NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49
Chapter 2: The Rescue Plan
As soon as I mentioned luring it, Peng Clan Head rolled up his sleeves.
His impatient personality led me to call him over to the campfire first.
Shouldn’t we at least make a plan for whatever we’re about to do?
“Then let’s devise a strategy to lure it out.”
“I’ve been thinking—do we even need to lure it? We could just knock it out with a single hit. That way, we can catch a lively one along with the others, right?”
It seemed the Peng Clan enjoyed solving everything with brute force, and it was decided: knock it out with one punch!
I awkwardly smiled back at his suggestion.
If he, wielding a big sword, swung down on the cute lizard creature, it would surely end in a ‘boom’—instant roadkill.
‘Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.’
“If you hit it, won’t even the military officer get crushed easily? It would be quite a gruesome scene, I imagine!”
Seeing that, Peng Clan Head replied enthusiastically,
“Ha ha! You’re quite sharp! The military has only been cluttering around their desks, so of course they were overrun by such a lizard! If I give it just one good clout, it’ll drop dead for sure. Oh, how sad it is to be strong!”
“Y-yeah… I see. Cough, cough.”
With excitement, Peng Clan Head patted my back enthusiastically.
I was bewildered, not understanding where his good mood was coming from when suddenly my sister’s voice interrupted.
[Peng Clan has never gotten along well with the Jeong Clan. The Jeong Clan thinks of Peng Clan as a foolish lot that resolves everything through brute strength… Ahem. Let’s just say that. On the other hand, Peng Clan considers the Jeong Clan as nerds who only use their brains… Well, that’s how things are.]
‘So there’s a history between them! The broad-shouldered, gym-buff Peng Clan and the scholarly Jeong Clan, huh?’
I hadn’t noticed it earlier when facing the military officer, perhaps because of Young Young, but now I finally understood this backstory.
Regardless, I pulled the now high-spirited Peng Clan Head over to the campfire and explained the plan.
“First, you lure it out, and then Hua Eun and our Venomous Insect Team can block the path, how about that? In the meantime, I’ll check on the others.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? What if that thing isn’t as hurt as you think? I heard your martial arts skills aren’t that high, after all.”
Thinking about it, he had a point.
My sister stepped in to help me.
“Then I’ll be next to Wei So-ryong. Peng Clan Head can lure it while our Venomous Insect Team blocks the path!”
“Sounds like a good plan. Is there anything else we should be cautious about?”
“Oh! Just keep it from getting to the wall by all means. It can climb walls, so it could easily find its way around to me.”
“I got it! I’ll lure it over, and the rest will block the path so it can’t reach you.”
With our plan in place, we decided to move quickly.
If it really was injured, time might not be on our side.
We reformed our positions and made our way to a rock formation resembling a rooftop.
As expected, we began to hear its warning sound.
—Kyaaa!
I kept a distance of ten meters, as I had done the first time I met it.
As the lizard stood before the rock, its tail raised and swaying, I shouted to Peng Clan Head.
“Peng Clan Head! It’s time to start!”
“Got it! Everyone, just as discussed!”
Just then, as Peng Clan Head took another step toward the lizard from ten meters away—
—Kyaaa!
The infuriated creature lunged forward, its size just right, as though it could leap in the air like a spring.
“Ha ha! Come and try me!”
—Thud!
As Peng Clan Head shouted, he charged forward, hitting his big sword’s side against the ground, and in that moment, the lizard shot forward at him like a cannonball.
It had been warned, yet it seemed to have reached its limit.
—Thud!
“Whoa! Heavy! It seems like it has the strength of a top warrior from our Peng Clan! What a thrill!”
The sound of the impact echoed thickly.
With fervor, Peng Clan Head’s aura was visibly radiating as he prepared for the encounter.
The lizard, charging at him with a fierce face, looked stunned after that first collision.
Naturally, it had expected a clumsy, brute-force attack but instead found its path ever so slightly twisted, switching their positions.
Now, the mighty form of Peng Clan Head was barring the way between the rock and the lizard.
Panicked, the lizard couldn’t go anywhere, and taking advantage of that, Peng Clan Head lunged toward it brandishing his big sword.
—Kyaaa!
Avoiding Peng Clan Head, the lizard hesitated, loudly screeching as it maneuvered backward.
“Now’s our chance!”
It was now trapped completely between the lizard and the rock.
This was our moment to act.
We dashed toward the rock, obscured by the bushes, while shouting at my sister.
“Let’s go! Hua Eun!”
“Yes! Wei So-ryong!”
—Kyaaa!
—Thud!
The sounds of the lizard hitting the sword and its growls filled the air around us.
We finally reached in front of the rock.
There, we spotted a lizard lying still in the shade.
Despite us getting closer, it didn’t move an inch.
“Is it really hurt?”
Upon my sister’s cautious inquiry as we examined it, I nodded while kneeling before the lizard.
This creature was suffering from incomplete shedding, leaving its eyes completely covered, and the tip of its tail was rotting away.
As we approached, it sensed us and looked around wildly; the white membrane covering its eyes blocked its vision, and the skin that had yet to peel off stuck to its toes and tail, making it appear half-decayed.
Moreover, it was beginning to shed again, which was odd since it looked more translucent than the other lizards.
—Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Be careful! This little one is quite feisty!”
A loud noise came from behind us.
My sister glanced back and asked, “So-ryong, what now?”
At this point, there was only one answer.
We needed to help it shed.
“We need to treat it urgently.”
“You mean treat it!?”
“Yes.”
“But we have no medicine or anything here!”
My sister’s question came from the realization that there was nothing available to help.
I smiled back, reassuring her.
“It’s fine. We just need to help it shed.”
“You’re going to help it shed?”
“Yes. Completely.”
I thought to myself that I’ve been saying “shed” a lot lately as I quickly reached for the lizard that lay there.
The moment I touched it, I felt its cool skin.
The creature flinched slightly as my warm hand grazed it; it must have been too weak to struggle.
“Stay still, and I’ll help you recover.”
Usually, these creatures can understand a good deal, and when I spoke softly, the lizard froze in place.
After gently petting its head, I gripped its skin and pulled.
The translucent scale stretched with a squishy sensation.
“Wha!?”
My sister’s eyes widened like a rabbit, blinking in astonishment.
This must have been her first time witnessing a lizard shedding its skin.
Unlike snakes, lizards often consume their shed skin, so it’s hard to see in the wild.
“Just like snakes, these creatures shed their skin too.”
“Ah! I didn’t know that!”
I explained to her while continuing to pull at the stretched skin, but there was a problem.
The skin was incredibly tough; it didn’t tear at all.
Typically, pulling it like this would cause it to shred away easily, but this one was far too durable.
Shedding lizard skin can be tricky, as it frequently rips, making it a hassle, but in this case, it was tougher than expected, complicating the process.
But who am I?
I’m the Spicy Fabre, the expert in all toxins and venomous insects and the father of reptiles!
I quickly pulled out a dagger with a hooked edge from my belongings and applied pressure to the skin.
After much effort, the tough scales finally gave way.
With a solid tug, the back scales peeled off, revealing its shimmering blue back.
“It looks precious, So-ryong.”
As my sister mentioned, it resembled a sparkling galaxy.
I cautiously pulled the skin down towards its hind legs.
Like unrolling a sock, the lizard’s shed skin twisted up and flipped inside out.
Perhaps it was due to the many layers of shed skin, but it became stuck on the claws, causing the last parts to be a hassle to get through. However, with a strong pull, it finally made a ‘pop’ sound as the final piece of the glove was turned inside out.
“Isn’t it fascinating? It’s just like a rubber glove.”
My sister was captivated, noticing how it resembled a glove.
In my past life, when I helped a lizard I owned suffering from shedding issues, I would often peel off its skin, and this rubber glove made for great content.
Surprisingly, the act of shedding was intriguing, and people loved seeing the cute rubber glove emerge at the end.
Perhaps it was the same here, as our only female audience seemed to enjoy it greatly.
If this were in my past life, she might’ve done a donation.
“May I try?”
“Of course! Just hold this part and pull slowly. If you pull too hard at once, you might hurt its feet.”
In the background, loud crashing and breaking noises continued, but who cares?
After having a lizard shedding date following the hornet date with my sister.
For some reason, I felt my heart racing, thinking this was the most ideal date for Fabre.
‘My brother, who used to stream games, once wished to raid with his girlfriend, and here I am in such a perfect date scenario as Fabre.’
Starting with the left hind foot, then the right hind foot,
And both front feet.
As my sister and I helped each other shed the lizard’s skin, we created four rubber gloves, leaving only the tail and head left.
“I’ll handle the head. The eyes are delicate.”
Though my sister looked disappointed, it couldn’t be helped.
The eyes had to be treated with extra care!
Continuing to nudge its mouth gently to reveal the skin, the head’s scales emerged slightly.
As the lizard appeared to be wearing a raincoat, my sister lost her composure and exclaimed.
“So-ryong, can I raise this one?”
Caught off guard, I realized she had crossed the line, believing this to be an ideal date.
This felt just like when you’d be playing games at home, and your girlfriend suddenly asks for your computer.
Awkwardly, I responded.
“W-well, there are two of them; we can raise one each, right?”
“One each?”
My sister seemed to think for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.
“Y-yeah. That way, it’d be more meaningful.”
‘That was a close one…’
I managed to avoid the demand for my main computer by suggesting the sub-computer as a workaround.
Calming my racing heart, I peeled off the skin from the lizard’s head.
At last, the remaining skin around its eyes was visible.
When peeling lizard skin, you must do it with utmost carefulness.
The skin can remain around the eyeball, and if it gets stuck, it could lead to serious inflammation.
Thus, I cradled the lizard carefully.
I feared it might move and hurt its eyes.
Typically, tweezers would be used, but given how tough its skin was, I delicately lifted the membrane sitting around its eyes with the dagger’s edge.
With clingy pus, the translucent film came off easily.
Once it was all removed, the lizard’s bright yellow, sparkling eyes met mine and my sister’s gaze.
I had worried, but it hadn’t been long at all.
If it eats well, recovering should pose no issue.
“What do you think? Feeling fresh?”
In response to my question, the lizard licked its eye with its tongue.
Once I cleaned the other side entirely, only the tail remained.
At that moment, I hesitated.
“What’s wrong, So-ryong?”
My sister asked, noticing my pause.
I was stuck on the fact that the lizard’s tail was half-rotting away.
To save it, I’d need to cut a significant portion of it off.
It was evident that its inability to move well resulted from having an infected eye and a decaying tail.
However, tails are used to store nutrients.
If I removed it without knowing what the lizard was eating, it could die of starvation before long.
Just then, I heard an urgent shout!
“So-So-ryong! Watch out! It slipped away!”
Gu Pae’s frantic warning flew into my ears alongside my sister’s.
Turning around with the lizard cradled, I saw the bushes stir before a furious-looking other lizard charged toward us with its hissing.
As it spotted us, it bellowed again with even more rage.
—Kyaaa!
“Calm down! We were just trying to help!”
—Kyaaa!
I attempted to show the lizard I was cradling to explain but that only made it angrier, glaring with bloodshot eyes.
The Ogong could comprehend to some degree, and so could other venomous insects—it wasn’t like they couldn’t communicate, so I wondered why it was so furious.
Upon noticing my stance with the dagger in hand and the lizard in my embrace, it appeared to look like a hostage situation.
Panicking, I extended my hand to it while shouting,
“W-Wait! I can explain! I was trying to help it!”