Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 212: A Danger Noodle

Han Yu’s gaze darted from wall to wall, heart still hammering in his chest from the recent discovery of the nest.

All around him, the walls of the enormous cavern were riddled with holes—dozens, maybe more. Some were tiny crevices that wouldn’t even allow a mouse through. Others yawned wide, large enough for a grown man—or an elephant—to crawl inside.

Hope sparked within him. One of these had to lead out. They had to. After all, if a creature large enough to make that nest could come here, there must be a way out for someone of his size.

He turned toward the stream first, his logical mind reminding him that water always followed a path. If it came in and went out, there had to be a viable route. But as he crouched near the trickle’s entrance and exit points, he felt his heart sink. Each waterway was a narrow slit in the stone, barely wide enough for a rat to slip through.

"Figures," he muttered, shoulders slumping.

His attention returned to the holes. Among the larger ones, only five looked promising—each roughly man-sized or larger. Most were situated high up, well above ground level. Han Yu decided to start with the lowest one, a hole just a meter off the ground.

With some effort, he hoisted himself inside and began to crawl. The air grew stale and the stone pressed in tight, the path shrinking with every meter. After several minutes of awkward, scraping shuffles, the tunnel narrowed so much that he could no longer move forward. He was forced to wriggle back out, shoulders aching and dust caked in his hair.

"Useless," he muttered.

He moved to the next. It was larger and maintained its width for longer, giving him a flicker of optimism—until it ended abruptly in a sheer drop. Peering down into the blackness, Han Yu could see no bottom.

"Yeah, no thanks."

He backed out quickly, muttering curses. Two more attempts followed, both equally fruitless. One narrowed into a crack barely the width of his shoulders; the other curved into a dead end after a few dozen meters. They were viable sure, if he wanted to turn into a meaty mush after he hit the bottom.

A beast might be able to crawl in them, but not him.

By now, his clothes were torn and dust-covered, and his limbs throbbed from crawling and climbing. Frustrated and drained, he collapsed by the stream once again. He drank deeply, splashed water on his face, and refilled his waterskin with the precious liquid.

"Last one," he said aloud, glancing up at the fifth and final tunnel.

It loomed high—nearly ten meters above the cavern floor—and was by far the widest of the lot. But its height posed a challenge. Gritting his teeth, Han Yu began the climb, using cracks in the stone and the haft of his glaive like a staff to help hoist himself up.

It took time. His legs ached. His fingers slipped more than once. But finally, finally, he pulled himself into the tunnel and lay there panting, the cool stone beneath him a temporary relief.

That’s when he felt it.

The faintest tremor.

A low vibration in the stone.

He froze.

The tremor came again, stronger this time, like a heartbeat in the earth.

Han Yu’s instincts screamed at him to move.

Scrambling on all fours, he forced himself deeper into the tunnel. Just as he pushed his back against the cool stone to peer back toward the cavern, he heard it—

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

A sound like steam escaping from a furnace, long and sibilant1.

Han Yu turned and saw it.

Emerging from the same tunnel he had entered the cavern from was a snake. No, a monster in the shape of a snake. Its body was nearly a meter thick, the scales dark red with streaks of ember-orange glowing between them like molten metal. It was at least twenty meters long, and with every movement, its body undulated with terrifying grace and power.

Han Yu’s mouth went dry.

The serpent’s golden eyes scanned the cavern, vertical slits narrowing as it raised its head and flicked its tongue. A pressure filled the air—a spiritual aura so thick it nearly crushed the breath from his lungs.

He couldn’t move.

His body screamed in terror, locked in place like prey frozen before a predator.

But instinct took over.

Han Yu forced himself deeper into the tunnel, pressing his back to the rock and breathing as quietly as he could. He kept his presence small, his spirit sense retracted, heart pounding in his ears like a war drum.

’Don’t look up. Don’t look up. Please don’t look up...’

The beast slithered into the center of the cavern, its enormous tail dragging behind like a whip forged from fire. It sniffed at the stream, then turned its massive head toward the nest.

Han Yu watched with wide eyes, sweat pouring down his brow. The snake coiled slowly around the nest, and with a low growl-like hiss, settled into it.

The walls radiated with residual heat. The smell of sulfur thickened.

Han Yu didn’t know what kind of beast it was, but it was not something he could fight. Not even with his strongest trick.

He was trapped.

And now, more than ever... he needed to find a way out.

Han Yu remained absolutely still, eyes locked on the serpent as it slithered lazily into its nest. Every muscle in his body was tense, poised on the precipice of panic. He could feel the immense spiritual pressure exuding from the beast—dense and oppressive like an invisible weight pushing against his skin.

It was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Not even the Black Clawed Giza Lizard, a monstrous Core Condensation realm creature they had encountered during his previous mission, where Han Yu had died for the first time had radiated such power. This snake made that lizard feel like a house pet.

"Shit," Han Yu mouthed silently, sweat beading on his brow despite the chill of the cave walls.

speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage