Chapter 38: Times Have Changed

With a murderous glare, the giant serpent dispatched Rat No. 1 and Rat No. 2. Its gaze then fixed on Rat No. 3, which was struggling on the ground, hindquarters flailing helplessly. Slowly, it opened its massive jaws in a menacing grin.

The serpent sensed something was wrong, but it couldn't locate the source of the disturbance.

There was no unusual scent in the air, no anomalies in its field of vision, and no sudden noises nearby. Yet, it felt an unrelenting gaze locked onto it.

Even with its heat-sensing organs—a trait common among snakes—the chaotic thermal imaging caused by the fragmentation grenade explosion made it impossible for the serpent to pinpoint Glenn's location based on the trajectory of the flying rats.

The serpent reared its upper body, remaining vigilant. Its golden-yellow eyes moved slowly from side to side, tracking with the deliberate motion of its massive head.

"Click... clack, clatter..." The crisp sound of a hard object hitting the ground echoed from one end of the corridor. Instantly, the serpent's gaze snapped toward the source.

A small black object, seemingly ordinary and harmless, had bounced to a stop right in front of it.

What... is this thing?

The next second, the serpent's vision was consumed by a blinding white light. It thought it heard an explosive noise, but its hearing was immediately overwhelmed. A chaotic buzzing sound reverberated within its skull, nearly rendering it unconscious. Its massive body swayed and then crashed heavily to the ground.

The serpent experienced what it truly meant to have its world turned upside down.

Glenn, who had kept a safe distance from the flashbang, stood on the other side of the corridor's corner. Although he wore a black silk cloth over his eyes, he still turned his head away from the flash, knowing that its intensity wasn't something easily blocked.

As the white light faded, Glenn, wielding his Beretta M92F, darted out. As he had anticipated, he was not petrified.

In the instant when the path between Glenn and the serpent was clear, he pulled the trigger repeatedly, emptying the 15-round magazine in the blink of an eye.

The first bullet struck the serpent's left eye, which it hadn't had time to close. A spray of dark red blood accompanied its agonized screech.

Since the handgun was designed primarily for use against humans, Glenn had only enchanted the bullets with alchemical magic to imbue them with a "penetration" attribute, ensuring they could pierce through wizards' magical shields. Consequently, the bullets didn't have the destructive power he had hoped for against magical creatures.

However, the pain caused the serpent to thrash its massive body. Instinctively, it avoided further attacks aimed at its unharmed right eye and already-injured left eye. As a result, the subsequent bullets failed to hit their intended targets but still struck the serpent's scaly body.

Not a single shot missed.

While Glenn could achieve pinpoint accuracy, he joked to himself that he could also "shoot where he pointed."

The remaining bullets hit the serpent's scales but proved ineffective. It seemed as though the bullets were deflected before even touching the serpent's body.

Glenn keenly noticed a faint shimmer of magical energy on the serpent's surface whenever it was about to be struck. The shimmer would appear briefly and then vanish.

He sensed the flow of magic within it.

As expected of a magical creature from the wizarding world, high-level and highly dangerous beings like this often had some degree of magical resistance on their bodies, whether it was fur or scales. The alchemically enchanted bullets, imbued with magic, were less effective against them.

The Beretta in Glenn's right hand disappeared. His left hand flipped over, palm facing upward, and an unfamiliar firearm appeared in his hand. It resembled a rifle and bore traces of several well-known modern rifles.

Although Glenn could have purchased various firearms within the organization in his previous life, he found greater satisfaction in studying firearm structures and principles to assemble and modify his own weapons. His custom-made guns were also best suited to his shooting habits.

Pulling the trigger, the rifle unleashed a torrent of 7.62mm bullets amidst flashes of fire. This time, the serpent's magical defense on its surface failed to hold up. The bullets, accompanied by physical impact, penetrated its scales, causing blood to spray.

The serpent roared in pain, its eyes glinting with fury. It swiftly closed its remaining right eye, relying solely on its heat-sensing organs to locate Glenn. Ignoring the barrage of bullets, it lunged forward with terrifying speed.

Its fangs bared, the serpent's gaping maw lunged to bite.

Glenn narrowly dodged the serpent's head. As he passed by, he stowed away his firearm. His left foot pushed off the serpent's right side, propelling him onto the wall. Spinning mid-air, his left hand activated the Hand of Sorcery, emitting a dark glow. The suction force allowed him to cling to the wall. Meanwhile, his right hand retrieved several grenades, pulling the pins.

The serpent, having missed its target, instantly twisted its head and lunged at Glenn again.

Explosions and the serpent's agonized screams echoed. Amidst the black smoke and flames, Glenn shielded his face and emerged.

He had thrown the grenades into the serpent's mouth.

Rolling to dissipate the impact, Glenn retreated rapidly, avoiding further attacks. He drew a new firearm, ready for the next round, only to find that the serpent had suddenly lost its intent to attack. Its movements froze momentarily, as if its mind had glitched. Half a second later, it turned and slithered rapidly toward the depths of the corridor.

Even as the serpent retreated, Glenn didn't stop his actions. However, he had no intention of pursuing it. Instead, he fired another full magazine at its tail while its massive body was still rounding the corner.

Droplets of blood and water mixed on the ground, forming patches of crimson puddles.

...

Hogwarts, inside the Chamber of Secrets.

A pale-faced Ginny Weasley leaned against the cold, damp wall. Her eyes were tightly shut, her brows furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare. The black diary in her arms emitted an eerie aura.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. In her bright brown pupils, a shadowy look emerged—one unbefitting a girl her age.

"Who was that?" Recalling the figure cloaked in black mist she had seen through the serpent's eyes, the fragment of Tom Riddle's soul within Ginny couldn't help but question.

If that individual hadn't actively attacked the serpent, he wouldn't have even noticed the presence of another being in that space.

"And those weapons... What on earth were those?!" Reflecting on it now, Tom's expression—or rather, his soul's expression—darkened. He had never encountered such strange objects before. Yet, undeniably, the bizarre items that man produced were immensely destructive.

At that moment, hearing faint rustling sounds around him, Tom quickly manipulated Ginny Weasley to close her eyes. He then detached from her body, floating out.

The serpent, now heavily injured, emerged from the pipes near the Chamber of Secrets and approached Tom's soul fragment.

Tom scrutinized the serpent's wounds, frowning. With a casual wave of his hand, he signaled the serpent to leave.

Dragging its injured body, the serpent slithered into the mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue at the end of the Chamber and disappeared.

"More troublesome individuals... Damn it!"

Tom's cold voice echoed in the Chamber of Secrets.

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