In the depths of a dense forest, the mountain wind howled. A Silver White Snake held its head high, silently flicking its crimson tongue as its Snake Pupils gazed in a specific direction.
"You're a clever one, aren't you, you little beast? To think you've already found me."
Chen Gao sauntered out from the shadows, a smirk playing on his lips and a flash of greed in his eyes.
Here in the dense forest, there was no one to compete with him for this rare Snake Species. If he caught it, it was his.
This was a walking pile of cash, and there was no way Chen Gao would let it go. Many a Snake Catcher went their whole life without ever encountering a single rare Snake Species.
And if they couldn't even find one, catching it was out of the question.
Catching one venomous snake like this was worth more than catching thousands upon thousands of common ones.
Chen Gao's spirits soared. He pointed his Snake Hook from a distance, his posture imposing. "You beast! Surrender now!"
'I couldn't catch you at the Snake Market. Let's see where you run this time.'
Just then, a shockingly human-like, mocking glint appeared in the Silver White Snake's Pupils. 'Sigh... some people don't even realize when death is knocking at their door.'
Honestly, Tu Xiao'an didn't see Chen Gao as a threat. He might be a Snake Catcher, but so what?
Chen Gao caught the Silver White Snake's subtle, mocking gaze and was stunned. 'Is that a look a snake is supposed to have?'
For some reason, seeing that look sparked a terrible premonition in his heart.
He couldn't shake the feeling that this snake had deliberately lured him here, into this dense forest.
As a Snake Catcher, he naturally understood the Snake Race. Even if a snake had some spirit, it couldn't possibly be this intelligent.
'Could it be turning into a spirit?'
"Dominance ability, activate!"
Tu Xiao'an's eyes narrowed. In that instant, the very air seemed to ripple. Deep within the forest, the venomous snakes hidden among the bushes and grass suddenly began to stir. As if sensing a command, their hisses rose and fell in waves as they vied to slither out into the open. It was an exodus of snakes, a scene both ghastly and terrifying.
Suddenly, Chen Gao froze. He sucked in a short, ragged breath, standing as if rooted to the spot. 'What the hell is this?' Hordes of venomous snakes were darting out, swarming to surround him.
Even though he was a Snake Catcher, the scene scared him badly. Cold sweat instantly streamed down his back.
'Hmph, you like catching snakes? Then I'll let you catch your fill.'
Tu Xiao'an sneered inwardly. He was curious to see how Chen Gao would deal with this.
Now that he was Level 5, his dominance ability was far more powerful than before, allowing him to summon most of the venomous snakes in the area.
Chen Gao was beyond shocked. The venomous snakes slithering toward him were all different species. Their slender, scaled bodies glittered, and their long, sharp fangs were fully exposed in their gaping maws—a truly terrifying sight.
The scene was so horrifying, it looked like a terrible scene straight out of the movie *Anaconda*.
Suddenly, he recalled the Silver White Snake's mocking gaze. He had thought he was the butcher and it was the meat on the block, but now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
'That damned beast can command all these snakes... Could it be the Snake King?'
Chen Gao guessed inwardly that this time, he was in way over his head. On all sides, venomous snakes stood with their heads raised, surrounding him in layer after layer. The uniquely chilling aura of the Snake Race caused the ambient temperature to plummet.
Cold. The wind now felt bone-chilling.
In that instant, Chen Gao felt as if the sky were about to collapse. A sense of suffocation washed over him. What could he do? He could only stare with horrified eyes at the vicious and terrifying snakes all around him. He felt numb, powerless to speak, devoid of strength.
In a daze, he felt as if he were having a dream. A nightmare. Only in a nightmare could such a scene be possible.
But the hissing of the venomous snakes in his ears told him clearly that this was all real. He was surrounded by a horde of snakes.
He never would have dreamed that he would one day be surrounded by a pack of venomous snakes.
The mung-bean-sized Snake Pupils of each and every one of those snakes were filled with a vicious glint, as if they couldn't wait to swallow him alive.
King Cobra, Green Snake, Bamboo Leaf Green Tea, Seven step Snake, vipers...!
With just a few glances, Chen Gao could identify several venomous snakes he was all too familiar with. Any single one of them could easily kill him.
There were even a few species he didn't recognize at all, but their menacing appearances were no less frightening.
"I won't try to catch you! Let's just pretend I never saw you!"
Chen Gao caved instantly, his face a mask of terror as he spoke. He didn't doubt for a second that the Silver White Snake understood him. After all, it had shown its incredible spirit back at the Snake Market.
Clearly, this was the Silver White Snake's revenge. It wasn't unheard of for a snake to take revenge on a person; stories of such things were common throughout history.
"Too late."
Just then, a strange voice suddenly rang out. Chen Gao's eyes bulged in disbelief. 'Did the snake just talk?'
Had he misheard, or...!
'Holy shit. The snake really has become a spirit.'
HISS...!
With a hiss, a venomous snake lunged at Chen Gao, its pale fangs bared.
Panic flashed through Chen Gao, but he was a Snake Catcher, after all. He reacted instinctively, swatting the venomous snake away with his Snake Hook and sending it flying.
However, this was merely the prelude. In an instant, a dozen venomous snakes attacked simultaneously, lunging at Chen Gao. SWISH SWISH SWISH...
"Oh my God!"
Chen Gao scrambled frantically, swinging his Snake Hook again and again to keep the venomous snakes from getting near him.
He couldn't afford to let any of them bite him.
Being a Snake Catcher was a high-risk profession. They caught deadly venomous snakes, so they always had to be extremely careful. Chen Gao was a veteran Snake Catcher, but he had never seen such a ferocious situation.
But as they say, two fists are no match for four hands. Even with the Snake Hook, he couldn't fend off the endless tide of venomous snakes lunging at him.
After knocking away several more venomous snakes with his Snake Hook, Chen Gao saw something in his peripheral vision. A striped venomous snake was clinging to his waist, its Snake Pupils glowing faintly as if searching his body for a suitable place to bite.
"Get off me, you beast!"
Chen Gao cried out, quickly grabbing the venomous snake on his waist and flinging it away.
"HISS HISS..."
The hissing of venomous snakes filled his ears. The air was thick with a foul, bloody stench, an unbearable odor emanating from their open mouths.
Huh?
Just then, Chen Gao's brow furrowed as a piercing pain shot through his calf. He glanced down, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. While he was distracted, a venomous snake had latched onto his leg and was injecting its Venom.
"You dare, you beast!"
Chen Gao yelled, tore the venomous snake off, and flung it away. A look at the wound revealed it was already turning purple.
He swallowed hard a couple of times, his throat suddenly dry. He quickly fumbled for a small vial, poured out a black pill, and immediately swallowed it dry.
Not far away, Tu Xiao'an watched with cold eyes. He knew Chen Gao had just taken an antivenom pill. It was common for a Snake Catcher to carry some homemade antidote; that part wasn't surprising.
However, homemade antidotes weren't particularly effective. If the bite was from a rare venomous snake, then it wouldn't work at all.
He would need an antivenom derived from that specific snake's blood serum to be cured.