Chapter 12 – The Twelfth Ray of Light

When watching a movie, people often take a god-like perspective, watching others fight monsters. They either complain about weak teammates holding everyone back or criticize the main characters for not being decisive enough.

The screen is filled with “If it were me, I’d do this and be done with it!” comments from armchair prophets and “If I were there, I’d totally do this” bravado from would-be heroes. They don’t realize that it’s easy to talk big—until you’re actually there. If those 3D monsters became real, they would understand that even screaming takes a lot of courage.

They’d be terrified, speechless, frozen.

Living in an era of peace and stability, humans’ understanding of nature’s harshness mostly comes from documentaries.

They know that anacondas live in the rainforest, blue whales roam the deep sea, and there might be even more terrifying creatures lurking in unknown trenches. But “knowing” is about as far from “understanding” as it gets.

The arrogance that comes with intelligence traps them in a delusion, naively believing that brains can solve everything.

But ironically, strip away the armor of technology, and humans facing a giant snake are nothing more than a flock of lambs awaiting slaughter. When faced with the monstrous figure blotting out the sky, with every sense magnifying their fear, who could keep their wits?

There’s no room for rationality anymore.

“Ahh… ahh…” Silent screams escape as if choked by an invisible hand. Someone scrambles towards the stern, but the yacht isn’t that big—where could they possibly hide?

Thud!

A thick snake tail coils around the yacht, applying terrifying crushing force that dents the metal. It tightens, wrapping itself around, dragging the entire yacht down into the water.

“Noooo! Don’t—”

The yacht tilts, and someone slips overboard into the sea. The giant snake’s head arches forward, opening its mouth to lunge at the fallen person. The air fills with a killing intent and a stench that taints the wind and rain.

Suddenly, a sharp harpoon shoots forward, stabbing directly into the giant snake’s tongue. The barbed hook pierces through, holding the snake’s head firmly in place.

Si Nuocheng grips the harpoon, pulling with all his might. As the snake twists in fury, he quickly wraps the steel wire around the railing, jamming it in place with the gun.

In the split second when the snake’s neck coils tight, Si Nuocheng slides down the tilting deck, barely dodging its strike. A thunderous crash erupts as the snake’s head pierces the spot where he’d just been.

Close call. If he hadn’t dodged, he’d have been smashed to bits.

“Brother Cheng—run!”

Salty seawater crashes down, and the wind and waves rise. Si Nuocheng hears Jiang Qining’s scream. With the harpoon’s wire restricting the snake’s movement, he narrowly avoids a second deadly strike.

Next, the snake’s dark body surges onto the deck, shattering the yacht’s railing.

One step forward is the sea; one step back is the snake. He can’t see where his gear has fallen; there’s no escape. Si Nuocheng knows he’s locked in as the snake’s target—it won’t rest until he’s dead.

Maybe if he hadn’t interfered with the creature, he could’ve held out until rescue arrived, if he was lucky.

But he doesn’t regret firing that shot to save someone’s life!

As someone who prides himself on his honor, he can’t stand the thought of retreating. To know he could save someone and do nothing? Si Nuocheng would despise himself forever.

As for death…

Well, it’s a part of life everyone must face eventually, and he’s prepared to handle it.

Steadying himself, Si Nuocheng reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pen. Twisting the cap to reveal a sharp tip, he swears that before this beast devours him, he’ll blind it! His life isn’t that easy to take!

The howling wind seems to bring death’s invitation. Si Nuocheng readies himself, but he never expected his teammates to step up so suddenly.

A few poorly aimed harpoons strike the snake’s scales; while they don’t inflict any serious damage, they still draw its attention. Si Nuocheng looks up, barely having time to feel any relief, before he’s left speechless. His teammates have just pulled the most baffling move.

Jiang Qining is shaking so much his legs are trembling, but he’s holding a saxophone, gasping as he plays.

Beside him, a punk guy with yellow hair shakily encourages him, “Keep playing! Just keep playing! I’ve seen videos of people in India using music to charm snakes! Snakes understand music! Once it starts grooving, we’ll be safe!”

The snake’s tongue flicks as it begins coiling, preparing to strike.

Si Nuocheng: …

His hand trembles slightly, gripping the pen.

Will the snake start dancing? He doesn’t know, but he’s certain Jiang Qining will be dead if he keeps this up. Snake understanding music? More like it’s just following the vibrations of the sound!

No, wait, following the vibrations…

Si Nuocheng crouches low and crawls quickly towards the broken railing, grabbing a metal rod. Just as he’s about to hit the remaining metal poles to create sound vibrations, he spots a bottle of vodka rolling nearby.

He’s thrilled!

Just when he needed a flammable liquid, it appears! Animals are naturally attracted to light and instinctively fear fire; if he can set the deck on fire, the snake won’t be able to wrap around it!

Si Nuocheng shouts, “Quick, grab that bottle—”

The vodka rolls to the feet of a mixed-race guy with brown hair, who swiftly picks it up. In one motion, he opens the bottle and guzzles it down!

Finished, he tosses the bottle, removes his jacket, and, with veins bulging, lets out a passionate roar, “Uraaa!”

Then he fearlessly charges at the snake!

But he doesn’t get a chance to use any “bear-fighting” moves before the yacht tips at a sixty-degree angle, and he goes tumbling into the sea.

All the teammates slide downhill together, while the helpless crew watches. At the life-or-death moment, a bespectacled man holds up his phone, crying out, “Honey! I’ve finally figured it out! If I survive, let’s be together!”

Si Nuocheng: …

Young Master Si finally realizes that he’s the only actual fighting force on this entire boat. The ones with strength are overboard, the mindless ones are barely holding on, and he, who has both strength and brains, is just being dragged down with them.

But a moment of distraction brings death’s scythe close!

Si Nuocheng doesn’t even have time to react as the gaping maw of the abyss descends. In that split second, he clearly sees the dagger-like teeth of the snake, dripping with blood.

Instinctively, he raises his arm to protect his head. Instantly, the jaws close in!

“Boom—”

Intricate golden symbols appear, encasing Si Nuocheng like an eggshell. He blinks, finding himself thrown into the sea by the snake’s impact.

His body is intact, his neck unbroken?

Cold seawater seeps in from all sides. Amid the dim firelight, he sees the snake writhing in pain, its jaws broken, blood spilling everywhere.

It thrashes in agony, coming at him with hatred and ferocity.

Si Nuocheng can’t afford to wonder what’s happening. He uses every ounce of strength to swim upward, but the winter sea numbs his limbs and freezes his blood.

His brain grows oxygen-deprived, and his vision blurs. His body sinks, growing colder and heavier.

Is he going to die here?

Such reluctance…

Si Nuocheng has no idea how far he is from the surface or how close the snake is. He also doesn’t know if his hopeless teammates managed to escape.

But he does know that if this beast survives, it will wreak havoc at the port, leading to more casualties.

But what good does thinking about that do now…

His eyelids droop, and his lungs can’t hold any more air. He sinks lower, feeling a hand grip his arm.

Amid the dim light and shadow of the water, he hears a faint laugh: “Good thing I gave you that safety charm.”

Who?

Who is it?

The voice is so familiar it jolts his survival instinct awake like a fighting rooster!

“If I sent you here and you died, then it’d be my fault, and I won’t bear that.” The owner of the voice pushes him up from behind, warmth filling him instantly. “Don’t cross the bridge to the afterlife—head back to the living.”

In a daze, Si Nuocheng sees a figure in white passing by. It’s as if he’s inside a huge bubble, floating upward, while the other descends like an anchor.

Instinctively, he reaches for a piece of the figure’s clothing but catches only emptiness…

That person positions themselves between him and the snake, fearlessly entering its mouth. Like a god, they brace against its jaws, holding the upper jaw with one hand and the lower jaw with the other, then tearing them apart—

Squelch! Flesh and bone tear apart.

A flood of blood dyes the already murky sea an even darker shade. He can’t see, can’t grab on, and his ears fill with the sound of the yacht’s explosion and someone calling his name…

“Brother Cheng! Hang on! I’m coming to save you, even if I die… Damn, help! The snake’s back on the boat! Damn, Brother Cheng, save me!”

Si Nuocheng: …

He faints.

…

When he wakes, Si Nuocheng finds himself on a lifeboat. His clothes are soaked, his wounds untreated, and everything is pitch-black except for the fading warmth of the burning yacht.

Looking around, he sees the terrifying corpse of the giant snake hanging off the yacht, motionless, apparently dead. Lifeboats with people crowd the area nearby…

As he awakens, concerned voices surround him.

Piecing together Jiang Qining’s incoherent babbling, Si Nuocheng gathers the “truth.”

The snake had ignored everyone and only fixated on the yacht, eating it from the bottom up until it hit some crucial spot, triggering an explosion. The yacht blew up in its face, killing it instantly—a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck.

Si Nuocheng remains silent for a long while.

Finally, he rubs his temples and asks, “How long was I out?”

“Half an hour.”

Half an hour—no wonder the rescue team hasn’t arrived. They’re probably still on their way.

“Oh, and did anyone see a person in white? Or, was anyone wearing a long white robe today?” Si Nuocheng asks. “It was a man who gave me a push from behind, helping me surface. Otherwise, I’d be at the bottom of the sea.”

Jiang Qining’s expression turns strange.

“What?”

“Brother Cheng, maybe, uh, you saw… you-know-who?”

Si Nuocheng: …

Author’s Note:

P.S. Ji Si suddenly appears, like a water ghost emerging from the sea.

Si Nuocheng: What are you doing here? No, wait—what are you doing here?

Ji Si: I… was clamming.

Si Nuocheng: …