Lu Zhe didn't have time to think much. He grabbed Ning Shu's hand and ran towards the camp!
When they arrived at the camp, they saw Lin Qianqian hugging the unconscious Jiang Yao in a corner, while Tang Xiaoguo was sitting in front of them crying!
One meter away from them lay a two-meter long black snake, lifting its head and flicking its tongue!
Its distinct features made it undoubtedly a cobra!
Seeing Lu Zhe run over, Lin Qianqian cried out: "Lu Zhe...Xiaoguo got bitten..."
Lu Zhe's heart skipped a beat as he tried his best to calm himself down!
First, he added all his remaining potential points to speed!
"Don't any of you move!"
Lu Zhe remembered a snake catching trick his grandfather used when he was little. He took off his pants and tied knots at both leg openings, then aimed the waist opening at the snake and pounced!
The snake was good at attacking but not so good at dodging. It got caught inside in an instant, unable to find a spot to bite as it lashed around inside the pants!
Lu Zhe quickly gathered up the pants and cinched the waist tight to strangle the snake inside, forming a cloth bag!
Got it!
"Ding! Gained new protein source, potential points +1!"
He then hung the makeshift pant bag on a tree and rushed to Tang Xiaoguo. "Where were you bitten?"
Tang Xiaoguo bit her lip, enduring the pain. "My foot, my toes..."
Lu Zhe grabbed Tang Xiaoguo's right foot to find two tiny puncture holes on the pad of her big toe!
It turned out a snake had passed by two minutes ago looking for food, slithering towards Jiang Yao and Lin Qianqian.
Tang Xiaoguo had been so frightened she tried to drive the snake away without anything on hand. She directly kicked at it and got herself bitten in retaliation!
Unfortunately, Tang Xiaoguo had taken off her high heels while resting; the snake's fangs sunk into her bare right foot.
Ning Shu worried aloud: "That snake is venomous, right?"
"Yes!" Lu Zhe nodded gravely.
He knew not only was it venomous, but its virulence was also extremely violent. Without proper treatment, it could easily take a life!
There was no time for hesitation. He immediately stripped off Tang Xiaoguo's stockings and squeezed the base of her toe to cut off circulation.
Then he slowly pushed forward, trying to squeeze out as much venom from the wound as possible.
He was using a bit too much strength, causing Tang Xiaoguo to shriek loudly in pain. "Oww! You're hurting me..."
Lu Zhe ignored her cries, frantically raking through survival manuals in his mind for an antidote.
The best solution for snakebites is to block circulation then rush to a hospital for antivenom injections!
But they had no such means here.
Burning a lit match against the snake's fangs to destroy venom proteins with high heat was also impossible.
All he could do now was minimize the amount of venom entering her body!
Just squeezing alone wouldn’t be enough; he needed negative pressure to suck it out!
He didn’t have a negative pressure instrument. And the supposedly effective method of sucking out the venom with one's mouth, as portrayed in TV dramas, was pure nonsense - the venom could enter through mouth ulcers and damaged gums, poisoning both people!
What to do?
Could he really be helpless now?
Finally, he came across a piece of information in the survival manuals: Squeeze venom out of the snake's fangs and neutralize it using tannic acid or other polyphenols!
Can effectively alleviate poisoning symptoms.
Tannic acid polyphenols?
That's right, those can neutralize snake venom proteins. They are the best natural antidotes!
But where could he find them now...Wait!
Lu Zhe suddenly thought of something!
Yes, he knew that aside from certain teas containing tannic acid, all astringent fruits also had polyphenolic tannins!
Glancing back, he noticed Ning Shu was still holding that wild persimmon branch in her hand.
As such...
Ning Shu's rash actions may have just saved Xiaoguo's life!
After chewing up the wild persimmons, it was time to squeeze out the venom!
Luckily Xiaoguo's dainty feet were only about size 34. Her fair skin and graceful arch made them quite a sight to behold.
Without a knife to cut crisscrosses, he could only squeeze hard.
"Oww..."
A numb tingling sensation came over Tang Xiaoguo, causing her to whimper in distress!
"Tang Xiaoguo, stop messing around!"
This time Tang Xiaoguo didn't talk back, only letting out a weak "Oh..." with flushed cheeks.
Most of the venom finally oozed out with blood and tissue fluids. Lu Zhe then smeared the mashed persimmons over the wound.
"I need a rubber band!" said Lu Zhe.
Ning Shu went to check her backpack while Lin Qianqian yanked off her own hair tie. "Use mine!"
Lu Zhe took it and tied it tightly around Tang Xiaoguo’s toe, blocking off blood circulation as much as possible!
"Xiaoguo, how do you feel?"
"It hurts to death!"
Lu Zhe asked, "I mean, is your body numb or tingly, any difficulty breathing?"
"No, nothing like that..."
Lu Zhe nodded. "The venom dose in your blood likely isn't huge since it hasn't damaged your sense organs or respiratory system. You should live through this!"