Chapter 005: Leeches and Water Pythons

Before he could fully react, a snake as thick as a thigh shot up from behind him, encircling him with a speed that was too quick for thunder to cover his ears, tightening its grip. The sunlight reflected off the snake's scales, creating a shimmering green glow

It is worth mentioning that the recovery in the jungle is indeed rapid. After a month, the trees that were originally cut down have quickly sprouted new branches, reaffirming their rebirth. Those that have not regrown new branches are soon overshadowed by the neighboring trees that are catching up and occupying the space.

2. Here, the abundant rainfall, high temperatures, humid climate, lush trees, and diverse species all attest to the fact that this is a tropical rainforest. However, Qingmu is unable to determine exactly where this is. The Amazon jungle? The Congo basin? The Malay Peninsula? The Indochinese Peninsula? Sumatra? All of these require further confirmation

"Come out, you beast! If you have the guts, come out!" The leader shouted angrily at the stream while waving a machete. Unfortunately, at that moment, he saw neither the python nor any person. He only saw the blood that kept rolling, being diluted and faded in the flowing water

Aoki stared intently at the water's surface, striving to find something

At this moment, the team leader noticed something was amiss and pulled at one person's pant leg

Aoki witnessed the entire process and was also astonished by the large water python. The python, which was not exaggerated in size compared to the illustrations, was approximately 17 meters long and had a diameter of about 40 cm, which was extremely impressive

When Qingmu was studying, he knew that the largest snake in the world was only a little over 14 meters long. In 2006, a very rare snake measuring 14.85 meters in length and weighing 447 kilograms was exhibited in a small park in Indonesia. This is the longest and largest snake discovered by humans in nearly 100 years, and it is currently the largest snake in the world

However, in a situation where one person is nearly disabled and two others are weak and powerless, is it possible to emerge from the jungle? To return to human society?

1. This is the territory of the large water python. Most animals establish their own territories and leave various marks to indicate them. They occupy this piece of land as a breeding ground, prohibiting other animals from intruding and driving away any intruders, thereby defending their territory. This explains why no other large animals have been seen in the past few months

You are celebrating too early! At that moment, Aoki felt displeased upon hearing their cheers. Unfortunately, he had been staring at the water's surface and did not notice the appearance of the water python.

After a while, during the second netting, there were still no fish caught; the harvest consisted only of withered branches and fallen leaves

At this moment, the group of people no longer had the mood to enjoy breakfast. They packed their belongings, ate some dry rations, and hurriedly set off, leaving the dangerous place of *illustration* and *book*. Who knows if it might feel that the food is insufficient and come running out.

Having not eaten anything and after spending half an hour searching for dry twigs and grass in the jungle, followed by another 20 minutes of effort, the team leader can be said to be utterly exhausted at this moment

At this moment, the team leader was not only angry but also deeply regretful, blaming himself for having called him out alone to fish. A living person had died right before his eyes, and the team leader was filled with immense regret and self-reproach

After they left, although the jungle once again returned to tranquility, the original scene could never be restored to its former state. The scattered scaffolding, the burned grass, the felled trunks—everything bore witness to the wounds it had once suffered

"You should take the fishing net and try to catch some fish in the water, so you can prepare a better breakfast," the team leader instructed the only member who still had relatively good stamina at that moment

Others are also cheering with joy; nothing can motivate people more than food

Now, in Aoki's view, this so-called world's largest snake pales in comparison to the giant water python he is currently observing.

With a loud crash, the snake that had coiled around the person plunged into the water, creating splashes of waves

Oh! No! The team leader saw the shocking scene and shouted in anger. Grabbing the machete at his waist, he quickly rushed to the site of the incident, staring intently at the stream.

"And the sound of splashing water echoed, 'Gulu! Gulu! Gulu!' He felt a surge of joy in his heart; it seemed he had caught a fish. Swiftly, he pulled up the net, and indeed, there were two fish, each weighing about half a pound, caught in it. The net was made of special materials, making it particularly resilient. For fish of this kind, escaping was simply impossible.

On the small leg, there were 5 leeches attached; at this moment, they had already gorged themselves, and what had originally been the thickness of a cotton swab had now swollen to the size of half a palm. Lifting up the other pant leg, I saw another 4 leeches, fully engorged with blood, hanging there.

Ah! The others were greatly startled, their hearts racing with fear

Team leader, I have caught two fish!" he exclaimed joyfully

This person patiently removed the dead branches and leaves from the fishing net one by one, then combed through it again before casting it back into the lake

The team leader replied, "This is the leech, the vampire of the jungle. Did I not tell you to tightly secure your pant legs? Why did you not listen?"

Ah! I have one too!

Thus, another month passed quietly

After the water python captured its prey, it submerged into the water and did not reappear

"Don't move! I'll do it," the team leader stopped him, then took a piece of wood that was burning with red embers from the fire and placed it on the leech.

The fisherman, in high spirits, rolled up the fishing net from www.hetushu.com, stunned two fish, and stood up intending to take them back to the camp.

The other two individuals also rolled up their pant legs and discovered the same thing, instantly becoming paralyzed with fear on the ground. After the team leader killed all the leeches, 20 minutes had already passed.

This person, carrying a fishing net, skillfully approached the riverbank, tidied up the net, and then cast it into the stream. After a while, he retrieved it.

A loud bang erupted from behind him, splashing water everywhere and striking his back painfully

Bang

The water python has still not appeared

The other three were stunned by the terrifying scene before them, their hearts racing with fear, unable to stand, they could only crawl backward in terror, desperate to escape this cursed place

During this month, Aoki has managed to grasp some of the circumstances

Haha! Well done! Hurry and bring it over, let's make a delicious fish soup to warm everyone up. The team leader laughed upon hearing this.

When they arrived, they prepared a cast net, which has provided them with abundant food during these days of wilderness exploration. It can be said that it is a significant tool for their survival

This person, neither hurried nor anxious, methodically repeated the process of removing dead branches and leaves, and reorganizing the fishing net. This time, he did not cast the net in the same spot; instead, he observed for a moment and moved upstream along the bank. After walking 10 meters upstream, he reached a small cove, a place where fish linger and * maps * are left.

The person who was discovered to have leeches was at that moment filled with a racing heart, overwhelmed by fear, and collapsed onto the ground. In a panic, they hurriedly reached out to pull out the leeches, but were stopped by the team leader.

For the first time, I gathered a pile of dead branches and fallen leaves, but caught no fish

What is this thing? Everyone found it extremely disgusting, feeling a tingling sensation all over their bodies

In this month, Qingmu has not lagged behind at all; he has now grown to a height of 50 cm, while his roots have reached a depth of 150 cm

When Aoki saw a person pull a fishing net out of a backpack, he knew the moment he had been waiting for had arrived. Aoki focused all his attention, staring at this person

I also have it!

Other leeches, like artillery, make everyone feel a chill run down their spine

The leech could not withstand the heat, so it retracted its mouth and fell to the ground, leaving behind a large pool of dark red blood after being burned to death

Cast the net, remain for a period of time, and then retrieve the net

The fire was set on the ant nest, emitting thick white smoke that drove away the mosquitoes buzzing around the five people.

The fir tree next to Aoki has also begun to sprout new trunks from the lower layer, regaining vitality. However, the original nest of ants has already turned into a pile of fertilizer, nourishing the jungle.

Aoki stared at the water's surface, not seeing the ripples caused by the water python swimming by. It was likely observing silently from somewhere, perhaps from the flooded grass on the opposite bank, or maybe hidden beneath the water at Aoki's feet.