Chapter 31

Not busy with gathering food and firewood for the winter, Qin Fei finally had the leisure to properly tidy up the cave they would be staying in for the season. He wasn’t skilled at making furniture, but he could manage to craft simple, rough furniture from the thick logs. The tree trunks, as thick as a few people’s arms together, could be roughly smoothed into a rectangular shape to make a bed, which only needed to be dried out before it could be used.

Now, on the large bed that could accommodate three grown men, Xi Yuan was lying silently in one corner. After a period of recovery, his complexion had finally improved, no longer as pale as before. His lips, which had once been a disturbing grayish-white, now showed a trace of color, and the wounds on his body were gradually healing.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and Qin Fei had discovered that if he used his special abilities to heal Xi Yuan while feeding him some exotic beast meat, Xi Yuan would recover faster. But there was no more exotic beast meat left on him, and the last bit had been consumed by Xi Yuan the night before. There were a few remaining vials of medicine and nutritional supplements, but Qin Fei didn’t want to use them unless absolutely necessary.

He couldn’t kill the exotic beasts in a straightforward manner, so he had to resort to using tranquilizers and traps. He had set a trap on a small hill in the distance. Now it all depended on fate, as even regular animals had hidden away to hibernate for the winter.

Moreover, Lucky Clover hadn’t responded at all after all this time. No matter how much he called out, there was no reaction. Even when he transferred his abilities to it, no matter how much lucky grass he offered, it all sank without a trace. At least it was still staying on his arm. Though the tattoo had faded a bit, the leaf had not disappeared. Was it healing as well? The frustrating part was that after he smelled a strong floral fragrance during that period, he lost consciousness. His memories only reached back to when Xi Yuan had dragged him through the meteorite field, playing “hide and seek,” and when he woke up, he found himself protected beneath Xi Yuan as they floated in space. He didn’t know what happened after that—how Xi Yuan got all those injuries, how the mecha in the space disappeared, or why Lucky Clover didn’t respond despite all his calls.

—

In the end, he was still too weak. If he could operate a mecha for combat, or if his mental strength was a bit higher, he certainly wouldn’t be hiding under Xi Yuan’s protection. If his abilities were stronger, wouldn’t Xi Yuan have woken up by now? And what about the over a hundred soldiers assigned to protect them—what happened to them? Were they all wiped out? With these thoughts swirling in his mind, his hands didn’t stop working. They were still lacking a lot of things for long-term survival, so he had to make some things himself.

The cave, which had once been a narrow passage, had now become round, with four additional sections: one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom, one for storing firewood, and the last one was a storage room, now piled high with rabbit and deer hides that needed further processing, giving off a strong odor.

In the main room, aside from the bed, cabinet, table, chairs, and a stove, there was nothing else. Even the dishes were temporary, using the plates meant for grilling materials instead. He had to prepare for everything in his free time, as he didn’t know how long the winter here would last.

While struggling with a pile of wood, a sudden shaking of the ground made Qin Fei’s face change. Was this an earthquake? But he didn’t see any sign of animals panicking. He quickly picked up Xi Yuan and rushed toward the cave entrance. If it was an earthquake, staying inside would bury them alive. When he reached the entrance and looked out, he was stunned.

From here, he saw two gigantic creatures, the size of small mountains, engaged in a fierce battle, like the legendary dinosaurs.

The place where they were fighting seemed to be several kilometers away, but the oppressive aura from those top-tier exotic beasts could still be felt here. The sounds of rustling had long since died down, leaving only a dead silence.

Qin Fei’s face turned pale. Even from this distance, he could barely breathe.

Although he was a level 9 warrior zerg, that didn’t mean his abilities and mental strength were also at level nine. His potential was level nine, which meant a high starting point, but he was currently at level five for both his mental strength and abilities. He still had a long way to go before reaching level nine.

Fortunately, the direction in which they were fighting wasn’t toward him. If they had been heading in this direction, he couldn’t guarantee that this small hill, only a few hundred meters high, wouldn’t be flattened by a single stomp from them.

Looking at the exotic beasts, which resemble dinosaurs from Earth, and remembering the towering trees around him, he couldn’t help but think—could this be Earth during the Jurassic period? Although there was no evidence for this idea, deep down he knew it was just wishful thinking, a subconscious desire to find some sort of familiar anchor.

Qin Fei hesitated at the cave entrance for a long time before finally gritting his teeth. Seeing how fiercely the two exotic beasts were fighting, it was clear they wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead. He urgently needed exotic beast meat to supplement Xi Yuan’s energy. If he could find some usable spoils from this battle, that would be ideal—even if it meant some danger, he was willing to take the risk.

He formed a thin layer of mental energy around himself, concealing his pheromones as tightly as possible, and cautiously made his way toward the source of the shaking ground.

He didn’t dare get too close, maintaining a safe distance where he could still see them but wouldn’t be in immediate danger if something went wrong. Watching as their sharp teeth and claws tore into each other’s flesh, leaving deep gashes and shedding blood, Qin Fei’s thoughts grew restless: Fight! Fight harder! It’d be best if they both ended up fatally wounded! He wondered when he would reach the level where he could consider even level-nine exotic beasts insignificant.

He was fortunate. Things were unfolding as he hoped. He didn’t know how the two beasts had come to have such a deep hatred for each other, but generally speaking, the higher the level of an exotic beast, the higher its intelligence, and the more it valued its own life. Beasts of equal strength usually didn’t provoke each other.

One of the beasts, a dinosaur-like creature with a massive hammer-shaped tail, emerged victorious in the end. With its powerful hammer-like tail, it seized an opportunity and delivered a crushing blow to the opponent’s long neck, smashing its windpipe. Of course, it didn’t come away unscathed, the other beast’s claws had deeply embedded into its abdomen, leaving a gaping wound that exposed its white bones.

But in the end, it won. The victor used its sharp teeth to tear into the best parts of the fallen beast’s flesh, devouring it. Gradually, the bleeding from its abdominal wound stopped at a visibly rapid pace. Above, a shadow loomed, swirling around its head in a dark, oppressive circle, refusing to leave.

They were birds attracted by the blood. They had discovered a feast here, and if the victor hadn’t been savoring its spoils, they would have rushed down long ago.

The dinosaur-like creature quickly devoured about half of the mountain-sized carcass. It couldn’t finish it all at once, so after satisfying its hunger, it flicked its tail and walked away with heavy steps. Along the way, its tail dragged across the ground, leaving a deep trench, and the trees in its path fell with a harsh sound, clearing a “flat” road for itself.

As soon as the creature started to leave, the giant birds in the sky began to circle faster. Qin Fei hastened his pace toward them, getting closer—closer—just a few hundred meters away! He didn’t need to touch the corpse left behind, as long as his mental energy could cover the small mountain-sized body, he could store it in his space ring! The birds overhead exuded a pressure far beyond his own abilities. He couldn’t confront them head-on, especially since there were four of them.

Once within range, he immediately crouched down and hid under thick grass, concealing himself. He could see the dinosaur-like creature’s enormous form from a distance. The giant birds overhead were getting dangerously close, flying much lower now, as if they were about to swoop down any second to feast.

He extended his mental energy, covering the dinosaur’s corpse, and moved it into his space. The moment he did, he felt his mental energy being drained, a dull pain throbbing in his head. Trying to take in such a large object at once had almost completely exhausted his mental energy. He dared not make a sound, as the four giant birds had already swooped down! But when he looked up, he found the rich meat had vanished right before his eyes! The birds let out sharp, high-pitched screeches, and hearing the sound made Qin Fei’s head throb even more. It felt like a pair of pincers were twisting inside his brain, stirring it violently, and he felt dizzy and white before his eyes, nearly vomiting. Was this an ultrasonic attack? Indeed, it was formidable. There was no choice—he could only use the last bit of his remaining mental energy to protect his ears, pressing himself flat against the ground.

The four giant birds screeched angrily, trying to figure out which thief had stolen their food right under their beaks. They hoped their calls would draw the culprit out, but after circling for the entire night, the ground remained eerily silent.

When morning came, they finally left, still unsatisfied. Qin Fei stayed where he was, not moving an inch. He had “enjoyed” their screeching all night long, and though he hadn’t lost consciousness, he was already proud of himself for not fainting. Sweat had drenched his clothes, and his face had turned pale. When he didn’t hear any sounds above, he dared not make a move. Partly out of caution, and partly because his body had no strength left, he needed to rest for a while. In his current state, he feared that he might faint halfway through and be dragged away by the wild beasts, becoming their next meal.

It turned out that staying still was the right choice. After a while, the four giant birds returned, still unable to find the “thief.” In their frustration, they dropped stones and trees they had picked up in the air, throwing them down from high above. After venting their anger, they left again. No one knew if they had truly gone, or if they were simply watching from a higher vantage point.

He remained crouched in a small depression, narrowly avoiding being hit by the falling debris. He still didn’t dare to raise his head. Fortunately, he had blocked the cave entrance with a large stone and set traps outside, so he wasn’t too worried about Xi Yuan, who was still inside the cave.