The narrow cave went dead silent after the echoes of the struggle faded away.

  Suddenly, a sickening, wet tearing sound broke the stillness.

  ?Squelch!

  ?A figure emerged from the cold, thick skin of the Four-Colored Snake.

  Su Han crawled out from the beast’s insides, looking like he had just walked through a slaughterhouse.

  ?His clothes were nothing more than shredded rags clinging to his skin.

  He was drenched from head to toe in a disgusting mix of crimson blood and thick, black fluid.

  ?The moment he cleared the snake's carcass, his strength gave out.

  He collapsed onto the damp earth, his chest heaving as he fought for every breath.

  ?Huff... huff...

  ?The massive snake he had just ripped through was still twitching slightly.

  But with its internal organs shredded and its life-fluid draining onto the cave floor, it was over.

  ?As the beast took its final, shuddering breath, a sound rang in Su Han's mind.

  It was the cold, mechanical chime he had struggled so hard to hear.

  ?[DING! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST!]

  ?[MISSION SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED!]

  ?A weak, bloody smile spread across Su Han’s exhausted face.

  ?[REWARDS ISSUED: 500 EXPERIENCE POINTS AND 50 SYSTEM STORE POINTS.]

  ?[NEW ITEM: YELLOW-GRADE HIGH-GRADE BLUE FLOWER ARMOR HAS BEEN ADDED TO INVENTORY.]

  ?[DING! CONGRATULATIONS!]

  ?[THE HOST HAS BROKEN THROUGH TO THE 7TH-LEVEL OF BODY REFINING!]

  ?[CURRENT EXPERIENCE: 5,300 / 10,000 XP.]

  ?Suddenly, a wave of intense heat surged through his body.

  His blood began to boil, and a violent torrent of energy rushed through his veins and meridians.

  ?Crack!

  ?His bones felt like they were being reinforced with liquid iron.

  Within seconds, the chaotic energy settled, and a new, raw power took its place.

  ?Su Han didn't waste a second; he knew his body was still a mess.

  He pulled out his last Yellow-Grade Middle-Grade healing pill and swallowed it dry.

  ?Gulp.

  ?He followed it up with a few more Low-Grade pills, feeling the cooling sensation mend his internal wounds.

  Slowly, he pushed himself up and looked around the cramped, lightless cave.

  ?It was dark, but with his new level of cultivation, his eyes pierced through the gloom.

  In a corner, his eyes caught something strange—four jet-black lotuses growing from the damp rock.

  ?They looked eerie, their petals absorbing the little light that hit them.

  Su Han frowned; he couldn't recognize what kind of herb they were.

  ?He moved toward them, his boots squelching in the snake's gore.

  He glanced back at the cave entrance, which was still blocked by the massive body of the snake.

  ?He reached out to touch the black flowers but stopped mid-air.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Wait..." he muttered, his voice raspy.

  ?This was the lair of a Four-Colored Snake, one of the most poisonous bastards out there.

  If these flowers were growing here, they were likely laced with lethal toxins.

  ?He quickly pulled a wooden box from his system store.

  It used to hold 50 Low-Grade pills, but now only four or five were rolling around at the bottom.

  ?He dumped the pills into his system inventory and used a thick cloth to carefully pluck a lotus.

  He tucked it into the box, then did the same with a second one.

  ?"Two for me... two for them," he whispered with a smirk.

  He wasn't a saint. He had nearly died for this, so taking half the loot was his VIP right.

  ?He knew the Iron-Fist mercenaries would take the snake's body back for the bounty.

  Since the mission was for the snake itself, he decided not to touch the beast's parts.

  ?His eyes scanned the rest of the cave, looking for anything else hidden in the shadows.

  In a far corner, he spotted a pile of old bones and some dusty rubble.

  ?He moved closer, his senses sharp, making sure no one was watching from the cave mouth.

  He hoped for a hidden treasure, but as he moved the rocks, he felt a sting of disappointment.

  ?It was just old, brittle bones and useless pebbles.

  He sighed and shook his head, ready to turn back.

  ?But then, a flash of something different caught the corner of his eye.

  Tucked deep between two heavy stones was a small, tattered cloth bag.

  ?His heart skipped a beat as he began clearing the debris.

  ?Outside, the clearing was dead silent.

  The Iron-Fist team stood like statues, their eyes fixed on the dark hole where Su Han had vanished.

  ?Captain Zhao was the first to snap out of the shock.

  She took a desperate step toward the cave, her face pale.

  ?"Su Han!" she breathed, her voice trembling.

  ?Chen Qian quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her.

  "Captain, wait! The cave is too narrow... we don't know if that thing is dead yet!"

  ?Chen Qian’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they clicked.

  His fists were clenched until his knuckles turned white.

  ?He had started to see Su Han as a true friend.

  Now, he was terrified that the kid had just jumped into his own grave.

  Captain Zhao looked at Chen Qian, her eyes as cold as a frozen lake.

  "Qian, do you think I’m a coward?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

  "Do you expect me to just turn my back and leave one of my own behind?"

  ?Chen Qian’s eyes turned even redder at her words.

  "It’s not about that, Captain! I already consider that kid a friend!" he shouted back.

  "But we can't be stupid. We don't know if there’s another snake in there or if it’s a trap!"

  ?Zhao didn't flinch.

  "I don't care what’s waiting inside. I’m going in to finish this," she stated firmly.

  "I believe we can pull back before things get out of hand."

  ?Seeing the stubborn determination in her eyes, Chen Qian ground his teeth.

  "Fine! Then I’m coming with you!"

  She gave him a sharp look, then turned and disappeared into the dark, narrow tunnel.

  ?Captain Zhao didn't have a long history with Su Han, but she was a woman of honor.

  She respected his strength and his attitude during the mission.

  To her, a talent like Su Han was too valuable to just throw away in a hole.

  ?Chen Qian turned back to the rest of the Iron-Fist team and the two clients.

  He signaled his cousin, Chen Zhu, to keep a close watch on everyone.

  The other mercenaries wanted to stop them, but the fire in Chen Qian’s eyes kept them silent.

  ?Clang!

  ?Chen Qian gripped his weapon and followed Zhao into the darkness.

  Inside the cave, Su Han was just about to check the tattered bag he had found.

  Suddenly, his ears picked up movement coming from the cave entrance.

  ?"Shit, someone's coming!" he muttered.

  He didn't have time to look inside, so he tossed the bag into his system store instantly.

  He scrambled back toward the snake's carcass and dropped to his knees.

  ?Su Han began gasping for air, putting on a perfect show of being at death's door.

  A second later, the sound of steel cutting through flesh echoed through the cave.

  The beautiful, ice-cold Captain Zhao emerged, having carved a path through the snake's body.

  ?Su Han looked up, a faint, tired smile playing on his lips.

  He was genuinely surprised to see her come all this way into such a dangerous spot.

  "This woman actually has some guts," he thought, marking her down as someone worth helping in the future.

  ?When Zhao saw Su Han alive and breathing, the tension in her face finally broke.

  A rare, stunning smile appeared on her usually frozen features.

  Su Han’s heart skipped a beat; she was undeniably gorgeous, even in this hellhole.

  ?"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.

  Su Han nodded weakly, still playing the part.

  She reached into her bag and pulled out a Yellow-Grade Middle-Grade healing pill.

  ?"Take this. It'll help you recover faster," she said, handing it to him.

  Su Han wanted to refuse since he’d already taken his own, but he saw the sincerity in her eyes.

  He took the pill and swallowed it, making a mental note of her kindness.

  ?He slowly pushed himself up, leaning against the cold cave wall.

  "Thank you, Captain Zhao... I owe you one," he said with a gritty smile.

  She went back to her professional, cold self and took a deep breath.

  ?"I honestly didn't think you’d kill it," she admitted, looking at the massive carcass.

  "I expected to find you crushed into a pulp under this thing."

  Su Han scratched his head and laughed. "Just luck, Captain. It was already bleeding out."

  ?Just then, Chen Qian burst through the gap, his face lighting up when he saw Su Han.

  He rushed over and slapped Su Han on the shoulder, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

  "You bastard! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he roared with relief.

  ?"Why do you have to be so damn reckless?" Chen Qian scolded, though his eyes were warm.

  Su Han shrugged. "I thought we needed to kill it, and I didn't want the mission to fail."

  "The mission is one thing, but your life is more important!" Chen Qian grumbled.

  ?Suddenly, Captain Zhao let out a sharp, shocked gasp.

  "The Heart-Breaking Black Lotus!"

  Su Han and Chen Qian both froze and followed her wide-eyed gaze.

  ?Su Han’s eyes flickered with a hidden light.

  Chen Qian stood there, his jaw dropping as he stared at the remaining flowers in the corner.