Chapter 454 - 14: Hunting the Python (Part 2)
But with the tension building to this point, fearing a whipping for lying, the herding native dared not tell the truth until he saw Chen Zhou and then hesitantly revealed it.
...
As the herding native spoke, Sunday stood beside and filled in the gaps.
After all, the native's storytelling was exasperatingly slow, and Sunday's inherently impatient nature feared he might be driven mad by the native's slow pace.
This led to the initial narrative Chen Zhou heard being about a "python as big as a cow."
Thinking everyone had seen such a massive python, Chen Zhou almost turned and ran at that moment—
A python as thick as a cow could easily swallow a person whole in one bite. Even if he had a gun in hand, which he didn't, he wouldn't want to mess with it, chalking up a few sheep as a gift to it.
Then he quickly realized—how could there be a snake that big in this world?
This wasn't the Amazon Rainforest or the primitive forests of Vietnam, but a small island. Not to mention anything else, just satisfying the food requirements for such a giant python was impossible.
Moreover, the world record holder in the 21st century, the reticulated python measuring 11 meters, wasn't even as thick as a human waist.
If this island really had a python as thick as a cow, it would need to be at least 100 meters long. Such a massive animal couldn't possibly hide nearby without anyone noticing; it simply defies logic.
...
Chen Zhou's suspicion proved to be correct, as the herding native soon retracted his previous statement, correcting the python's thickness to that of a barrel.
Sunday was immediately slapped in the face by the herding native's contradiction, a hint of anger brewing in his eyes. If Chen Zhou weren't present, he might have severely whipped the herding native.
In response, the herding native chose to "pretend not to notice"—
After all, he had already said it, and the commotion was due to his reckless talk. Now, he could only continue to enjoy his last moments of punishment-free time.
As for whether he would get whipped later, he could only bear it because he had made a mistake.
...
Once the situation was understood, Chen Zhou's heart finally settled down.
"A 100-meter python I really can't handle, but can't I deal with a snake that's at most eight or nine meters long?"
Taking over command from Sunday, Chen Zhou continued Sunday's orders, having the natives use sickles to cut down the grass by the deep pool.
At this time, with so many people by the pool, the snake would have difficulty directly threatening anyone's life. However, if suddenly bitten, the injury would still be severe.
Chen Zhou remembered that pythons, unlike venomous snakes, have many teeth in their mouths.
It's fine for small pythons, but for a python this large, getting bitten in an ankle artery causing major bleeding means even if someone immediately went back to the storeroom to fetch hemostatic medicine, the life couldn't be saved.
Therefore, it's better to be cautious, proceed slowly, and eventually find the traces left by the snake.
Moreover, after fishing for most of the day without catching anything desirable, hunting a python seemed much more entertaining than boring fishing.
...
The wild grass by the pool was cleared piece by piece, yet the python remained out of sight.
This gave Chen Zhou a feeling similar to fishing —
The big fish always played hide-and-seek, teasing him before retreating back to deep water, leaving him frustrated and unable to grasp it.
But after all, snakes aren't fish. Fish can stay submerged indefinitely, but snakes cannot. Even if hiding in the deep pool, it eventually has to come up for air. By then, with so many people here, can it not be caught?
...
The sky grew darker, and a large swath of wild grass was cut down by the pool. Chen Zhou estimated that it might take a while longer to find the python, so he returned to the cave to fetch his Chen Family rifle.
When the python is found, regardless of hitting it, he would shoot a few rounds for the fun of it.
...
Throughout the python search, Lai Fu seemed particularly uneasy, sniffing the muddy ground while pacing around the pool, as if tracking the python's scent.
A few times, it tried to plunge into the grass, but Chen Zhou called it back each time —
He wanted a foolproof hunt and did not wish to lose his beloved dog for no reason. That python could swallow half a goat whole, so killing Lai Fu in one bite would be a breeze, and he dared not take that risk.
...
The "python hunt" lasted nearly four hours. Just as Chen Zhou was about to call it a day and accept the losses, the grass-cutting native made a discovery.
At the root of the grass, he found several clumps of soil wrapped in wool. Beside the soil, there was a clearly visible crawling trace leading directly to the deep pool.
He ordered the natives to continue cutting grass along this trace.
After another ten minutes, before the native could even call out, Lai Fu, who was beside Chen Zhou, started barking loudly towards the end of the trail near the water.
Lai Fu's loud barking caused all the natives to tense up, prompting them to tighten their grips on their weapons, and even the grass-cutting natives paused their work.
In that instant, aside from the barking, only the sound of the mountain stream flowing into the pool was heard.
In this noisy yet somewhat eerily quiet setting, Chen Zhou loaded bullets into his rifle.
On the other side, Sunday was also preparing to fire, although the preparation for his gun was much more complex than that for Chen Zhou's gun.
...
Rifle in hand, threading over the python's long trail, Chen Zhou slowly advanced to the forefront beside the grass-cutting native.
Signaling the native not to cease cutting, Chen Zhou assumed a ready-to-aim stance, directing his sights towards the direction Lai Fu was barking.
The wild grass fell in clumps, and Chen Zhou caught a faint whiff of a fishy scent, causing a tinge of unease in his heart.