First Subordinate & The Green Python (1)

//Last updated on June 20, 2024

***

He was now fully prepared to leave the cave but Liu Feng decided to spend some more time investigating to see if he could uncover anything relevant. He was glancing here and there when he heard a feeble voice from a corner.

"…elp…me…"

"…help…me…"

He decided to approach the source of the sound with caution. Soon after, he arrived in front of the jail, only to see a skinny-looking boy with blood all over his face speaking subconsciously, asking for help.

He was planning to reach for the child when he heard a rustling sound.

"Swish…swish…"

He returned his attention to the other side and grasped the Claws in his palm to defend himself.

Liu Feng came to the realization, "It must be the snake."

There was no apparent evidence of it, yet he knew the snake was around. Despite the fact that more than half of the cave was visible to the naked eye thanks to the illuminating stones, the snake was not visible.

"Even though I shattered the entrance array formation, I never imagined it would still be here."

"I imagine it won't just leave its area, abandoning its prey; and the way the man talked about it, it seemed like it was his pet."

He carefully examined every nook and corner he could see. Despite the extended silence, he could hear the boy from behind pleading for aid.

"Is anyone here??...please help me!"

Liu Feng took a cautious step back to approach the jail's entrance and inquired.

"Hey!! Hey, kid you there!"

"Swish…swish…"

"Mister...Who...Who are you?" the child said, raising his head with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Just a passer-by, don't mind me but do tell me why you're in that situation. Did these guys do it?", Liu Feng was curious.

"Yes, I was beaten by the Green Python bandits for uncovering their secret.", after a moment of pause he spoke again.

"Please, help me escape, and I'll tell you their secret," the kid promised.

Even in this helpless state, he was attempting to maintain an advantage in their deal.

Unbeknownst to him, this knowledge was of little importance to Liu Feng since he had never considered seeing them again.

"I'm not interested in them, so why would I want to know their secret?", Liu Feng showed a neutral expression.

"But...but... It's a massive secret, and the future of Gale City and the hundreds of thousands of people that live there are at risk here. The…"

"Pause right there. Again, as I already stated, why should I care? I am not from that city and I have no one that I know who lives there. So why should I get into a battle with these guys over their secret?", Liu Feng cut him off.

"You realize this right, if I wanted to, I could just leave you here; right now, you're nothing but food for that snake. And, from the looks of it, me being here is making it impatient. Under these conditions, you don't even appear to be capable of surviving more than a couple of day-."

"NO!" the boy exclaimed with all the power he could muster.

"Swish...swish... swish"

He stood up, gathering all of his strength, and stared Liu Feng directly in the eyes, saying,

"No, I need to survive. I will withstand whatever happens. I am going to get out of here and save my sister. And I'll exact vengeance for my mother, father, and relatives so that, my ancestors can rest in peace. Those scumbags will never be forgiven for what they did to my family!!!"

"Huuh..huuh..huuhh..", As soon as he concluded his remarks, the kid began panting profusely.

This surprised Liu Feng. He had not anticipated such a reaction from a kid.

Although he considered assisting him in getting out of there and giving him some money without expecting anything in return.

So this tough exterior was merely a front, but he had no idea that this youngster had some sort of protagonistic (tragic) backstory.

'It's real!!!', this time Liu Feng was shocked. Although he had expected this already, he was still in a state of confusion.

'However, the question is if he is the chosen one. If so, maybe I can take him under my wing. Then again, what about myself and my system? Am I the chosen one? Though, I never thought that the universe revolves around me, but...'

'However, I suppose he could also be a minor protagonist.'

After hearing his remarks, Liu Feng's mind wandered to some frivolous thoughts. He began to recollect all the basic narratives of countless novels he had previously read.

'After all of his family were killed, he embarks on a quest for vengeance, becomes involved in some sort of impossible predicament, awakens his heaven-defying abilities, acquires an ex-powerhouse grandpa or an ex-empress, and events of cosmic probability begin unfolding as he continues on his journey, collecting his harem candidates left and right.

He believed that involving himself in anything needless would only bring him harm, and the manner in which the boy is speaking; he felt the situation included many parties and a lot of things were at risk.

'Whatever, let me help you now. Perhaps he would help me later.' He decided in his mind without changing his expression.

When he saw his silent answer, the child almost burst into tears. He had already realized that Liu Feng was the greatest opportunity he had to get out of there. He was not stubborn enough to leave this chance he had received.

"Mister, please help me, I beg you, my sister is in danger," he said as he bowed to Liu Feng.

He released the resistance from his inner self after clenching his fists and biting his teeth for a few moments before looking at Liu Feng.

"I'll become your slave if you help me now and save my sister."

"Huh! Now I have to save your sister too?", Liu Feng expressed his "annoyance" hearing this.

"Yes, please," the child said solemnly, a ferocious will buried behind his helpless eyes.

Liu Feng was not bothered about this. He admired this type of attitude since he had always wished for such enthusiasm in his prior life. The truth, however, was quite different.

"All right, kid, don't be too dramatic. You don't have to become my slave, but I might provide you my assistance if you agree to my conditions," Liu Feng explained.

Liu Feng already exuded the air of an expert, and it didn't take many words to persuade him.

The boy was speechless when he heard this.

Liu Feng suspected that this young man had gone through many difficult experiences in order to respond in this manner when someone offered him help.

"I will help you escape from here and find your sister in exchange for becoming my subordinate and aiding me with my work. But you must put your vengeance aside for the time being, and don't worry when you become my subordinate, I will help you in becoming stronger, and you will be under my protection. When you are powerful enough, you may exact your revenge with your own hands. That's all. Those are my terms," Liu Feng stated boldly.

"Swish…swish…swish…swish…"

The boy was taken aback by Liu Feng's conditions. He was well aware of how horribly slaves are treated, having witnessed many of them.

"What's the big deal? Do you agree with my terms or not? If not, please tell me that. I do not have enough time to spend here today and it appears the fellow over there is getting impatient."

"Swish…swish…"

"Oh. Oh, I agree, I agree... Please help me.", the kid never said.

"Calm down, kid. I'm not going away and given your current state, I don't believe you can help me in a battle. But please allow me to unlock this gate, and perhaps you can assist me if required."

"But first things first."

"My name is Liu Feng. You may call me boss from now on since you are my subordinate. Tell me what's your name?"

"Mister Liu Feng, I .."

"Call me boss," Liu Feng cut him off in the middle of his introduction.

"Umm..Boss.. My name is Zhang Yan," the kid introduced himself, bowing politely.

"So, Zhang Yan, take a step back and let me open this."

He was already near the metallic gate, but after hearing this, Zhang Yan took a step back.

Taking one claw in each of his palms, Liu Feng swung his right hand at the lock.

"Clank," the lock shattered and the jail door opened.

"Swish…swish…swish…swish…"

On the other side, the snake was getting agitated.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Feng picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it toward the direction of the snake.

"Hiss…hiss…"

The snake began to hiss at Liu Feng as if reacting to the stone. Soon it was visible under the naked eye.

"It is fast!!" Liu Feng exclaimed.

"It will be tough, but not impossible to kill", Liu Feng gave off a predatory aura as he noticed the snake.

An approximately ten to twelve-foot-long snake with glossy green scales all over its body was now apparent.

'Green Python bandits…huh...This must be the source of their name!', Liu Feng gave a light chuckle inside his mind thinking of their name.

'How stupid!', He felt proud of his superior naming skills.

'So, it is not concerned about stealth anymore. But fighting here is not to my greatest advantage.', going back to the present he realized.

All of his abilities would have been useful in a large open area, but he was now in a dark and narrow space.

Fighting it at his current location would be detrimental to him, so Liu Feng began racing to a bright space in the hopes of luring it in.

"Oi, you big snake, it's time for a rematch, come here...come this way!!!"

The snake looked at him and shifted its course to pursue him fiercely.

Taking both claws in his hands, Liu Feng began clanking his metal claws together to draw its attention. As the snake approached, he assumed a combat stance.