Chapter 26 - 22: Card Drop
"Brother."
Qin Ziwu strode over with a grin.
Qin Ziwen gave his younger brother a look, and Qin Ziwu dutifully stood behind him, secretly making a hand gesture. "It’s all set up. Same old spot."
Qin Ziwen nodded slightly. "I can always count on you."
Pleased by his brother’s praise, Qin Ziwu grinned, then looked curiously at the crowd gathered ahead. "What are they all doing?"
"The trap is set. They’ve covered it with a layer of thin planks and leaves. Now they need a way to lure the crocodile over, so they’re taking volunteers."
Hearing this, Qin Ziwu seemed eager to join in. "Is the team full?"
Qin Ziwen jutted his chin, gesturing with his eyes. "The list filled up fast. Whoever lures the croc gets an extra share of meat. They ended up picking two people."
Following his brother’s gaze, Qin Ziwu saw two young men warming up.
He then peered into the trap pit. The bottom was densely packed with Long Spears, jutting out in all directions. Some pointed straight up, while others were angled.
"Brother, do you think they can really lure that giant crocodile over?"
Qin Ziwen said, "Man proposes, God disposes. We’ve done all we can."
’Of course, he hoped they’d succeed in killing the alpha male crocodile. Otherwise, what were the last two days of hard labor for?’
That kind of high-intensity work burned a ton of energy and stamina. They had eaten more meat in the past two days than in the days prior just to keep up.
He wasn’t the only one; he was sure many others felt the same way.
Huang Tao was carefully instructing the two men again. "If you don’t draw out the big one, run northeast. Do not come toward the trap. There’s a team over there waiting to handle the smaller crocs. If it is the big one, you run straight for the trap."
The two chosen men nodded, then carried the crocodile entrails toward the riverbank.
The crowd around the trap gradually dispersed, taking cover and hiding their presence.
Meanwhile, three SUVs stopped a short distance away, ready to drive forward and block the pit as soon as the crocodile fell in.
Everyone was ready, quietly waiting for the crocodile to take the bait.
By the river, the two threw the entrails into the water. They then backed away seven or eight meters and stared intently at the surface of the water from a distance.
Beneath the surface, a huge black shadow gradually came into focus.
The two men tensed.
SPLASH!
The surface of the water suddenly erupted. A giant, reeking crocodile leaped out, its stout limbs scrambling up the muddy bank. Its powerful tail whipped across the water, sending up a massive spray.
Snapping out of it, the two men turned and fled.
But the giant crocodile’s burst of speed over a short distance was beyond anything they had imagined.
The man in the yellow shirt was lagging behind. He had run less than twenty meters when he was slammed in the lower back by an immense force. His hands shot out as he fell flat on his face.
"Help me!" he yelled to his companion, but the cry was cut short and turned into a bloodcurdling scream.
The giant crocodile clamped its jaws around his head and upper torso. CRUNCH.
It was a gory scene straight out of a horror movie as guts and fluids sprayed everywhere.
Hearing his partner’s scream, the man in front felt his legs go weak, and he nearly stumbled. He didn’t dare look back, just kept running.
But he soon heard the heavy thud of the giant crocodile’s footsteps behind him.
The thudding grew closer. He could see the trap just ahead, and a relieved smile spread across his face. But then his foot caught on something—he hadn’t seen the rock—and he pitched forward.
’It’s over.’
That was the only thought left in his head.
’Dammit, why the hell is there a rock here?’
By the time he scrambled to his feet, the giant crocodile was already on him, its massive jaws wide open. The nearly four tons of bite force was like a giant hydraulic press.
"Ah!"
The grisly scene stunned the onlookers.
Even though the crocodile was only a few dozen meters from the trap, no one dared to step forward and lure it.
The alpha male had killed two men in quick succession. Its cold, brutal gaze swept across the area, as if declaring to these bipedal beasts that its territory would not be trespassed!
After a moment, the alpha male turned, preparing to return to the river.
A pebble flew past its head, landing two meters behind it.
Its turning motion paused for a moment, then it cocked its head to look where the pebble had landed.
THWACK.
This time, a pebble landed squarely on the tip of the alpha male’s snout.
The air fell deathly silent.
Everyone’s gaze fell upon the "warrior" who had thrown the pebbles.
A gray-haired old man in a black long-sleeved shirt and pants stood before the trap, fists clenched, eyes glaring with rage.
He picked another stone off the ground and hurled it at the alpha male, roaring, "You beast! Come and get me!"
ROAR!!
Even if they didn’t speak the same language, it understood the provocation.
The alpha male let out an enraged roar. It lumbered forward on its stout legs, heavy footfalls shaking the ground as it charged toward the old man.
The old man glanced at the others around him and gave a wry smile. Then, with resolve, he turned and walked onto the trap.
The "cover" over the trap was a flimsy patchwork of wooden planks and plastic. A lighter person could have walked across it with ease.
"Sir, get down from there! The crocodile’s coming!" someone nearby shouted.
But the old man just shook his head, a peaceful smile on his face as he watched the crocodile charge toward him with something akin to anticipation.
CRACK.
The planks under his feet groaned, unable to bear the weight.
CRASH!
Man and crocodile plunged into the pit.
The alpha male’s howl of pain echoed from the trap pit.
Huang Tao urged, "Quick! Drive the cars over and block it in!"
Zheng Yuan was aghast. "But there’s a man in the pit!"
Huang Tao shouted anxiously, "Could anyone survive that fall?! He was clearly seeking death, so don’t let his sacrifice be for nothing."
The crocodile tried to climb out, but its injuries prevented it. It struggled several times, its claws scrabbling at the pit walls and tearing away large chunks of earth.
The engines of the nearby SUVs roared to life, and they began to drive slowly toward the pit. The driver’s side doors were open, and just before the vehicles plunged in, the drivers leaped out. One, in his haste, twisted his ankle as he jumped.
All three vehicles fell into the pit. The angles weren’t perfect, but together, the three SUVs were like three great boulders pinning the crocodile down.
As time went on, the noises from the crocodile in the pit grew fainter and fainter.
A crowd gradually formed around the trap pit.
"Hey, don’t push me."
"There’s no room up front!"
"Stop shoving from the back!"
A cacophony of shouts and complaints erupted.
Some people took a look and then left. Once the crowd had thinned, Qin Ziwen went over. The massive alpha male lay still at the bottom of the pit, three vehicles pinning it down from various angles. Some of the Long Spears had pierced straight through its body, while others appeared to have snapped under the weight.
At the bottom of the pit, the alpha male’s body still twitched occasionally.
"Holy shit, its tail just moved. It can’t still be alive, can it?"
"I’m not exactly an expert, but I heard these things are cold-blooded. Probably like snakes—they can still bite even after they’re dead."
"How does that work?"
"How should I know?! I just told you I’m no expert!"
"Wait, what’s that!? Look!"
Right on the alpha male’s back, motes of light were beginning to gather. They were especially clear in the sunlight, like white particles from some kind of special effect.
The white particles intertwined in the air, eventually forming into a gray Card that floated and slowly rotated.
After a brief silence, the onlookers erupted into a disbelieving uproar.
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