The three men were dumbstruck.
What the hell?!Where did this kid even come from?
This was an isolated island. No villages. No homes. No people. And yet—here she was. This pale-faced girl holding a live venomous snake like it was a toy.
The tall guy was so shocked he forgot to buckle his belt."F*ck you! You scared the hell out of me!" he blurted out, still backing away from her.
Meanwhile, the leader's eyes—dark and calculating—narrowed as he slowly shifted his hand behind his waist. After a second, he pulled it back like nothing had happened, but Xu Xiyan saw everything.
Her gaze flickered.A gun.
She'd seen one just like it before—held by the man who shot her grandfather in the head.
The leader's voice was hoarse as he asked, "Little girl, where are your parents?"
Xu Xiyan didn't blink."Bitten by snakes. They didn't make it."She kept her tone cold and detached, stepping carefully away from the leader—but the shortest guy moved in to block her path.
Her eyes darted between them, already analyzing her options. If she could use this guy as a human shield, she might buy herself enough time to escape, even if they tried to shoot her.
Calculated. Calm. Dangerous.
The short man looked at his leader, who gave a subtle nod. He turned back to Xu Xiyan, raising both hands with a fake smile."Little girl…"
But she didn't let him finish.
"You want it?"She tilted the snake up sharply, its fangs gleaming just inches from the man's face. "You can have it. But since I caught it, you'll have to buy it from me."
Her movement was lightning-fast.
The man yelped, stumbled back in terror, and screamed:"Damn it! You scared the f*ck out of me! Who the hell wants to buy it?!"
The narrow mountain path didn't give him much space to retreat. He crashed backward into the leader, knocking them both into the underbrush.
Branches cracked. Leaves rustled violently.
And just like that, the pistol tied at the leader's waist was revealed.
Xu Xiyan's eyes narrowed. That confirmed it.
She spun on her heel and bolted down the path without hesitation.
"Boss!" the tallest man shouted, wide-eyed as his two comrades collapsed into a heap.
"Damn it!" the leader growled, furious as the short guy scrambled off him. But before he could get up fully—
Xu Xiyan turned her head just enough to aim.
And she threw the Black Zaocys snake.
The snake twisted in the air—free, wild, and agitated.
It landed squarely on the leader's rising form. In the chaos, he didn't even have time to swat it away before the snake bared its fangs and sank them deep into his arm.
"AHHHH!" he screamed, falling back with the venomous serpent still attached.
His two men panicked.
The tallest one tried to rush forward but skidded to a halt, unsure whether to help or flee. The shortest man had already stepped back several paces, too afraid to intervene.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiyan didn't waste another second.
She was gone—her small figure vanishing down the mountain path, swallowed by the trees and fog like a phantom.