Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Sudden Appearance of the Great Celestial Python

"What a massive python! Oh... excellent, it seems we have finally hit the jackpot today," Professor Wang exclaimed with great excitement, hurriedly reaching into his bag to pull out his camera.

After a quick adjustment, he raised the camera and pressed the shutter, snapping a series of photos of Wang Long.

*Click... click... click...* The flashes illuminated the space ten meters away from Wang Long. Though there were some obstructions, it was hardly a problem.

Having consumed the entire tiger, Wang Long's previously flat belly was now visibly distended. However, as his "two-and-a-half-second" swallowing ability took effect, the tiger was digested within seconds. Wang Long then coiled his body into a circle to rest, while simultaneously taking note of the three men nearby.

Unlike Professor Wang’s excitement, Fang Long, standing to the side, had his brows furrowed deep enough to form the character for "river."

Zhang Tianyou swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. He had never seen such a colossal python in his life. Even in the zoo, the largest he had encountered were only six or seven meters long. Seeing such a behemoth right before his eyes, even with his decades of military experience, he could not help but feel a surge of tension. As for the gun in Fang Long’s hand, which had been aimed at the mother tiger moments ago, it was now trained on Wang Long. He dared not lower it, his hands already trembling beyond his control.

After a flurry of photos, Professor Wang put his camera back into his bag. It was a miniature device, no larger than his palm.

Observing the two nervous men, Professor Wang shook his head. "You two are still too young. No matter how large a python is, it won't move after finishing its prey. It will find a spot to lie down quietly and digest its food. In other words, it has virtually no offensive capability right now. Furthermore, having eaten, its weight has increased and its movements are sluggish; it couldn't even outrun us."

Hearing the Professor’s words, Zhang Tianyou and Fang Long felt their nerves settle slightly; after all, the Professor’s words carried significant weight.

Zhang Tianyou looked at the ten-meter-long giant python with disbelief. They had been trekking through this forest for over an hour, and aside from clearing some brush, they hadn't seen a single living creature. The sudden appearance of such a giant python made him feel like something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Professor Wang pulled a miniature telescope from his bag and, after a few adjustments, took a look at Wang Long.

One look was enough to leave the long-time biologist in a state of shock. "There's no reason for this... how is it that this thing looks so much like a Titanoboa? Wasn't that species long extinct? It looks over a meter wide and weighs at least half a ton. This is a living fossil!"

"If only we could capture it for research—preferably a dissection—perhaps we could unlock the secrets hidden within these Hundred Thousand Mountains." As he spoke, Professor Wang lowered the telescope, his eyes filled with a longing gaze directed at the giant python.

At this moment, Fang Long stepped closer to the Professor. "Professor, I think we should leave. This giant python is too dangerous."

Faced with Fang Long’s well-intentioned advice, Professor Wang waved his right hand dismissively. "You young man, what do you know? A giant python like this is a once-in-a-century find, and it even has a cockscomb on its head—it might be an entirely new species! If we don't take this chance to study it now, we may never encounter such a massive serpent again. This would be a major discovery for China. If you cause us to miss this, can you take responsibility?"

"This..." Fang Long hesitated. His military instincts told him the creature before them was incredibly dangerous, but he could not argue with this stubborn old man.

...

"These three keep chirping away in front of me, don't they?" Wang Long felt a flicker of annoyance.

He flicked his forked tongue and began to slither toward the three men, his massive body moving slowly, much like a toddler learning to walk.

Yet, his body, nearly a meter wide and over ten meters long, exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. With every inch he advanced, the three men seemed to be consumed by fear.

"Professor, it's coming this way," Zhang Tianyou said, his voice tense. He had no firearm, only a snake-catching pole, which seemed utterly useless against a behemoth of this size.

Fang Long raised his handgun once more, watching as Wang Long coiled his massive body and drew ever closer.

Amidst their mounting tension, Wang Long suddenly accelerated and vanished from their sight. The massive python that had been right in front of them had abruptly disappeared.

The speed was staggering—no less than the top speed of a sprinting adult human.

"Vanished? How is that possible? How could a python have such speed?" The scene shattered everything Professor Wang had previously known about biology.

The forest they were in had a clearing of about a dozen meters, leaving nothing but scattered weeds and endless trees. Suddenly, the three men, looking in the direction where the python had vanished, felt a chill run down their spines. Looking toward the ground, they saw the shadow of a giant snake cast over their heads.

"Fang Long, do you feel a chill on your back?"

"Yes... I feel it too. But I have 'the truth' in my hand... I doubt it can stir up much trouble."

*Cackle, cackle, cackle!*

A sound like a chicken’s cry erupted from Wang Long’s throat as he opened his massive maw.

Sensing the strangeness of the shadow before him, Professor Wang turned around and saw the ten-meter-long python, tongue flicking, staring at him with cold, fixed eyes.

The three men dared not move. A thought raced through Professor Wang’s mind: he deduced that their actions had likely drawn the python’s attention, or perhaps this was a display of territorial behavior. At the same time, the Professor knew that snakes were patient creatures, so he glanced toward Fang Long.

Fang Long immediately understood the signal; he was to fire if the moment became critical.

Conversely, Wang Long, in the form of a giant python, looked at the three—one old man and two men in their thirties—and decided to give them a scare. Seeing the gun in Fang Long’s hand, he also decided to test whether his "Advanced Copper Skin and Iron Bones" could withstand the power of a handgun.

Wang Long slithered closer. Fang Long fired first, emptying three shots at the giant python.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

After the three shots, the creature remained completely unscathed; not even a scale was chipped.

Fang Long was struck with shock. He then emptied his entire magazine, firing a dozen more rounds—he couldn't even remember how many. Realizing his weapon was empty, he frowned and drew a long blade.

Wang Long felt the impacts on his skin as if someone had merely flicked him with a finger. Finding no further reason to linger with these three, he turned and vanished into the dense forest.