Chapter 143: Braving the Rain

Qin Yun was still speaking to the livestream when a piercing scream echoed from the distant rain curtain.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly picked up by the microphone. Instantly, every viewer in the livestream heard it—though some were confused.

「Did I just hear someone shouting for help?

「Did you? I didn't hear anything.

「I heard it too—it sounded desperate. Could it be Zhang Kui screaming for help?

「That's possible, Brother Qin, did you hear something?

The moment the voice came, Qin Yun's body leaned slightly toward its source. From this angle, the mountain peaks rose like they'd been cleaved by axes and chisels—the sound was coming from ahead. If no one had fallen into the undeveloped zone of Mount Qixing within the last few minutes, it was almost certainly Zhang Kui.

He said quickly: 「I heard it too. Someone is definitely calling for help.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Qin Yun's eyes—venturing out to rescue someone in this weather, even for him, required careful consideration.

But he didn't hesitate long. His expression quickly hardened into resolve.

Returning to the camera, Qin Yun took off his windbreaker, slung his backpack on, then put the windbreaker back on.

Watching his actions, the livestream viewers were stunned.

「Holy shit, what are you doing, Brother Qin?

「Damn… are you really going over there right now?

「It's pouring rain—just walking is hard enough. Brother Qin, take it easy.

「Gao Da sent the streamer a pair of glasses—Brother Qin is a real man.

「Xue You Ge sent the streamer a plane—Brother Qin braves this weather? Respect.

「San Shang sent…」

Amid a flood of gifts, Qin Yun remained calm. He gave a brief thanks: 「You didn't hear it clearly, but from that voice, I could tell it was filled with agony. I suspect Zhang Kui was attacked by an animal or poison. If I get there a few minutes sooner, he might be saved sooner.

He patted his windbreaker.

「This windbreaker is waterproof, high quality. My boots are specialized hiking shoes—I'm not afraid of climbing through rain. But the rain will impair my vision and sense of danger. Brothers, wish me luck.

Shuowan ， Tayibajiangwuwurenjigudingzailejianbang ， Ranhoudakailetoushangdeyundongxiangji ， Jiuzhijiechongchulebihusuo 。

The rain was heavy. In just a few seconds after leaving the shelter, he was soaked through—a sharp cold seeped through his clothes.

Fortunately, the windbreaker's fabric kept the rain out; otherwise, in this low temperature, even he would struggle to endure it.

「From the sound earlier, I can roughly estimate the distance—but only roughly. Qin Yun stepped over a fallen tree, wiped rain from his face, and said calmly, 「In the wild, under these conditions, a clear sound is about fifty meters away. A clear but scattered sound is around two hundred meters. If it's faint and barely audible, it's over three hundred meters. So judging by that, the scream was two to three hundred meters from me.

「Brother Qin is so damn professional—it's reassuring just to watch.

No wonder he's a legend in the wilderness, a mountain-climbing master, a survival expert, a extreme sports superhero.

「Damn, does Brother Qin even know how many nicknames he's got?

At this moment, he couldn't see the drone's screen, and had no time to check.

「In this weather, the only large wild animals still active are wild boars. They forage more frequently in the rain. I hope we don't run into any.

He chuckled bitterly: 「I always seem to attract bad luck. Could I really run into one?

Just then, something suddenly stuck to his left hand. He quickly raised his left hand toward the camera—everyone saw a black, wriggling creature on his knuckles.

「Holy shit, that's disgusting—what the hell is that?

「Leech! Don't you recognize a leech?

「There are leeches in the mountains?

「I'm gonna puke!

「(.. ﾟДﾟ) That's terrifying—Brother Qin, get it off!

「Is Brother Qin gonna eat it for protein?

Qin Yun snapped off a branch, gently flicked it— the creature on his hand lifted up, and he tossed it away.

「It's a leech—a mountain leech. They're common in the rain. No pain when they suck blood, but the wound gets infected. So I won't be satisfying its appetite.

The mountain terrain was complex, with no paved trails—Mount Qixing was steep, making walking even harder.

But for Qin Yun, with Wilderness Survival Skill Level 1, these were trivial. Whenever a problem arose, solutions instantly flashed through his mind—several, even dozens.

Another ten minutes passed—the rain showed no sign of stopping.

In this environment, even rescue teams would be severely hampered; their search speed would drop drastically for safety reasons.

He stopped, pulled a thermos from his backpack side, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip of hot ginger tea. The warmth slid down his throat, instantly driving away much of the chill.

Now he could no longer spot any trail or clue in the forest—he relied purely on the direction from which the scream had come.

After resting a moment, he glanced at the comments—the chat was lively.

「Brother Qin, why not shout? Maybe Zhang Kui hears you and answers back.

「Yeah, better than blindly searching.

「You're idiots. This is undeveloped land—like Brother Qin said, there are wild boars, poisons, everything. He's not afraid, but if Zhang Kui responds, what if he's hiding somewhere? He'd be exposed!

「Exactly. Brother Qin fears nothing, but Zhang Kui's just an ordinary guy. Let's be blunt—that scream might've been his last.

「...

Qin Yun looked at the comments and said calmly: 「Some fans are right and wrong. I'm scared too—I'm flesh and blood. Don't see me as some god. I bleed when bitten—I'm not made of steel.

「Hahaha, Brother Qin's scared.

「Laughed to death!

「We've never seen Brother Qin fail yet.

「Why be afraid? You're Brother Qin—the man called 'Brother.' How can you be afraid?

Qin Yun put the thermos away, shook his head, and kept walking.

This time, after another fifty meters, he suddenly spotted bloodstains on the ground. As he crouched, the drone's camera captured the sight.

「You can judge the freshness of blood by its appearance.

「Under normal weather, fresh blood is bright red. After about half an hour, it turns dark red, still glossy but not black. Only after one to two hours does it darken further.

「It feels wet and sticky, and the edges don't fully contract.

「But in rain, the color gets washed out. Still, if the blood is within half an hour and hasn't been fully rinsed away, the center remains reddish. Look at this bloodstain—isn't it just like that?

The livestream viewers studied it closely and quickly understood Qin Yun's conclusion.

「Hey, actually, based on Brother Qin's analysis, this blood is definitely within the last half hour.

「666, learned something new—got it.

「Brother Qin is a walking encyclopedia—he knows everything.

「That Zhang Kui doesn't even know basics and dares to run into the mountains—he's desperate for fame.

「That's how the era is now—strange internet celebrities pop up constantly, and they all make money, way more than you or I earn at our 9-to-5s.

「Times change.

Qin Yun examined the shape of the blood—it was irregular, not like an animal bite, more like scrapes from thorns or sharp rocks.

He took a few more steps—sure enough, bloodstains littered the path ahead.

Following the trail, Qin Yun quickened his pace. Soon, the intermittent bloodstains led to a thicket ahead.

He carefully parted the bushes—and suddenly…

「Shhh—!

A brown blur shot through the air, striking viciously at Qin Yun's hand.

The attack came so suddenly that viewers barely registered what happened—the camera jerked violently, spun, and Qin Yun's voice rang out.

「Shit! Sharp-nosed viper—scared the hell out of me.

Qin Yun's reflexes were lightning-fast—from the moment he parted the bushes, to the viper lunging, to his evasion—there wasn't a single second of hesitation.

A fraction slower, and he'd have been bitten.

In this wild forest, a bite from a sharp-nosed viper—even if he could treat it himself—he'd have no chance of saving Zhang Kui.

Qin Yun looked ahead. The livestream viewers now saw it clearly: a thick, dark-brown viper coiled, head raised.

The viper still flicked its tongue, poised to strike again.

The sheer audacity!

「That's a sharp-nosed viper—commonly called the five-step snake.

The fans exploded.

「Holy shit, five-step snake—that's deadly venom!

「Isn't it true you just stand still if bitten by a five-step snake?

「Are you kidding, bro?

「'Five steps' means the venom acts fast—if you don't treat it immediately, you're dead.

Facing a surprise attack from a sharp-nosed viper, Qin Yun didn't take it lightly. But since it had shown its health bar—he'd kill it.

A dagger appeared in his hand.

He thought for a moment, then detached the drone from his shoulder and launched it. Though the rain was harsh, as long as the wind was within limits, the drone still flew steadily.

「I've got a long-lost skill—Little Qin's Throwing Knife. Let me show you.

He flicked his right hand—through the rain, a blade flashed. The agile viper had no time to sense danger before its body was pinned firmly to the ground, motionless.

The entire snake writhed wildly, but couldn't break free. A wave of weakness surged through it—the sharp-nosed viper gradually lost control of its body.

As the saying goes: strike the snake at its seventh inch. Qin Yun's knife struck precisely at the viper's vital point, robbing it of life within moments.

「...

「...

「……」

The comment section flooded with a string of ellipses.

「Master Qin, are you serious?

「Damn, that move was insane, holy shit.

「Awesome, 666.

「I want to learn Xiao Li—no, Xiao Qin's flying dagger.

「I knew Master Qin could fight, but I never expected him to master the legendary Flying Dagger from the Third Rank of the Weapon List—so cool.

「Ah…」

「Sharp-nosed Viper: I'm dead, did you all see that?

Qin Yun stepped forward, swiftly pulled out the dagger, confirmed the Sharp-nosed Viper was dead, then bypassed the shrubbery and spotted a small mound ahead, where a figure lay curled up, motionless.

His heart jolted.

「Guys, I found Zhang Kui.

He hurried forward two steps, leaned close, and examined closely: Zhang Kui was caked in dirt and blood, his clothes and pants torn, his arms and legs bearing clear wounds, his head swollen like a pig's head, his face covered in gashed scratches, his complexion a sickly green, his lips cracked, eyes tightly shut.

Without close inspection, one would surely mistake him for a corpse.

Qin Yun felt his nostrils—he was still breathing, but the breath was extremely faint.

「Look here. Qin Yun brought the camera close to Zhang Kui's ankle: his entire left leg was swollen, faint blisters beginning to form, the wound showing signs of decay, 「Without doubt, Zhang Kui was bitten by the Sharp-nosed Viper—and it must have been that cry for help. That means the time elapsed is roughly half an hour.

His expression grew grim.

「The condition of this leg matches the timeline of toxin progression. If rescue doesn't come soon, within one or two more hours his clotting function will collapse—meaning his blood will keep flowing. Once six hours pass, death is virtually certain.