Chapter 203: Hunting the Tyrannosaurus Rex |
"What's your name?"
"Jiang Shan."
Cao Biansheng looked up at the man before him and said with a smile, "I remember you."
Jiang Shan was taken aback, then lowered his head, his expression complicated.
The two of them had actually had a conflict before.
Cao Biansheng said, "You're strong, a potential asset. Train hard after joining. We might be comrades-in-arms in the future."
Jiang Shan was silent for a long moment. "Yeah."
It wasn't until evening that this wave of recruitment finally subsided.
Cao Biansheng, Qin Ziwu, Wang Yun, and Yuan Dajun each brought over their completed registration books.
Qin Ziwu said, "I have forty-five here."
Wang Yun handed over his book. "Thirty-eight."
Yuan Dajun passed his over. "Thirty-four."
Cao Biansheng grinned. "Then I have the most, fifty-nine."
Qin Ziwen did a quick calculation. "One hundred and seventy-six people. That's quite a lot."
Wang Yun shook his head. "That's not all. Their family members aren't counted yet. Adding another one or two hundred people is no problem. Plus, the fifty we originally brought out, now within this team of three hundred, two hundred and twenty-six are from our Qin Alliance."
Qin Ziwen estimated in his heart. The Qin Alliance's total membership should now exceed five hundred people.
That was roughly a quarter of the residential complex's population. Moreover, more than half of the alliance's members were young and able-bodied adults. This proportion was quite staggering.
...
In the evening, Qin Ziwen selected ten people from the team to join this hunting mission.
Five of them were elites who had been with the team since the first wave departed from the complex. The other five were top talents selected from the young, strong newcomers who joined during this expansion.
Using Insight, Qin Ziwen noted that all ten had three-star level physical fitness.
In this environment, a strong physique indeed made it easier to stand out.
At that moment, Yuan Dajun brought a man over. "Guild Leader, this is my neighbor, Zhang Liang. He's also my former colleague. He previously served as the captain of a hunting team in the Alliance."
Qin Ziwen stood up and shook hands. He had an impression of this man; he was one of the ten selected for the hunting team.
"Hello."
"Guild Leader, we're going to hunt the Tarbosaurus, right? I have an idea. I don't know if you'll think it's feasible."
"Go ahead."
Zhang Liang said, "Actually, back in the previous map, I used this method to kill several pythons. I put a fist-sized triangular iron spike inside a piece of meat, tied a rope to the spike, and fastened the rope to a nearby tree. After the snake swallowed the meat, every time it moved, the spike would rotate inside its stomach, eventually shredding its intestines and stomach completely."
Qin Ziwen nodded while asking, "Have you used this method to kill crocodiles?"
Zhang Liang hesitated for a moment.
Then he answered truthfully, "Yes, but the crocodile immediately escaped back into the river. I never saw its corpse afterward, so I don't know if it succeeded."
Qin Ziwen still thought Zhang Liang's idea had merit. "Hmm, actually, I've considered this method before too. But for carnivores that swallow food without chewing, their esophagus and stomach walls are often stronger than those of ordinary animals. If the iron spike is too small, it might not be effective. If it's too big, they're not fools either. If you taste a fish bone in your mouth, do you spit it out or swallow it?"
Zhang Liang thought for a moment. "What if we spread some caltrops or horse-trip nails on the ground? Put some barbs on them. The Tarbosaurus stepping on them should affect its mobility."
Qin Ziwen said, "That is feasible, but it's probably too late now. A small number would be useless on the plains. Increasing the quantity now, there's no time to forge them."
At this point in the conversation, Qin Ziwen became interested. "Mr. Zhang Liang, what was your previous job?"
Zhang Liang said, "Old Yuan and I were comrades-in-arms before. After leaving the army, we both worked at a special effects company. I was in charge of props, Old Yuan was a martial arts director."
A prop master, Qin Ziwen nodded. "No wonder. If you're interested in this area, after the battle, would you like to go to the Armory Department, responsible for creative aspects of military weapons?"
Zhang Liang's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed. This was essentially returning to his old profession.
The next morning, early, seven more Vehicle-mounted Crossbows were transported through the previous node. Added to the previous four, there were now eleven in total.
Li Yue came along with the crossbows. Having stayed up all night, his eyes were bloodshot.
Fortunately, he had drunk a lot of Healing Spring water before setting out, otherwise he felt he could collapse on the spot.
"Why did you come along?" Qin Ziwen glanced at him.
Li Yue sighed upon hearing this. "You get new people and forget the old ones. Does the boss not want me to come?"
"Speak properly."
Li Yue said truthfully, "Master Li is still at the Armory Department making more crossbow carriages. This batch is an improved new model. The range has changed, including the ballistics, which are different from the old models. I need to come and provide guidance."
As he spoke, he looked around.
"Wow, so this is the Oasis? So much grass, so much water. Green, blue, it's so pleasing to the eye."
"Enough nonsense, follow us."
After saying this, Qin Ziwen had the Crowned Eagle lead the way in the sky, then led everyone pushing the Vehicle-mounted Crossbows away.
They took a big detour, avoiding the direct route between the Tarbosaurus and the Oasis, and parked the crossbows on a Sand Dune not far away, approaching from the side.
From this sand dune, they could see the Tarbosaurus's lair diagonally opposite.
The distance was just a bit far, close to two hundred meters.
Li Yue straightened up, put his hand above his eyebrows, squinted, and looked into the distance. "This spot will work. It's just within the optimal range of the Vehicle-mounted Crossbows. Boss, to make aiming easier, I specially added a scope to each new crossbow carriage. While I can't guarantee one hundred percent accuracy, it should be roughly fine."
Li Yue craned his neck to look west. "Has the Tarbosaurus left yet?"
"Left long ago. This Tarbosaurus is very diligent. It goes out every morning to the Oasis for its all-you-can-eat buffet, then returns to its lair. At most half an hour. This dragon is very disciplined."
Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes, looking at the empty lair opposite.
A thought stirred in his heart: should he sneak into the Tarbosaurus lair while it's away?
But in the end, he suppressed his curiosity. He could still go look after killing the Tarbosaurus.
They had timed it, setting out early so that when they arrived here, the Tarbosaurus had already been gone for a while. It shouldn't be too long before it returned.
"Alright, while we have time, everyone start applying the mud." As soon as Qin Ziwen finished speaking, Cao Biansheng lifted the tarpaulin covering the top layer of the pushcart, revealing a crate full of lake-bottom mud.
Then everyone methodically smeared it on their exposed arms, cheeks, necks, and other areas.
The sun was blazing. At the far end of the horizon, a tall, imposing figure was striding back towards its lair with brisk steps.
...