diff --git a/Sources/MySQLNIO/Protocol/MySQLProtocol+HandshakeV10.swift b/Sources/MySQLNIO/Protocol/MySQLProtocol+HandshakeV10.swift
index 0636b36..aaf4a99 100644
--- a/Sources/MySQLNIO/Protocol/MySQLProtocol+HandshakeV10.swift
+++ b/Sources/MySQLNIO/Protocol/MySQLProtocol+HandshakeV10.swift
@@ -103,13 +103,13 @@ extension MySQLProtocol {
                 guard let reserved1 = packet.payload.readSlice(length: 6) else {
                     throw Error.missingReserved
                 }
-                assert(reserved1.isZeroes, "invalid reserve 1 \(reserved1)")
+                assert(reserved1.readableBytesView.allSatisfy { $0 == 0 }, "invalid reserve 1 \(reserved1)")
                 if capabilities.contains(.CLIENT_LONG_PASSWORD) {
                     /// string[4]     reserved (all [00])
                     guard let reserved2 = packet.payload.readSlice(length: 4) else {
                         throw Error.missingReserved
                     }
-                    assert(reserved2.isZeroes, "invalid reserve 2: \(reserved2)")
+                    assert(reserved2.readableBytesView.allSatisfy { $0 == 0 }, "invalid reserve 2: \(reserved2)")
                 } else {
                     /// Capabilities 3rd part. MariaDB specific flags.
                     /// MariaDB Initial Handshake Packet specific flags
diff --git a/Sources/MySQLNIO/Utilities/NIOUtils.swift b/Sources/MySQLNIO/Utilities/NIOUtils.swift
index 5d45727..f720ae5 100644
--- a/Sources/MySQLNIO/Utilities/NIOUtils.swift
+++ b/Sources/MySQLNIO/Utilities/NIOUtils.swift
@@ -1,58 +1,44 @@
 extension ByteBuffer {
     mutating func readNullTerminatedString() -> String? {
-        var copy = self
-        while let byte = copy.readInteger(as: UInt8.self), byte != 0x00 { continue }
-        defer { self.moveReaderIndex(forwardBy: 1) }
-        return self.readString(length: (self.readableBytes - copy.readableBytes) - 1)
+        guard let nullIndex = readableBytesView.firstIndex(of: 0) else {
+            return nil
+        }
+
+        defer { moveReaderIndex(forwardBy: 1) }
+        return readString(length: nullIndex - readerIndex)
+    }
+    
+    @discardableResult
+    mutating func writeNullTerminatedString(_ string: String) -> Int {
+        return self.writeString(string)
+             + self.writeInteger(0, as: UInt8.self)
     }
     
     mutating func readInteger<T>(endianness: Endianness = .big, as: T.Type = T.self) -> T?
         where T: RawRepresentable, T.RawValue: FixedWidthInteger
     {
         return self.readInteger(endianness: endianness, as: T.RawValue.self)
-            .flatMap { T(rawValue: $0) }
+            .flatMap(T.init(rawValue:))
     }
     
-    mutating func writeNullTerminatedString(_ string: String) {
-        self.writeString(string)
-        self.writeInteger(0, as: UInt8.self)
-    }
-    
-    mutating func writeLengthEncodedInteger(_ integer: UInt64) {
+    @discardableResult
+    mutating func writeLengthEncodedInteger(_ integer: UInt64) -> Int {
         switch integer {
         case 0..<251:
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer), as: UInt8.self)
+            return self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer), as: UInt8.self)
         case 251..<1<<16:
-            self.writeInteger(0xFC, as: UInt8.self)
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer), endianness: .little, as: UInt16.self)
+            return self.writeBytes([0xfc, .init(integer & 0xff), .init(integer >> 8 & 0xff)])
         case 1<<16..<1<<24:
-            self.writeInteger(0xFD, as: UInt8.self)
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer & 0xFF), as: UInt8.self)
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer >> 8 & 0xFF), as: UInt8.self)
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer >> 16 & 0xFF), as: UInt8.self)
+            return self.writeBytes([0xfd, .init(integer & 0xff), .init(integer >> 8 & 0xff), .init(integer >> 16 & 0xff)])
         default:
-            self.writeInteger(0xFE, as: UInt8.self)
-            self.writeInteger(numericCast(integer), endianness: .little, as: UInt64.self)
+            return self.writeInteger(0xfe, as: UInt8.self) + self.writeInteger(integer, endianness: .little, as: UInt64.self)
         }
     }
 
-    mutating func writeLengthEncodedSlice(_ buffer: inout ByteBuffer) {
-        self.writeLengthEncodedInteger(numericCast(buffer.readableBytes))
-        self.writeBuffer(&buffer)
-    }
-    
-    var readableString: String? {
-        return self.getString(at: self.readerIndex, length: self.readableBytes)
-    }
-    
-    var isZeroes: Bool {
-        for byte in self.readableBytesView {
-            switch byte {
-            case 0x00: continue
-            default: return false
-            }
-        }
-        return true
+    @discardableResult
+    mutating func writeLengthEncodedSlice(_ buffer: inout ByteBuffer) -> Int {
+        return self.writeLengthEncodedInteger(numericCast(buffer.readableBytes))
+             + self.writeBuffer(&buffer)
     }
     
     mutating func readLengthEncodedString() -> String? {
@@ -70,38 +56,17 @@ extension ByteBuffer {
     }
     
     mutating func readLengthEncodedInteger() -> UInt64? {
-        guard let first = self.readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt8.self) else {
-            return nil
-        }
-        
-        switch first {
-        case 0xFC:
-            guard let uint16 = readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt16.self) else {
-                return nil
-            }
-            return numericCast(uint16)
-        case 0xFD:
-            guard let one = readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt8.self) else {
+        switch self.readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt8.self) {
+            case .none:
                 return nil
-            }
-            guard let two = readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt8.self) else {
-                return nil
-            }
-            guard let three = readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt8.self) else {
-                return nil
-            }
-            var num: UInt64 = 0
-            num += numericCast(one)   << 0
-            num += numericCast(two)   << 8
-            num += numericCast(three) << 16
-            return num
-        case 0xFE:
-            guard let uint64 = readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt64.self) else {
-                return nil
-            }
-            return uint64
-        default:
-            return numericCast(first)
+            case .some(0xfc):
+                return readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt16.self).map(numericCast)
+            case .some(0xfd):
+                return readBytes(length: 3).map { $0.reversed().reduce(UInt64.zero) { ($0 << 8) | numericCast($1) } }
+            case .some(0xfe):
+                return readInteger(endianness: .little, as: UInt64.self)
+            case .some(let byte):
+                return numericCast(byte)
         }
     }
 }