The flare shot up into the sky, lit up, then dimmed again, lasting only 25-35 seconds, but to Ling Chengyan, it felt as though several years had passed.
She forgot to blink, staring intently at the movements of the small snake, counting down the flare's duration in her mind: one, two, three, four...
Finally—
When she counted to 28 seconds, the flare's light began to dim, and Ling Chengyan stared at the snake that had almost entirely slithered into Geng Wei's clothes, holding her nerve for another two seconds. Then, in the moment it went completely dark, her hand moved.
At this moment, throwing a stone was already too late. She lunged forward half a meter close to the ground, her hand reaching out at the same time, accurately pinching the snake's head through Geng Wei's clothes.
Bang, bang, two sounds, and the flares shot up again.
Ling Chengyan's fingers remained in place, gripping the snake tightly.
