Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Is the Snake Ferocious?
Editor: Larbre Studio

Li Yan couldn’t see anyone in the apartment, with his left hand grasping the knife handle in a reverse grip and his right hand holding a gun, his shoes stepping on the silent corridor.

The women who usually lounge on the dilapidated sofa with legs crossed, waiting for clients, had vanished without a trace.

Used plastic wrappers littered the floor, and the usual yapping sounds from inside the room were nowhere to be heard.

Suddenly, Li Yan dropped to a crouch and rolled on the ground, hearing a loud bang next to his ear. The light red sofa burst open violently, springs and cotton flying everywhere.

Yu, hidden behind the wall, clenched his teeth, finding Li Yan’s animal-like keen senses somewhat troublesome.

He exhaled slowly, then popped his head out again, and suddenly, with a roar of gunfire, the man’s vision went dark!

Li Yan’s eyebrows furrowed tightly, the air filled with a teeth-gritting sound of metal shattering that sent chills down one’s spine.

He was far less confident in his marksmanship than his swordsmanship. Based on the fact that he hadn’t even unlocked a specialization in firearms, it was clear that Li Yan was only slightly better than those who had never touched a gun.

“Didn’t hit him?”

Yu emerged from behind the wall with a grim face. Without a second thought, Li Yan raised his hand and pulled the trigger. Amidst the flames of gunfire, bullets with tremendous kinetic energy shot into Yu’s body.

“Crunch, crunch…”

A barely visible serpent, surrounded by black mist, about three meters long and as thick as a man’s arm, coiled around the man. Some bullets struck its smooth scales, sending sparks flying; others were bitten by the Serpent as they were about to hit the man, swallowing them as easily as if they were peanuts.

“You’ve faced the Power of Serpent!”

“A Fleeting Glimpse, activate!”

“You’ve discovered Predator!”

Name: Li Jiangyu

Status: Binge!

Specialization: Biological Affinity 63%

Skills: 1. A Fleeting Glimpse

2. Yellow Turban Talisman (1/3)

3. ???

Inheritance: Serpent’s Fang·Binge

Predator: In an irreconcilable event contradiction with those who activate A Fleeting Glimpse, it can only be resolved by one party withdrawing or even dying. A Predator who kills will gain all the purchasing rights the other has acquired in the current Yan Fu event and 30% of the settlement reward

and has a certain chance of devouring their inheritance.

Predators killing their prey will not receive rewards, but there is a one hundred percent chance of devouring the counterpart’s inheritance.

Predator status can be obtained through certain special items.

“So that’s how it is.”

Having seen the introduction to the Serpent’s inheritance, Li Yan already understood.

He put away his gun, took two steps forward, and accelerated. Within two or three strides, like a ghost, he charged straight at the Serpent!

“Seeking death!”

Yu, confident in his Serpent, whose satiety had reached its limit, saw Li Yan charging towards him. His thoughts shifted and the serpent’s head, swift as lightning, aimed a bite at Li Yan’s neck.

Just as the fangs were about to make contact with Li Yan, who was running at full speed, he relaxed his knees and propelled his waist forward, sliding on the ground in a bizarre kneeling posture—narrowly avoiding the Serpent’s lunge.

If he had a draw speed like He Andong’s, he could have pulled out his gun and shot at this time, and with the Serpent unable to turn back in time, he could have killed Li Jiangyu on the spot.

Unfortunately, Li Yan was incapable of that, and He Andong, lacking Li Yan’s extraordinary reaction speed, wouldn’t have been able to dodge the Serpent’s bite.

So without thinking, Li Yan brandished the Crooked Leg Knife in his hand and flung it towards Li Jiangyu.

Li Jiangyu, seeing Li Yan’s ferocious approach, also raised his pistol.

The bright machete whirling through the air and the bullets sparking with fire punctured the atmosphere in quick succession, hissing as they tore through the void.

Perhaps it was a run of bad luck, like the wood shavings splashing into Li Yan’s eyes, that even the heavens thought was extremely unjust, or maybe it was just that Li Jiangyu’s shooting was poor. In any case, of the three bullets fired, only one grazed Li Yan’s elbow, but the Crooked Leg Knife struck true, landing squarely on Yu’s shoulder.

“Ah~!”

Yu couldn’t help but cry out as his Browning, which already packed a considerable kick, fell to the ground.

Li Yan, with his knee braced against the ground, pounced toward the fallen pistol, but felt a cold chill creeping up his spine, and in the eyes of the agonized Yu before him, a malicious glint flickered.

“Hmph!”

Midair, Li Yan awkwardly twisted his body, leveraging his waist strength to lean sideways, yet an intense burning pain still spread across his back.

Li Yan hit the wall with a thump and, without a moment’s hesitation, swung a sweeping kick at Li Jiangyu’s ankles while his right hand reached for the pistol at his waist.

Li Jiangyu staggered from the sweeping kick, causing the Serpent’s dance to falter briefly. But it was only for a breath’s time before the Serpent whipped around in the air.

The cold triangular eyes obscured Li Yan’s view just as he was about to raise his gun to fire!

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Li Yan emptied the pistol’s magazine into the gaping maw of the Serpent, but the creature was unstoppable! It rammed Li Yan, who was by the corridor’s edge, into a cramped side room.

Li Yan rolled into the corner, covered in dust and bloodstains, a large patch of skin and flesh scraped off his left palm, bloodied and blurry.

Meanwhile, the Crooked Leg Knife had passed clean through Yu’s shoulder, the pain nearly knocking him out. Trembling, he picked up the pistol with his unharmed left hand, only to find that its magazine was empty. In desperation, he threw the gun aside and staggered toward the room filled with wall dust where Li Yan was.

…

“Li. There’s noise from below.”

Judy swallowed hard and spoke to the weak woman behind her.

Pale-faced, Li used her teeth to gnaw at the prickly rope binding Judy’s hands.

Mumbling, she said, “Don’t worry about it, jump out the window and get away.”

“Maybe it’s Li Yan.”

Li’s lips and gums were pierced until they bled, and finally, she bit a small hole in the rope. Spitting out blood-tainted saliva, she said with a touch of malice:

“It’s no use who comes; that damned Serpent can’t be killed.”

Li had lived for twenty-eight years and had never witnessed such a grotesque scene, with the Serpent twining around men impervious to blades and bullets. It completely overturned Li’s understanding of the world.

“If that guy Yu is so powerful, why did he bother to call Li Yan here at all.”

Initially, her companions were bitten into sieves by the Serpent, warm blood spraying everywhere. One moment they joked and laughed with her, and in the next, their heads were bitten off. The terror almost caused Judy, who led a life of luxury, to lose control of her bladder.

But gradually, Judy calmed down.

That man, he clearly had a fear of Li Yan.

“Judy, discussing this now is useless. Jump out the window and let the people on the street call for help!”

Li, usually commanding and impressive, now looked deathly pale, substantially more disheveled than usual.

Judy’s lips were trembling lightly, and as soon as Li bit through the ropes, she rushed out to retrieve the guns from the bodies.

“Judy, don’t be foolish!”

Seeing Judy going for the guns, Li’s eyes widened as she yelled loudly.

Judy expertly disassembled the pistol, took the yellowish bullets out, and tossed them into the gaps in the floorboards.

“These things are useless against that monster, but they can hurt you.”

Judy glanced at the bright red wounds on Li’s body, bent down to remove her white high heels, then ran barefoot to the window. Her eyes reddening, she took one last look at Li.

“You… take care of yourself.”