I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 272 & 273: Strange Light in the Mermaid Sea

"A giant snake with five-colored scales—when did this monster appear on the island?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Yu Huo's eyes. He immediately gestured for everyone to bend down and lie on the ground. The others followed suit and lay motionless on the ground.

The snake's head that emerged from the tree hole was even larger than a millstone; it could probably be swallowed whole by an ox.

The slick, thick snake tongue flickered in and out of the snake's mouth, and even from a distance, it gave Hirota and his men a strong sense of oppression, and none of them dared to even breathe loudly.

"We're downwind here, so that big snake can't smell us."

Seeing how scared they were, Yu Huo whispered words of comfort.

"But……"

Hirota Tulio's unease did not lessen, and he hesitated before saying:

"A snake's pit organs can detect infrared light by sensing the body temperature of its prey to locate it."

What is infrared radiation?

Hirota Tulio immediately sensed something was wrong. The heat-sensing hunting ability of snakes is just an interesting piece of popular science for modern people, not even considered trivia. But for someone like Miss Yuhuo, who was walking alone on Penglai Island in an agricultural civilization, this knowledge was completely foreign to her.

"hiss!"

Sure enough, the five-colored serpent flicked its tongue a few times toward where they were hiding, and the next moment, the serpent crawled out of the tree hole and slithered menacingly toward them.

It was discovered!

Hirota Tulio felt a chill run down his spine, his face instantly changing color. The others were in no better shape, their faces pale and their legs trembling.

The five-colored serpent's body appeared thick and heavy, crushing and bending the bushes along its path, but its speed was as fast as lightning, leaping dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Even the sound of scales rubbing against the ground could be clearly heard.

Hirota Tulio immediately realized that there was no way they could outrun the giant snake on their own two legs.

"Miss Fisherman's Light!"

Their only hope now is Yu Huo, who is not human, and only she has the potential to defeat this five-colored giant serpent.

Unexpectedly, Yu Huo was agile and nimble, climbing directly up the trunk of the nearest ancient tree and disappearing into the dense thicket.

They ran away?!

Hirota Tulio gasped sharply, his face filled with disbelief.

"Run!"

The entire team was suddenly deprived of its leader, and everyone panicked and ran back in a frantic manner.

The first to take the lead was the black Antonio, who, as expected of someone with strong bloodlines who survived the rigorous selection process and had the added advantage of racial talent, left the others far behind in one fell swoop.

"Nigo!"

"Damn it, you idiot!"

Some people couldn't help but curse out loud.

The current situation is similar to the predicament of encountering a bear in the forest; as long as you outrun your companions, there is a chance of survival.

Even though Hirota and the others tried their best to escape, the five-colored serpent was much faster than all of them.

The five-colored serpent did not attack the long-haired woman who was at the back. Instead, it slid past the group's feet and cut into the gap between them and the black man Antonio. With a flick of its tail, it swept across the path, its cold, vertical pupils staring emotionlessly at the remaining four people.

Like Medusa's gaze, Hirota Tulio and the others froze in place, standing there woodenly, not daring to move a finger, only their eyes still moving.

This is a huge difference beyond the level of life; instinctively, I fear this monster!

Hirota Tulio, the second fastest runner, is now the first to face the five-colored serpent's bite.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, the black man Antonio had already vanished in a flash.

Well, it's good that one of them can escape.

Hirota Tulio thought to himself with a bittersweet smile, while the five-colored serpent opened its massive jaws, poised to pounce.

Just at the critical moment, a figure flew swiftly down from the treetop behind the five-colored serpent!

Yu Huo held a dagger about an inch long and, using the force of gravity as he fell, stabbed it into the head of the five-colored serpent.

Hirota Tulio's eyes widened instantly.

It's Miss Yu Huo!

Miss Fisherman did not run away, but instead lurked in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to the five-colored serpent!

"hiss!"

However, the scales of the five-colored serpent were much harder than Yu Huo had anticipated, and the dagger in Yu Huo's hand stopped abruptly after only penetrating halfway.

The five-colored serpent, in pain, frantically shook its head and flung the fishing fire away, its body crashing heavily to the ground.

The flame of hope that had just been ignited in everyone's hearts was ruthlessly extinguished.

Miss Fisherman was no match for the five-colored serpent.

The five-colored serpent, with half a dagger still stuck in its head, was completely enraged. It hissed at the ground with its vertical pupils fixed on the fishing lights.

The others didn't care either.

"Once the giant snake attacks the woman, we'll seize the opportunity to escape into the forest."

Hirota Tulio's ears twitched, and he looked over to see the couple whispering in each other's ears.

That's right. After Miss Yu Huo drew the wrath of the Five-Colored Serpent, she managed to escape during their fight and had a chance to survive.

Although reason tells Hirota Tulio that this is the only way out, isn't this abandoning Miss Yuhuo?

Hirota Tulio couldn't help but show a look of struggle and hesitation on his face.

Just then, Yu Huo got up from the ground, casually threw away the broken dagger in his hand, and stared coldly at the five-colored serpent.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The five-colored serpent thrashed its body and lunged menacingly at the fishing fire.

Yu Huo glanced back at Hirota Tulio and the others, his expression complex. As he approached, it was as if he had made up his mind. His gaze sharpened, and he let out a low growl.

"Waaah."

The bluish scales on Yu Huo's cheeks, arms, and feet spread all over his body in the blink of an eye. Fish gills also split open on his neck, and even wing-like structures resembling fish fins grew on his elbows.

If the fishing lights before were merely adorning fish scales and featured exotic girls, now they are completely monsters that are half human and half fish!

As the five-colored serpent pounced, the transformed Yu Huo, like a large blue bird with scales, swiftly darted past.

"puff!"

The five-colored serpent's head was severed, blood gushing out like a fountain, its headless body struggling desperately on the ground.

So strong!

Miss Fisherman is too strong; she killed the invincible Five-Colored Serpent with just one strike.

Hirota Tulio couldn't help but look over, but Yuhuo covered his face with his finned arm.

Don't look at me.

The fish scales and fins on the fishing fire are visibly fading away.

"I'm terrifying now. Even you outsiders wouldn't be able to accept me now. Just like that village chief from before..."

Hirota Tulio glanced at the couple and the foreign woman. Although he was also shocked, he felt more joy at surviving a disaster than fear or disgust.

He couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Well, to well-informed modern people, Miss Fisherman's current demeanor isn't that terrifying.

They wouldn't be like those ignorant villagers, shouting for violence and openly expressing their disgust.

However, Miss Fisherman's aura of self-loathing and self-abandonment was even stronger than when they first met.

"Miss Fisherman's Fire, you've saved us again!"

Hirota Turi looked at the headless body of the colorless giant snake with lingering fear; its tail was still twitching reflexively.

Even without its head, the remaining body is nearly ten meters long. The largest python currently existing on Earth, the anaconda of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, is usually only five or six meters long.

The forest on Penglai Island was indeed fraught with terrifying dangers. Without Miss Yu Huo's help, they would have had no hope of reaching the Spirit Peak in the center of the island.

We can't let Miss Yuhuo get so discouraged.

"Miss Fisherman, we've received so much kindness from you; you've saved us so many times. You're practically the legendary 'Amabi'!"

Hirota Turi had a sudden inspiration and spoke up.

"Amabiel?"

Yu Huo was somewhat puzzled.

Besides her, the Japanese couple also had subtle expressions, leaving only the foreign woman completely bewildered, not knowing what Hirota Tulio was talking about.

"Amabi is a sea monster that looks like a mermaid. Legend has it that it can bless a good harvest and cure diseases. Because of this, it was very popular a few years ago and was sought after by many people."

Hirota Tulio winked at the Japanese couple and said.

"Am I right? Amabi is a very auspicious and popular mermaid yokai in Japan, right?"

The couple exchanged a glance, then snapped out of their daze and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! Amabi is very famous; it's a lucky yokai that can drive away illness. We Japanese all love it."

"Amabie was one of the top ten buzzwords in Japan in 2020."

The two weren't simply echoing Hirota Tulio's words to flatter him; it was indeed true.

Amabi is a legendary mermaid-like yokai in Japan that can emit light, hence the name "Ocean Light".

According to legend, in the mid-19th century in Kumamoto Prefecture, a luminous object would appear at night on the sea.

The officials who went to investigate encountered a monster with a mouth like a bird's beak, covered in fish scales from the neck down, and with three fish fins, resembling both a fish and a bird.

The monster calls itself "Amabi'e," lives on the sea, and prophesies that there will be a good harvest for the next six years. If a plague spreads, people who are sick will be cured if they show its image to it.

After the first year of the Reiwa era, for well-known reasons, Amabi became one of the most famous yokai in Japan.

From the northern islands of Hokkaido to the southern islands of the Ryukyu Islands, Amabie frequently appears on posters at train stations, encouraging people to avoid unnecessary outings. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is leveraging Amabie's brand recognition to raise awareness of the importance of staying home and social distancing in preventing infection.

Amabie is also affectionately known by the Japanese as "the monster of the Reiwa era".

"So this is what the outside world is like. You outsiders are really strange, you actually like monsters."

After listening to Hirota Tulio's introduction, Yu Huo's face showed a complex expression, with a hint of curiosity and hope, and his expression brightened a little.

"Although it's somewhat similar, I'm not Amabi'e. If I were truly a monster that brings health and good fortune, perhaps I wouldn't..."

A hint of sadness flashed in Yuhuo's eyes, but he quickly rallied and nodded to Hirota Tulio.

"I know you're not bad people, don't worry, I'll be fine. We must leave here quickly before the smell of blood attracts other monsters."

Yu Huo frowned as he looked at the bloodstains at the scene, and said with a grave expression:

"And this giant serpent is strange. I've never seen such a huge serpent demon on Penglai Island. The situation may be beyond my control. You should decide quickly: do we turn back or continue onward?"

Hirota Tulio and the others exchanged glances and began to discuss in hushed tones.

Time is running out. If they give up this opportunity, it means they will be trapped on this Penglai Island for the rest of their lives, living an agricultural life of farming and weaving. They will not choose to spend their remaining years here unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, the powerful strength that Miss Fisher Fire had previously demonstrated reassured Hirota and the others.

With Miss Fisherman's protection, we'll definitely reach Lingfeng smoothly!

"What about Antonio? Can we find him?"

"I'm afraid that won't work. The direction is wrong, and it will probably take several hours to find that person."

Yu Huo glanced at the direction the black man Antonio had fled in and shook his head.

"Never mind him, it's just bad luck for Antonio."

The long-haired woman in the couple had a hint of schadenfreude on her face, clearly still bothered by Antonio's earlier runaway victory.

With this delay, there is indeed not much time left.

Hirota Tulio and his group voted by raising their hands, and in the end, it was a three-to-one decision to proceed as planned.

As for Antonio, the black man, according to Miss Fisherman, there are no monsters around on the outskirts of the forest, so there is no danger in the short term.

Miss Fisherman also promised that after she returned, she would find the black man Antonio and ask the old village chief to take her in.

Although I felt a little sorry for him, that was all I could do. Black people are just naturally gifted and incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, you can't even see a shadow of them.

Although there's no more one-dollar fried chicken on Penglai Island, as long as you work hard on the farm, you can still get plenty of rice.

Life isn't unbearable.

After a quick rest, Miss Yuhuo led Hirota Tulio and his group on their way.

"This hilltop is occupied by a mountain dog, and this monster has a very keen sense of smell! However, it is nocturnal, so as long as we keep our voices down, it is not a threat."

After another twenty minutes of walking, Yu Huo whispered a warning, but she soon realized something was wrong.

There seemed to be a strong smell of blood in the air.

Upon closer inspection, the mountains and fields were covered with shocking traces of battle, and the wolf's head, with its lower half torn off, hung from the treetops.

(End of this chapter)