Chapter 97: Life-and-Death Kill (Part 2): The Eerie Girl in the Red Dress

Chapter 97: Life and Death Kill [Part 2: The Eerie Girl in the Red Dress]

Snakes.
So many snakes.
To describe them as covering the mountains and plains would not be an exaggeration.

Forcing his eyes away from Chen Yaxin’s chest, Chu Fei felt his hair stand on end at the chilling sight behind him. On the grass, among the withered branches and fallen leaves, in the thickets, and even hanging from the dried tree limbs, one could see colorful snakes everywhere—and all of them were venomous.

This was the first time in his life Chu Fei had ever seen so many snakes. Eight or nine would be nothing; even a hundred or so would at most make him frown. But to have thousands upon thousands of venomous snakes surging toward him at once made him feel a chill deep in his bones.

In his arms, Chen Yaxin was already trembling uncontrollably, her body stiffening—a sign of fear pushed to its absolute limit. Ninety-nine percent of women have an instinctive dread of snakes and rodents. Faced with such a massive swarm of venomous snakes, she found it difficult even to breathe. Beyond subconsciously clutching Chu Fei’s neck, her mind had gone numb, ceasing all thought.

"This isn't right. It isn't summer yet; the snakes should still be hibernating. Even if a few had awakened, how could there suddenly be so many?" Chu Fei stared fixedly at the undulating wave of snakes, his expression grim. This anomaly only deepened his unease.

Just then, he looked toward the front left.

Perched on a protruding branch of a large tree, a figure had appeared out of nowhere. It was a young girl, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, at most twenty. She was dressed quite provocatively, wearing only a semi-transparent gauze gown that vaguely revealed the curvaceous silhouette of her youthful body. As her hem fluttered in the wind, it exposed her snow-white, jade-like calves. She was barefoot, and a cascade of long black hair flowed down her back, reaching almost to her waist. She truly embodied the phrase: "Dark hair like a waterfall, bare feet like snow."

Chu Fei clearly remembered that the spot had been empty moments ago. Less than three minutes had passed since Gun God Ivan and the low-level assassin departed, yet the girl had appeared out of thin air. This proved her prowess was terrifying, or at the very least, deeply unnatural.

Especially since she sat casually on the branch, swaying gently as if she had no weight at all. Combined with her attire—black hair, red gauze dress, bare feet, swaying in the wind—the scene felt exactly like a ghost from a horror film. Even Chu Fei, a staunch atheist, felt his scalp tingle.

As Chu Fei watched the girl on the branch, another figure emerged from beneath a tree nearby. It was a man wearing strange, cyan-colored ethnic-style clothing, with a large tattoo covering his face.

"Xin'er, we agreed that I would take the first shot when we encountered the target. You can't snatch this from me." The tattooed man looked up at the girl in the red dress.

"Fine, but be careful. This prey is quite strong. Don't go getting yourself killed, Uncle," the girl on the branch replied in a soul-stirring, dainty voice, so soft it seemed to seep directly into one’s soul.

"He, kill me?" The tattooed man sneered at Chu Fei and suddenly charged forward. As he sprinted, the colorful venomous snakes on the ground and branches rapidly recoiled to either side, as if they dared not block his path.

In the blink of an eye, the tattooed man was upon Chu Fei, raising his hand to launch a streak of black light that flew straight toward him.

*Swish.*

Chu Fei dodged rapidly, barely avoiding the black streak. But when he saw what it was, his heart skipped a beat—the black light was actually a venomous snake.

The snake, missing its target, twisted its body in mid-air as if it could fly. With jaws agape, it bared its sharp fangs, striking again at Chu Fei’s throat with lightning speed. As its mouth opened, a faint, foul stench filled the air. Simultaneously, the tattooed man produced a short black blade from nowhere, stabbing with incredible speed toward Chu Fei’s heart.

Man and snake acted in seamless coordination. For an ordinary person, even one with extraordinary skills, it would have been impossible to fend off.

But Chu Fei was an exception.

After the initial shock, he regained his calm. He retreated sharply, dodging the blade. At the same time, a black short blade appeared in Chu Fei’s hand—the very one the low-level assassin had used to threaten him earlier. He swung it in a slash, and the sharp blade struck the body of the black snake as it whipped around.

The result, however, stunned Chu Fei.

A metallic *clang* rang out, as if steel had struck steel. The black snake was sent flying back by the force of the blow, yet it remained unsliced. It landed on the ground, swept across it like a bolt of lightning, and soared back up. This time, it didn't strike at Chu Fei, but instead landed on the tattooed man’s shoulder, its triangular eyes fixed on Chu Fei, filled with an almost human expression of fear.

"Huh?" The tattooed man exclaimed, clearly surprised.

Chu Fei was even more shocked. *What kind of monsters are these? How can a snake’s body be as hard as steel? And who are this tattooed man and the girl in the red dress? This is too bizarre.*

The tattooed man gave Chu Fei no time to think. Despite his surprise, he didn't hesitate, pushing off the ground to lunge at Chu Fei again. The snake on his shoulder followed suit, its triangular eyes gleaming with a savage, heart-stopping intensity.

*Swish.*

Facing the combined assault, Chu Fei’s figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.

Instead of retreating, he lunged forward, charging directly at the tattooed man.

Fast. Unbelievably fast. If the tattooed man’s speed was like lightning, Chu Fei’s was faster. In a flash, he was right in front of the man, and a glimmer of light streaked past.

"Ugh—"

The tattooed man’s face froze in astonishment, his expression stiffening mid-charge. A thin line appeared across his neck, which then tore open as if fabric were being ripped apart.

The next moment, the tattooed man gripped his throat with both hands, his eyes filled with extreme terror as he looked at Chu Fei. But it was too late.

*Thump.*

The tattooed man collapsed, his hands still clutching his throat as if trying to hold back the blood. It was futile; a torrent of red poured out. He struggled to turn his head toward the girl in the red dress, but failed. Finally, his eyes bulged, fixed and motionless. Even in death, the look of disbelief and terror on his face suggested he could not believe this was happening.

It all happened too fast, ending in an instant. Chu Fei, having slit the man's throat, whirled around to face the black snake.

To his surprise, the creature seemed to possess intelligence. Realizing its master was dead, it seemed to sense Chu Fei’s lethality; it turned and slithered over ten meters away, landing on a tree trunk to watch him. Chu Fei frowned. Everything happening today was so surreal that a snake possessing human-like consciousness no longer felt out of place.

He looked up toward the girl in the red dress on the distant branch.

The girl was wide-eyed, watching him, seemingly shocked by his strength. But soon, a dainty smile spread across her face. "Wow, you’re really something. You killed Old Poison-Thing in one stroke. You’re too fierce!" Her voice was melodic, devoid of even a hint of grief.

Chu Fei frowned. He had clearly heard her call the man "Uncle," yet she showed no sorrow at his death. But he had no time to ponder this. He wrapped one arm around Chen Yaxin’s waist and retreated rapidly. The girl was too ethereal, definitely even more dangerous than the man, and the endless sea of snakes made his skin crawl.

"Chu Fei... I, I think I have no strength left," Chen Yaxin said, her voice dry.

"I’ve got you!" Chu Fei glanced at her and, without hesitation, scooped her up completely, accelerating his pace. He noticed something wrong; the mist expelled by the black snake must have been toxic. He was immune, but Chen Yaxin was not. It didn't seem severe—only enough to make her weak—but it was still dangerous.

—

The girl in the red dress on the branch made no move to stop them. She simply watched silently as Chu Fei carried Chen Yaxin into the depths of the forest. After a long while, she sighed softly. Then, her body swung from the branch like someone on a swing, landing on another branch ten meters away, and then swung again.

She was following the exact direction Chu Fei had taken, though she wasn't moving fast, trailing them from a distance.

As the girl swung forward, the boundless swarm of venomous snakes on the ground and trees surged after them. From afar, it looked as if a colorful wave had suddenly appeared in the forest—a wave composed of thousands of highly venomous snakes.

The girl in the red dress, swinging from branch to branch, was like a queen leading her serpent army. If an ordinary person saw this, they would likely be frightened out of their wits, perhaps even scared to death.

Unfortunately, there was no one left to see it. Even Chu Fei had already run far away.