Time seemed to stand still.
Lin An remembered.
He had often heard people say that time slows down before one dies, allowing one to recall their life like an unfolding scroll.
He didn't believe it at first, but now he did.
A substantial psychic shockwave distorted space, slowly but steadily slashing towards his head.
He could even feel the pain between his eyebrows, as if his scalp was slowly splitting open.
Zombies, drawn by the smell of blood, moved in slow motion, waving their arms in a ludicrous, comical manner.
Dust carried by the psychic force fell grain by grain.
The roaring sound was stretched and distorted, deep and indistinguishable.
Everything was so slow.
Except, in the center of the scroll, a black lightning-like snake appeared.
Its speed was so fast that even Lin An, in this state, couldn't react.
In an instant!
"Thud—"
The black snake leapt up, positioning itself between Lin An and the psychic force.
The shockwave, capable of slicing through tank armor, entered the snake's body and instantly vanished.
Like a mud ox entering the sea, without a trace.
The black snake gave a satisfied burp, then wagged its tail at Lin An as if seeking praise.
Time resumed its flow, like a raging river continuing to roar.
Lin An's heart trembled with shock as he looked at the black snake in front of him, incredulous.
Too fast.
The speed the black snake had just burst out with definitely exceeded the speed of sound!
In terms of agility, it must be at least 45 points!
Such speed, even a third-tier mutant couldn't reach!
"Hiss—"
The snake flicked its tongue, arching its body.
Lin An could see a hint of flattery in its cold eyes.
He didn't know why he could read emotions in a snake's eyes.
His mouth was dry, and he was at a loss.
What the hell is this... thing?!
It appeared out of nowhere and saved his life.
And it even seemed to show him a hint of flattery.
Before Lin An could ponder further, the black snake suddenly turned and stood upright.
It instantly expanded, transforming from a slender little snake into a four-meter-tall giant python.
Its pitch-black scales swallowed the sunlight, like a black hole.
There were two bulges on its sharp snake head, as if something was trying to grow out.
The girl in the red dress floating in mid-air stopped moving.
Her face remained expressionless, her deathly white eyes staring straight at the black snake.
Fear?
From her reaction, Lin An sensed that this seemingly third-tier mutant was somewhat afraid of the black snake.
"Shh!"
The girl in red stood in mid-air, a powerful psychic force emanating from her, tearing everything around her to pieces.
"Buzz!"
Her otherworldly hand raised, her pale fingertips pointing at the black python.
In Lin An's perception, a psychic wave far stronger than the one that struck him earlier erupted, instantly blasting towards the giant python.
Two clearly monstrous beings began to fight without a word.
This left Lin An deeply puzzled.
The psychic shockwave reached in an instant, but like before, it disappeared after entering the python's body.
The black python opened its mouth, mocking as it remained in place.
"Boom!"
The next second, its massive body leapt into the air at an impossible angle, appearing in front of the red-dressed mutant.
Its blood-red mouth opened wide, ready to swallow her whole.
"Zha!"
Seeing the giant mouth closing in, the girl in red let out a piercing shriek, the sound carrying psychic force that instantly exploded the heads of zombies within a hundred meters.
Lin An let out a muffled groan, nosebleed streaming down his face.
His head throbbed painfully, and if not for his willpower far exceeding that of a normal awakened person, this scream would have shattered his consciousness.
Moreover, he could feel that the primary target of the scream wasn't him or the surrounding zombies.
It was the black python.
Lin An smiled bitterly, realizing he didn't even have the qualification to watch the battle.
The mere aftershock of the fight almost killed him.
His gaze heavy, many doubts in his mind began to clear up.
This scream was what he had heard last night!
Full of resentment, its harshness left a deep impression.
What had happened last night?
Before Lin An could figure it out.
The black snake relentlessly continued, the scream that could kill thousands was just noise to it.
It paused briefly, but continued to devour the red-dressed mutant without hindrance.
"Buzz."
A faint spatial ripple.
To avoid being devoured, the red-clad mutant bizarrely vanished, reappearing a short distance away, as if she had teleported.
Her aura weakened significantly, and the psychic energy that had been radiating out retracted back into her body.
It seemed this teleportation-like ability consumed a great deal of her energy.
The red-clad mutant stayed where she was, and the black giant python did not pursue her.
It was unclear what they were waiting for.
The two held their positions, and despite the black python having the advantage, it didn't attack again.
"Hiss hiss hiss."
The snake flicked its tongue.
In the stalemate, the black giant python seemed to be communicating with the red mutant.
A few seconds later, Lin An watched as the red-clad girl hesitated briefly before removing the necklace from her neck and throwing it to the black python.
For the first time, Lin An saw an emotion on her young face: resentment, reluctance, and helplessness.
As the necklace was thrown, the obsidian at its center gleamed with a mysterious light, catching Lin An's eye.
If only he could get it.
Lin An felt a surge of excitement.
According to the equipment description, completing the missing part of the [Skullcrushers' Hand] would elevate it to epic-grade equipment.
As the name suggests, this equipment would be incredibly powerful.
In his previous life, Lin An had only heard about such items in conversations among the most powerful awakened individuals.
The power of epic equipment was overwhelming, bringing a qualitative change in a player's strength.
Lin An guessed that there might not be many pieces of such equipment in the entire apocalyptic game.
Despite his desire, Lin An could only stay where he was, not daring to make any moves.
The necklace was thrown to the black python.
Although the black snake had saved him and even showed inexplicable friendliness, Lin An was not narcissistic enough to believe the black snake wouldn't turn on him.
A snake that could ignore the psychic shocks of a third-tier mutant, with a speed comparable to 45 points in agility.
This level of power was practically invincible at this stage.
Lin An knew that if the giant python attacked him, he wouldn't be able to withstand even one blow.
Its speed alone was beyond his ability to react.
Though he didn't know the origin of the black python that the black snake had transformed into, Lin An sensed that this creature was different from the zombie virus-infected mutants.
After the necklace was thrown, the red-clad girl turned and flew away without hesitation.
However, Lin An noticed that the direction she flew in was also towards the city center.
What was in the city center?
Lin An recalled the mountain of corpses at the city entrance, which also showed signs of a third-tier mutant heading towards the city center.
He felt uneasy, troubled.
This apocalyptic situation was completely different from his memories, giving him a sense of losing control.
But after a moment, Lin An suppressed his thoughts.
Whatever changes occurred, he would face them.
Useless emotions were pointless.
A cold wind rose; the weather was unpredictable in the post-apocalyptic world.
Lin An quietly stayed in the deep pit, watching as the black snake picked up the necklace and swallowed it in one gulp.
Regret.
Lin An sighed softly.
It seemed the black snake's target was also the obsidian on the necklace.
He still didn't know why it had saved him.
But regardless, it seemed his hope of completing his equipment was completely shattered.
He couldn't contend with either of these monsters.
Setting aside his desire for the obsidian, Lin An touched the [Skullcrushers' Hand] on his right hand.
It was a pity. If he could complete this equipment, he would be confident in defeating the [Stitcher].
However, the outcome wasn't too bad; at least he survived an encounter with what seemed to be a third-tier mutant.
That was extremely lucky.
No further thoughts.
His injuries were gradually healing. With his high physique, his physical recovery speed was about seven times that of an ordinary person.
Although he couldn't regrow limbs, he could quickly heal wounds and repair internal organs.
It felt like waiting for a verdict.
Up to this point, Lin An still didn't know why the black snake had suddenly appeared and saved him.
"Plop."
As Lin An speculated nervously, the black giant python reverted to the slender black snake.
It happily slithered to Lin An's feet, then opened its mouth.
The necklace, covered in saliva, was spat out onto the ground as if it were a treasure.
Breathing heavily, Lin An stared intently at the black snake and the necklace.
Could it be!?
In his mind, a childish voice sounded.
"Fusion... equipment!"