When alive, they were natural enemies; when dead, they became food…
Very well, the concept of natural enemies had been redefined by this blue rabbit.
Zhang Qiling watched silently as the rabbit ate two snakes in one go. Finally, seeing the blue rabbit collapse on the ground, looking full, he gained a deeper understanding of the habits of creatures in the forbidden land.
The pale snake bones, stripped of their flesh and blood, lay miserably on the ground, appearing extremely small. In contrast, the snake's body behind them seemed even larger and more swollen.
Zhang Qiling harbored a vague suspicion, but as he subconsciously took a step, he suddenly remembered that he no longer had a suitable weapon.
The dagger had already shattered into several pieces on the ground, its fine cracks indicating that it could no longer withstand any impact or friction.
After a brief thought about whether he needed to compensate the benefactor for the dagger, Zhang Qiling froze, his gaze growing vacant.
Just as he was about to continue his half-hour stupor, the blue rabbit seemed to have suddenly learned to read expressions and quickly understood Zhang Qiling's intentions.
Its intelligence had rapidly improved during their journey together, making it seem like a completely different rabbit from the one that had previously rammed its head into trees.
It patted its round belly, struggled to get up, and then hopped towards the snake's body again.
Its hopping movements were like a blue ball. Zhang Qiling watched silently as it gave him a determined look, then suddenly lowered its head and fiercely tore off another large piece of flesh from the snake's belly.
It seemed to want to solve Zhang Qiling's problems by using its appetite to open the giant snake's stomach, thus resolving the trouble of not having a weapon for dissection.
For a time, the only sound in the open space was the blue rabbit's munching. Zhang Qiling felt like a bored judge waiting for a contestant's performance, left aside and unsure of what to do.
Thus, he inexplicably thought of a strange place—
… If this blue rabbit had such a wide diet.
… He could probably afford to raise it.
The performing blue rabbit contestant, unaware that it was about to gain legal residency and become a domesticated steel rabbit, chewed until its jaw ached before finally tearing open a large gash in the snake's belly.
A few fireflies flickered at the opportune moment, illuminating a peculiar blackness within the bloody snake's abdomen.
Having finished its task, the blue rabbit instinctively tried to climb back onto Zhang Qiling, but it glanced down at its blood-stained fur and sensibly retreated, beginning to lick itself with a dejected air.
Seeing the blue rabbit struggling to reach its hindquarters fur no matter how it stretched its tongue, Zhang Qiling felt a pang of sympathy.
He only had Xie Yuchen's white cloth in his pocket, but it seemed improper to wipe away blood with a gift from someone else. Zhang Qiling pondered for a second, then decisively tore off a corner of his own clothes to wipe the blue rabbit's fur.
The corner of his clothing, which thought it had escaped by not needing to be wiped clean: … Okay, fine. (Smile)
Thanks to the sacrifice of the cloth corner, the blue rabbit happily climbed onto his thigh again. It curiously watched as Zhang Qiling reached out to lift the snake skin, revealing what lay beneath.
Amidst the bloody mess, a heavy coffin made of black stone appeared!
The coffin was nestled among the snake's internal organs, like a massive stone, rendering the two-headed snake immobile. The sharp edges of the coffin had become encased in thick sinews, suggesting this was an adaptive evolution the two-headed snake had undergone, knowing it was incapable of dealing with it.
This coffin had clearly not been swallowed by the giant snake in a moment of gluttony; it was likely another peculiar post-mortem housing preference of those ancient people.
Zhang Qiling did not judge their preferences. He gently wiped the residual blood from the coffin with the torn corner of his clothes, intending to open it and investigate.
But as he wiped the edge of the coffin lid, a row of strange indentations caught his attention.
After the blood was removed, a row of carved marks appeared in that spot!
(3182.1.19.10:37)
3182 AD, January 19th, 10:37 AM. This was clearly a timestamp.
This time was less than twenty years ago, meaning this coffin was definitely not the work of ancient people, but had been placed inside the two-headed snake's body within the last two decades.
… Xie Lianhuan.
In an instant, Zhang Qiling thought of the person who had drawn Xie Yuchen into the forbidden land time and again. However, he didn't have much energy to ponder this at the moment.
He quietly looked at the row of carved marks, his calm expression concealing extremely turbulent emotions.
The carving was vigorous and sharp, deeply etched, with each stroke carrying a powerful sword intent. Even after many years, it felt as strong as when it was first carved, a superior piece of calligraphy from any angle.
But at this moment, their existence was like dropping a heavy stone into a calm pool for Zhang Qiling, leaving ripples that could never be calmed after a thought-shattering tremor.
He slowly crouched down, picked up a sharp stone, and carved "3182" on the ground.
Instantly, the numbers on the ground and the numbers on the coffin seemed to overlap, displaying a similarity that transcended coincidence.
Whether it was the habit in the details or the lightness and heaviness of the strokes, it was exactly like his own.
… The words on the coffin were carved by him.
… But why?
He slowly straightened up, somewhat puzzled.
But clearly, something else here was more puzzled than him.
Zhang Qiling felt his vision blur. The blue screen that had appeared when he heard the words "Emei Forbidden Land" reappeared, and the screen at this moment did not seem as relaxed and leisurely as before.
The semi-transparent screen was frantically refreshing with streams of data, like a person going mad, desperately collecting information to prove that their graduation thesis topic was not chosen incorrectly.
Under this silent, frantic display, Zhang Qiling, who was slightly confused, became calmer. He even found a clean, flat spot to sit down, petting the rabbit while waiting for the screen's frenzy to end.
The screen did not make him wait too long.
In just three or four minutes, the constantly refreshing data suddenly froze, displaying a jerky, unresponsive state like a lagging computer.
Then, a bright green checkmark appeared, signifying the end of everything. The screen quickly disappeared, as inexplicably as it had appeared, leaving Zhang Qiling with no explanation.
Zhang Qiling, who had some expectations: …?
… Useless screen, artificial idiocy.