Chapter 2

• After eating, Caroline wiped Julia's forehead with a cold towel. Her continuous high fever had finally improved to some extent, but unfortunately, Caroline couldn't take care of Julia for too long. This island didn't belong to any country, and no one had jurisdiction over it. They were able to land on the island successfully because they took precautionary measures.
• Therefore, within the specified time limit, they had to increase manpower and resources to search for new species and then leave as quickly as possible with live specimens.
• "Julia, go to sleep. I'm going to check on your father's progress. Remember, until the fever is gone, you can't leave the tent. If you need anything, just call out. There are often people outside."
• Julia sniffled and her delicate nose twitched as she spoke in a muffled voice.
• "All right."
• In all aspects, Julia was a good girl. At eighteen years old, she was quiet and gentle, never going against anyone's wishes. This was one of the reasons why Evan felt at ease bringing her along to the team.
• "Professor Caroline, our people found strange marks on the ground about a kilometer southwest of here. Professor Evan asked you to come as soon as possible."
• "Is that so? Okay, I'll be there right away!"
• The sudden voice from outside startled Caroline King, but she was quickly filled with joy. It had been three days since they landed on the island, and this was the first time they had discovered any trace. After saying goodbye to Julia in a hurry, she quickly left the tent.
• Once Caroline left, the not-so-large tent became eerily quiet. After sleeping for several days, Julia no longer felt sleepy. She picked up her phone from the pillow and checked the time. It was already 3 p.m., and the phone still had no network signal. She quickly tossed it aside.
• In the evening, Julia was awakened by the sound of gunshots. The chaotic sound seemed to be coming from not far away from their base. Her intuition told her something was wrong. She struggled to get up, put on her flip-flops, and stumbled out of the tent.
• The soldiers holding guns seemed to be running toward the west, and the base personnel seemed hurried. Julia pressed her throbbing temples. She had only taken a few steps when she felt dizzy.
• "Why are you out? Go back quickly!"
• A stern shout startled Julia, making her more alert. Looking up, she saw Samuel running towards her with a submachine gun in his hand. His camouflage uniform was slightly disheveled, and his handsome cheeks were stained with blood.
• Julia was shocked and quickly asked, "What's happening?"
• Samuel came over to her and protected the unstable Julia in his arms, retreating into the tent while saying, "They found the humanoid snakes over there. I never expected them to be so aggressive, causing many casualties among our people. You stay here and don't wander around."
• "Humanoid snakes? Do those things really exist? The blood on your face..."
• Samuel brought Julia to the bedside and quickly wiped the dried blood off his face. The eerie stench occupied his entire breath, giving him a suffocating feeling.
• "I didn't believe it at first either, but I just shot one of them. This is its blood. The color is quite similar to ours, but the smell is strange. Don't touch it, I'll clean it myself."
• Taking the tissue that Julia handed over with her delicate fingers, Samuel couldn't help but take a look at his fiancee, who had been sick for the past few days. Finally, he reached out and touched her forehead, a touch much gentler compared to when he held a gun.
• "Why is it still so hot?"
• Julia didn't want to worry him, so she quickly moved away from his palm and weakly covered her face.
• "It's nothing. I should be better by tomorrow. Samuel, please take care of yourself."
• Samuel smiled bitterly as he adjusted his military uniform. He was already a captain now, and this mission wasn't supposed to be his, but when he heard that Evan was coming, he volunteered without hesitation, just to be able to see Julia more.
• "Don't worry, no matter how powerful those monsters are, they can't compete with the guns we have. When you get better, I'll take you to explore this island. It's quite nice here."
• "That's what you said. I'll get better soon."
• Looking at Julia's innocent and pure appearance, Samuel couldn't help but reach out and touch her reddened nose, smiling indulgently.
• Later in the evening, the camp was filled with bustling activity. Curious, Julia pulled open a slit in the tent curtain and looked outside. She saw about ten soldiers carrying something heavy toward the temporary research institute. It seemed difficult for them to carry, and the accompanying researchers eagerly offered assistance. Everyone's faces revealed uncontrollable smiles.
• Suddenly, one person carrying the load on the left corner twisted his foot. His grip loosened, and with a loud "bang," something covered in white fabric fell off the stretcher!
• "Oh!"
• Julia covered her mouth in fear, her eyes wide and terrified as she looked at the snake's tail dragging on the ground... Due to being shot, there were several injuries on the tail, and he rubbed heavily against the uneven ground, making a "swish" sound and leaving horrifying bloodstains.
• So this was the legendary humanoid snake? Julia couldn't help but shudder, the black and mutilated snake tail leaving a psychological shadow on her.
• After great effort, they had finally captured the new species. Evan was ecstatic, not sleeping or eating, spending a whole day examining and testing the dead humanoid snake over and over again.
• When he finally had time to visit Julia, he realized that his daughter's fever had finally subsided, which made him even happier.
• "Julia, you could never imagine how magnificent it was. The upper half of that creature evolved to be just like us, but the internal organs are very different. Although it has a heart and lungs, there are also some other strange things. At the moment, I can't determine what they are, but I believe in a few more days, there will be more discoveries. Haha."
• Evan's excitement was indescribable. Sitting by Julia's bed, he talked incessantly about the discoveries.
• "Do they walk using their tails?" Julia was curious.
• "Yes, I saw them walking in the afternoon. They use their tailbones to support themselves upright most of the time. Both their tails and hands are full of terrifying attack power. If we hadn't hidden so well, we wouldn't have been able to capture this humanoid snake today."
• Julia nodded slightly. She still couldn't imagine how those strange things survived. Are humanoid snakes humans or snakes?
• "Daddy, are they scary-looking?"
• Meeting Julia's bright and shining cat-like eyes, Evan fell silent for a moment. Honestly speaking, in today's attack, they had encountered three humanoid snakes, and without exception, their appearances were unusually beautiful and alluring. Many people lost their sanity on the spot...
• "They are not... scary-looking."
• Julia was a little dazed, "Really? When can we go back then?"
• She had no interest in humanoid snakes at all. Now that they had captured specimens, didn't that mean they could start heading home?
• Unfortunately, Evan shook his head and lovingly rubbed Julia's head, smiling faintly.
• "Not yet. Since we have discovered them, we must bring back live specimens. The dead one doesn't have much value."
• Julia's mood instantly plummeted to her lowest point.