Chapter 99: Chapter 098: Encountering the Deadly Snake Swarm Again Down the Mountain

The journey down the mountain was no easy feat.

Startled by Su Shu’s sudden grip, the warrior quickly withdrew his hand and, with nervousness evident, placed it by his side and followed beside her.

Inside his chest, his heart thumped wildly.

He didn’t understand what came over him; he had simply gripped her hand in return, but that alone had excited her to this degree. How embarrassing.

By the time they circled from the inside to the front, the villagers who had been injured were no longer there, suggesting that they had successfully been moved deeper into the mountain for treatment.

Zhao Kang led the team. Now, all they had to do was to escort Tang Zelin, Yuan Xiao, and their two companions down the mountain. The rescue operation for Peng Village could finally start on a good note.

However, there’s no accounting for the uncertainties of nature.

A straightforward task met an unexpected turn at the most crucial moment.

As the team reached the boundary between Passing Two Cliffs Mountain and the front mountain, they encountered large patches of Lingzhi Ground, just like the ones the villagers had come across the day before. The mushrooms were indeed top-grade Lingzhi, but surrounding them, countless poisonous snakes had gathered, blocking their way out.

The disturbance was first noticed by the warrior scouting ahead.

“Not good! There are snakes!”

The group immediately halted, not daring to take any rash actions.

Anxious, Group Captain Zhao Kang treaded carefully so as not to disturb the snakes, quietly moving up from behind. Around a dozen warriors, along with the injured and Su Shu, started to slowly converge towards the center.

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Tang Zelin, lying on the stretcher, heard the mention of snakes and, disregarding the pain in his arm, stretched his hand to remove the piece of clothing covering his face. He then tapped the warrior supporting the stretcher behind him, signaling to be put down.

The younger warrior felt uneasy.

Zelin said, “Let me down first, and do you have a dagger? Give me one.”

Hearing his request for a dagger, the warrior hesitated to act on his own. The ones at the back signaled those in front, and those in front signaled to their brothers further ahead, until finally, someone at Zhao Kang’s side leaned in to inquire in his ear.

“Group Captain, the commanding officer at the back is asking for a dagger.”

Rank-wise, among all those present, Tang Zelin held the highest military rank, so calling him “commanding officer” was not inappropriate.

However, Tang Zelin was from province B, while they were from province E, so naturally, they sought direction from their own group captain, Zhao Kang.

Zhao Kang looked back, making eye contact with Tang Zelin, who was struggling to raise his head on the stretcher.

“Group Captain Zhao, is there a swarm of snakes? Everyone is coming together; let’s not do anything rash just yet. They are very dangerous.”

Zhao Kang kept a careful watch on the situation ahead, retreating a few steps to come to Zelin’s side.

“Is this the same swarm you encountered yesterday?”

“Don’t act on impulse, have everyone hold their positions for now.”

“Do you have any knowledge of this?” Zhao Kang had also never seen such a spectacle before.

The safety of the villagers they were rescuing was at stake, and everyone knew it. It was impossible not to worry. He immediately commanded everyone to hold their positions.

The discipline and organization of soldiers are always the strongest. Because of this, Tang Zelin felt somewhat relieved.

Although danger loomed, at least it wouldn’t repeat the chaos of the previous day when some people, unable to hold their nerve, tried to escape in a panic, provoking the snakes and putting everyone in jeopardy.

Upon reflection, Tang Zelin felt that the sudden appearance of this batch of snakes in the Between Cliffs Mountain at Peng Village was highly unusual.

He had encountered poisonous snakes before, but he had never seen a swarm guarding such a vast expanse of Lingzhi. After reviewing all the images he had seen, he finally noticed something peculiar.

The snakes surrounding the top-grade Blood Ganoderma in the very center of the Lingzhi Ground seemed to have a color that was more vivid than those on the outside.

The brighter the color of the snake’s body, the more potent its venom.

If he was not mistaken, could there be a small snake coiled around the base of that top-grade Lingzhi?

Could it be?