Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was not as if Lin Ming had never seen a snake before. In fact, snakes did appear quite regularly in a humid, natural environment like this.
However, the snakes he had seen before this were always green and looked almost like bamboos themselves, not a half-translucent little snake the size of an earthworm.
He had previously used Razor Leaves to kill a few snakes in exchange for Evolution Points, but he did not want to utilize that ability after meeting his new friend.
Even if he did kill it, it would only net him 1 Evolution Point. Now, another plan had started to brew in his mind.
This was a time when animals and plants were mutating. Even ants that Lin Ming had previously thought to be terribly useless were now the size of locusts.
What if he were to domesticate this snake and take proper care of it?
If it grew in size and strength, it would make a fine trusty assistant, would it not?
The Adorable Little Snake slowly climbed upwards along the branch it was on, peering at him. He looked back, thinking, until the snake cocked its little head at him once again.
His mind was then made up. It would be nice to have a pet and get rid of the boredom of being alone.
As for the Adorable Little Snake’s food, Lin Ming was sure there were abundant resources.
Snakes only ate food that was alive, but that would not be an issue.
Compared to the dead piece of land previously, this area had an abundance of life. If he were to flip over a stone, the bottom of it would likely be swarming with insects.
A branch of his gently lifted a fallen leaf off the ground and shook out a wriggling, meaty caterpillar. When the snake spotted this, it slid over quickly.
Even though they were roughly the same size, Lin Ming worried that the Adorable Little Snake might not be able to take on the caterpillar. He held the caterpillar down with a branch to stop it from squirming about so much.
The Adorable Little Snake did not hesitate for a moment as it opened its little mouth wide and bit on the caterpillar.
It was not long before the caterpillar grew too frightened to stop moving, and it eventually lay motionless. The snake happily devoured it, its tummy growing large and round. It rolled around on the ground joyfully to indicate it was full, looking incredibly naive and lovable at the same time.
Lin Ming gently caressed its head, petting and playing with it.
He wondered if he was imagining things – the adorable thing seemed to have grown a bit after the meal, its thin scales seeming to glow a little brighter.
The Adorable Little Snake slid between Lin Ming’s bamboo branches, looking like it was enjoying itself as it slithered here and there.
Lin Ming did not stop collecting Evolution Points while he was playing with the snake. Dozens of venomous moths and bamboo locusts that had no idea he was not to be trifled with were chopped into smithereens.
The Adorable Little Snake seemed quite interested in Lin Ming’s Razor Leaf ability. It excitedly looked towards where the sounds were coming from.
It flipped onto its big, round tummy, trying to crawl near it as it flicked its tongue.
Lin Ming would never allow the little guy to go in that direction. He quickly used another branch to block it. It slithered from one branch to another, moving about in a circle for quite a while before it grew exhausted. It soon laid down and stopped moving, and it was not long before it quietly curled up as if asleep.
Lin Ming looked at this adorable little thing and used a leaf to cover its small body.
…
It was deep into the night when a sudden storm hit.
The torrential downpour hit Lin Ming with no mercy, and he sunk into deep thought as he listened to the claps of thunder.
He had accumulated 100 Skill Points, but had received no notification from the System and was beginning to feel listless.
The Adorable Little Snake was curled up and shuddering on one of his branches, with only a single bamboo leaf covering it.
As a cold-blooded animal, he knew the snake was not having an easy night.
He covered it with more leaves, though halting as he sensed something strange approaching.
It was a pack of thieving rats, who had snuck up on him while distracted. They glanced at Adorable Little Snake as they squeaked repeatedly in its direction.
‘Hoho, you’re biting off more than you can chew if you think you can bully my pet.’
Lin Ming figured that these rats might be tired of living. They should know that in his previous location, no rat dared scurry near him.
Although, he did notice that despite being bamboo rats, their bodies were almost the size of kittens. It was quite strange.
Evolution seemed to be progressing quickly. That indescribable aura in the air felt as if it was getting stronger.
However, regardless of what it was that allowed the rats to reach this size, they were picking a fight with the wrong bamboo.
The leader of the group climbed up Lin Ming’s bamboo culm, heading straight for the Adorable Little Snake with the other four following suit.
Right then, the snake awoke and poked its head out of its pile of leaves to look down.
Lin Ming moved his consciousness and dozens of bamboo leaves flew immediately from his branches, slicing through the air at lightning speed as it aimed for those cursed rats!
Crack crack…
Squeak!
Fresh blood tainted the rainwater red and five rat heads dropped to the ground at the same time as the other half of their bodies!
Adorable Little Snake simply flicked its tongue in and out several times in contentment, before cuddling back into the heap of leaves it was buried in. It was soon fast asleep, daftly unaware of what had just happened.
The rats were easy to take care of, but Lin Ming was puzzled about one thing. The stupid rats looked as if they were specifically coming for his little snake, who was no bigger than an earthworm.
That was odd.
He looked around once more, and once he was sure there were no more rats coming to disturb them, Lin Ming built a little nest for the snake to sleep in. After that, he felt far more relaxed about the situation they were in.
Days came, and nights fell.
The time spent in the hills was a blur.
Lin Ming could no longer remember how long it had been since he first became a bamboo.
At the very end, history repeated itself. Eventually, not many insects and animals ventured near him, and he considered leaving again before resources were completely depleted.
Additionally, he wasn’t too sure he was getting much nutrition out of the soil from his little roots, when other giant bamboos nearby were probably taking up a lot more with the complex root system they shared.
His roots were very shallow compared to other plants’.
He had accumulated 220 Evolution Points, yet the System gave him no response. Lin Ming had even forgotten of its existence.
During this time, the Adorable Little Snake did go through some changes.
Before this, it was no bigger than an earthworm. Now, it was almost as big as a normal earthworm, its translucent body also having turned into a complete silver-white.
Its exquisite little scales could now reflect sunlight well, and it could sparkle gorgeously if the angle was right.
Its appetite had grown as well, and it now chose to hunt for its own food after growing unsatisfied with the caterpillars Lin Ming caught for it.
However, the various insects that did enter their area were no longer normal-sized. Lin Ming kept a close watch to ensure his little friend would not run into any trouble.
The Adorable Little Snake could not find a single living thing to feast on. Lin Ming felt slightly embarrassed, since he had already taken the liberty of conducting a mass killing of any creature that came nearby.
“Let’s go to a new place, Adorable Little Snake,” Lin Ming retracted his taproots as he said this, preparing to set off.
He had gotten used to the intense pain that came from retracting his bamboo roots out of the ground by now. This time, he stood up easily with his roots.
Bam!
Just as he was about to start moving, he heard a loud explosion.
The sound echoed through the valley for a while, before a second explosion was heard!
The Adorable Little Snake immediately stiffened. Lin Ming placed it onto the ground, but it quickly slithered up Lin Ming’s culm, feeling frightened.
This sound could not have come from anything other than the shot of a gun.
That meant… human beings had arrived in the valley!