Chapter Ninety-Two: The Serpent's Demise!

Under Ran Ran’s guidance, the enrollment procedures were quickly completed.

Teacher Ran had long been so hungry that her chest pressed against her stomach, so Tang Fei kindly let her go eat.

Tang Fei wandered alone through the campus, feeling a deep sense of boredom and listlessness.

On New Star, he only knew two people: Fatty had been taken away by Shang Xiulin, and Phoenix was busy with her own affairs.

They each had their own place to belong to, but he felt like a stray dog, wandering aimlessly everywhere.

Thinking about having to study and live in this school from now on, Tang Fei decided to familiarize himself with the campus environment in advance.

He walked westward along Kapok Avenue, passing the cafeteria, the sports field, vast teaching buildings, and student dormitories, until he finally reached the shore of Luoxia Lake at the foot of Egret Mountain.

Here, the clear water was like a mirror, allowing one to see fish swimming freely beneath the surface. The foliage was lush, with green trees and red flowers, and unknown birds darted out from the bushes before soaring into the sky.

Tang Fei searched carefully but saw no egrets; perhaps it was not yet their active season.

The autumn waters and the endless sky blended into one color, yet the famous scene of “setting sun and lonely wild goose flying together” was nowhere to be found.

Tang Fei lay down on the grass by the lake, casually plucking a blade of wild grass to chew on.

Its juice was sweet, and the grass crisp and refreshing.

New Star was truly a wonderful place—just a handful of wild grass could solve both thirst and hunger.

Unlike the old land, where grass grew taller than people, yet one dared not take a bite.

It might seize the chance to bite you instead.

Gazing at the azure sky, Tang Fei’s mood unusually calmed.

He did not know when it had started, but he had been living in a state of constant tension and oppression for a long time.

Hunting, surviving.

Surviving, hunting.

Nerves taut, dancing between life and death.

If this was his life forever, perhaps he would find nothing strange about it.

Always fighting, surviving, or dying.

But now, he was on New Star.

No need to hunt, and his food problem was solved.

No need to fight, and visibly there was no enemy to combat.

Food and shelter guaranteed, worry-free, and they were even to enter the empire’s finest academy.

Yet Tang Fei suddenly felt directionless, an emptiness in his heart.

“This cannot go on!” he shook his head.

“Tang Fei, you must pull yourself together!”

He decided to set some small goals for himself:

First, break through the boundary of cultivation and step into the realm of “Tong You.” Strength is the foundation of survival at any time.

If he couldn’t reach “Tong You,” then at least strive to reach the upper level of “Yu Qi.”

Second, practice the “Dragon Elephant Demon-Subduing Skill” to the third level, to wield the power of three dragons and three elephants. As for the legendary nine dragons and nine elephants, Tang Fei dared not think about that for now.

Third, master the nine swords of the “Netherworld Scroll.” At minimum, master the first three swords.

Fourth, become a junior mechanic within a year. Senior Tian Tian said the mechanical department had military and civilian directions; being ambitious, he wanted to try both.

If impossible, he would give up one.

Fifth, not yet thought of.

With goals, there was motivation.

Tang Fei sat up straight and thought, from today onward, he must live as if death could come at any moment, just like back on the old land.

“Tang Fei, you must get nervous.”

Just then, the calm lake surface suddenly stirred white waves, as if a white dragon was swiftly swimming toward the shore.

Tang Fei had no desire to watch the spectacle. He leapt up and was about to turn and flee when a huge snake suddenly shot out of the water, fierce and swift, lunging at him in midair.

Tang Fei flipped several times in the air, barely evading the snake’s attack.

Bang!

A strike missed.

The huge snake landed and scanned around with its red eyes, instantly locking onto Tang Fei again. Its body emitted a cracking sound as it adjusted its form into an attack posture.

Tang Fei finally saw what kind of creature was attacking him.

It was a huge mechanical snake.

About four or five meters long, as thick as a calf.

Its entire body was dark, made from some unknown matte metal. A pair of tiny eyes glowed red—its scanning and targeting system.

Tang Fei drew his dog-leg knife from his waist and confronted the mechanical snake.

He could not run—turning his back would only make it easier for the snake to strike.

Experienced fighters knew that running was tantamount to baring one’s back to the enemy.

When would the struggle between man and machine end?

“Who’s there?” Tang Fei shouted.

He knew the operator of the mechanical snake must be nearby; otherwise, how else could it be controlled?

But who bore such deep hatred to attack him so viciously?

The Yan family? No, they had vanished.

The Mandala organization? The Shen family?

Tang Fei didn’t want to deal with machines; he wanted to communicate with the person directly.

No answer.

“I believe this is a misunderstanding. If you give me a chance, I can explain.”

Tang Fei decided to lower his tone, hoping his sincerity might be recognized.

Still no response.

“We have no grudge or hatred. Why use such methods against me?” Tang Fei called again.

Silence.

Deathly silence.

Only the machine responded.

The mechanical snake clearly received another attack command, its body writhing and emitting cracking sounds.

Then it opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Tang Fei again.

Tang Fei dodged the snake’s head strike and slashed at its body with his knife.

Sparks flew.

The mechanical snake’s body showed no damage, but Tang Fei’s dog-leg knife gained a notch.

This blade was brought from the old land, made of ordinary steel, not as sharp or hard as the advanced materials on New Star.

This served as a reminder: after this incident, he must craft the most advanced and toughest weapon on New Star.

Strength was a man’s foremost need!

The snake’s body leapt, twisting sharply like a living creature.

Its huge mouth aimed to bite Tang Fei’s face, while its tail whipped toward his back like a long whip.

Tang Fei broke out in a cold sweat. Punching the snake’s head away, he fell hard to the ground, rolling just in time to narrowly avoid the snake’s relentless assault.

Crack, crack.

The snake, seemingly enraged, wormed quickly through the grass and lunged at Tang Fei again.

Fast as a meteor, swift as lightning.

To avoid being caught, Tang Fei ran desperately.

Man and snake engaged in a perilous chase and battle by Luoxia Lake.

But the snake was mechanical; blades could not slice it open.

Worse, it felt no pain and no fear.

As long as its power lasted, it could attack endlessly.

“Power.”

Tang Fei suddenly recalled something the old man said: every mechanical product was an independent formation, each with a formation core. Find the core and you could destroy the entire formation.

For example, the wooden bird he made had its power source in its tail; therefore, its formation core was the tail.

When the bird flew high, its spiral spring overheated and burned; once the core was destroyed, it lost power and fell rapidly.

So what was this snake’s core?

Dodging attacks, Tang Fei searched for the snake’s core.

Pitch black as ink, like a small black dragon.

Its joints were distinct yet closely connected.

Tang Fei had already tested—his dog-leg knife could not cut or pry it apart in the middle.

“Eyes,” Tang Fei thought.

The red eyes were glaring and the only “different color” on the entire snake.

But those eyes were like tiny broken diamonds set in its sockets.

The snake’s body was extraordinarily agile, even more so than a real flesh-and-blood snake. Each joint and steel plate could move freely, making destruction extremely difficult.

Tang Fei slashed the biting snake head again and kicked away the whipping tail.

Smack!

The tail was kicked off, but his toe hurt badly.

Bone met steel, and bone lost.

This filled Tang Fei with rage. He shouted, “Which despicable scoundrel is attacking me from behind?”

“Have the guts to face me one-on-one!”

Still no reply.

Clearly, the operator only wanted to use the snake as a weapon, not a direct confrontation.

Tang Fei was just shouting for show; if the operator had such weapons, would they rush out to duel just because of his call?

If only all his enemies were so foolish.

Tang Fei knew endless evasion was futile. The snake’s power source might last indefinitely, but his yin-yang energy was nearly depleted.

Once his energy ran out, his movements would slow, and he would inevitably make mistakes when dodging—moments when the snake could tear him apart.

Every man knew: never wage a prolonged battle against machines.

Tang Fei prepared to strike proactively.

His right hand gripped the dog-leg knife as he charged toward the snake.

The snake opened its blood-red jaws, which were lined with blade-like teeth.

If it bit him, Tang Fei’s head might be shredded into countless pieces.

His left hand gathered energy; a green aura swirled around his fist.

Boom!

A dragon and an elephant surged forth, crashing fiercely into the snake’s vital spot.

As the snake’s body reeled backward, Tang Fei leapt and stabbed the dog-leg knife into one of the snake’s eyes.

Slash!

A crisp sound rang out as the knife’s tip pierced the snake’s right eye, leaving a black hole.

Sizzle.

Sparks flew, and electric currents could be heard.

That spot was not only its targeting and scanning system but also the brain’s command center.

With one eye destroyed, the snake’s movements became less agile.

It collapsed onto the ground, twisting with cracking sounds before trying to turn and flee.

Tang Fei would never allow escape.

If it got away, it would be even harder to force the hidden operator out.

Tang Fei sprang forward, flying like through the grass.

He closely followed the snake’s fleeing path and stomped on its head.

The snake’s head was pressed into the mud; when it crawled out and tried to attack again, Tang Fei struck.

His dog-leg knife plunged into the snake’s other eye.

Because of his force, the knife shattered the left eye into fragments.

Sizzle.

The snake twisted desperately a few times, then stopped moving.

Tang Fei planted one foot on the snake’s body, looked around, then peered into the reeds and shouted, “Come out.”

(End of chapter)