In fact, Liu Dashao knew very well that he was now merely struggling desperately to survive, which was practically the same as waiting for death—it was just a matter of time. Suddenly, he felt that everyone resembled the Five Heroes of Langyashan, who would eventually run out of bullets and rations, and then leap into the abyss behind the icy rocks, ending everything once and for all. That would be far better than being brutally devoured alive by these salamanders.
At this moment, the salamander army, which had launched five consecutive attacks, surprisingly did not begin a sixth round of assault.
Cai Qingchong asked, “Could it be they’ve decided to back off after realizing the difficulty?”
Fan Debiao replied, “I don’t think it’s that simple. They might be gathering strength. The next attack might be even fiercer!”
Everyone started speculating about the army’s next move. Suddenly, about thirty meters away from them, the ice layer began to shake violently.
Their first instinct was that an earthquake had struck, but they quickly realized it wasn’t the case because the ground beneath their feet barely trembled. The only possible explanation was that something beneath that icy layer was trying to break through.
Everyone stared in astonishment at the shaking ice, wondering what was about to emerge.
Crash!
Suddenly, a crack appeared on the ice, followed by more cracks that spread rapidly like branches. In an instant, the entire ice sheet was covered in a web-like pattern of fractures. With a thunderous boom, the ice shattered, and the entire slab was lifted upward, scattering shards of ice everywhere. From beneath the ice emerged a massive creature.
Everyone gaped in shock at the monstrous creature that had broken through the ice, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
The creature was a snow salamander as large as a small car. Its entire body was snow-white and translucent, like a giant block of ice, emitting a faint mist of cold vapor. Its pair of red eyes resembled two rolling fireballs, contrasting sharply with its pale body, radiating a chilling aura of death. The black bumps on its back had evolved into black armored plates, each gleaming with sharp, icy edges like knives embedded in its back.
Whoosh! The giant snow salamander seemed to have been asleep beneath the ice for a long time. It yawned widely, scattering the shattered ice around. Then it crouched silently on the icy surface, its scarlet eyes coldly staring at the group.
“How… how can there be such a huge salamander?” Fan Debiao swallowed hard.
Jia Zhuangyuan said, “This must be the Salamander King of this place!”
Yang Weidong shook his head repeatedly, muttering, “We’re done for. We thought the salamanders had backed down, but instead, a Salamander King appeared. We’re definitely not getting out of this alive.”
Cai Qingchong said, “Don’t just stand there in shock! We should think of a plan!”
Fan Debiao replied, “What plan? We only have two entrenching tools. How can we fight the Salamander King with that?”
Cai Qingchong said, “Who said anything about fighting the Salamander King? I meant we should think about escaping!”
Fan Debiao laughed bitterly, “Escape? How? There’s a cliff ahead and the salamander army below. I think this time, even with wings we wouldn’t be able to fly away!”
After a while, the Salamander King started moving its heavy yet agile body. Its tail swayed continuously, propelling it forward with each swing. It moved like an unstoppable tank, and wherever it passed, thousands of snow salamanders automatically cleared a path, showing just how revered the Salamander King was. The ice beneath it bore deep tracks about half an inch deep from its crawl.
The Salamander King advanced relentlessly. Many snow salamanders that couldn’t dodge in time were crushed into pulp beneath its weight, while others were flung aside by its swinging tail, crashing into the rock walls with their brains splattered. The Salamander King didn’t care at all about the lives of its own kind. Its eyes were fixed solely on Liu Dashao and his group, and its greedy gaze filled them with deep dread.
Soon, the Salamander King reached the icy rock face where the group stood. The steel blades on its back reflected blinding cold light. Then it stopped crawling and tilted its head, swaying its tail while fixing its scarlet gaze on the group.
A strong, foul stench wafted toward them, nearly making them faint from nausea.
Jia Zhuangyuan pulled out a bag of Nantong Snake Medicine from his pocket and handed each person about ten pills. “Judging from this stench, the Salamander King’s saliva must be highly toxic. Put these in your mouths to prevent poisoning.”
Everyone thanked Jia Zhuangyuan and placed the pills in their mouths. The medicine tasted slightly bitter at first, but soon the bitterness transformed into a cool, minty freshness, like a stream of clear spring flowing into their lungs and stomachs. Instantly, their minds felt clearer, and the nausea and dizziness caused by the poison eased significantly.
Fan Debiao pinched his nose while holding the pills and said, “Why does this medicine smell like cow dung?”
Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Because it actually contains cow dung!”
Hearing this, everyone almost spat out the pills. Fan Debiao, in particular, looked even more reluctant to swallow his.
Jia Zhuangyuan urged, “If you don’t want to get poisoned, then eat it now!”
With his eyes shut tight, Fan Debiao tossed the pills into his mouth with a loud “Ahh!” and his expression twisted in disgust, as if he had actually eaten a pile of cow dung.
Although the current situation somewhat resembled the one they faced with the nine-headed serpent on the volcanic island, the balance of power was completely different. Back then, they had powerful Type 56 submachine guns and the realgar boat to protect them. Now, they only had two entrenching tools, a military-grade tungsten carbide dagger, a jammed gun, and not much hope of defeating such a massive Salamander King.
But with such a formidable enemy before them, Liu Dashao absolutely could not show even the slightest sign of fear. Otherwise, their morale would collapse before the battle even began.
“It… it’s coming closer…” Fan Debiao said shakily.
The Salamander King, however, was quite intelligent. Before fully understanding the group’s strength, it remained cautious. It crawled slowly, continuously watching them with its terrifying red eyes.
The Salamander King slowly approached the base of the icy rock. The overwhelming stench filled the air, and the group instinctively took a few steps back.
Suddenly, the Salamander King raised its front claws, let out a loud hiss, and grabbed the edge of the icy rock. Then, using the thick layer of salamander corpses as a foothold, it slowly climbed up the icy cliff.
Everyone’s hair stood on end. If the Salamander King truly reached the top, wouldn’t they all become its meal?
“Big Brother, think of something! That… that thing is climbing up!” Cai Qingchong shouted anxiously at Liu Dashao.
Fan Debiao said, “I don’t want to be this bastard’s dinner! I’m already ready to jump down!”
Cai Qingchong said, “If only I could grow a pair of wings and fly across this cliff!”
Fan Debiao snapped, “We’re about to die and you’re still daydreaming!”
At that moment, the Salamander King was perched at the edge of the icy rock, motionless, watching them. It was like a hunter eyeing its prey, savoring their final moments of desperation.
Sighing, Fan Debiao said, “Hey, do you think that old bastard will eat me first?”
His words made everyone feel like meat on a chopping block or chickens awaiting slaughter.
Cai Qingchong said, “I’m so sweaty and smelly, it definitely won’t eat me!”
Yang Weidong chuckled from behind, “It stinks worse than anything. It probably prefers smelly things! The smellier, the more attention it’ll get!”
“What?!” Cai Qingchong immediately grabbed Fan Debiao and sniffed him, then happily exclaimed, “Great! Fatso smells even worse than me! Looks like I’ve got a few more minutes to live! Hey, Debiao, why don’t you volunteer to be eaten? Maybe after it eats you, it’ll be full and leave the rest of us alone! Sacrificing yourself for others is a noble act. Think about it—by giving up your life, you can save four others. That’s a great deal! Don’t worry, every year I’ll bring you paper money and incense, and I’ll even burn you some girls, cars, and houses. It’ll be more fun than being alive. What do you think?”
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