even if his foe didn’t die, it would be gravely wounded.

But just as Lu Chen lunged to bite, the king rat snake unexpectedly released Old Croc Four and darted two meters away. Its serpentine body coiled high, its head the size of a goose egg stretching forward slightly. Its tongue flickered, and savage, ferocious intent glimmered in its eyes.

Saved from the brink of death, Old Croc Four’s jaws gaped wide in long, shuddering breaths. The little fellow gazed at the giant snake not far away, his eyes brimming with terror. His first instinct after being rescued was to hide behind his brothers.

Damn it... Lu Chen was speechless at the sight. He’d hoped to coordinate with Old Croc Four in a pincer attack, yet the guy turned out to be a coward, shrinking back when things got dangerous. Lu Chen almost regretted saving him.

Perhaps sensing that this new prey was no easy target, the king rat snake didn’t attack immediately but only hissed, probing for weaknesses.

Lu Chen, too, refrained from attacking, adjusting his stance continually to match the snake’s shifting head.

This was the true nature of animal combat—not an endless exchange of blows, but a tense standoff where each side sought the other’s flaws. The moment an opening appeared, they struck for a swift, fatal kill.

At last, the cries of the eldest and second croc heralded their arrival. As they entered the fray, they too issued low growls at the king rat snake. With three allies at his side, Lu Chen’s confidence soared; he considered the possibility of bringing down the snake once and for all. Such high-quality meat would surely provide abundant energy points.

If he let it escape, he might never have another chance.

Quickly, Lu Chen signaled his companions. Though fearful, the three young saltwater crocs swiftly encircled the massive snake from the sides.

The snake’s hissing grew more urgent as its head twisted, searching for a path to escape. Suddenly, it lunged toward Old Croc Four.

Having nearly been killed once, Old Croc Four had no courage to resist and immediately retreated. In a flash, Lu Chen moved.

His limbs drove him forward across the damp grass, his speed honed by constant training. With a snap, his jaws clamped down on the snake’s tail.

Overpowered by his bite, the black-and-yellow banded body couldn’t withstand the force—the tail was severed outright!

Howling in pain, the king rat snake whipped around, jaws wide, eyes ablaze with venomous rage.

But Lu Chen was faster. As the snake turned, he had already leapt back.

With its tail now severed, the king rat snake’s speed dropped noticeably, rendering its attack futile.

Meanwhile, the eldest croc seized the chance, lunging in and swiping with his foreclaws. Thanks to Lu Chen’s guidance, his companions now understood how to wield their claws to deadly effect.

With a dull, tearing sound, the snake’s armored scales flew, leaving a long, bloody gash.

Injured again, the snake tried once more to escape. But in the next instant—a flash of earth-black shadow, and razor teeth bit deeply into the snake’s neck.

Sensing death near, the king rat snake thrashed violently, its body coiling in midair, desperate to wrap around its attacker.

Lu Chen gave it no such chance. Locking his jaws mercilessly around its throat, he unleashed the saltwater crocodile’s ultimate technique: the death roll.

A massive torque tore through the snake’s neck, shattering its spine and painting the ground a dark crimson.

The pungent reek of blood wafted through the rain, carrying far and wide.

A moment ago so fierce, the snake now lay utterly still—a true, unambiguous dead serpent.

Staring at the giant corpse, Lu Chen felt a surge of pride. He hadn’t realized how formidable he’d become.

Dragging the snake back to their den, Lu Chen was met by six protruding eyes—all staring at him, but none of his companions dared make a move to snatch the prize.

Pleased with their performance in battle, Lu Chen generously shared some of the snake meat with his three companions. Besides, the king rat snake weighed over ten pounds; even after removing the organs, seven or eight pounds remained—far more than he could eat at once.

In this weather, meat left out too long would quickly rot. For crocodiles, the diet wasn’t limited to fresh meat—carrion was common, and often easier to digest.

Their stomachs were filled with powerful acids, more than capable of destroying most bacteria and viruses in rotten meat.

Still, Lu Chen couldn’t bring himself to eat such fare. The thought of his food crawling with pale maggots was simply too much to bear—a psychological barrier he could not cross.

So the perfect solution was to divide the snake into four portions.

As the true leader, Lu Chen claimed the largest share. The three young crocs, given their portions, tore eagerly into the meat, their sharp teeth snapping like iron pincers, breaking the snake into small segments before gulping them down whole.

They didn’t chew the meat to bits due to the structure of their jaws: crocodile lower jaws lack lateral movement and rely solely on vertical crushing force, making them suited for biting off chunks to swallow.

"King rat snake, family Colubridae, genus Elaphe—provides 2 energy points."

Seeing the system panel update, Lu Chen was surprised. He’d only recently eaten three crucian carp, and though the battle had been intense, he wasn’t especially hungry. He swallowed about a pound of snake meat and gained two energy points.

That meant the whole snake could provide at least twenty points—if only his stomach had room.

***

After more than a week of relentless rain, the weather finally cleared.

Frogs croaked, sparrows chattered, and all manner of birds sang along the once-silent banks of Willow Lake, reviving the land in celebration of the sun’s return.

Situated on the city’s edge, this place was a human blind spot—a forbidden zone overlooked and ignored. Thanks to the two to three hundred acres of sprawling reeds, the variety of wildlife here was richer than one might imagine.

Lu Chen had already seen mice, weasels, wild cats, snakes, hares, hedgehogs, squirrels, and more—each forming small food chains of their own.

He and his three young companions had remained undiscovered precisely because of this reed-filled haven.

Basking in the warm sunlight, Lu Chen felt his spirits lift. Stretching his stiff limbs, he led his companions toward Willow Lake.

After the battle with the king rat snake, Lu Chen had a clearer sense of his own strength. While no match for a giant snakehead fish in the lake, he was confident against most predatory fish.

Besides, he only meant to hunt in the shallows—he shouldn’t encounter that monster. Even if he did, he felt sure he could protect himself.

In fact, it had been ten days since he’d last seen the snakehead, and it hadn’t shown up in the nearby waters since. Lu Chen surmised that it had probably just passed through by chance the last time.