Volume One: The Soul-Enticing Gourd and the Flame of Spirit Chapter 107: The Great Battle in the Rainforest

Crack, crack, crack—

The gnawing sounds behind Gu Mo abruptly ceased.

Several anacondas on the shore flicked their blood-red tongues, twisting their massive bodies back and forth along the bank.

After two anacondas turned into white bones, the surface of the blood-red lake was suddenly filled with the rapid sound of swimming beneath.

Watching these huge serpents in a panic, it was clear they were reluctant to let their prey slip away so easily!

Yet, the piranha swarm beneath the lake remained an immense threat. Even the massive anacondas dared not enter the water lightly.

Reflecting on it, being blocked right outside one’s own home was an incredibly miserable feeling!

...

At this moment, Gu Mo finally came to a complete realization.

“I’m doomed—I'm definitely the next target!”

Faced with a life-threatening situation, Gu Mo’s lips trembled as panic overwhelmed him. His mind conjured a terrifying image of himself being gnawed down to bare bones.

That sensation was unprecedentedly agonizing—far more intense than the sourness of aged pickled beef noodles!

For a while, his mind was in utter chaos, flooded with nonsensical words to quell the unprecedented terror.

“Pineapple,凤梨, Oreo;

Oat noodles, steamed cakes, Welkon;

Coke, Sprite, Little Wangzai;

Three hundred river pirates helping an elderly lady cross the street;

Arrogant aliens battling the iron-blooded warriors...”

Shivering violently, Gu Mo resolutely took a deep breath and bit down hard on his tongue.

With a sharp snap, a sweet taste filled his mouth, and finally, his brain rebooted!

Fueled by the sharp pain, Gu Mo disregarded his fear and began furiously splashing the water with his hands.

But for some reason, Gu Mo felt a strange tingling sensation radiating from his wrists as he paddled.

It was as if an electric current was running through his wrists!

In the face of life and death, Gu Mo could only ignore it and paddle desperately.

Unbeknownst to him, an even deadlier threat was quietly closing in.

...

Whoosh—plop, plop—

A piranha with blood-red eyes leapt from the lake, flapping its tail and baring its razor-sharp teeth as it rapidly lunged toward Gu Mo’s head.

Who could blame it? Gu Mo’s broad, exposed back was no mere back—it was inviting flesh ripe for devouring!

Why would the piranha bother with moss-covered bark? That stuff was inedible and lacked nutrition!

Taking a closer look, the piranha suspended midair had a relatively small mouth, barely wider than a young peach.

Yet, underestimating the piranha’s power was pure ignorance.

Its body was a dark gray-black, its translucent sharp teeth harder than metal.

They could easily pierce through thick steel plates, let alone human flesh.

The bright red eyes on either side of its small head glowed like bulbs lit with murderous intent—utterly bloodthirsty!

Its side, dorsal, and tail fins were jagged and uneven, giving it a grotesque appearance.

Moreover, the piranha’s brain was small, but filled entirely with an obsession for blood and slaughter.

It was truly a bizarre creature!

One couldn’t help but wonder why the Creator would make such an ugly beast.

And what twisted thoughts did the Creator implant in its tiny mind?

There was even a species called the “testicle-cutting fish,” whose territory could cause all men to question their existence.

(Reading this, doesn’t a chill run down your spine?)

...

Returning to the matter at hand:

Plop—

Two bloodshot piranhas leapt from the water and lunged at Gu Mo’s back.

At the critical moment, a sharp whoosh pierced the silence from nearby in the rainforest!

Swoosh—

A slender, sharp wooden arrow tipped with potent poison zipped just past Gu Mo’s scalp.

Pop!

The piranha that had just emerged from the blood-red lake was pinned firmly to the lakebed.

Suddenly, the blood-stained water churned like boiling soup.

A large group of piranhas swiftly plunged toward the bottom, following the scent of blood.

In the blink of an eye, the ripples turned crimson.

Several piranhas, thoroughly poisoned, floated helplessly atop the lake, writhing in agony.

Who else could have saved Gu Mo but Li Hetang?

Peering ahead, Gu Mo saw only two indistinct figures standing on a small green bamboo raft.

Glancing back at the gruesome scene, a wave of fear surged through Gu Mo.

“Damn it! If that bastard Li Hetang had missed by a bit more, I’d be the one poisoned!”

Sure enough, a familiar shout rang out nearby.

“Brother Gu, get ready!”

As the words fell, a whoosh sounded!

A wooden arrow tied to a rope flew swiftly toward Gu Mo.

Overjoyed, Gu Mo fixed his gaze and raised both hands to catch it.

Unexpectedly, the loop slipped directly around his neck.

Suddenly, Gu Mo’s entire body tingled as cold sweat poured down—an ominous feeling gripped him.

“Hold tight!”

Another fierce shout came.

Still in shock, Gu Mo had no time to react before the rope’s end was pulled with all its might.

Whoosh!

His delicate throat was instantly constricted to the thickness of chopsticks, and his bright red tongue stuck out.

Wahhh—

Gu Mo, like a tethered golden retriever, flushed and gasping, sat on the large piece of bark, paddling rapidly.

Desperate, he clutched the rope tightly around his neck.

At least this way, Li Hetang wouldn’t strangle him to death, and the small gap allowed him to breathe.

“Li Hetang, you bastard!”

After several breaths, nearly suffocating, Gu Mo finally saw Li Hetang and Min Wenhua aboard the small bamboo raft.

In a flash, two piranhas chasing swiftly leapt from the water like arrows.

Whoosh!

A spear with a sharp tip and powerful gust suddenly pierced through.

Pop!

The spear Min Wenhua threw struck two piranhas with a double kill.

Looking up, the two piranhas were pinned firmly to the large bark.

It was a perfect, deep strike—true to the phrase “piercing deep into the wood.”

A true warrior, not only agile but with a cunning angle of attack!

Gu Mo, still with the rope tightening around his neck, hurried aboard the raft.

But his vision blurred, making him dizzy and extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Li Hetang immediately pushed the bark, which still carried the piranhas, forward with the paddle.

At the critical moment, the three aboard the raft paddled furiously to escape the cursed area.

Plop, plop—

The two pierced piranhas thrashed wildly.

A putrid stream of blood oozed from the spear and bark’s cracks into the lake.

Almost instantly, the two piranhas, perhaps sensing each other’s blood, turned their heads and bit into one another with their sharp teeth.

Damn it! These filthy fish wouldn’t even spare their own kind!

Crack, crack—

The piranha swarm beneath the surface, drawn by the thick scent of blood, swarmed in immediately.

Crack, crack, crack—

The bone-chilling gnawing sounds echoed as the three on the raft paddled fiercely, not daring to make a sound.

The large piece of bark Gu Mo had been on was quickly torn to shreds and sank.

The terrifying piranha swarm desperately tore into everything in sight!

The two piranhas impaled together and biting each other were soon devoured entirely by their companions beneath the surface, meeting a grisly end.

The murky lake surface rippled with blood.

In an instant, the entire scene was soaked in crimson—an overwhelmingly terrifying sensation spreading instantly.

...

Witnessing the scene, Min Wenhua pulled out two fat fish from behind him and hurled them far away.

“Go! Hurry!”

With a fierce shout, Min Wenhua and Li Hetang paddled furiously.

Even the dizzy Gu Mo stretched his hands into the water to paddle.

Splash, splash—

Beneath the surface, the water churned violently. Blood was the piranhas’ greatest lure.

Behind them, terrifying chewing sounds came closer. A single bite from the piranhas would surely crush bone to marrow.

...

Time passed unknowingly; dusk deepened, and the night curtain fell.

The small bamboo raft carrying the three through life and death finally reached the lake shore.

Exhausted, Gu Mo gasped heavily as he stepped onto firm ground.

Collapsing to the earth, he cursed fiercely while looking at the sweltering rainforest before him.

“Damn it! You scared the hell out of me!”

Li Hetang and Min Wenhua also breathed heavily.

As the three exchanged glances, Gu Mo reached up and tore the coarse rope from his neck, cursing loudly.

“You bastard! What the hell were you thinking, putting a noose around my neck like that?”

Li Hetang smiled sheepishly, avoiding Gu Mo’s glare.

“Emmm... the situation was critical. I didn’t expect you to catch the loop with your head!”

Then, with a teasing look, Li Hetang mocked,

“Do you think you’re a seal? Sticking your head into a noose—were you expecting applause?”

Gu Mo snorted coldly, too drained to argue.

Suddenly, Li Hetang’s eyes widened like marbles as he stared hard at Gu Mo.

“Brother Gu... why does your face have no color at all?”

Hearing this, Gu Mo furrowed his brows in puzzlement and touched his face.

Strangely, he felt an indescribable weariness all over, as if his strength was rapidly draining away.

Haah—

He yawned deeply, his face turning even paler.

Before Li Hetang could speak, the experienced Min Wenhua raised a hand to stop him.

“Hetang, look at Gu’s hands!”

Prompted, Li Hetang looked down curiously.

Gu Mo was naked, his hands wrapped in a filthy, mud-stained mental hospital gown.

But why was the gown swollen like a balloon?

Thinking this over, Li Hetang tugged to loosen the tangled garment on Gu Mo’s wrists.

As the damp, dirty gown fell away, the three gasped in shock.

There, two slippery, dark brown oval-shaped worms clung tightly to Gu Mo’s wrists.

Their bodies were marked with deep brown patterns that shimmered with faint specks of light.

The oval worms were as large as loaves of bread!

Baffled, Gu Mo broke out in a cold sweat, his face as pale as wax, feeling utterly numb.

Looking at these strange creatures, he felt disgusted and muttered naturally,

“What the hell is this? How did I not notice them at all!”

No sooner had he spoken than he reached to pull them off.

But before his hand could touch the worms, Li Hetang gripped Gu Mo’s wrist firmly.

“Don’t move—those are leeches!”

At this, Gu Mo shuddered and asked foolishly,

“What? Leeches? Are those rainforest bread worms?”

No sooner had he spoken than dizziness overwhelmed him, and everything blurred.

With a thud—

Weak beyond measure, Gu Mo’s vision blackened, and he collapsed into unconsciousness…