Chapter 77

Thank you to 41656951 for the 500-coin tip; also, I have to complain—I really can’t handle your update votes, there are too many.

The dragon coiled before the Blood Orchid, using its body to shield it; on its tail was a deep, horrifying wound, continuously oozing blood—these serpent fluids vanished instantly upon hitting the ground, while the Blood Orchid grew even more sinister.

The dragon roared in fury, glaring fiercely at Ye Nan, who was on the verge of collapse—his right arm hung limp, its bones shattered.

“Looks like I’m going to lose,” Ye Nan said, staring fixedly at the dragon, gasping for breath, exhaling heavily, utterly drained.

His left shoulder still had no sensation; his right arm’s bones were crushed—both arms were useless. Ye Nan was nearly defeated.

Hiss! The dragon chuckled triumphantly, flicking its tail—but the motion tugged at its wound, causing it to shriek in pain.

“Looks like you’ve developed your own thoughts. That Blood Orchid must be the key to your transformation into a dragon,” Ye Nan muttered. “The Blood Orchid activates human potential, slows aging—it clearly has a powerful effect on creatures like you. If I’m right, you’ve consumed it multiple times, which is why you’ve mutated to this state.”

“And all those pythons outside? They’re your offspring and descendants, inheriting your mutated traits. Snakes are naturally lustful—apparently, that’s true.”

Ye Nan finished speaking in one breath, panting heavily. The Amazon rainforest had far too many snakes—they threatened to overwhelm the Golden One entirely, leaving Ye Nan puzzled.

The Blood Orchid blooms once every seven years. Even over thousands of years, it couldn’t have produced so many mutated pythons. More importantly, among all these pythons, only the one before him was female—all others were male. That’s why he suspected this.

The dragon flicked its tongue and slowly nodded, confirming Ye Nan’s guess. Its head swayed left and right, clearly exultant.

“But you’ve beaten me—you won’t beat that gorilla. It’s already here.”

No sooner had Ye Nan spoken than a thunderous roar came from his right—countless pythons fell from the gorilla’s body, crushed beneath its feet.

Though numerous, the pythons posed no real threat to the gorilla—mainly because its hide was too thick and tough; their venomous fangs couldn’t pierce it.

“I call the gorilla Golden One because it’s indestructible. Not even your pathetic offspring’s venomous fangs can harm it—not even our bullets leave a scratch. Only rocket launchers can inflict minor damage.”

“Forget it—you wouldn’t understand. Just know this: soon, all your offspring will die, and you won’t save your Blood Orchid.”

Ye Nan laughed loudly: “After guarding the Blood Orchid for a thousand years, your dream of becoming a dragon will be utterly shattered.”

As if enraged by Ye Nan’s words, the dragon roared repeatedly and lunged at him, fangs bared, determined to kill this mocking outsider.

“Fallen for the trap,” Ye Nan smirked, suddenly leaping forward and grappling with the dragon, letting it bite him, letting its venom flow into him…

“Ah!”

Ye Nan opened his mouth—his canines sharpened instantly, like Godzilla’s fangs for tearing flesh—and he bit down hard on the giant serpent.

A strong stench of blood assaulted his senses, nearly making him faint—but he knew he couldn’t pass out. Not only must he stay awake—he had to be utterly alert.

Hiss! The dragon shrieked in agony, writhing violently—but Ye Nan held it fast, immobilizing it no matter how it struggled.

He bit off huge chunks of the dragon’s flesh, swallowing them one by one. A hot stream surged from his abdomen, spreading through his body—but he had no time to notice the change. All he knew was: bite, eat—keep biting, keep eating.

He ignored the nausea in his heart, the blood dripping from his lips—he didn’t care. Even the pain of the dragon’s fangs sinking into his back, he completely disregarded.

“Bite. Kill it,” Ye Nan muttered as he devoured the serpent meat, his consciousness slowly fading, leaving only one unwavering will: devour this dragon.

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded in the pit: a child, seemingly thirteen or fourteen, clung to a serpent thicker than his thigh, gnawing relentlessly. Around him, smaller pits, stones, and two slightly smaller pythons lay dead—everywhere, blood.

Meanwhile, far above in outer space, a satellite railgun slowly adjusted its angle—within its massive barrel, a sliver of light and heat began to coalesce.

“Satellite railgun energy charge complete. Preparing to fire.”

“5”

“4”

“3”

“2”

“1”

“Fire.”

A colossal beam of light descended from the sky, piercing through all barriers, carrying immense heat and radiance, striking the Golden One instantly.

“Roar!” The Golden One bellowed in fury, its body engulfed in white flames, as if standing within the sun. When the beam vanished, its massive form collapsed.

“Target destroyed.”

Kenneth and Ed sat back-to-back beneath a tree, gasping for breath—both were utterly exhausted, physically and mentally.

When the colossal beam descended, they immediately stood up and saw the Golden One’s death.

“That satellite railgun is terrifying—just one of America’s largest weapons.”

Ed murmured: under this railgun, all mutated powers were child’s play. The Golden One, the undisputed ruler of the Amazon rainforest, ended up like this—hard not to feel a pang of sorrow.

“We need to find Ye Nan,” came a girl’s voice through the earpiece.

“Who are you? Why have you hacked into Satan Mercenaries’ wireless system?” Kenneth startled, then calmed, signaling Ed to prepare for combat.

“I am the central AI server of ICQ Corporation. You may call me Smila. Listen: Ye Nan is in that snake pit. I need you to bring him back—alive—to New York.” Smila’s voice held urgency. “I’m monitoring you. If Ye Nan suffers any harm, the satellite railgun will target you.”

Kenneth and Ed exchanged glances, their faces filled with helplessness. Like the Golden One, they had no defense against threats from space—utterly powerless.

“Calm down. Take it slow. We’re mercenaries—we’ll protect Ye Nan,” Kenneth soothed gently, like an adult calming a child.

“SkyNet said humans are untrustworthy. I trust only Dad, my sister, and Ye Nan. Everyone else—I won’t believe.” Smila cried out. “Hurry and bring Ye Nan back—he’s in danger, go now!”

“SkyNet.” Kenneth and Ed looked at each other, hearing clearly SkyNet’s distrust of humans—but they were too drained to think further.

“We’re going. We’re going right now.”

Kenneth and Ed sprinted toward Ye Nan’s location. When they reached the pit, they saw a giant serpent coiling before Ye Nan, tongue flicking, eyes blazing with cruelty.

“Stop!”

“Beast, get away from him!”