"Squeak! Squeak!"
Seeing Bai Zhe approach, the mother rat screamed wildly, her body trembling. A deep genetic fear of snakes gave her the urge to flee immediately.
But her hatred for the killer of her children kept her rooted, ready to fight to the death.
Bai Zhe crept closer and closer. He judged the distance—only about half a meter separated them. Suddenly, his muscles tensed like a coiled spring.
In the next moment, his body shot forward like an arrow, lunging at the mother rat.
Whoosh!
Reacting on instinct, the mother rat sprang up, dodging the attack and landing heavily to one side.
"Hmph."
Bai Zhe snorted inwardly, showing no hesitation. He launched a second attack, biting the rat's neck directly.
"Squeak!"
The mother rat screamed in pain but Bai Zhe was unshaken, coiling his body around her.
He intended to practice his signature move—Deadly Constriction.
"Squeak!"
The rat's fear and hatred exploded; she twisted wildly, her hind legs pounding the ground as she tried to break free.
Despite her struggles, Bai Zhe couldn't fully coil her.
More importantly, his teeth began to ache as if they might be torn apart. He cursed inwardly at how strong her resistance was.
But he didn't loosen his grip; instead, he bit harder and tightened his coils.
After about three minutes, the rat's struggle weakened; she seemed exhausted. Seizing the chance, Bai Zhe fully wrapped his body around her and began to squeeze.
"Squeak!"
The rat gave a painful scream, but Bai Zhe intensified the pressure until she could no longer make a sound.
Forest Anacondas can sense their prey's heartbeat. Being coiled by one, holding breath or staying still won't help escape once the snake loosens its grip.
Bai Zhe felt the rat's heartbeat weaken until it stopped.
Then his body slowly relaxed. He began swallowing the rat from head to tail.
His once-empty belly swelled again.
After eating the mother rat, Bai Zhe decided not to hunt more and headed back to his nest.
Ten minutes later, he returned.
This hunting trip was fruitful; His Evolution Level rose to 3, and he gained plenty of additional Evolution Points.
His attribute panel showed seven Evolution Points now; after digesting the rat, it would rise to twenty-two.
If he gained this daily, evolution would come quickly.
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, heavy rumbling came from outside the nest, startling Bai Zhe. Was it thunder?
Following the rumble, thunder cracked frequently in the sky.
Inside the nest, Bai Zhe occasionally heard tired birds calling outside.
He shifted his body, feeling no fear of thunder. In the cave, he felt an unparalleled safety.
He wasn't afraid of rain either.
His nest was elevated and sheltered by stones, so little rainwater would enter.
Comfortably curled up, he fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown time, Bai Zhe awoke suddenly.
The nest filled with a strange smell—smoke.
Groggy, he became alert, darted to the entrance, and looked around.
To his left, a glaring blaze caught his eye.
Beep beep bop bop!
From far away, he heard crackling of flying sparks—the smoke's source.
A forest fire?
The thought sprang to his mind. After reflection, he realized the thunder was likely the cause.
Grimacing, frustration rose inside him.
The fire was about five hundred meters away and would spread soon. Even hiding from the flames, the thick smoke could suffocate him.
Without hesitation, Bai Zhe turned and fled.
Swish, swish, swish!
He dashed forward, cursing inwardly. After this fire, the forest would become wasteland. Returning would be nearly impossible.
A bare wasteland meant few animals—what would he eat?
Having stayed here so long, Bai Zhe hated to leave. This termite nest was a perfect home, hard to find again.
As he thought, he saw many animals running—pheasants, lizards, birds, and more.
He even spotted the wildcat from earlier.
The wildcat staggered, trailing the group laboriously. Bai Zhe noticed its venom-infected eye was now dull.
Wounded, the wildcat slowly fell behind.
It might soon be consumed by the fire.
The fleeing group grew larger, adding animals Bai Zhe hadn't seen—hedgehogs, badgers, wild boars.
He even saw several mongoose, startling him.
Mongooses are snake enemies—agile and naturally hostile. Even full, they kill snakes on sight in the wild.
Fortunately, all were busy fleeing, so the mongooses didn't show aggression toward Bai Zhe.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]