Chapter 13: Fear
The large snake charged forward.
Yu Chujin’s heart leaped into her throat. She instinctively closed her eyes in fear, hugged her head, and crouched down.
However, the terrifying scene of being bitten and swallowed by a snake that she had anticipated did not occur. Instead, a loud noise came from behind her.
Thump.
It was the sound of a snake’s tail hitting the ground.
Crack.
It was the sound of teeth sinking into flesh.
Crouching on the ground, Yu Chujin looked back in a daze and saw the large snake entangled in a fight with a wild boar.
The large snake bit down on the wild boar’s neck, its tail coiled around the boar’s body, biting and strangling it at the same time.
As the snake strangled it, it constantly rolled on the ground, causing the trees to shake and dead leaves to fly.
Only then did Yu Chujin realize that the large snake was not attacking her, but the wild boar that had snuck up behind her at some point.
The battle between the large snake and the wild boar continued.
But there was no suspense in this battle; it was a complete crushing domination.
This was also the first time Yu Chujin had witnessed the giant python’s true strength. Perhaps because the large snake was usually too silly and stupid, she was only surprised when she saw its fierce side for the first time.
With every inch the large snake’s tail tightened, the wild boar’s squeals and screams grew louder.
The screams echoed through the forest, startling the birds from the branches.
By the time the large snake released the wild boar, the boar had gone limp on the ground, lifeless.
The large snake hit the wild boar a few more times with its tail, confirming that it was dead, before stopping.
After dealing with the wild boar, the large snake immediately approached Yu Chujin.
Seeing the large snake approach, Yu Chujin uncontrollably took a step back.
The large snake stopped, tilting its head in confusion.
The usually silly and dog-like creature was now covered in blood, looking ferocious and terrifying.
It was the blood that had splattered on its face when the large snake had bitten the wild boar’s neck.
Yu Chujin knew that the large snake had been protecting her when it bit and strangled the wild boar, but after witnessing its fierce side, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear.
She even wondered how she had dared to be so presumptuous in front of this large creature before.
Not only did she often lose her temper with it, but she also threw rocks at it. It was practically courting death.
Its tail could easily strangle a wild boar, and its teeth could easily bite into a wild boar’s flesh.
Such a large animal as a wild boar was so vulnerable in the large snake’s hands, let alone the smaller and weaker her.
Humans have a natural, uncontrollable fear of creatures far stronger than themselves, and Yu Chujin was no exception.
Yu Chujin had been carefree before, but now, after witnessing the large snake kill the wild boar and seeing its blood-covered face, she could no longer be carefree.
When the large snake approached, Yu Chujin would retreat.
“Hiss hiss,” it flicked its forked tongue, its eyes filled with confusion.
After two seconds of confusion, it seemed to think of something and suddenly turned back, throwing the wild boar in front of Yu Chujin.
Yu Chujin stared at the wild boar in front of her, stunned for a moment.
The large snake’s small claws stomped on the ground, its blood-stained teeth bared, and it hissed, its chin bobbing up and down.
Yu Chujin didn’t understand its language, but she could guess what it was saying at this moment.
It was probably saying, Are you retreating because you’re afraid of the wild boar? Don’t worry, I’ve already killed it. It can’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid.
Yu Chujin looked at the dead wild boar, then at the blood-covered large snake. Her feelings were complicated, and she suddenly felt ashamed.
“I’m not afraid of the wild boar. I’m afraid of you, you silly snake. Humans, sometimes, have no conscience.”
It had done its best to protect her, yet she was afraid of it. How could that not be a kind of heartlessness?
Yu Chujin beckoned to it, signaling it to come over.
The large snake didn’t understand the two-legged creature’s twists and turns at all and happily came over.
Yu Chujin patted its head, “Thank you for protecting me.”
The large snake blinked its innocent eyes.
Yu Chujin thought for a moment, gave a thumbs-up, and paired it with the fixed phrase, “You’re great, you’re amazing.”
The large snake’s eyes immediately lit up. It shook its head, its tail sweeping back and forth on the ground, as happy as a child.
Yu Chujin chuckled, “You’re really a strange snake. Not only do you not attack me, but you also protect me. I’m not your kind, and I’m always fierce with you. I have a bad temper and I’m not good to you. Why do you still follow me around all day?”
The large snake tilted its head, its small ears pricked up, listening.
Yu Chujin was not stingy and gave another thumbs-up, “You’re great, you’re amazing.”
The large snake only understood this one sentence. Knowing that it was being praised, it happily stomped its small claws on the ground and shook its head even more joyfully.
“So easy to please. You’re so simple-minded, unlike me. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve.”
The simple-minded snake coiled its tail around the wild boar and brought it to Yu Chujin’s feet.
“For me?”
“Hiss hiss.”
The wild boar was a size larger than a normal domestic pig, and it probably had a lot of meat on it, enough to last for a long time.
But the weather was hot, and no matter how much meat there was, it would spoil and stink in a day. Perhaps it could be preserved by smoking.
No fire…
Round and round, it all came back to the problem of fire. She had to find a way to start a fire as soon as possible.
But before that, the first thing to solve was to find a way to pick some ripe nectarines. The nectarines were right above her head, right in front of her, and very tempting.
Just as Yu Chujin was worrying about how to communicate with the large snake and get it to pick the ripe nectarines instead of the sour ones, she heard a thud.
A ripe nectarine fell from the tree and landed right at Yu Chujin’s feet.
Yu Chujin was stunned for a moment and quickly picked it up.
“This kind, this kind! See? I like this kind of nectarine,” Yu Chujin said excitedly.
The large snake tilted its head left and right.
She took a bite of the nectarine, her eyes narrowed, and she made a sound of praise, expressing with her expression that this was delicious, this was particularly delicious, and she loved this.
The large snake continued to tilt its head.
“No way, you still don’t get it?”
Yu Chujin’s head was spinning. She had already given up on communicating and looked up at the ten-meter-high nectarine tree, considering the feasibility of climbing it herself.
Suddenly, the large snake shot up the tree.
Yu Chujin had no hope, thinking that it would probably pick a pile of sour nectarines again.
But surprisingly, it actually picked the ripe nectarines.
Finally!
Yu Chujin was almost moved to tears. She had finally made this stupid snake understand her meaning.
Communication was difficult, but thankfully, it was successful in the end.
Yu Chujin held a ripe nectarine in her left hand and a ripe nectarine in her right hand, and began to eat with a look of enjoyment.
As she was eating, she tossed a nectarine to the large snake, “You have one too.”
The large snake disgustedly pushed the ripe nectarine away and instead picked up a sour nectarine and threw it into its mouth.
Yu Chujin watched it eat one sour nectarine after another, avoiding the ripe ones, and suddenly understood why communication had been so difficult just now.
The large snake just thought that sour nectarines were delicious and ripe nectarines were not, so it insisted on picking what it thought was delicious.
It wanted to share the delicious sour nectarines. Its intentions were good, but it was a bit stubborn.
Yu Chujin sat cross-legged on the ground, eating one nectarine after another. After a few days of eating coconuts and sour nectarines, she could finally have a change of taste.
Delicious, delicious. She nodded frequently as she ate.
Seeing her eating so happily, the large snake tilted its head in confusion.
Its large tail picked up a ripe nectarine. First, it observed the nectarine from left to right, then it looked at the happily eating Yu Chujin.
The large snake hesitated for a moment, then threw the ripe nectarine into its mouth.
The next second, it spat it out and shook its head in disgust.
Yu Chujin looked at it, amused, “You hate ripe nectarines that much? You have a strange taste. You don’t like sweet things, but you like sour things. You really are a strange snake.”
Perhaps because she had eaten some nectarines and replenished her sugar, Yu Chujin’s spirits were much better, and she had the energy to chat with the large snake.
Although the large snake couldn’t understand and wouldn’t answer, it didn’t stop Yu Chujin from talking to it.
A person always had to find a way to relieve their loneliness, such as talking to this silly snake.
“I can see it now. you’re definitely a new species that has never been discovered by humans.”
“Let me tell you, you have to hide from humans. There are a lot of bad people. Although I’m not much better, at least I won’t try to capture you for research or anything.”
“What, you don’t believe me? You think I’m PUA-ing you?”
She chattered on. The large snake, with its blood-covered face, came over to ask for pats.
“Hey, hey, hey, your face is covered in blood. Don’t rub it on me.”
“You’re still rubbing it!”
“I’ll get angry if you rub it again!”
After a while of fooling around, she had eaten her fill of nectarines. She had the large snake pick a pile more and then returned to the shelter, satisfied.
Yu Chujin held a pile of nectarines and walked behind. The large snake carried a wild boar and walked in front.
The scene was bizarre, yet inexplicably harmonious.
Back at the shelter, Yu Chujin ran to the seaside to wash the nectarines, while the large snake gnawed on the wild boar on the side…
This “gnawing” was exactly what it sounded like: gnawing raw, bite by bite.
Its mouth and face were covered in blood. The scene was incredibly terrifying. Yu Chujin didn’t dare to look too much.
In one meal, the large snake ate half a wild boar. After eating its fill, it lay down on the ground and slept soundly.
It didn’t even pick a clean place to sleep. It just lay next to the wild boar’s carcass. Not only was it covered in blood, but it also rolled around in it.
The scene made Yu Chujin’s scalp tingle and her vision go black.
“You’re so dirty! How can a snake be so filthy!”
The large snake was sleeping soundly when it was woken up by the two-legged creature’s shout. It looked at her with a dazed expression.
Yu Chujin’s fear of its blood-covered appearance gradually transitioned to disgust, and finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Go to the seaside and wash up. Look at the mess you’ve made of yourself. You’re so dirty. How can you sleep without washing up?”
The large snake didn’t understand. It only knew that it was being scolded. With a blood-covered face, it looked aggrieved.
“Still not moving? Go wash up quickly. A dirty snake is not a good snake.”
The large snake didn’t understand. It just affectionately rubbed its head against her.
“Ah, you got blood all over me!”
It was impossible to expect the large snake to understand. Yu Chujin had no choice but to drag this filthy creature to the seaside and pour water on it to help it wash.
The large snake was unwilling to wash. It was glared at by Yu Chujin and then she got a large, aggrieved snake that didn’t want to take a bath but was forced to.
Half an hour later.
“I can’t wash anymore,” Yu Chujin was so tired she put her hands on her hips and panted. “Go roll around in the sea and clean yourself.”
The large snake stood still, still “hoo hoo hoo”-ing.
Yu Chujin was so angry she hit its head with her hand.
The large snake protected its head with its tail, looking pitiful.
Yu Chujin: “…”
“Forget it, forget it. This is fine.” She had managed to wash most of the blood off its body. Although there was still a little left, Yu Chujin really didn’t have the energy to wash this large creature anymore.
After washing it, she had to wash herself. She was covered in the smell of blood.
Just as she was about to take off her clothes, she saw something floating on the sea in the distance, reflecting the light.
“What is that?” Yu Chujin squinted.
