Chapter 168: Stealing the Dragon |
"Roar..." The Sarkastodon gave a low growl, stamped the ground once, and prepared to retreat.
Although it was a bit hungry, the number of humans across from it was clearly large, and its sixth sense warned that this group was dangerous.
Just as it was about to withdraw, a sudden sound of hooves came from the sky behind it.
A shadow passed over its face. The Sarkastodon raised its head and saw a giant bird sweeping overhead.
A sharp claw nearly grazed its cheek.
"Roar!"
The Sarkastodon rose to its hind legs, slammed its chest, and let out an angry bellow, trying to intimidate its opponents by force.
Then it saw one of the humans take a short branch from his back.
He sharpened that branch into a point.
The intense pain sparked two conflicting instincts in its mind. As an animal, it reacted: injured, run!
But the predator’s instinct devoured the last of its rational thought; it wanted to tear these humans apart!
Rip them to pieces!
"ROAR!!!"
The Sarkastodon planted its feet and charged toward the humans.
It intended to scare them with an attack so it could find an opening to flee.
It had always done this before. In its experience, two-legged dinosaurs were like flies; if it could swat a few dead, the rest wouldn’t dare to chase it.
But as it ran, the two-legged humans in front of it did not back down or show fear. Instead, they thrust their long implements into the ground.
Those things were thin, as thin as the dead branches on the Gobi, and they expected such things to stop me?
The Sarkastodon's expression twisted.
A human suddenly flicked something forward, throwing a cloud of powder and dust. Its vision was obscured and it instinctively halted.
Inertia still pushed it forward and it slammed into those sticks—pain!
The intense hurt caused its muscles to reflexively contract. With momentum carrying it on, it couldn’t brake and fell flat on its rear, only to be met by another spear.
A sharp pain in the chest.
A long spear had been driven deep into its heart.
...
"Pfuh." Du Yu pulled the spear free. He watched the fallen Sarkastodon calmly. Once the spear formation was set—five long spears planted into the ground, tilted at forty-five degrees to confront the charging beast—the outcome was already decided.
Pain would force the opponent to stop.
Once the charging speed dropped and the advantage of body weight disappeared, the rest was handled by the spears.
Piercing the enemy’s defense and striking the vital spot was really the difference between one spear or two.
Behind them, the Alliance members and students stood in silence, staring at the collapsed Sarkastodon.
Such a large beast had been taken down by nine people without seeming to expend much effort.
It looked very simple.
Eyes: You learned that.
Brain: Seems a little hard.
A flicker of unease passed through Zou Jianghe’s eyes.
Luo Gang looked at Cao Biansheng’s figure with satisfaction. When that Sarkastodon charged earlier, Cao Biansheng had stood in the center of the formation. He had transformed from the team’s previous standout "hero" into part of the "collective."
That was good, because heroes were dangerous.
Cao Biansheng acting this way was safer; he didn’t have to risk himself each time.
This was also the first time Luo Gang had a direct appreciation of how the team performed while hunting.
Somewhere in the back of the group, someone shouted in a hoarse voice, "Awesome!"
Immediately, loud cheering broke out.
Soon people came forward to help dismember the carcass—skinning, cutting meat, removing sinew...
Then the remaining group pushed on, heading first to scout the southern water resource point.
Qi Xiang came over and put an arm around Cao Biansheng’s shoulder. "Damn, Old Cao, you were amazing back there. When that beast charged, I was sweating for you. Weren’t you scared?"
Cao Biansheng replied nonchalantly, "No big deal."
Qin Ziwu’s expression flickered subtly; clearly the kid had been trembling earlier.
With the Sarkastodon hunted, progress on the Sarkastodon objective registered as one-fifth complete.
Before long, the beast’s body had been completely butchered, its skin, meat, and bones separated and packed.
"Leader, two spear shafts are cracked." Wang Yun looked worried. He handed his long spear to Qin Ziwen for inspection. On the Cudrania Wood shaft there was a hairline crack—very thin, but long.
It extended nearly one-third of the spear’s length.
Another broken shaft belonged to Yuan Ming; that one was Mulberry Wood and was in even worse shape, effectively turned into a nunchaku.
Qin Ziwen reassured them: "Damage is normal when taking on such large prey. Once you all get stronger, I’ll give you pure iron spear shafts."
The main force then arrived at the water resource point south of the eastern canyon.
This was a low-lying pool, like a split in the ground where groundwater seeped out, forming a narrow, elongated water puddle on the surface.
Around this puddle were many scattered footprints—clearly animals came to drink here regularly.
Now, the team began work: moving stones and shaping the terrain nearby, preparing to enclose the puddle and create terrain favorable to humans.
"Leader Qin, your target has been found." Luo Gang approached Qin Ziwen. Some of his students had been scouting and discovered a dinosaur.
The dinosaur appeared not small—about two meters high when standing, four to five meters in length—like a miniature Tyrannosaurus rex.
"This target’s weight should meet your requirements. From appearance, it could be a dromaeosaurid thief."
Qin Ziwen asked, "What is a dromaeosaurid?"
Luo Gang explained, "Those Mononykus you captured belong to the dromaeosaurid family. Their most distinctive feature is the sickle-shaped second toe claw, and their bodies have bird-like feathers. Small ones are similar to Mononykus, weighing only a few kilograms, while the larger ones can reach one to two tons."
Qin Ziwen recalled the noise he had heard in the Great Rift Valley—perhaps it had been a similar dinosaur.
Then Luo Gang gave the exact location of the target.
"Du Yu, your target has been found."
A ripple passed through Du Yu’s eyes. He adjusted his stance and said in a deep voice, "Understood."
"Be careful. Life comes first." Qin Ziwen patted his shoulder.
In a recessed, slightly wide underground fissure branching off the eastern canyon,
a desert dromaeosaurid was tasting its meal—a smaller member of its kind.
Suddenly, it seemed to hear something. It lifted its head; its vertical pupils narrowed into two slits.
It slowly straightened its body. Its long tail lashed like a whip, striking the nearby rocks.