Chapter 154: Duckbill Dragon |
The brown dragon herd walked silently through the Gobi Desert.
They were like small mountains.
Their bodies were massive, their chests broad, their beaks flat, and their tails extremely thick and strong. As they walked, their tails, which were nearly half the length of their bodies, swayed slightly.
"So this is the Hadrosaur... I think I understand why it's a Level 2 hunting target." Yuan Ming's eyes were full of awe.
This herd of Hadrosaurs was too big. It was probably a whole clan, and the adult individuals within it were easily over ten meters long.
"Hadrosaurs aren't considered large to medium-sized dinosaurs, are they? This is way too big." Qin Ziwu was somewhat shocked.
The Level 2 hunting mission was asking them to kill five dinosaurs of this caliber?
If they charged over and you got stepped on, wouldn't you be black and blue all over?
Wang Yun's gaze darkened. "The Hadrosaur is actually a family of dinosaur groups, just like lizards. Small ones might only be the size of a palm, while large ones could be like Komodo dragons. The size difference is huge."
The Hadrosaur herd slowly moved eastward. One adult individual among them turned its head, casually glanced in their direction, then turned back. Their pace remained steady and resolute as they advanced forward.
Qin Ziwen joked, "Li Yue, the powerful opponent you wanted has arrived."
Li Yue forced a smile. "Brother Qin, you'll help collect my body, right?"
Qin Ziwen nodded. "I will. I'll use a shovel to scoop you out."
Watching the passing Hadrosaur herd, Qin Ziwen felt a surge of desire. This was the Level 2 task target for the Hunting Ladder.
But it wasn't an opponent they could handle at their current stage.
At the same time, Qin Ziwen also thought of something. Hunting adult Hadrosaurs required 5 kills, while hunting Desert Giant Worms only required 3.
Even a fool could figure out that the Desert Giant Worm was definitely more terrifying than an adult Hadrosaur.
And what about the Tarbosaurus, which only needed one kill to complete?
They still needed to hurry up and finish the Vehicle-mounted Crossbow. Otherwise, they lacked effective means of attack against such giant creatures.
"Sir, these giant beasts might be migrating. To the east, there should be food and water sources that can sustain them."
"Food and water sources that can sustain them... Could it be an oasis?" Qin Ziwen considered this possibility.
Zhao Pu said, "It's possible. They must have lived here for many years, understanding the surrounding environment better than we do."
In a barren place like the Gobi, being able to support the Giant Hyaenodon was already the limit. Trying to feed such a large Hadrosaur herd, even if they fed them all the Saxaul Trees within a dozen kilometers, wouldn't be enough.
The only possibility was that within this Gobi, there was an oasis sufficient for their survival and habitation.
Qin Ziwen felt tempted. If they could pinpoint the location of the nearest oasis, it would undoubtedly be valuable intelligence.
Calling over the Crowned Eagle, which was currently bullying a Mononykus, Qin Ziwen patted its head and pointed at the Hadrosaur herd. "Later, fly up into the sky and remember the direction they leave in."
Seeing the Crowned Eagle eager and ready to take off, Qin Ziwen held it back. "Wait until they've gone a bit farther before you fly over. It's too hot here; you can't fly for very long."
He wasn't sure if the Crowned Eagle understood, but after he spoke, it didn't try to fly again.
From behind, Wei Zhaohua suddenly called out excitedly, "Captain Qin, there are several clumps of shrubs here that look a bit like White Thorn berries."
Wei Zhaohua had proactively asked to follow the team out this time, mainly to see what common edible plants were nearby.
"Let me see." Qin Ziwu walked over and found that these shrubs bore a few sporadic deep red fruits.
"Hmm, they were probably eaten by these Mononykus. Otherwise, the White Thorn berries wouldn't be so few. Look here, there are bite marks." Wei Zhaohua squatted down, pointing at one section.
"If they can eat them, it at least means the local White Thorn berries here aren't highly toxic." Wei Zhaohua tried to dig one up but quickly gave up.
The White Thorn's root system was very long, with extremely developed lateral roots spreading in all directions. They were also very tough.
If you forcibly cut the roots to transplant it, the transplanted White Thorn would struggle to survive. Its ability to live in this arid environment relied entirely on this developed root system.
Qin Ziwen surveyed the surroundings. In terms of concealment, this Altar's location was relatively hidden. At the very least, to find it, you'd first have to pass through this Great Rift Valley.
It probably wouldn't be discovered by others in the short term.
Qin Ziwen examined the remaining Mononykus. The nearest little Mononykus was digging in the soil. They scraped away the dirt on the ground, poked their heads in, as if eating something.
"What is this little bean sprout eating?" Qin Ziwen walked over and lifted the Mononykus hatchling by the scruff of its neck.
The mother lizard nearby chirped incessantly upon seeing this.
Only after Qin Ziwen tossed the hatchling back did the mother Mononykus stop calling.
After observing for a moment, Qin Ziwen realized the spot where the Mononykus hatchling had poked its head was just a dirt pit. There were no plants inside, only some soybean-sized ants. This thing actually ate ants too.
"By the way, after we leave, will these Mononykus depart or continue staying here?"
Wang Yun pondered. "Gobi resources are scarce. It's possible they'll stay here."
Qin Ziwen thought it over and decided not to wipe them all out. After all, if they took them back, they'd just be making salted meat anyway.
In such hot weather, always eating salted meat was too salty.
The group picked up the already slaughtered Mononykus, took ropes from their bags, tied them by the tails, strung them up into several large bunches, then carried them back on poles.
Passing by the puddle at the bottom of the rift valley again, they noticed this small puddle wasn't large. It clung to the Cliff wall, and the water was very shallow.
At the corner where the cliff met the wall, there were faint ripples. Having experienced a Level 1 Spring, Qin Ziwen understood all too well: no wind, yet the water was moving. This indicated a water vent at the bottom. Perhaps there was an underground river beneath this rift valley floor.
He reached out and gently touched it. The water was ice-cold, further confirming his suspicion.
"This is actually a stable water source. Although the quantity is small, not enough for the entire residential complex, it can indeed provide groundwater steadily." Qin Ziwen stood up.
On the way back to the residential complex, he had the Crowned Eagle fly up to scout the movements of that Hadrosaur herd.
When they returned to the south gate of the residential complex, the Crowned Eagle landed from the sky behind them.
It opened its beak, breathing rapidly, its throat rising and falling. Qin Ziwen touched it; its feathers were hot, the temperature quite high.
Qin Ziwen took out a stainless steel water bottle and gave it some water.
The Crowned Eagle's condition improved somewhat.
Stopped outside the south gate, they attracted the attention of many residents—not only due to the giant Crowned Eagle but also because of the Mononykus strung up on the Long Spears, dangling upside down like a bunch of chicks.
"Good heavens, what is that? Dinosaurs?" An old man fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and wearing an open-fronted shirt exclaimed in surprise.
"My goodness, there are dinosaurs this small? They're not much bigger than the geese I used to raise back in the countryside."
A team of students who had just returned from outside and hadn't yet entered the residential complex kept turning their heads, curiously eyeing the Mononykus. They suddenly felt the Scorpions they'd caught in the Gobi weren't as appealing anymore.
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