"The treaty is signed, the truth still exists, some are destroyed, without understanding the truth…" Lu Yuan hummed. He didn't even know what this tune was called; any bit of entertainment in the trenches was a blessing. Often someone would start singing, and everyone would join in, whether they knew the song or not, eventually leaving even the person who started it confused.
Lu Yuan leaned halfway out to reach the supply box by the carriage door, where he kept a precious pack of cigarettes. He'd held out for seven or eight days, only smoking two so far, and now seemed the right time to indulge.
A cool breeze swept past, making his spine tingle with a sudden chill. Lu Yuan instinctively drew his hand back, glancing toward the supply box, where he spotted a few dark, slender shadows sprawled across its smooth, faintly reflective surface. Years of bloody combat had trained Lu Yuan's nerves to be both razor-sharp and thick-skinned. His battle instincts kicked in as he whipped out his gun and spun around!
Before he could fully turn, a foul wind blasted in, the stench scraping his hair back behind his ears. Lu Yuan quickly sidestepped with an agility unmatched by most, narrowly dodging a massive, scaly snake the size of a tree trunk that lunged at him, only to smack headlong into the carriage axle.
A primal fear bubbled up inside him, but he tamped it down immediately. He had no time for worry. He raised his gun and fired, but before he could even squeeze the trigger twice, the snake—its snout lined with menacing, grey-black horns—reared up and stared him down. The bullets sparked against its scales, but it didn't seem to harm the creature.
Seeing that bullets weren't effective, Lu Yuan didn't retreat. Instead, he leaned forward, positioning himself barely a body length away from the snake. Suppressing an unidentifiable growl, he planted his feet wide apart and locked eyes with its orange-yellow pupils.
The giant snake, accustomed to dominating the wilderness, seemed baffled by Lu Yuan's fearlessness. With its ambush spoiled and body stung from the bullets, it stood still, its hood flaring out and vibrating with an eerie hissing, as if testing the capabilities of the two-legged creature before it.
Lu Yuan was fully aware of his own limits. There was no way he could fight such a beast hand-to-hand. Although his recent military service on the fleet meant he encountered fewer animals, he knew the jungles on Zhurong-9—the research planet—harbored fierce creatures. Humanity hadn't evolved enough to take on a forest anaconda barehanded.
Slowly, Lu Yuan sidestepped, keeping his gun trained on the snake's tiny, bead-like eye. Every hiss made Lu Yuan raise his voice, and every inch it advanced, he responded with a shot.
When he'd maneuvered into position, he slid his left hand to the roof of the carriage, switched his pistol to "burst mode," and unleashed a torrent of shots at the snake's eyes!
A spray of red blood erupted, and the snake, enraged, lunged forward with an open maw, its speed so fierce it created a sonic boom!
However, Lu Yuan had anticipated this move. He launched himself onto the roof, rolled twice, and scrambled toward the turret at the front of the carriage. If he could reach the 20mm autocannon, even a snake of this size wouldn't stand a chance!
Grabbing onto the turret's shield, Lu Yuan prepared to drop into position. But the snake, frustrated by both a failed ambush and two missed strikes, wasn't about to let Lu Yuan have his way. Its massive head shot forward, slamming into the vehicle, causing the entire carriage to shake. Losing his grip, Lu Yuan swung around the cannon barrel, landing awkwardly at the snake's flank.
His heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, he swung his combat knife, stabbing it deep into the snake's body just as its tail flicked past his face!
The snake shrieked, thrashing wildly. Lu Yuan could barely hold on as snake blood splattered over him. Clenching his jaw, he tore a gaping wound along its scales before the snake flicked its tail again, sending him flying back into a supply box.
Ignoring the pain in his waist, Lu Yuan crawled back toward the turret, pulling the hatch closed. Angered, he gritted his teeth, wiped blood from his mouth, and muttered, "Damn it." He never tolerated failure, and if not for the Imperial Mech Regiment, he never let an insult go unanswered. Today, it seemed, even a wild beast had the audacity to humiliate him.
He picked up his QF47 rifle and emptied a magazine into the snake, the muzzle flash fanning out like a beautiful pentagonal star as rounds hammered into the snake's body. But the bullets only managed to peel off a few layers of scales before bouncing harmlessly off the thick hide.
He muttered a curse. Earth really was something—this desolate patch of wilderness could spawn a creature tougher than reinforced armor. If the Fleet's materials scientists knew, they'd be drooling to dissect the beast.
Seeing that light rounds were ineffective, he switched to heavier ammo and loaded tungsten rounds, counting down under his breath.
"Thirty." After loading, he fired again, finally piercing the snake's outer scales. Injured, the snake slithered back toward the water, leaving a dark red trail.
Relieved, Lu Yuan's hand brushed his waist and found it covered in blood. He glanced at the turret, noticing an upright cannon barrel with a flash suppressor—the very one he planned to use as a makeshift skewer for cooking. What rotten luck.
After a quick bandage, he decided that if he couldn't kill this snake and turn it into snake stew, he'd blow up the whole damn pond.
With a plan in mind, he equipped his drone with a life detector, pulse monitor, and a rack of smart grenades to find the creature.
Minutes later, his remote display picked up the snake hiding at the bottom of the pond. The drone's rotors whipped up waves on the surface, taunting the snake into stillness.
Lu Yuan understood its method: lie in wait, hoping thirsty prey would wander close before launching a sudden strike. But why the horns—mating display, or for burrowing?
He tossed a grenade into the water, but it wouldn't sink, merely exploding on the surface and driving the snake further into the pond.
If he were on a fleet-ground operation, he'd simply call in an airstrike. But with only one all-terrain vehicle and no backup, he couldn't rely on a pulse cannon to do the job.
Cursing his luck, he realized the place was no longer safe. Taking a bath had nearly cost him his life. He climbed into the driver's seat and cranked the engine, unwilling to spend the night next to a creature with such sharp fangs.
With a loud rumble, the all-terrain vehicle rumbled to life and left the oasis behind. As the sun hung low, casting golden rays across the land, Lu Yuan set the vehicle to autopilot and lay back on his cot to rest.
Stretching out, he groaned with relief. The fight with the snake had been brief but intense, sending his adrenaline through the roof. He barely closed his eyes when a roaring sound jolted him awake. He first thought he was dreaming, then quickly realized the drone's alert was real.
Three strides took him to the driver's seat. Outside, against the golden sunset, he spotted a convoy of modified vehicles circling his all-terrain car.
Without a change in expression, Lu Yuan grabbed the short rifle under the driver's seat, slammed the gas pedal, and forced the unknown vehicles to split away. The windows flashed as a hail of bullets struck his vehicle.
Slowing down, Lu Yuan realized this wouldn't end peacefully. He pressed the turret cannon button, and the machine gun fired a fierce salvo into the sunset.