Leo Hale had never stood somewhere this high before.

Even though he used to go bungee jumping all the time.

"Perhaps this gentleman should head back first?"

Naji said with a shake of his head, seeing Leo Hale’s reaction.

"A little height like this is nothing. I’m totally fine."

Leo Hale said with a strained laugh.

’He couldn’t let anyone look down on him.’

Nina Jacobs scanned her surroundings. She realized this wasn’t the cliff edge the Little Zombie Rat had passed last night.

It was flanked by rock faces, and the entrance was extremely narrow, almost as if it had been deliberately left that way.

"This is the fastest way down to the base of the cliff. The whole descent takes about an hour."

Trevor walked over and explained that they had already carved a series of steps into the rock face. Though the steps were vertical, two sturdy ropes were fixed on either side.

"If you’re scared, Nina, I can help."

Trevor said earnestly, looking at Nina Jacobs.

"It’s fine. I can manage."

Nina Jacobs inspected the two ropes and found them to be incredibly sturdy.

They were made of several professional-grade climbing ropes twisted together with thick iron chains.

’As long as I hold on tight and watch my step, there shouldn’t be a problem.’

"Trevor, we’re heading down first."

Naji and his two companions were already gripping the ropes and rappelling down with practiced, skillful movements.

"If you’re afraid of heights, you can wait here."

Nina Jacobs found a few pairs of gloves and handed them to Jessica Vance and the others.

"Don’t worry, we’ll all be fine."

Holden Shaw said.

He was a Speed Element Superpower User. Nina Jacobs had previously taught him how to use his Speed Element Superpower to move rapidly across vertical surfaces, so this height was no challenge for him.

The same went for Jessica Vance and Chase Gallagher. As Wind Element Superpower Users, they both had an advantage at high altitudes.

"I’ll go first, then you."

The only one who seemed like a cause for concern was Leo Hale. Nina Jacobs had him position himself above her so she could help at a moment’s notice if there was any danger.

Below Nina Jacobs was Wayne Warner.

And it went without saying for Adrian Shaw, Shirley Lucas, and the rescue team members who had come along—they were all professionally trained.

The stone steps on the rock face were narrow and short. Nina Jacobs could see that Naji’s group of three was already far below them.

A gust of wind blew past, making the ropes sway back and forth. Leo Hale gripped them tightly, his calves starting to tremble involuntarily.

"Relax your body. Let your arms and legs do the work."

Nina Jacobs reminded him.

The plants and trees on both sides of the cliff face had been corroded or even weathered away, but with no obstructions, the view was quite open.

Nina Jacobs continued down at a steady pace, observing her surroundings.

Until Greg Unger’s voice drifted up from below.

It turned out there was a ledge halfway down the cliff, which Trevor’s group usually used as a resting platform.

"We’re already halfway there. Pretty fast, huh?"

Greg Unger said with a smile, taking a sip of water.

"It is fast, but getting back up..."

Adrian Shaw looked up. ’This won’t be easy to climb.’

"Don’t even think about climbing back up. To get up the mountain, you have to take the conventional route."

Naji replied.

Leo Hale breathed a silent sigh of relief upon hearing that. ’He’d much rather take the long way back up the mountain...’

Shirley Lucas took some water out of her spatial storage for everyone, but Aaron Axton noticed that a trap they had set here seemed to have been triggered.

It was a large bear trap.

Aaron Axton had made it with his Gold Element Superpower while resting here previously.

The trap had been sprung, and there were bloodstains on it.

"There are scales. Probably a snake."

Aaron Axton concluded after searching the area for clues.

"Too bad. It got away."

Naji said with regret, holding up a rather large scale.

Nina Jacobs only needed one glance at the scale to be certain it wasn’t from the giant python last night.

’That python’s scales were much bigger than this one.’

"Could it be a newborn mutated snake?"

Nina Jacobs pushed aside some dead branches, revealing some broken eggshells underneath.

’She suspected these might be the mutated hatchlings of the giant python.’

"Just hatched, and it’s this big?"

Shirley Lucas asked in astonishment, looking at the scale that was half the size of her palm.

"Unlikely. We were here with Lucasta just ten days ago, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. These must be old."

Naji said, looking at the eggshells.

Snake eggs usually take two months to hatch. It’s impossible for them to hatch in just a few days.

"What if they’re mutated snakes?"

’Nina Jacobs guessed the mutated python from last night must have smelled humans, then climbed from here to the base of the other cliff.’

’Its goal was to find food for its newborn mutated snakes.’

"Mutated snakes? They should still be similar to normal snakes, right? There’s no way they could hatch that fast."

’Aaron Axton thought Nina Jacobs had a wild imagination.’

"Not necessarily. The blood on the trap isn’t dry yet."

Chase Gallagher thought what Nina Jacobs said wasn’t out of the question.

In any case, they needed to be extra careful from now on.

Shirley Lucas even took out some Realgar Wine from her storage and dabbed it on herself. "I don’t know if this will work, but I’m terrified of those things."

"Let’s go. Snakes usually inhabit the dark areas at the base of the cliff."

With that, Naji grabbed the ropes and continued down, with Aaron Axton following right behind.

After resting for a moment, Leo Hale was no longer trembling as he looked at the vertical path below.

’He even felt like picking up the pace.’

"I gotta say, this path is pretty convenient. It saves a ton of time."

Leo Hale said as he descended.

But just then, the ropes began to shake violently.

Wayne Warner immediately used his strength to steady the ropes.

"What’s wrong?!"

Adrian Shaw shouted down.

"Snakes! They’re mutated snakes!"

Greg Unger yelled from below.

"Everyone back up! Get to the platform!"

Nina Jacobs decided instantly.

’Looking down from above, she could see the mutated snakes were coming from below.’

’She didn’t know the exact situation down there, but she guessed there had to be more than one.’

’They had only been on the ropes for two minutes, so climbing back up shouldn’t be hard.’

Nina Jacobs, Leo Hale, and a few others were the first to scramble back onto the platform, followed by Adrian Shaw and his group.

"Quick, get up here."

Leo Hale and Wayne Warner each grabbed an arm, pulling up the approaching Adrian Shaw and Shirley Lucas.

"AHH!"

Just as Trevor was about to pull himself up, a bloodcurdling scream from Aaron Axton echoed from below.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Trevor instantly created vines and sent them hurtling down.

"You guys up there, watch out! They’re climbing up the side!"

Aaron Axton shouted with all his might.

He had been bitten by a mutated snake and his whole body was already going numb; he couldn’t even muster the strength in his hands.

If it weren’t for the vine Trevor had sent down just in time, he would have already plummeted.

Watching the dense swarm of mutated snakes crawling upward from another direction, Aaron Axton found himself regretting not having listened to Nina Jacobs earlier.

"Wayne Warner, a hand."

At Nina’s command, Wayne Warner gripped the two vines and, with a powerful heave, hauled Aaron Axton up from below.

HISS HISS HISS.

The situation on the platform was no better. Python after python, each as thick as a thigh, was slithering up from the side of the cliff face.

Nina Jacobs’s gaze fell upon Shirley Lucas.

’The reason the snakes had stopped attacking Aaron below seemed to be because they were drawn to something on Shirley Lucas.’

But that was no longer important. A dozen Flaming Arrows rose into the air and, with a WHOOSH, shot toward the mutated snakes!

Naji saw this scene the moment he got up to the platform.

"Don’t let them get away! This type of snake is extremely vindictive!"

Seeing a few of them trying to flee, Shawn tried to intercept them with his Superpower, but it was too late.