A snake lunged at Shao Qi, who swiftly fed it a chunk of meat. The snake swallowed it whole, its hunger momentarily sated.

But its animosity towards the two persisted. Even after feasting, it continued its pursuit of Shao Qi.

Shao Qi took refuge in a nearby abandoned building, navigating through the rubble. The mutated snake coiled around the building's exterior. With a mere squeeze, it could reduce the structure to rubble, leaving Shao Qi trapped inside.

Chapter 114: A Smooth Exit

Zhou You was frantic but realized he couldn't harness his inner power like before. "Is it because I'm too far away?"

Rushing over, he aimed his crossbow at the snake's wound, releasing a volley of ten arrows. The snake, focused on Shao Qi and wrapped around the building, couldn't dodge in time. The pain from the arrows caused it to thrash violently, quickly tearing the building apart.

The building collapsed, and Zhou You anxiously shouted, "Shao Qi! Shao Qi…"

The mutated snake turned to attack Zhou You, who retreated, revealing all his weapons, launching indiscriminate attacks on any part of the serpent.

A hand grenade exploded on the snake's head, shrapnel damaging one of its eyes. It violently shook its head. Seizing the moment, Zhou You leapt onto its crown, plunging his dagger into its other eye. Blood spurted everywhere, rendering one side of its head useless.

Zhou You slid down its back, placing his palm on its belly. His unique internal energy ensured he wouldn't be digested by the snake.

From the rubble, a figure emerged, dusting off the debris from his head. Witnessing Zhou You's actions, he gasped, fearing the close-proximity energy explosion might affect him as well.

Earlier, Shao Qi had been delayed inside the building. He discovered several skeletons and their leftover belongings, including several intact weapons.

He gathered all the gunpowder from the weapons. Regular bullets wouldn't harm the mutant cobra, but a significant amount of explosive powder would make a difference.

"Zhou You, move!" Shao Qi shouted, stepping forward. He threw a knife, which embedded into the snake's head, infuriating the beast, which opened its jaws wide, intending to swallow him.

Seizing this chance, Shao Qi tossed a bomb with a lit fuse into its mouth. The snake's esophagus was spacious, but its saliva extinguished the fuse.

Zhou You, having slid off the snake's tail, quickly tied a lit cloth to a crossbow bolt, firing it at the bomb inside the serpent's mouth. He then rushed forward, pulling Shao Qi to the ground.

A deafening explosion resonated as the snake's head burst open. Its other head, already severely injured, ceased to move from the shockwave. Its massive body collapsed, causing nearby buildings to crumble.

"Is it dead?" Shao Qi, pinned under Zhou You, wrapped his arms around Zhou You's waist and asked.

"It's dead..." Zhou You was about to push him off when another figure approached, shouting, "Boss! Mr. Zhou, where are you... uh... continue, I saw nothing!" Qin Lifen turned away but quickly reconsidered, adding, "Seems you're both fine. You continue; I'll clean up the battlefield."

Zhou You, having stood up and dusted himself off without offering any explanations, warned, "Don’t approach it. There’s still an energy sphere inside its stomach. I couldn’t detonate it earlier, but it might explode upon touch."

This time, thanks to Shao Qi's explosives, they defeated the snake. Zhou You realized that to handle such resilient mutant creatures, the best approach was internal damage. Regardless of external resilience, their internal organs remained vulnerable.

Zhou You sliced open the snake's carcass, locating the two chunks of rhino meat within its stomach. One was almost digested, while the other was badly corroded.

Sensing the environment, Zhou You noticed the absence of his gathered energy—a phenomenon he hadn’t encountered before. Was it truly digested?

Shao Qi, having taken a harder fall but uninjured, used his knife to poke at the deteriorated meat, remarking, "Gathering spiritual energy is challenging, especially for such a large piece of meat. Maybe the energy dispersed, losing its offensive capability. It might even be nutritious."

Zhou You, having previously experimented with fruits, found Shao Qi's explanation plausible and believable.

Shao Qi turned to Qin Lifen, asking, "Why did you come out?"

"I was worried since you both were gone for so long. Plus, the noise outside was loud, so I wanted to check," Qin Lifen replied, understanding that if the two of them couldn’t handle a situation, his involvement wouldn’t make a difference.

However, Shao Qi appeared pleased, instructing him, "Collect the spoils and take them back. We’ll load the truck tomorrow."

Seeing that dawn was approaching, Zhou You suggested, "Let me bring the truck inside the city. Carrying all this out is risky, as city mutants have likely been alerted. Driving would be faster."

"Alright, let's head there together and then deliver the supplies to the supermarket."

The three worked efficiently. They had already dissected half of the snake, so they quickly harvested valuable materials, only managing to take a portion of its meat. The rest would become a feast for the local wildlife.

On their way to retrieve the truck, Zhou You and Shao Qi encountered the young master Wang and his entourage. Two members were missing. As young master Wang cried and cursed simultaneously, his bodyguards remained silent, their expressions grim.

Zhou You and his companion made no effort to hide their tracks. Both parties met on the road. Zhou You caught the incredulous look in the other side's eyes.