Do what you want to do, it's the last moment of life

Lin Yu seized the opportunity, spreading his arms to pull Tang Yimian into his embrace.

The cool, damp sensation once again sent a jolt through his nerves.

"Senior, don’t be scared. Generally speaking..."

"There shouldn’t be crocodiles in the desert. Let me see what it is!"

Only when Lin Yu grabbed her did Tang Yimian snap back to reality.

She froze stiffly beside him, not daring to move a muscle.

Even as Lin Yu turned, she shuffled her feet in tiny steps, maintaining a parallel motion.

At the very least,

she could ensure that under these circumstances, Lin Yu wouldn’t be able to see her.

Lin Yu: "..."

That quick to react?

He hadn’t even had room to maneuver!

If he’d known, he should’ve conjured up a real "Crocodile" instead.

Lin Yu glanced toward the shower area and immediately spotted...

Senior’s hanging sleepwear and the Squirtle-themed underwear set inside!

Speaking of Squirtle,

Lin Yu couldn’t help but recall the time Pikachu went to borrow money from Squirtle and ran into Squirtle’s mom.

Pikachu: "Squirtle, Squirtle, can you lend me some money?"

Squirtle’s mom: "I’m Squirtle’s mom."

Lin Yu quickly shook off the cartoonish imagery of the girl’s clothes and looked down at the "crocodile" that had barged into the shipping container.

In shape and size, it matched exactly what he’d imagined—no bigger than a palm-sized trinket, though its flickering tongue was admittedly a bit unsettling.

Scaring adults was pointless, but it worked wonders on timid girls.

Lin Yu grabbed a water bottle from the table and hurled it at the lizard.

To make sure Tang Yimian got a clear view, he deliberately left some space.

The lizard took the hit and scurried away through a gap below.

Lin Yu quickly reassured her:

"Senior, it’s fine! That wasn’t a crocodile—just a lizard!"

"It’s gone now. No need to panic."

Tang Yimian exhaled in relief, slowly releasing Lin Yu’s arm as she tried to put distance between them.

Lin Yu smirked, his back turned to her.

Thinking it was over?

No.

This was only the beginning.

In a dust-choked no-man’s-land, finding a slightly longer snake was perfectly normal, right?

"Hsss... hssssss..."

Just as Tang Yimian was about to step away from Lin Yu,

the distinct sound of a serpent’s hiss echoed through the container.

Lin Yu almost wondered if the snake was wearing a microphone—

how else could it be this loud?!

"AHHH!!"

Another shriek exploded right beside him.

This time, Tang Yimian showcased her flexibility and agility in full force.

In her panic,

she leaped up and clung to Lin Yu’s neck like a koala.

The only regret?

She’d jumped from the side, hooking her legs around him from the opposite direction.

Had she gone for a frontal leap...

well, that would’ve been next-level.

Even so,

Lin Yu cupped the soft "buns" beneath her to keep her from slipping.

Now was the time to flex his masculinity.

A puny venomous snake? Pathetic!

Holding Tang Yimian in this awkward position, Lin Yu sidestepped twice, scanning for the snake he’d planted.

Lin Yu: "???"

Where’s the snake?

What kind of snake trick is this?!

Tang Yimian whimpered miserably into his ear:

"Wuwuwu... Lin Yu, it’s on my waist!"

"It bit me! Save me..."

Lin Yu: "!!!"

His hand shot to her waist, expertly snatching the venomous snake mid-bite!

Once he had it in his grip, frustration and fury took over. He whipped the snake against the container floor like a lash—

cracking it against the metal until sparks flew and the sound of violent thrashing filled the air.

After dozens of strikes, once the snake lay utterly motionless, Lin Yu tossed it aside.

This damn snake... even wore glasses?!

He was tempted to yank it back up and demand answers:

Why bite her waist and not somewhere else?!

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Are we writing a novel here?!

Worried the plot isn’t spicy enough?!

Suppressing his indignation, Lin Yu urgently turned to Tang Yimian:

"Senior, this is bad!"

"It’s a cobra—venomous!"

He was just stating facts.

What to do next?

Well, that was up to her.

But Tang Yimian was in no state for rational thought.

The moment she heard "cobra," her mind blanked with terror.

"Wuwu... there’s no hospital in no-man’s-land, right...?"

"Lin Yu, am I... am I going to die?"

"What do I do? There’s so much I haven’t done... I’ve never taught sixth grade, never been to Dali, never climbed Mount Tai... I’ve never even had a boyfriend!"

"I don’t wanna die, wuwuwu..."

Listening to her tearful lament, Lin Yu was at a loss.

Call her brave? She was terrified of dying from a snakebite.

Call her cowardly? Her dreamworld hadn’t collapsed even at death’s door.

He’d hoped she’d suggest the solution herself,

but given her state, that wasn’t happening.

Lin Yu carried her to the single bed, sitting down with her still clinging to him.

"Senior, don’t panic. Actually—"

Before he could finish,

THUD!

Tang Yimian flopped onto the bed with a look of utter resignation.

"Lin Yu, don’t bother comforting me."

"I know the basics."

"A cobra bite kills you in as fast as thirty minutes, or a few hours at most."

"The only cure is antivenom, and there’s no way we’ll find it in time."

"Bandaging, disinfecting, stopping the bleeding, sucking out venom... none of it matters. It’ll just make things more painful."

"I... I’m already a dead woman."

Lin Yu: "!!!"

Since when do elementary school teachers know this much?!

Call her professional? She mistook a lizard for a crocodile.

Call her unprofessional? She knows cobras are lethal.

For a moment,

Lin Yu was stumped.

Her move had completely derailed his plan!

He’d envisioned the cliché drama scenario:

"Senior, stay still—I’ll suck the venom out. You’ll be fine..."

Now? The road was blocked.

And here she was—

a living, breathing vision sprawled before him.

Every curve, every slope, every smooth contour...

Even in a dreamworld, the visual impact was devastating.

His "ice pop" instantly re-froze!

The obvious tent in his towel was impossible to miss from Tang Yimian’s supine position.

"Lin Yu..."

Her weak whisper made it sound like the venom was already taking effect.

Pure delusion!

Even a real bite wouldn’t act that fast.

"Senior, I’m here."

Lin Yu responded hastily, only then noticing her gaze.

He hunched slightly, trying to downplay the "ice pop’s" prominence.

"Don’t blame yourself. I’m the one who dragged you into this."

"Having you with me in my final moments... I’m happy."

"You’ve already seen everything... touched everything..."

"If there’s anything else you want to do... go ahead."

Lin Yu: "!!!"

Wait—seriously?!

Searching everywhere for an opening, only for it to fall into his lap?

This was almost too easy!