Chapter 120: Poisoned

Su Xue caught sight of a black, ribbon-like creature, over a meter long, darting out from a cluster of coral reefs and shooting toward her with incredible speed. She immediately recognized it as a sea snake—a highly venomous variety. She knew that a bite from such a creature could prove fatal within seconds, which was the source of her sudden panic.

There was no time to react. After all, they were at a depth of over a hundred meters; every movement was restricted by water pressure, and she could never hope to match the agility of a creature native to these depths. Her shock only made her movements more sluggish and clumsy. The sea snake, clearly startled by her sudden appearance, had lashed out the moment it emerged.

Had they been on land, the snake’s attack would have posed no threat; even with several more, she would have had enough confidence to dispatch them. But this was not on land; it was the deep sea, where her mobility was severely hampered. Were it not for her high-tech diving equipment, she wouldn't even have been able to reach this depth. The sea snake, however, was completely unaffected by the water pressure and bit down fiercely on Su Xue’s left wrist.

Zhang Can had not noticed the snake at first. It was only when he accidentally looked back—intending to check how far away Su Xue was—that he was shocked by what he saw.

Su Xue was frozen in terror, unable to even react after being bitten. Zhang Can quickly turned back, dropped the rock he was holding, and swam rapidly toward her. The sea snake was still clamped firmly onto her wrist. Zhang Can grabbed the snake’s body and yanked it off. With one hand gripping its head and the other its tail, he pulled with all his might. The snake’s skeletal structure was shattered under his strength; though the skin remained intact, the interior was reduced to mush, and it died instantly.

Zhang Can looked at Su Xue. Her eyes were filled with panic and despair, and her body was almost entirely immobile. He tried to ask her something, but communication was impossible. A thin trail of black blood drifted from her wrist, swirling in the water. Because the currents on the seabed were calm, unlike the turbulent surface, Zhang Can could clearly see the dark color of the blood.

He knew enough to understand that black blood meant venom. However, he had never actually encountered a sea snake, nor had he ever seen a highly venomous snake in person—only on television. Throughout his life, he had never been bitten by a snake, venomous or otherwise.

Su Xue’s body began to sink toward the seabed like a stone. Zhang Can quickly caught her and patted her face. Her eyes remained open, but they were filled with confusion and hopelessness. He knew that the venom of such a sea snake could kill an adult in less than a minute. Even if they were on shore, there was no way to get immediate anti-venom; for all intents and purposes, she was doomed.

This area of the sea rarely saw such creatures, and it was highly unlikely for one to appear at such depths. In the coastal waters of Jincheng, dangerous marine life like sharks were unheard of, so Su Xue had let her guard down. She never expected to be attacked by a highly venomous sea snake here.

Zhang Can, however, was unaware of the severity of the bite. He assumed it was an ordinary snake. Back in his hometown, he had often seen water snakes in the river. Those were non-venomous, and he had frequently caught them—killing the small ones and eating the large ones. He assumed this sea snake was much the same and that Su Xue’s fear was simply because she was a girl; perhaps girls were naturally afraid of snakes and insects.

Still, he noticed that the black blood oozing from her wrist looked suspicious—fresh blood shouldn't be that dark.

As Su Xue’s body grew heavier in his arms, Zhang Can did not dare hesitate. He quickly channeled his spiritual energy into her body. Once the energy entered her, her internal state became as clear to him as if he were using X-ray vision.

His analysis of her cellular structure revealed a multitude of ferocious cells in her bloodstream, devouring her red blood cells like monsters. When these cells touched his spiritual energy, they seemed to recoil in fear, as if they were uncomfortable.

A thought struck Zhang Can: since these red-blood-cell-devouring entities feared his spiritual energy, he should take the opportunity to force them back. He poured his energy into her. He had no choice; no matter how much he disliked Su Xue, he could not simply watch her die.

From the state of her body, he could diagnose that she was indeed poisoned. The snake’s venom was clearly potent. Zhang Can wasn't sure if he could save her—he knew his energy could treat uremia and injuries, but he had never tried to neutralize poison. However, the fact that the venom feared his energy gave him confidence. Even if he couldn't fully cure her, he hoped to at least suppress the venom until they reached the shore and could get to a hospital.

The venom was incredibly strong; it had already numbed her nerves and left her in a semi-conscious state, unable to speak or move. Fortunately, Zhang Can’s energy was preventing the toxin from spreading further.

Without experience in treating poison, Zhang Can initially struggled as he clashed with the beast-like venom cells. But as the venom began to retreat, he gained confidence and continued to circulate his energy through her blood. However, blood is in constant motion; as his energy neutralized one portion of the venom, more would circulate from elsewhere. It was a chaotic process, made all the more difficult by being 110 meters underwater. One wrong move could cost Su Xue her life.

While fighting the poison with his energy, Zhang Can held Su Xue and began to ascend toward the surface. He knew he could only act effectively once they were on land. He used his energy to block the venom from reaching her heart—that much was common sense; if it reached the heart, it would circulate throughout her entire body, and it would be too late.

Zhang Can wasn't sure to what extent his energy could heal her, but he knew its potential was immense. He would have to see.

Su Xue remained in a half-dreaming, half-waking state, her body paralyzed by the venom. Zhang Can’s swimming technique was mediocre, and with Su Xue in his arms, his speed was slow. It took nearly twenty minutes to reach the surface. Once there, he hurried toward the shore. Upon reaching the rocks, he quickly stripped off her diving suit and equipment.

Su Xue was left in her undergarments. Her figure was striking, but Zhang Can paid no mind; he was solely focused on the wound on her wrist.

The skin, once fair and delicate, was now swollen and black, resembling a dark bun. At the center of the swelling were two small puncture wounds oozing black blood. Zhang Can gasped. The bite was clearly lethal. Since she was already unable to move just moments after the bite, the poison was incredibly potent. It had taken twenty minutes to surface, and getting her to a hospital would take even longer—it might already be too late.

He realized his energy was effective against the venom, so he decided he had to stabilize her condition himself before they could safely go to the hospital. Any mistake would be fatal.

When he had first met Su Xue, he might have hesitated to save her. But now, he couldn't stand by and watch her die. For one, she was Wang Qian’s niece, and because of Wang Qian, she had already agreed to stop targeting him. Furthermore, she was a police officer with significant connections; if she died under these circumstances, it would undoubtedly bring him trouble. The best approach was to save her, then distance himself—neither provoking her nor getting too close. Surely, if he saved her life, she wouldn't return the favor with malice.

Recalling stories from his hometown about sucking out snake venom, Zhang Can knew he had to be careful not to swallow it. He channeled his spiritual energy to protect his head, throat, and mouth, then leaned down to the wound.

He sucked hard, and a strange, salty, bitter, and foul-smelling liquid entered his mouth. He spat it out immediately, and the rock where the blood landed turned black. The venom was indeed potent—even the small amount that touched his tongue made him feel dizzy. He increased the intensity of his spiritual energy to clear the vertigo. Looking at Su Xue, he saw her brow furrowed and her face pale, but the swelling on her wrist had begun to subside.

He continued, sucking out the venom bite after bite. After a dozen times, when the blood finally turned a normal, bright red, he stopped. With his energy protecting him, he had suffered no ill effects. He then continued to circulate his energy through her body to purge the remaining toxins from her bloodstream.

He had managed to save her.