The snakes headed for the plains. Their glowing bodies were highly visible, but in the dark night, every beast was silent.
"The snakes are going for that rock," Lexus whispered. "Maybe we should call Xiaolang. Whatever those beasts are, they're probably bad news."
"Xiaolang is way over there. We will call him if the snakes come near."
Meanwhile, Xiaolang was busy digging through the hard soil, looking for metallic onions to eat. His eyes searched the plains for rhinos. He saw the snakes. They were eye-catching. The snakes also saw him, but they didn't go after him. Instead, they headed toward a rhino.
Xiaolang stared at the snakes for a moment, wondering what they were planning to do to the rhino. In the silent night, one of the snakes slipped beneath the rhino's thick carapace. Then came a crunching sound.
"Xiaolang! Move! A snake is near you!" Lexus' yell echoed across the plains.
Xiaolang cursed as he bolted across the plain, trying to reach the safety of the jungle.
Then an earthshaking roar rang across the plains. The rhino the snake had targeted remained silent, as if it had been lured into an eternal sleep. Xiaolang sprinted for the forest. The rhinos rampaged across the plains. Instead of attacking the snakes, they ran the other way.
"The rhinos…" Xiaolang gasped as he arrived with only half a basket of metallic onions. Lexus and Laurel stared at the surreal scene. The monsters they feared were not at the top of the food chain. They were prey for other animals as well.
"Those snakes were killing them." Xiaolang pondered. How could those snakes kill those rhinos? Those rhinos were as big as a truck while the snakes were only as thick as an adult arm.
"Let's take a picture and go back with it." Laurel said as she snapped a photo with her smartbox.
"Let's leave. This island gets even weirder at night."
"You shouldn't have screamed. I saw the snakes. They were as clear as day." Xiaolang scolded Lexus.
"Hey! I just saved you. You didn't know how fast those snakes could move! I bet they're venomous! Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to kill such a humongous rhino. They were only as big as pythons!"
"What if the rhinos stand guard the next night? We won't be able to harvest the onions anymore." Xiaolang said.
"We've got two and a half baskets. That's enough for a week, even with 48-hour days. We only need two onions for each meal."
"What about the future?"
"Stop it, Xiaolang. Let's just be grateful that everyone came back alive. It's a new animal, and we don't know what it can do. We should inspect it later." Laurel said.
"I will kill one snake and bring it back to the lifepod. Don't worry. I won't touch it. We have plenty of spears." Xiaolang said as he turned back toward the opposite beach. He was curious. If the snake were venomous, he wanted its venom. That way, he could survive against other monsters.
"Xiaolang…" Laurel sighed. She turned to Lexus. He glanced between the forest and Xiaolang, seemingly weighing his options.
"I will come. I won't leave you behind. Don't think of me as a coward, understand?" Lexus said.
"Yes. You are better now, Lexus." Laurel nodded. Both of them knew he was only scared of returning alone, but Laurel didn't comment on it. She too was afraid of this island. So they trailed behind Xiaolang.
Xiaolang crept closer to a snake. Then, as it came near, he thrust his spear straight into it. It was anticlimactic. Xiaolang had expected it to dart or jump at him, in which case he would shield himself with his basket. But it died just like that, with a spear lodged in its head. It didn't even try to dodge.
"Got one." Xiaolang returned to Laurel and Lexus, who were waiting near the forest.
"That looked easy. I guess I was afraid for nothing." Lexus said.
"Let's see what Mistral has to say about this snake." Xiaolang said.
The path back to the lifepod was uneventful. Xiaolang stayed alert, wondering whether some predator would become active at night. But none appeared. The forest was eerily quiet, with only pink amoebas sparsely munching on the vegetation.
"Laurel, Xiaolang, Lexus, you've returned!" Lazarus welcomed them, carrying a stone for them to sit on.
"What's that you brought, Xiaolang? Is that a snake?" Shingo said.
"Yes. I want to know whether it's venomous."
"You can't just kill animals like that, Xiaolang! That's cruel!"
"This snake ate those rhinos. I was wondering whether we could use its venom against those monsters. It's important. Those rhinos are the only monsters on this island we can't beat. Moreover, we could eat the meat later if it isn't poisonous." Xiaolang said.
"We already have lots of food!" Lazarus argued.
"We need meat in our diet. You know that." Xiaolang said.
"Muu…" Lazarus pouted. Xiaolang's method just felt wrong. Killing when it was necessary was okay. She understood that. But Xiaolang seemed to kill for sport rather than necessity.
"Hmm… The snake's skin doesn't seem poisonous. Our water spectrometer says it's just water and traces of dirt." Shingo said. They had poured water over the carcass and then scanned the residue.
"That means the blood, skin, and meat are safe." Xiaolang pondered. "Where is the poison?"
"I bet it's in the mouth."
"But this thing wasn't like a snake. It burrows deep into the monster's body. Look, its mouth is circular. It looks like a worm's." Xiaolang said.
"Most snakes and other animals have their venom in their mouths." Laurel said. "If I'm not mistaken, snakes and spiders have special organs connected to their fangs that deliver venom."
"Hmm…" Xiaolang reached for his knife.
"Be careful. I heard strong poisons could seep through the skin. If you touch it, it's over for you." Shingo said.
"Thanks." Xiaolang nodded. He then cut off the snake's head. Then, using a stick, he pried open its mouth. The circular jaws, filled with serrated teeth, sent shivers down the children's spines.
"We should bury the snake with respect." Lazarus said.
"It's just like dissecting a frog in virtual space. It's for science. Don't mind it too much, Lazarus." Laurel said.
"Are we really going to eat this?" Lexus frowned. "That looks disgusting."
"We won't eat the head. Xiaolang just wanted the venom to use against the rhinos." Laurel said. Xiaolang nodded.
"Even the teeth were safe…" Xiaolang wondered whether they should just smash the head. Meanwhile, Bob dissected the body using leaf gloves sewn by Lazarus.
[A very dangerous neurotoxic compound was detected. Please stay clear. If you come into contact with it, please wash the affected area with plenty of water immediately. Exposure could cause paralysis and death within minutes.]
"Found it." Xiaolang said as he made incision on its mouth.
[Another unknown protein substance was detected. Analyzing. Results unknown. A more thorough examination should be conducted in a USF research lab. Research data has been compiled and is ready to be sent. Sending message failed. Please connect to the USF Universal Network System. Unknown protein substances may benefit mankind. You will be credited as the discoverer of the substance. A monetary prize may be awarded depending on its potential.]
The children paused, except for Laurel, who only sighed.
"Well, I think we would be more than famous if we could get back home. We are on an alien planet after all."
"Yeah. How can we even get home anyway? That's the important part." Shingo said.
Bob cleaned the meat. Every night they had boiled seawater and now had quite a bit of salt stored up. Before dawn, they feasted on snake soup.
"Man! Finally! More meat! The onions were surprisingly delicious with meat and salt. It tasted like potato soup with peanuts." Lexus gulped down the savory dish right away.
"Oh yeah. The onions had sprouted. I saw the buds growing. They had taken root in the field." Anna said.
"Good. Is there any sign of the buds growing into onions?"
"That's too soon, Laurel. It would take weeks for the buds to grow into tubers." Shingo said.
"I didn't mean now. I just want to know whether our farm succeeded or not. If they have taken root, that's the first step. Now all we need to do is wait for the buds and tubers to grow, right?"
"We don't know how much we should water them. In the wild, they survive with just rainwater." Shingo said.
"If it rains, we need to collect it. We could skip water duty if it rains." Laurel said. Unfortunately, during the week they had been here, rain had missed them. It had only rained twice since they arrived, and both times it happened at sunset or sunrise, when they were asleep inside the lifepod.
"Is it clean?"
"Mistral said so. If it wasn't, we could simply boil it." Laurel shrugged.
"So, can we make a rain collector from leaves?" Laurel asked.
"Yes. I will make one tomorrow." Lazarus said.
Their routine had settled into place. Morning to afternoon was for water duty, while the evening was free time.
"Hmm…" Shingo pondered as he looked at Auscella. He had given her a data containing this island map, but Auscella remained silent. he then drew the map on the sand.
"Yes? What's the matter, Shingo?" Laurel asked him. THen, Auscella chirped.
"Au! Building! Make animals!" Auscella said as she looked over at the island map Shingo had drawn in the sand. With a special app, she could see the pictures Shingo sent to her, but he preferred drawing them in the sand. Then Auscella pointed toward the ruin.
"So, that building was used to make animals, huh? Does that mean every animal here came from that building?" Lazarus asked.
"A cloning facility. That's taboo in the USF." Laurel frowned. Cloning was illegal as most fertilization was done in vitro. Humans feared that if they took that first step, for animals, human would be next.
"This is not USF territory. USF law doesn't apply here." Xiaolang said. "Shingo, is there anything else? How does the building receive supplies? Where are the ships?"
"Yes. Well… Auscella has seen several animals we have recorded in our smartbox. Then she also shared some pictures." Shingo said.
The children turned toward the images. One was a blueprint of the first floor of the ruins. Another showed something cylindrical, like a tube.
The children frowned at the incomprehensible images.
God will save us. If we believe in Him, He will give us strength so we can endure. In His name, we shall surrender. In His name, we shall give our all. He will let us attain glory. Through His trials, we will overcome. Praise be to God. ~Lazarus