Chapter 663: It’s Actually an Egg

Down below was a python’s nest. A massive python was coiled up inside it, seemingly asleep, and hadn’t noticed Shen Yibin’s presence. Shen Yibin did a quick estimate: the python was completely white, its body covered in dense golden patterns. It was about as thick as his calf and three or four meters long. The sight was terrifying.

’I’m losing my mind! Do you have to torture me like this? How am I supposed to catch a python this huge? The most ferocious animal I’d ever faced before was Pingtou, the honey badger. But no matter how fierce Pingtou was, he was only so big. As long as you were careful, you could avoid any life-threatening injuries.’

’Besides, back then I had Sylvie and soldiers from the local government with me, which was more than enough to ensure my safety. But it’s different now. This python looks way more dangerous than Shi Gaofei. I don’t have any other help with me. Xiaoliu’s Swordsmanship may be superb, but even with a tree branch, I doubt it could win against this python, right?’

’Should I go back and get weapons for me and Xiaoliu? Maybe find a steel sword, coat it with anesthetic, have Xiaoliu knock the python out, and then feed it the pill? But if anything went wrong, Xiaoliu would be killed. I can’t bear to put Xiaoliu at risk.’

’Should I do what I did when I captured Scarf and just toss the pill at it? That doesn’t feel very safe. This thing is sleeping. What if I miss and some other animal eats it? If it woke up, I’d be even more terrified. And if it’s not the target, but my throw startles it into attacking, I’d be a dead man for sure.’

"Shh, don’t make a sound. Everybody back up," Shen Yibin whispered, getting up slowly. He gestured for Hah’Er and Xiaoliu to retreat, terrified of making a sound that might startle the huge python. If that thing decided to strike, nothing could stop it.

"Hmm?" Hah’Er and Xiaoliu looked confused, but they still did as Shen Yibin asked, tiptoeing away. They even took Carmen with them. For once, Carmen was being exceptionally well-behaved and wasn’t making any noise, so at least there was no trouble from that quarter.

’Please, God, let me be wrong,’ Shen Yibin prayed, pressing his palms together. ’The target can’t be this giant python. It must be some small animal nearby.’ He didn’t stop to think that no small animal would dare hang around next to such a terrifying predator. That would be suicide.

’Wait, the Pet Radar was upgraded, wasn’t it? It can check if an animal is the Mutant Animal I’m looking for! I can use it right now!’ At this thought, Shen Yibin quickly pulled his phone from his pocket, opened the Pet Radar, and selected the "Scan" function, aiming the camera at the giant python.

’Please don’t be it. Please, please don’t be it,’ Shen Yibin prayed under his breath as he hit the "Detect" button. A red "X" immediately appeared on the screen, superimposed over the white python. A small line of text appeared beside it: "This animal is not the current target. Please resume your search."

’That scared me to death! Thank God it wasn’t the one!’ Shen Yibin let out a huge sigh of relief, his body going limp as he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. It was a good while before he had the strength to pick up his phone again and go back to the map screen.

’But if it’s not this guy, what else could it be? The orange dot representing the target animal hadn’t moved at all. It was still fixed on the white python’s location. Could there be another animal here that I haven’t noticed?’ Shen Yibin raised his binoculars again and began to search the area inch by inch.

’Huh? There seems to be a beetle on a blade of grass next to it. Could that be it? You’re not even as big as the pill itself, how could you possibly eat it?’ Shen Yibin doubtfully raised his phone and scanned the unknown beetle. The result showed that it wasn’t the target either.

’Let’s see, what else is there? What’s that climbing in the big tree above its head? The map is probably two-dimensional, so if I look at it that way, this little animal should be in the same spot as the orange dot, right? Let me give it a scan.’ Shen Yibin was now incredibly thankful he’d pushed his luck and "extorted" such a useful little feature from the Future Pet Shop.

’Otherwise, I would have had to try and shoo the animals away to see which one made the dot move. But doing that would have definitely startled the giant white python, and that would have been a death sentence!’

The rainforest was teeming with life, its inhabitants occupying distinct layers. Some lived exclusively in the canopy, some preferred to climb the tree trunks, and others favored the cool, dark environment on the forest floor. You could find many different species in the exact same spot, just at different heights. Shen Yibin kept searching with his binoculars.

Every time he spotted a potential candidate, he would quickly take out his phone and use the Pet Radar’s scan function to check it. He scanned everything from the very top of the canopy all the way down to the ground, not even sparing a centipede that poked its head out of the leaf litter. Yet, he still hadn’t found the true target.

’What the heck is going on? I’ve searched everywhere and found nothing.’ Shen Yibin was completely baffled now. ’Could the scan function be broken? Why else can’t I find it?’

’I’ll take Hah’Er and the others back to safety first, then come back and look again. I’ll stake this place out all day if I have to. I refuse to believe I can’t find it!’ Seeing that he wasn’t going to get any results for the time being, Shen Yibin quietly slipped away again.

He led Hah’Er and the others back to where they had pitched their tent the day before. He set out dry food and water for them, telling them to wait there obediently, then turned and headed back toward the giant white python’s location by himself.

He took two steps, then stopped. On second thought, he decided to bring Xiaoliu along. In a dense rainforest like this, Hah’Er’s and Carmen’s movements were severely restricted by the environment. Xiaoliu, on the other hand, was much better off. It could move freely through the thick vegetation, and it might even be able to help in some way.

Without Hah’Er and the others slowing him down, Shen Yibin moved much more quickly. He was back at his observation post in less than an hour. He raised his binoculars and looked down again. Huh? The giant white python was gone.

’It probably went out to hunt,’ he thought. Shen Yibin quickly checked his phone. The position of the orange dot hadn’t changed at all. It looked like the python really wasn’t the target.

’Good.’ Shen Yibin continued to observe. With the python gone, he could see that the spot where it had been coiled now revealed a nest of white eggs. A terrible premonition suddenly flooded Shen Yibin’s mind as something the Future Pet Shop had once said flashed through his memory.

’Crap, don’t tell me it’s an egg!’ Shen Yibin frantically opened the scan function and began checking them one by one. When he got to the third egg, a checkmark appeared on the screen.