Chapter 237 - 212: The Breakthrough
Seeing Wei Zhaohua’s calm and carefree expression, Qin Ziwen said nothing.
"Alright," Qin Ziwen said, but then hesitated. "Teacher Wei, keep a close eye on yourself for the next few days. See if there are any side effects."
Wei Zhaohua thumped his chest and promised, "Don’t worry, Chairman! If this fruit doesn’t have side effects, then it *definitely* doesn’t have side effects!"
Qin Ziwen gave him a long look. "Just make sure you know what you’re doing."
He turned to look back at the mysterious little tree in the farmland.
His thoughts then turned to the ancient cave Giant Toad from the first map—a creature so terrifyingly large it dwarfed all others of its kind.
’My original theory was that the fruit extended lifespan. After consuming it over a long period, the Giant Toad lived longer than its peers and just kept growing. But now that I think about it, that theory has quite a few holes.’
’The ability to grow indefinitely just by living long enough isn’t something an ordinary animal should possess. Even if the ancient cave Giant Toad had the trait of continuous growth over time, there must have been a limit.’
An ordinary animal’s growth is constrained by a trifecta of limits: physical laws, physiological structure, and ecological pressures. They always stop at a maximum size. That’s a fundamental law of nature.
So, a fruit that directly increases size is actually more logical than one that extends lifespan.
"So this was the key," Qin Ziwen murmured, shaking his head. ’Who would have thought my chance to become Extraordinary would be linked to a plant I dug out of a cave a month ago.’
’I hope the growth effect from the fruit is significant. If this batch isn’t enough to get Black to eighty tons, I’ll have to wait another month for the next harvest.’
"Chairman, Zou Jianghe is here to see you," Jia Liangcai announced, walking over quickly.
Qin Ziwen cradled Black in his arms. "Show him in."
"Hahaha! When my men told me the Beaked Eagle had returned, I guessed you were back early, Chairman Qin! And I haven’t even had the chance to congratulate you on completing another Level 2 Task." Zou Jianghe’s voice preceded him as he approached, dressed formally in a suit.
"Please, have a seat, Chairman Zou." Qin Ziwen gestured with his right hand, his left cradling Black.
Zou Jianghe’s calm expression faltered the moment he saw Black.
He stared at Black. "Is that a baby Tyrannosaurus?!"
"Yes."
"I can help you train it. Should I take it off your hands?" Zou Jianghe probed.
"That won’t be necessary. We have a special bond. It probably thinks I’m its father, so it listens to me without any training." Qin Ziwen gently bounced Black in his arms. The hatchling, its head resting on his shoulder, let out a soft snuffle and wriggled its tail. It shifted into a comfortable position, tucked its two small claws against its chest, and fell fast asleep.
With a look of regret, Zou Jianghe averted his gaze. "Fair enough."
He picked up a glass of water from the table and cleared his throat, as if only then recalling the purpose of his visit. "Those Single Claw Dragons you tasked me with training are pretty much done, Chairman Qin. As per our agreement, half of them are yours. I brought them with me today. Care to go downstairs and have a look?"
"That was fast." Qin Ziwen rose and went to the balcony. Looking down, he saw a young man in a hat holding several leashes. At the other end stood three Single Claw Dragons, perfectly still.
A crowd had gathered around the young man. A few bold children, seeing that the Single Claw Dragons weren’t moving, worked up the courage to approach and try to pet them.
The Single Claw Dragon whipped its head around and snapped open a maw full of sharp teeth. The child shrieked and scrambled back into the arms of an adult.
"Have him bring the dinosaurs up," Qin Ziwen said.
"Alright, I’ll call him up." Zou Jianghe chuckled. A moment later, the young man, now wearing a mask along with his hat, appeared at the door with the three Single Claw Dragons in tow.
The Single Claw Dragons seemed to remember Qin Ziwen, taking a few fearful steps back upon seeing him.
Qin Ziwen noted their small size; they didn’t look like adult Single Claw Dragons. "Are these juveniles?"
"Yes, they’re all juveniles. The adults are difficult to train; we haven’t successfully trained a single one yet. Our experiments show that it’s easiest to train them when they’re young." Zou Jianghe glanced at Black in Qin Ziwen’s arms.
Zou Jianghe took the leashes from the man in the baseball cap and passed them to Qin Ziwen. "Here are your Single Claw Dragons. If you need any other young ones trained in the future, just let me know. The arrangement is the same as we discussed—after training, you get half."
Qin Ziwen took the leashes and suddenly asked, "By the way, Chairman Zou, what commands do they understand? They’re not going to suddenly turn on me and take a bite, are they?"
"Of course not!" Zou Jianghe said. "They understand simple commands like ’forward,’ ’back,’ ’sit,’ and ’sleep.’ Besides, they’re rather timid. As long as you’re firm with them, they’re guaranteed to obey."
Qin Ziwen held the leashes. The length of the ropes forced the three Single Claw Dragons to stay within a certain distance of him.
Yet their bodies trembled nonstop. They seemed desperate to get away from him, but the leashes held them fast.
The result was a peculiar sight.
The leashes were pulled taut. Each of the three Single Claw Dragons stood on one leg, the other dangling in the air as they leaned away from him, straining to keep their distance.
Qin Ziwen glanced down at Black.
He knew it wasn’t him the Single Claw Dragons were afraid of—it was Black.
Even a newborn Tyrannosaurus is still a Tyrannosaurus.
One was an apex predator in this Gobi Desert; the others were in the lower-middle rungs of its food chain.
Several ecological tiers separated the two.
"Chairman Zou," Qin Ziwen said, "you look like you have something on your mind. Just say it. I have to head back after this."
Zou Jianghe laughed. "You see right through me. So, what do you think of the three Single Claw Dragons we’ve trained, Chairman Qin? Pretty spirited, aren’t they?"
But as the words left his mouth, he looked over at the Single Claw Dragons, and his expression turned awkward.
Because one of the Single Claw Dragons had started dropping "chocolate pellets" everywhere, and the faint smell of urine filled the air.
It had peed and pooped itself.
Qin Ziwen leaned back, and Jia Liangcai quickly called someone over to clean up the mess.
Zou Jianghe said awkwardly, "Ah... Chairman Qin, your Tyrannosaurus is just too imposing. These Single Claw Dragons are timid, they’re scared out of their wits. But our tests over the last few days have shown that they are quite effective in a support role during hunts.
First, their sense of smell is extremely keen, just like a Hunter’s hound, allowing them to detect prey or danger ahead of time. They’re also adept at running in mountainous terrain and can move quickly even through dense forests. Their small size is actually a plus—they don’t eat much, making them easy to keep. Having one or two Single Claw Dragons on a team would be a great help in a support role.
And this is just with Single Claw Dragons. If we could train larger animals, they could be more than just scouts. They could become our partners in the hunt, or even our main force.
Our training capabilities are unmatched in the Gated Community! I was wondering if you, Chairman Qin, would be interested in a partnership? Together, we could build an entire industry around this training business."
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