Chapter 211 - 187: Red-winged Dragon
Qin Ziwen heard this and retorted with a laugh, "A dozen or so Strong Bows? Why not just say a hundred? We could form a bow formation, fire off a few volleys, and turn them all into pincushions."
Cao Biansheng chuckled.
After the battle, the work of cleaning up the battlefield was finished.
Luo Gang’s people transported the butchered Giant Lizard corpses back.
Otherwise, in this hot weather, the meat would spoil in just a few hours.
"How many Crossbow Arrows do we have left?" Qin Ziwen walked over and asked.
Du Yu was inspecting his spear shaft. It had been exhilarating to run through the Giant Lizard leader earlier, but afterward, he noticed the shaft had bent slightly.
Hearing his leader’s question, Du Yu stopped what he was doing. "Sir, we have fourteen Crossbow Arrows left."
Qin Ziwen mused, ’Fourteen... that’s about three more volleys for each Car-Mounted Crossbow.’
"Should be enough to deal with the flock of Red-winged Dragons to the south, right?"
Du Yu thought for a moment. "It should be."
"Good enough."
Besides the Gobi Desert Giant Lizards, the only other beast pack they had discovered was the Red-winged Dragons.
There had originally been a Giant Hyena Group, but they had left the eastern side of the canyon the day before yesterday. Judging by their direction, they were likely headed for the Oasis.
All that remained were the Red-winged Dragons living on the clifftop.
After a period of rest, the group started up the mountain path, heading toward the southern mountain ridge.
The mountain path was winding, and in some places, the Car-Mounted Crossbows couldn’t pass and had to be carried.
After a great deal of effort, the group finally reached the clifftop area of the southern mountain.
The summit was flat, as if it had been sheared smooth by some immense power.
"SKRAWK!"
"SKRAWK!"
The Red-winged Dragons gathered on the summit cried out in surprise.
They hadn’t expected any other creatures to be able to reach this peak.
Compared to the Winged Dragons they had encountered before, these Red-winged Dragons were much larger. Their wingspans were nearly six meters, and the sharp beaks on their heads were even more formidable.
Under the sunlight, their wings reflected a faint red glow, like clusters of flames. Perhaps this was the origin of their name, Red-winged Dragon.
Qin Ziwen observed them closely and realized the red light was a result of abundant capillaries combined with their thin wing membranes being illuminated by the sun.
’In that case,’ he thought, ’their wings must be their weak point.’
Qin Ziwen considered this. ’These creatures might be even easier to deal with than I thought. Among the Level 1 Task targets, these Red-winged Dragons are probably the easiest.’
The quantity required made it obvious. Aside from the Red-winged Dragons, the other targets required a minimum of ten kills, while the Red-winged Dragons required twenty to complete the task.
"SKRAWK!"
"SKRAWK!"
The few Red-winged Dragons closest to them spread their wings. Standing upright, they were nearly two and a half meters tall. They planted their slender legs on the ground, opened their beaks, and let out threatening cries.
"Give me a bow," Qin Ziwen said, reaching out to take a Strong Bow.
Du Yu also picked up a Strong Bow.
Qin Ziwen said, "When we make our move, let’s try to attack at the same time and take down enough targets in the first volley. These Winged Dragons can fly. If we spook them, they’ll likely escape, and it will be a huge hassle to find them again."
"Right!"
"Okay, we’ll follow your lead, President." The speaker was a student. He called Qin Ziwen "President," and no one else seemed to have a problem with it.
Compared to other groups, university students were relatively more straightforward, especially in an environment like this where they firmly believed that might makes right.
Just surviving was exhausting enough; they couldn’t be bothered to waste energy on other things.
Du Yu had won them over with his strength.
They knew Du Yu had been recruited by Qin Ziwen. Furthermore, even Cao Biansheng, who had been the best fighter in the old Student Union, was now following Qin Ziwen. Because of this, their trust in Qin Ziwen had grown.
"You all have your weapons, right? I’ll count down from three. When you’re ready, unleash them all at once." Qin Ziwen looked at Cao Biansheng.
Cao Biansheng patted the frame of a wagon. "The Crossbow Wagons are ready."
Qin Ziwen instructed, "You guys aim for the targets in the back."
Cao Biansheng nodded to show he understood, then slightly adjusted the direction of the Crossbow Wagon.
In the distance, the Red-winged Dragons noticed that this group of humans hadn’t retreated despite their intimidation. They were getting a little angry, their cries growing more frequent.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"THWANG!"
"THWANG!"
"WHOOSH."
"..."
An array of sounds cut through the air.
The Red-winged Dragons in the front rank were hit. Some had their wings pierced by Long Spears, others were struck by slingshot projectiles, and still others were hit by long blades.
The Red-winged Dragons in the back had it even worse.
In the most extreme case, a thick Crossbow Arrow skewered two Red-winged Dragons at once, carrying them over the edge and down to the bottom of the cliff.
In the sky, a Red-winged Dragon that had just taken off had its wing pierced by a sharp arrow, leaving a gaping hole.
In a panic, it flapped its wings violently, but under the strong wind pressure, the hole was torn wider. The wound grew, and its body tilted, nearly causing it to plummet.
It let out a piercing shriek and was forced to descend from the sky.
"SKRAWK!"
"SKRAWK!"
Seeing this, the remaining Red-winged Dragons were terrified and immediately took flight.
They scattered in all directions like a disturbed beehive.
Just then, a cry that echoed through the heavens came from high above.
The Beaked Eagle descended from the sky, bringing with it an intense downdraft.
It pressed down on the back of a Winged Dragon from above, forcing it into a dive.
The Winged Dragon struggled desperately, like a helpless bride facing a brute.
The Winged Dragon was forcefully pinned to the clifftop, and people nearby swarmed in to take over.
The Beaked Eagle cried out once more, then soared back into the sky, pouncing on another Winged Dragon.
In a short-range dash, the Red-winged Dragons were no match for the Beaked Eagle.
This time, however, the Beaked Eagle was attacking from below, a positional disadvantage. Its feathers were snagged by the Winged Dragon’s claws, and the two birds of prey began to fight in the sky.
Feathers drifted down from the sky one by one.
Seeing this, nearby Winged Dragons swarmed in to help.
Ultimately, thanks to its weight advantage, the Beaked Eagle managed to drag the Red-winged Dragon it was fighting with down from the sky.
But as it was being pulled down, the Red-winged Dragon was still struggling desperately, resisting with all its might.
Some of its companions were still trying to help, continuously harassing the Beaked Eagle, fiercely pecking and clawing at it.
"Hit!"
Du Yu fired a rapid succession of Arrows, punching four holes in the wing of an approaching Winged Dragon.
It let out a mournful cry and fell from the sky.
Cao Biansheng and the others surrounded it to deliver the finishing blow.
With the Beaked Eagle "fishing" them out of the sky, hunting the Red-winged Dragons went more smoothly than expected.
Although these Red-winged Dragons had already taken flight, they didn’t immediately scatter and flee. Instead, they circled overhead.
This was based on their usual hunting experience; even when facing Tyrannosaurs, as long as they were in the air, they had nothing to fear.
But today, that past experience had become their death warrant.
The Beaked Eagle was like a seasoned Hunter, constantly picking out its prey.
[Completed Hunting Celestial List Level 1 Task: Hunt 20 Adult Red-winged Dragons]
[Reward Obtained: Building Card: Level 1 Dock x1, 1 Point]
"Alright, that’s enough." Qin Ziwen stopped the Beaked Eagle. Its feathers were dripping with blood, its claws and beak were stained red, and its bright eyes were filled with killing intent.
...
...