Chapter 220 - 196: Encirclement
The newly arrived Tyrannosaurus walked down a short distance and stopped.
It faced the Tyrannosaurus by the lake from afar, a distance of over a hundred meters separating them.
For creatures like them, over ten meters in length, this was a delicate distance.
"ROAR..." The Tyrannosaurus with a scar near its eye let out a low roar.
Qin Ziwu indicated he understood. "Brother, I think it’s trying to drive the other one off. It seems they’re not from the same pack."
Wang Yun pushed up his glasses. "It could also be that they just don’t get along."
"I have a feeling they know each other," Du Yu said with a frown. Ever since his breakthrough to the Extraordinary realm, he’d felt he could often predict danger from wild beasts.
He was especially able to faintly perceive the emotions of beasts, and these dinosaurs in particular.
He could sense a complex emotion between the two Tyrannosauruses; it wasn’t as simple as mere wariness and the desire to drive off an unfamiliar member of their own kind.
The two Tyrannosauruses remained in a standoff for a moment before the newcomer finally retreated.
After resting for a while, the Tyrannosaurus from the lake headed back the way it came. As it passed the platform, it glanced over at the humans, its eyes cold, indifferent, and devoid of any other emotion.
Fortunately, Tyrannosauruses weren’t creatures that reveled in wanton slaughter. They weren’t very aggressive after they’d eaten their fill.
Only after the Tyrannosaurus had gone did the Oasis return to its previous lively state.
Sitting on the platform, Qin Ziwen repeatedly scrubbed through the recording. He’d discovered a serious problem: the number of Winged Dragons in the flock was wrong.
He counted several times and even had others help him, but the result was always the same. The flock of Winged Dragons didn’t have a hundred members—it wasn’t even close. There were only sixty-nine.
’This is a problem.’ A flock of less than a hundred wasn’t enough to meet the Second Gear standard.
Of course, it was possible that some members of the Winged Dragon flock were still out hunting, but relying on that was a pure gamble.
’Since it’s a gamble either way, why not choose the Third Gear option with its higher rewards?’
"Du Yu, do you think the Beaked Eagle can hunt prey that weighs over a hundred times more than itself?"
Du Yu fell into thought, seriously considering the possibility. His gaze swept across the lake before landing on the Giant Beasts at the water’s edge. "My Lord, we need to gather more information. In a pure physical confrontation, the chance of success is zero. Our only option is to use the environment to our advantage.
"Besides, these dinosaurs were our hunting targets anyway, so planning a hunt around them isn’t a conflict."
Qin Ziwen looked toward the Zungar Rhinoceros and the Duck-billed Dragons.
In terms of weight, these two species were the most likely candidates. They should weigh upwards of ten tons.
The most powerful individuals among them could even exceed twenty tons.
Among the herd of Duck-billed Dragons, one individual was particularly robust and stood a head taller than its peers. It was likely the leader.
Seeing the countdown was about to end, Qin Ziwen accepted the Third Gear mission for the Beaked Eagle.
Afterward, guided by their respective squad leaders, the expedition team spread out in ten-person groups to begin scouting the Oasis.
Half a day later, the scouting reports started to trickle in.
Most of these reports consisted of observations made from a safe distance of the various animal herds.
But a few of the reports caught his attention.
"Who scouted this area?"
"I did." A male college student with damp hair, sunken cheeks, and deep-set eyes raised his hand.
"You went into the lake? Weren’t you afraid something big was hiding in there, waiting to eat you?"
The young man replied, "Yeah. I’m from Xinjiang. We have plenty of small lakes like this back home, and they don’t have many fish. I wasn’t scared."
Qin Ziwen pressed him. "You went out to the middle of the lake? You’re saying the bottom is full of silt?"
The college student from Xinjiang gave a sheepish grin and nodded.
"What’s your name?"
"My name is Aili."
Qin Ziwen said, "That’s a good name. Your information is very useful, but please be more careful next time."
Watching Aili walk away, Qin Ziwen rubbed the bridge of his nose. ’These college students are so reckless. If there had been a large aquatic dinosaur in that lake, he would’ve just been a free meal.’
It was a good thing Aili hadn’t run into danger. Otherwise, they would’ve been down a man right at the start of their survey.
Qin Ziwen looked to Cao Biansheng. "Which squad is that Aili in? Do you know him? Who’s his squad leader?"
Cao Biansheng, understanding what Qin Ziwen was getting at, just shrugged. "He *is* the squad leader."
Qin Ziwen fell silent. "Alright, then."
He summoned Du Yu and began discussing the details of a plan with him.
Soon, a plan began to take shape.
They had seven days for the hunt. While they waited for the right moment to enact their main plan, they couldn’t afford to waste time. It was the perfect opportunity to settle a score with some old acquaintances.
Qin Ziwen locked his sights on the Giant Hyenas. After attacking the group last time, the pack had fled into the Eastern Mountain Range. After the sandstorm, they had continued their flight east, eventually arriving at this Oasis.
It was time to end the feud between them.
Qin Ziwen took out a pen and paper, wrote a message, and tied it to the Beaked Eagle’s leg, sending it back to Home.
Afterward, he led a team toward the area where the Giant Hyenas had gathered.
It was a grove of trees near the Oasis where the Giant Hyenas were currently laired.
Ever since the death of the previous Giant Hyena King, the one called Short-tail, who had led the Giant Hyena Group in their escape, had become the new leader.
While not as strong in a fight as the former king, it was much smarter.
It was one of the few in this pack of Giant Hyenas that actually had a brain in its head.
In this Gobi Desert, survival depended on being strong, being smart, or being prolific.
Short-tail sensed the commotion outside. It scrambled to its feet and let out a roar.
The dozing Giant Hyenas around it opened their eyes and climbed to their feet.
Then they saw them: a group of fully-armed humans carrying Long Spears, silently closing in from all sides.
Behind them lay the azure waters of the lake.
"ROAR!!!"
A Giant Hyena pawed at the ground, issuing a warning snarl.
The other Giant Hyenas looked toward their leader—Short-tail, hidden at the very back of the pack.
Short-tail’s black eyes scanned the humans. It remembered being caught in one of their large nets, so it carefully observed them, looking to see if they carried another one.
After watching for a long moment and seeing no sign of a net, Short-tail’s thick, stubby tail twitched. An arrogant expression began to creep across its face.
"SWOOSH—"
Just at that moment, an arrow flew across dozens of meters and precisely sank into Short-tail’s eye socket.
"AOOOWW~"
It let out a pained howl. The arrow had nearly sent it to meet its ancestors.
The intense pain gave it no time to think. It twisted around and fled, plunging headfirst into the lake behind it.
Seeing this, the other Giant Hyenas grew frantic. Their leader had fallen into the water. What were they supposed to do? Attack? Flee?
As the pack descended into chaos, Du Yu was already leading the main force forward.
"Javelins!"
Du Yu gave the order.
At the front of the formation, the men raised their right arms and hurled the Long Spears in their hands.
The Giant Hyenas at the front were skewered, howling in agony.
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