Chapter 169 - 154: Duck-billed Dragon
A herd of brown dragons walked in silence through the Gobi Desert.
Like small mountains.
Their bodies were massive, with broad chests, flat beaks, and exceptionally thick tails. As they walked, their tails—nearly half the length of their bodies—swayed gently.
"So these are Duck-billed Dragons... I think I get why they’re a Level 2 hunting target now." Yuan Ming’s eyes filled with awe.
This herd of Duck-billed Dragons was enormous. It must be a whole clan. The adults among them were easily over ten meters long.
"Aren’t Duck-billed Dragons supposed to be medium-to-large sized? These are way too big," Qin Ziwu said, stunned.
’A Level 2 Hunting Task wants us to kill five dinosaurs of this caliber?’
’If they charged over, one stomp would leave you black and blue.’
Wang Yun’s expression grew serious. "The term ’Duck-billed Dragon’ actually refers to a whole family of dinosaurs, much like ’lizard.’ Some are small enough to fit in your palm, while others could be as large as a Komodo dragon. The size variation is immense."
His eyes glinted as he noticed two raised sections on either side of the Duck-billed Dragons’ backs. The protrusions looked a bit like a camel’s humps and might be used for storing water.
The herd of Duck-billed Dragons ambled slowly to the east. One of the adults turned its head and cast a casual glance in their direction before turning back. They continued forward at a steady, resolute pace.
Qin Ziwen teased, "Li Yue, here’s that tough opponent you were looking for."
Li Yue forced a smile. "Brother Qin, you’ll collect my body for me, right?"
Qin Ziwen nodded. "Of course. I’ll even use a shovel to scrape you off the ground."
Watching the herd of Duck-billed Dragons pass by, Qin Ziwen’s eyes burned with desire. These were the targets for a Hunting Celestial List Level 2 Task.
But they weren’t opponents they could handle at this stage.
At the same time, something else occurred to Qin Ziwen. ’The task required them to hunt five Adult Duck-billed Dragons, but only three giant desert worms.’
’You didn’t need a brain to figure out that the giant desert worms must be far more terrifying than the Adult Duck-billed Dragons.’
’And what about the Tyrannosaurs, where a single kill completed the task?’
’We need to build that Car-Mounted Crossbow as soon as possible. Otherwise, we’ll have no effective way to attack giant creatures like these.’
"Sir, these giant beasts might be migrating. To the east, there must be a source of food and water large enough to support them."
’A food and water source large enough to support them... An Oasis?’ The thought occurred to Qin Ziwen.
Zhao Pu said, "It’s possible. They’ve surely lived here for many years and know the surrounding environment far better than we do."
A barren place like the Gobi Desert could barely support the Giant Hyenas; that was already its limit. To sustain a herd of Duck-billed Dragons this large, even feeding them every Haloxylon tree within a ten-kilometer radius wouldn’t be enough.
The only possibility was that somewhere in this Gobi Desert, there was an Oasis large enough for them to survive and inhabit.
Qin Ziwen’s heart stirred. Knowing the location of the nearest Oasis would be an invaluable piece of intelligence.
Calling over the Beaked Eagle, which was busy bullying a Single Claw Dragon, Qin Ziwen stroked its head and pointed at the herd of Duck-billed Dragons. "In a little while, fly up and remember the direction they go."
Seeing the Beaked Eagle was eager to take off, Qin Ziwen held it back. "Wait until they’re a bit farther away, then you can go. It’s too hot here; you won’t be able to fly for long."
It was hard to tell if the Beaked Eagle understood, but it stopped trying to fly after Qin Ziwen spoke.
From the rear, Wei Zhaohua suddenly shouted excitedly, "Captain Qin, there are a few bushes over here! They look a bit like White Thorn Fruit."
Wei Zhaohua had specifically asked to come with the team this time, mainly to see what common, edible plants could be found in the area.
"Let me see." Qin Ziwu walked over and found a few scattered, deep-red berries on the bushes.
"Yes, the Single Claw Dragons must have been eating them. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few White Thorn Fruits. Look here," Wei Zhaohua crouched down and pointed to a branch, "there are bite marks."
"If they can eat them, it at least means the local White Thorn Fruit isn’t deadly poisonous." Wei Zhaohua tried to dig one up but quickly gave up.
The roots of this white thorn plant were long, with an incredibly tough and sprawling system of lateral roots.
If they forcibly cut the roots to transplant it, the plant would have a hard time surviving. Its survival in this arid environment depended entirely on that extensive root system.
Qin Ziwen scanned the surroundings. From a tactical standpoint, the altar’s location was quite concealed. To even begin to find it, one would first have to cross the Great Rift Valley.
’It’s unlikely to be discovered anytime soon.’
Qin Ziwen studied the remaining Single Claw Dragons. The nearest one, a juvenile, was digging in the dirt. It scraped away the soil and stuck its head into the hole, looking like it was eating something.
"What’s this little guy eating?" Qin Ziwen walked over and snatched up the Single Claw Dragon hatchling.
Seeing this, the mother dragon nearby started chirping incessantly.
The Female Single Claw Dragon didn’t stop squawking until Qin Ziwen tossed the hatchling back to her.
After a moment of observation, Qin Ziwen realized the spot where the young Single Claw Dragon had stuck its head was just a dirt pit. There were no plants inside, only some soybean-sized ants. ’So this thing eats ants, too.’
"Say, after we leave, will these Single Claw Dragons take off, or will they stick around?"
Wang Yun mulled it over. "Resources are scarce in the Gobi Desert. It’s likely they’ll stay here."
Qin Ziwen thought for a moment and decided against wiping them out. Otherwise, they’d just have to salt the meat when they got back.
’Besides, it’s too hot to be eating salty cured meat all the time.’
The group picked up the Single Claw Dragons they had already butchered. They took ropes from their bags, tied them around the creatures’ tails, and strung them together in several large bunches. Then, they hoisted the bunches onto poles and started the walk back.
They once again passed the pool of water at the bottom of the rift valley. They saw that the small pool wasn’t large; it was nestled against the cliff wall, and the water was very shallow.
In a corner of the cliff wall, faint ripples spread across the surface. Having dealt with a Level 1 Spring Eye before, Qin Ziwen knew exactly what this meant. There was no wind, yet the water was moving. That indicated a spring at the bottom. Perhaps there was even an underground river running beneath the rift valley.
He reached out and touched the water. It was ice-cold, making him even more certain of his guess.
"This is a stable water source. The volume is small—not enough for the entire Gated Community—but it’s a reliable supply of groundwater," Qin Ziwen said, getting to his feet.
On the way back to the Gated Community, he sent the Beaked Eagle into the sky to track the herd of Duck-billed Dragons.
As they reached the south gate of the Gated Community, the Beaked Eagle descended from the sky and landed behind them.
It opened its beak, panting rapidly with its throat muscles contracting. Qin Ziwen touched it; its feathers were scorching hot.
Qin Ziwen took out his Stainless Steel Water Bottle and gave it some water.
The Beaked Eagle seemed to feel a little better.
As they stopped outside the south gate, they drew the attention of many residents. It wasn’t just because of the massive Beaked Eagle, but also the Single Claw Dragons strung on a Long Spear, looking like a bunch of chickens being carried upside down.
"Good heavens, what are those? Dinosaurs?" an old man exclaimed in astonishment, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and wearing a cardigan.
"Well, I’ll be. I didn’t know dinosaurs came this small! They’re not much bigger than the geese I used to raise back in the village."
A group of students, who had just returned and hadn’t yet entered the Gated Community, kept turning their heads to stare curiously at the Single Claw Dragons. Suddenly, the scorpions they’d caught in the Gobi Desert didn’t seem so impressive anymore.
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