Chapter 152: Southern Rift Valley 1 |
Qin Ziwu exclaimed in surprise, "Whoa, there are actually bugs inside this thing!"
"This Gobi Desert is both hot and dry. Inside this grass, it's not only cool and shady, but it's also free transportation. Sometimes there are even lizards or rodents inside. So if you guys come across this and want to mess with it, you have to be very careful. It's very likely hiding poisonous insects like spiders or centipedes."
Wang Yun retrieved his long spear, letting the wind continue to roll the tumbleweed away.
As the group discussed while heading south, over an hour quietly passed.
The group also reached the edge of the great rift valley.
"So steep."
It was as if the Gobi Desert had been cleaved open here.
On both sides were ochre-red rock walls, the cross-section appearing as if cut by a knife or carved by an axe. The valley floor was scattered with weathered giant boulders.
Pressing against the bottom corner at the side of the cliff face, there was also a muddy puddle of water.
Where there was water, there were animals.
However, right now, the area around the puddle at the bottom was empty, with no signs of animal tracks.
"We can go down over there." Qin Ziwen observed left and right for a moment and found a gentle slope on the left side that they could use to descend.
They circled around, walking for over ten minutes before reaching the gentle slope. Following the slope downward, the sunlight was blocked by the cliff walls, making it feel a bit cooler.
Upon reaching the bottom of the rift valley, the temperature was nearly ten degrees lower than the surface.
The Crowned Eagle really liked the environment here. It landed on the ground.
Its head turned, surveying the surroundings.
Suddenly, the Crowned Eagle stared at one spot and let out a cry!
Then it flapped its wings and flew over!
It stopped in front of a rock crevice.
Qin Ziwen followed it over and peered deep into the rock crevice, discovering a snake.
It wasn't a cobra, nor was it a rattlesnake.
It wasn't very long, only about one meter or so. Its base color was a pale sandy yellow, covered in irregular brown patches. Hidden within the rock crevice, it somewhat resembled the surrounding environment.
Wang Yun walked over and, after seeing it clearly, said, "Captain, this is an adult sand boa."
"A boa? So it's non-venomous." Qin Ziwen found it a bit strange that this little guy, only one meter long, could also be called a python.
Hearing it was non-venomous, the group crowded around to look at the sand boa.
Seeing so many people, the sand boa retracted even tighter, its body almost firmly pressed deep into the rock crevice.
Wang Yun nodded, "Yes, sand boas aren't very large. Some people who keep reptiles even keep them as pets precisely because they're non-venomous and small."
"I'll do it." Deng Guang volunteered.
He took out a stick and poked it deep into the rock crevice.
After being prodded several times, the sand boa let out a hissing warning sound, then coiled its body into a ball, tucking its head inside.
Qin Ziwen withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the puddle and mudflat ahead.
It was visible that right ahead, around the accumulated puddle, there was still some mud. Near the mud, many animal footprints could be seen.
Du Yu and Yang Cunshen stepped forward to observe for a while before returning to report.
"Sir, the most common here are still some small animals: scorpions, lizards, gerbils, pythons, and a few others I don't recognize. However, the footprints here are a bit messy, and the hoofprints are relatively large, like those of cattle."
"But it's so dry here; cattle should be relatively rare." Du Yu frowned. A person cannot describe something they have never seen before.
The areas where he used to hunt were mostly forests and plains; he wasn't very familiar with the Gobi Desert environment.
"It could be camels." Wang Yun said, "Camel footprints are very similar to cattle footprints."
"Camels... that's possible." Du Yu pointed to the east. "Judging from the traces of the footprints, it should have been one or two days. They went in that direction."
East? Qin Ziwen thought of the video the Crowned Eagle captured yesterday.
From a high-altitude aerial view, there seemed to be a group of animals with colors similar to the Gobi environment emerging from the rift valley.
He initially thought they were Giant Hyaenodons, but now it seemed they could also be camels.
If they were Giant Hyaenodons, they should have left footprints nearby.
Just then, from the bend in the rift valley ahead, came the sound of dense, numerous footsteps.
Like... chickens?
"Be careful." Qin Ziwen raised his weapon.
The people behind him stepped forward, surrounding him on both sides, raising their weapons to form a spear formation.
Finally, this group of uninvited guests from around the bend revealed themselves.
This was a group of small dinosaurs that looked only about 1.2 to 1.3 meters long.
They had a layer of short fur on their bodies, mainly in yellow, brown, and red hues. Their heads were not large. In front of their bodies were two claws. The claws were peculiar, each having only one digit, like two small curved knives hanging from their chests.
Their bodies were slender, the standard "skinny dog" build. Their long, thin tails swayed back and forth as they ran, the tail length accounting for half of their body length.
Beside him, Li Yue said curiously, "Why do they feel a bit like chickens?"
Qin Ziwu smacked his lips, "I feel this thing looks like an ostrich that went on a diet and slimmed down, with a pipe stuck in its butt."
"This is Mononykus, a standard dinosaur." Wang Yun's eyes gleamed with intensity. The pterosaurs they saw yesterday didn't belong to dinosaurs, and the Giant Hyaenodon wasn't a dinosaur either, just an extinct creature.
But the one before their eyes was, without a doubt, a living dinosaur!
After who knows how many tens of thousands of years, they met on this land.
Yuan Ming's eyes lit up, "I wonder if they taste good. I've never eaten dinosaur before."
After turning the bend, this group of Mononykus immediately stopped, cautiously sizing up the creatures before them.
Humans had never seen them, and they had never seen humans.
Both sides were assessing each other's combat strength.
A few of the Mononykus slowly stepped forward, lowering their heads to drink water.
Every water source point in this Gobi Desert was limited. They came here precisely to replenish their water. Seeing the puddle right before their eyes, they were naturally unwilling to give it up.
"Whether they taste good or not, let's kill a couple first and take them back to try. Watch me solo a dinosaur."
Qin Ziwen handed the steel fork to his younger brother, then took off the compound bow, drawing the bow and nocking an arrow.
"Whoosh—"
An arrow shot out.
There was simply no time to dodge. One Mononykus was directly pinned to the ground.
"Charge!"
Qin Ziwen waved his arm vigorously.
The group rushed forward.
"Screech! Screech! Screech!"
The group of Mononykus exploded like fireworks, fleeing in all directions.
But the surroundings were steep cliff walls. A few of them nearly crashed into the walls, then frantically changed direction, fleeing back the way they came.
Their escape speed was very fast. Those two long legs under their bodies sprinted wildly. The fastest runners were already out of sight.
The slower ones were still lagging behind.
But the terrain of the rift valley determined they couldn't scatter and flee in all directions; they could only run wildly along one path.
This also gave Qin Ziwen and the others a good pursuit route.
They just needed to follow along the rift valley, conserve their stamina, and they would catch up eventually.
For creatures like these with long legs that are good at running, most are sprint champions. Qin Ziwen had only heard of ostriches being two-legged long-distance running champions.
He refused to believe these Mononykus could run fast and also run for a long time.
It was time to let these little dinosaurs witness the ultra-long endurance of the upright ape!
......