Four Snake-men emerged from the shadows, swishing their tails, and approached Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng.
"You... are good."
The tallest Snake-man leader in the middle looked down at Xue Lin, speaking in imperfect Imperial language, his elongated yellowish snake pupils flickering with cunning and mockery.
Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng lowered their heads, their eyes filled with deep pain and guilt.
"Xue, Wang, donât be sad."
The Snake-man leader grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth, "They will soon be just like you, loyal to His Highness Egger."
Xue Lin clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh, his whole body trembling slightly.
As a Royal Soldier, he was not afraid of death.
From the day he enlisted, he was prepared for sacrifice for his country.
However, he who thought he had a will of steel, was ruthlessly broken under the cruel torture of the Snake-men.
He had become the traitor he despised most, a collaborator.
"Whereâs the antidote?"
Wang Tiancheng asked hoarsely.
The Snake-man leader flicked his tongue, speaking sinisterly:
"This is merely a test of your loyalty. Next, according to His Highness Eggerâs plan, you will guide people to Hujian Grand Canyon. The antidote will be given to you after the task is completed."
"Think carefully about what to say to your comrades when you meet them. Iâll take these people away."
The Snake-man leader waved his hand, indicating the Snake-men nearby to take away the people lying on the ground.
Just as the Snake-men were swishing their tails and heading toward the Earth Dragon Team, suddenly, the Snake-man leaderâs pupils contracted.
Somethingâs wrong
A person was missing from the ground.
Pfft~
A blue laser beam pierced through the back of the head and through the forehead, leaving the Snake-man leaderâs body rigid, eyes full of shock.
Pfft pfft pfft~~
Three laser beams followed closely, exploding the heads of the remaining Snake-men.
This sudden scene caused Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng to tremble violently, their hearts in turmoil.
They turned their heads and saw a figure slowly emerging from the shadows.
"Itâs you!"
When they saw the personâs face, Xue Lin and Wang Tianchengâs pupils contracted sharply, immediately looking back.
Sure enough, there was one less person on the ground.
"How... how could you be fine."
Xue Lin stammered a little, knowing that in this damp air, there was a poisonous gas concocted by the Poisonous Snake-men, almost colorless and odorless, with strong hallucinogenic effects.
Even those with the Spiritualist physique would immediately fall into a daze and coma after inhaling a small amount of the gas.
They were fine because their bodies contained other toxins injected by the Poisonous Snake-men, capable of counteracting the hallucinogenic gas, but how was this guy immune?
Qin Tian looked at them coldly, able to survive thanks to the extremely strong constitution granted by [Steel Bones and Iron Flesh], allowing him to rapidly metabolize the inhaled gas. Additionally, the green talent [Quick Recovery] also played a crucial part.
[Name] Quick Recovery (Green)
[Type] Passive Talent
[Introduction] Those with this talent have cells that are far more active than normal people, possessing strong regenerative abilities, as well as greatly enhanced resistance to various toxins.
Pa pa pa~~
Qin Tian walked towards the two step by step, the sound of his footsteps crisp, yet striking their hearts like the drumbeats of death.
Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng turned pale, sweat beading on their foreheads, their hearts racing as if theyâd leap from their chests.
Pa~
Suddenly, Qin Tian stopped, pressing the muzzle of his laser gun to Xue Linâs temple, coldly stating:
"Wake them up, or else, die!"
The cold muzzle pressed against the skin, the air filled with tension.
For some reason, Xue Lin suddenly calmed down. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
"Theyâve been poisoned by the Poisonous Snake-menâs gas, only they can unravel this poison."
"Heâs right."
Wang Tiancheng said hoarsely, "We also have Poisonous Snake-menâs toxin in us, thatâs why we can be immune to the gas."
Qin Tian stared at them, taking a long time before slowly withdrawing his gun, and asked, "Where are the Poisonous Snake-men?"
"A Poisonous Snake-man is a Tier Four Beast Spirit Warrior, going after him is walking to your death."
Xue Lin said dejectedly, "Notify the military to send experts. If we can take down a Poisonous Snake-man, we can die with merit for the Empire."
Xue Lin knew very well that once Imperial reinforcements arrived, their betrayal could no longer be hidden, and then they would surely be sent to the military court.
However, the deadly poison within them would erupt before that, and they would die eventually.
"You just need to tell me where the Poisonous Snake-men are."
Qin Tian said coldly.
He had inhaled some of the toxic gas earlier, clearly sensing the neurological harm it posed. If the toxins werenât expelled quickly, they would cause irreversible damage to his body.
Especially for an Extraordinary, this impact was unacceptable.
Moreover, even if the military experts could indeed arrive quickly, the battle was unpredictable.
If they accidentally kill the Poisonous Snake-men, who will save the Earth Dragon Team then.
Therefore, he had to quickly find the Poisonous Snake-men and seize their snake venom talent.
Xue Lin heard the determination in Qin Tianâs voice, hesitated for a moment, then said:
"The Poisonous Snake-men are in the deepest part of this cave."
"Besides them, there are dozens of Azure Qilin Snake-men. Youâre going to your death alone."
Qin Tian replied coldly:
"Thatâs my decision."
After saying this, Qin Tian suddenly grabbed Xue Linâs hand, and then gave it a fierce twist.
Ka~
The hand twisted 90°, the bone shattered.
"Ah!"
Xue Lin screamed in pain, but this pain had not yet ended.
Ka ka ka
Both his hands and feet were broken by Qin Tian.
The intense pain surged through his nerves like a tide, causing him too much agony to even scream, his body trembling like a sieve as he lay on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
Wang Tiancheng looked angrily at Qin Tian, roaring loudly.
Qin Tian said coldly, "I wonât kill you, but I also wonât let you be intact with my teammates."
"And, not killing you isnât because Iâm soft-hearted. If the intelligence is wrong, the pain youâll endure will be ten times or even a hundred times whatâs here now. Iâll make youâ"
"Worse than death."
Qin Tianâs voice was cold, like the freezing wind of winter that could freeze oneâs soul.
He didnât want to know why Xue, Wang had surrendered to the Beastmen, nor did he care if they had grievances, that was for the military court to worry about.
His only concern was his teammates.
Ka ka ka~~
Wang Tianchengâs hands and feet were broken one by one by Qin Tian, but he was much tougher than Xue Lin, not making a sound throughout.
Qin Tian did not let the two continue to suffer; two chops to the neck knocked them both out.
Then, Qin Tian dragged his teammates out of the cave, avoiding inhaling more toxic gas.
Standing in front of the pitch-black cave entrance, Qin Tianâs eyes were deep, like a cold pool, as his thoughts sank into his mind.
After killing four Snake-men, he acquired two new talents.
[Name] Cold Blood (White)
[Type] Passive Talent
[Introduction] Your body temperature will change with the ambient temperature, with a relatively keen perception of surrounding heat sources.
...
[Name] Qinglin Snake Poison (Green)
[Type] Passive Talent
[Introduction] Able to secrete highly toxic snake venom within the body, with greatly improved resistance to toxins.