The putrid stench of rot blasted Thien Anh squarely in the face. The gaping maw of the giant serpent, like the gates of hell, was mere inches away.
Whoosh!
Driven by reflexes forged in a thousand life-and-death struggles, Thien Anh leaned back sharply, sliding across the muddy slush.
CLACK!
The monster's fangs slammed together with a dry, hollow impact right where his head had been a split second before. It was a near miss, but the force of the air displaced by the bite made his skin sting.
The Titanoboa didn't stop. It coiled its body, its tail—as thick as a support pillar—whipping around in a devastating strike.
"Crap!"
Thien Anh rolled across the muck, narrowly dodging the sweep. The brick wall behind him was struck by the tail and crumbled like a dry biscuit.
The moment the serpent unhinged its maw for a second strike...
Zip!
From Thien Anh's collar, a jade-green shadow darted out. Thien Thanh didn't target the hardened scales; she aimed straight for the wide-open, blood-red throat of the beast.
A jet of deep violet liquid was spat directly onto the serpent's mucosal lining and gullet.
Sizzle… Hiss…
The sound of flesh corroding was sickening.
"KIIIIIIIEEEE!"
The gargantuan serpent let out a harrowing shriek, thrashing in a blind frenzy. Thien Thanh's venom didn't just corrode; it attacked the central nervous system with surgical precision.
After three seconds of terminal spasms that pulverized a corner of the street, the twenty-meter monster went rigid. It collapsed into the water with a heavy thud, dead before its eyes could even dim.
Thien Anh pushed himself up, wiping cold sweat from his brow. His heart was still drumming a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
"That was too close. One heartbeat slower and I'd be lunch."
Thien Thanh slithered back, coiling around his arm, her small head swaying with unmistakable arrogance.
"See? All bulk, no speed. One taste of my gift and its lights go out."
Thien Anh flicked her head gently. "Good work. Now, finish purging this pond. I don't want anything else snapping at my heels while we're moving."
Thien Thanh nodded. She glided to the water's edge to resume her 'cleansing' ritual.
Ten minutes later, the vast expanse of water was littered with the floating carcasses of bio-variants: from mutant alligators and electric eels to water centipedes over a meter long.
"Time for the buffet, Thien Lang."
Thien Lang, who had been standing guard, lunged into the water at the command. He ignored the smaller fish and headed straight for the massive Titanoboa.
Crunch… Rip…
Thien Lang's fangs shredded the thick scales, tearing away massive slabs of meat. The multi-ton serpent was systematically dismantled and devoured by Thien Lang in short order.
Thien Anh sat on the bank, grilling a mutant crawfish the size of his calf while watching the wolf's 'bottomless' stomach in action.
"This world is insane," he muttered, tearing into a piece of fragrant, snow-white meat. "But it's… interesting."
In his previous life, he lived only to survive and find his brother. Now, exploring the limits of evolution and witnessing this bizarre new world gave him a strange, electric sense of exhilaration.
...
Lunch concluded. Thien Thanh slithered onto Thien Anh's shoulder, whispering softly, "I'm full. Where to next, brother? Should we find more serpents? I feel like eating them helps me shed my skin faster."
Thien Anh wiped his hands and pulled out a ruggedized military tablet to check his offline maps.
"Serpents are a matter of serendipity. For now, we need a sturdy boat to navigate the submerged zones. More importantly, we need to leave this mire for higher ground."
He pointed to a marker on the screen:
"Target is the Eastern Port. But the direct route is underwater and crawling with aquatic horrors. We're taking a detour."
His finger traced a red line on the map:
"Through East Asia University. The terrain there is elevated; the water will only be ankle-deep or entirely dry. From there, we can approach the port more safely and maybe hunt a few high-tier terrestrial beasts along the way."
Thien Lang let out a massive belch and licked his jowls. "Anywhere is fine. As long as there's meat."
Thien Anh stood up, shouldering his pack. Suddenly, he paused, slapping his forehead.
"Damn. Forgot the most important 'treasure.'"
He looked down at the murky water, which still harbored countless hidden threats. The naked eye couldn't pierce through that silt.
"Thien Lang!"
"Yes, Master?"
"Run back to the bunker. Sector 3, second shelf. Get the handheld bio-scanner. Move it!"
Thien Lang looked confused. "The scanner... the black box that goes beep-beep?"
Thien Anh nodded. "That's the one. And don't chew on it. Go!"
"On it!"
Thien Lang bolted like a black gale, kicking up a storm of dust.
Thien Thanh watched him go, clicking her tongue. "He's a derpy guy, but he's a decent errand-runner."
In less than two minutes, Thien Lang was back, the rectangular black device held in his maw, tail wagging in a blur.
"Here, Master."
Thien Anh took the scanner and flipped the switch. The green radar screen flickered to life, sweeping a 500-meter radius.
Bip… Bip…
Clusters of red dots saturated the screen, especially beneath the water and within the surrounding ruins.
A cold, lethal smile curled Thien Anh's lips.
"It's crowded out there. Let's go. The hunt is officially on."
He vaulted onto Thien Lang's back, while Thien Thanh coiled tightly around his arm like a protective bracer.
"Toward East Asia University. Move out!"