Chapter 187: Red Winged Dragon |
Qin Ziwen laughed and scolded, "A dozen strong bows? Why not just say a hundred strong bows, form a bow formation, and shoot a few volleys to turn them all into hedgehogs."
Cao Biansheng chuckled.
After the battle, the cleanup and battlefield clearing work was finished.
The people from Luo Gang's side transported the dissected monitor carcasses back. Otherwise, in the high-temperature weather, the meat would spoil in a matter of hours.
"How many crossbow bolts are left?" Qin Ziwen walked over and asked.
Du Yu was inspecting his spear shaft. It felt great to spear the monitor leader earlier, but after the thrust, he noticed the shaft was slightly bent.
Hearing the master's inquiry, Du Yu stopped his actions. "Master, there are currently fourteen crossbow bolts remaining."
Qin Ziwen pondered, "Fourteen... that's about three shots each for the vehicle-mounted crossbows."
"That should be enough to deal with the Red-Winged Pterosaur flock to the south later, right?"
"Good then."
Besides the Gobi Sand Monitors, the other beast group they discovered was the Red-Winged Pterosaurs.
There was originally a group of giant-toothed beasts as well, but that herd left from the east side of the canyon the day before yesterday. Judging by their direction, they were probably heading for the oasis.
That left only the Red-Winged Pterosaurs living in the cliff-top area.
After resting and reorganizing, everyone began following the mountain path towards the southern mountain ridge.
The mountain path was winding, and in some places, the vehicle-mounted crossbows had difficulty passing and needed to be carried up.
After considerable effort, they finally arrived at the southern mountain cliff-top area.
The mountaintop was flat, as if smoothed by some great force.
"Squawk!"
The Red-Winged Pterosaurs gathered on the mountaintop let out surprised cries.
They hadn't expected other animals to reach this mountaintop.
Compared to the pterosaurs encountered before, these Red-Winged Pterosaurs were more massive, with wingspans approaching six meters, and their pointed beaks were sharper.
Under the sunlight, their wings reflected a faint reddish glow, like a flame—perhaps the origin of their name, Red-Winged Pterosaurs.
Qin Ziwen observed closely and discovered it was due to abundant capillaries combined with thin wings that reflected red light under the sun.
If that was the case, then their wings were their weakness.
Qin Ziwen thought to himself, these creatures might be easier to deal with than imagined. Among the level one mission targets, these Red-Winged Pterosaurs were probably the simplest.
This was evident from the quantity requirements. Besides the Red-Winged Pterosaurs, other targets required hunting at least ten, while the Red-Winged Pterosaurs required hunting twenty to complete the mission objective.
"Squawk!"
The nearest few Red-Winged Pterosaurs spread their wings. Standing upright, they were nearly two and a half meters tall, their slender legs supporting them on the ground, beaks open, emitting threatening sounds.
"Give me the bow." Qin Ziwen reached out and took the strong bow.
Du Yu also picked up a strong bow.
Qin Ziwen said, "When we act later, let's try to attack simultaneously, aiming to take down enough targets in one go. These pterosaurs can fly. If we scare them, they'll likely flee, and finding them again would be troublesome."
"Alright!"
"Okay, we'll listen to you, Guild Leader." The speaker was a student who addressed Qin Ziwen as Guild Leader, and those around him had no objections.
Compared to other groups, university students were relatively simpler, especially in this environment where they believed more in strength being king.
Survival was exhausting enough; they had no energy to spare for other matters.
Du Yu had conquered them with his strength.
They knew Du Yu was recruited by Qin Ziwen, and even Cao Biansheng, previously the most formidable fighter in the student council, was now following Qin Ziwen. Therefore, they held more respect for Qin Ziwen.
"You all have weapons, right? Later, when I count down three, two, one, get ready and throw them together." Qin Ziwen looked at Cao Biansheng.
Cao Biansheng patted the vehicle body. "The crossbow carriages are ready."
Qin Ziwen instructed, "You aim for the targets in the back later."
Cao Biansheng nodded to show he understood, then slightly adjusted the direction of the crossbow carriage.
In the distance, the Red-Winged Pterosaurs, seeing this group of humans not retreating despite their threats, grew somewhat angry, their cries becoming more frequent.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Thud!"
"Bang!"
"Whoosh!"
...
Various sounds shot forth.
The front-row Red-Winged Pterosaurs were struck. Some had their wings pierced by spears, some were hit by slingshots, others were smashed by long knives.
The back-row Red-Winged Pterosaurs fared even worse.
The most dramatic was two Red-Winged Pterosaurs skewered together by a single, thick crossbow bolt, which carried them flying right off the cliff to the ravine bottom below.
In the sky, a Red-Winged Pterosaur that had just taken flight had its wing pierced by a sharp arrow, leaving a gaping hole.
Panicking, it flapped its wings violently, but under the strong wind pressure, the hole tore open, the wound enlarged, and its body tilted, nearly crashing down.
It let out a piercing shriek, forced to descend from the sky.
"Squawk!"
The remaining Red-Winged Pterosaurs, witnessing this scene, were frightened and immediately took flight.
They scattered in all directions like a swarm.
At that moment, a cry that pierced the clouds came from overhead.
The Crowned Eagle descended from the sky, carrying a powerful wind pressure.
It pressed down on a pterosaur's back from above, stepping on it as they plummeted downward.
The pterosaur struggled desperately, like a wife facing a thug.
The pterosaur was forcibly pressed onto the cliff top, then people nearby moved in to take over.
The Crowned Eagle cried out once more, then soared into the sky again, pouncing toward other pterosaurs.
In short-distance sprints, the Red-Winged Pterosaurs were no match for the Crowned Eagle.
But this time, the Crowned Eagle was attacking from below, not having the geographical advantage. It got its feathers hooked by a pterosaur's claws, and the two raptors fought fiercely in the sky.
Feathers drifted down from the sky.
Nearby pterosaurs saw this and came to assist.
Ultimately, with the advantage of weight, the Red-Winged Pterosaur fighting the Crowned Eagle was still dragged down.
But even as it was being dragged down, the Red-Winged Pterosaur struggled fiercely, showing strong resistance.
Some of its companions nearby were still helping it, constantly harassing the Crowned Eagle, pecking at it violently with claws and beaks.
"Hit!"
Arrows shot from Du Yu's hands like a rapid chain, piercing four holes in the wing of an approaching pterosaur.
It let out a mournful cry and fell from the sky.
Cao Biansheng and the others moved in to finish off the wounded targets.
With the Crowned Eagle "fishing" from the sky, the process of hunting the Red-Winged Pterosaurs went somewhat smoother than expected.
Although these Red-Winged Pterosaurs had taken flight, they didn't immediately scatter and flee. Instead, they circled overhead.
This was their usual hunting experience. Even when facing a Tarbosaurus, as long as they were in the air, they had nothing to fear.
But now, their past experience became their death warrant today.
The Crowned Eagle, like an experienced hunter, continuously selected its prey.
[Hunting Ladder Level 1 Mission Complete - Hunt Adult Red-Winged Pterosaur*20]
[Reward Obtained: Building Card - Level 1 Dock*1, 1 point]
"Alright, no need to go further." Qin Ziwen stopped the Crowned Eagle. Its feathers were bloodied, its claws and beak stained with blood, its eyes bright, filled with killing intent.
Comments 1