madnovel Chapter 111: Half the squad has perished; the Fairy Dragon has been captured.
Chapter 111: Half the squad has perished; the Fairy Dragon has been captured.
As you walk further on, the ground begins to become unstable.
Every now and then, black cracks would suddenly open, spewing out hot air with a sulfurous smell.
One of the alternative vehicles couldn't avoid it in time, and half of its wheel got stuck, instantly corroding into molten iron.
The two hunters in the vehicle disappeared into the crevice before they could even scream.
Everyone was rushing along the way, trying to avoid direct conflict.
Even so, five people have died in just three days.
Some were dragged away by suddenly appearing monsters, while others stepped into hidden traps, leaving no trace of their bodies.
On the evening of the fourth day, the convoy finally arrived at the edge of the Lingwu Mountains.
The group quickly set up tents and created a simple campsite.
Old Bai worked exceptionally hard, setting up tents, digging drainage ditches, starting fires, and setting up warning traps.
He handled everything himself, and didn't say a word more than necessary throughout the entire process.
This made Fang Xinyu very satisfied.
A middle-aged hunter caught a fat rabbit nearby and roasted it over a fire in the camp.
Fang Xinyu walked over and warned him:
"Don't eat any random stuff, just stick to compressed dry rations."
But the hunter boasted:
"Don't worry, Captain. I've been in the danger zone for five years. I can tell what's edible and what's not at a glance."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Fang Xinyu stopped arguing.
Zhang Lingyun accompanied Ding Shuangshuang on a walk along the edge of the Lingwu Mountains.
The scene before me was breathtakingly magnificent, yet it also carried a chilling, unsettling quality.
The rolling mountains were shrouded in a milky white mist.
Sunlight pierced through the mist, casting dappled golden rays.
Scattered throughout the valley are countless enormous cubic crystals, as transparent as crystals, yet shimmering with a faint, dark green glow.
Some crystals are over ten meters tall, resembling a vast forest of stones.
When the wind blows, the crystal emits a low hum, like some kind of ancient whisper.
Zhang Lingyun suddenly thought of something.
If Xia Youran's strength improves, I must bring her here.
Look at this magnificent yet terrifying sight that you'll never see in the city.
Ding Shuangshuang stopped in front of a square crystal stone that was as tall as a person.
The crystal's surface was as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting her image.
She suddenly became childlike and performed a few dance moves in front of the crystal.
Zhang Lingyun watched from the side and gently clapped her hands.
Ding Shuangshuang was a little shy and said:
Are you trying to mock my poor dancing technique?
Zhang Lingyun said:
"Of course not, I think you danced quite well."
Ding Shuangshuang pouted and said:
"If it weren't for the changes in my family, I might not have become a witch, but a dancer instead."
Just then, Ding Shuangshuang suddenly saw that the reflection in the crystal was doing something different from her.
When Ding Shuangshuang looked closely, the reflection quickly assumed a mirror image position.
This startled Ding Shuangshuang, who instinctively took a step back.
Fang Xinyu shouted from afar:
"Don't stare at the crystals for too long! They will mimic your movements."
Once it's completely skilled, it will crawl out, strangle you, and then take your place in life!
Upon hearing this, Ding Shuangshuang was so frightened that she hid in Zhang Lingyun's arms.
She's usually fearless, but that only applies when she's facing an enemy.
Ding Shuangshuang was completely powerless against this indescribable thing.
It's like some people dare to catch snakes with their bare hands, but not cockroaches.
The next morning—
Everyone, stand up and let's count the number of people.
They all breathed a long sigh of relief after a peaceful night.
But just as they were about to set off, the hunter who had eaten roasted rabbit the night before suddenly clutched his stomach and screamed.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
The next second, his stomach swelled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then it exploded with a "bang" like a balloon.
Dozens of blood-soaked rabbits with bloodshot eyes and sharp teeth jumped out.
These rabbits revealed their ferocity and pounced on the hunter team.
They specifically target people's holes.
As soon as one rabbit crawls inside, the person's stomach will quickly swell up, and then explode to release even more rabbits.
Those potential hunters were essentially helpless.
They could only run around in a panic, which only gave the rabbits more opportunities to take advantage of them.
The selected players immediately came up with countermeasures.
The oil drum brandished a machete wrapped around its head and hacked the charging rabbit into mincemeat.
The long-handled gun fired a shot, and the bullet actually curved, instantly piercing through more than a dozen rabbits.
The last fat witch, nicknamed the witch, took a deep breath.
It violently spewed out a mouthful of dark green poisonous gas.
Wherever the poison gas passed, those horrible rabbits and the hunters who had been burrowed into the holes were instantly corroded into stark white skeletons.
This finally brought the morning's farce to an end.
After a subsequent headcount, half of the potential hunters had been eliminated.
Fang Xinyu shrugged and told Zhang Lingyun:
"Danger zones are that cruel. A little carelessness can cost you your life."
Zhang Lingyun could only frown deeply as he looked at the skeleton on the ground.
I feel like it's better not to bring Xia Youran on this trip.
Ding Shuangshuang leaned against him, her body trembling slightly.
She secretly vowed to herself that after this mission was over, she would never want to leave the city again.
Fang Xinyu counted the people who entered the mountain:
There were seven people in total: an oil drum, a long pole, a witch, a big guy, herself, Zhang Lingyun, and Ding Shuangshuang.
Old Bai and the remaining reserve hunters stayed on the perimeter to guard the vehicles and supplies.
Deep in the Lingwu Mountains—
Milky white mist swirled between the dark green cubic crystal pillars.
When the wind blows, the fog churns and surges, as if some ghostly figure is moving inside.
The group walked to the foot of a steep mountain.
Fang Xinyu raised her military binoculars and observed the cliff cave ahead.
"Found it, the elven dragon's nest is inside the cave. But it's surrounded by screaming vines."
Zhang Lingyun asked:
"What is a screaming vine?"
"A monster that is somewhere between a plant and an animal. It will entangle its prey tightly and then use its mouthparts at the top to roar your brain into mush."
A long pole was placed behind a square crystal, and the layers of cloth were opened one by one.
A matte black sniper rifle was revealed, its body covered with pale gold runes.
The gun barrel was not loaded with ordinary bullets, but with specially made armor-piercing bullets engraved with anti-magic runes.
The sound of the long rod came from behind the scope:
"I can cover you here and use the anti-magic bullet to break the top of the screaming vine."
The poisoner took several dead rats from the necklace around his neck and generously shared them:
"Each of you carry one in your belt. Not only will it bring you good luck, but it will also allow Screaming Vine to take a bite."
Final task assignment:
Zhang Lingyun, Fang Xinyu, and You Tong went up to catch the Fairy Dragon.
Ding Shuangshuang was somewhat worried:
"Let me go with you."
But Fang Xinyu denied it:
"Too many people going up might disturb the prey prematurely."
Ding Shuangshuang was somewhat unconvinced:
"I have to go up there, I have to protect him."
The two women in front of me are about to start arguing.
Zhang Lingyun could only say, half pleading and half commanding:
"Listen to me! You wait down the mountain, I'll be fine."
Then, after thinking for a moment, he handed the phone to her and said:
"If anything happens to me, just call Xia Youran. She'll know what to do."
Ding Shuangshuang was taken aback for a moment, then asked:
"What's the point of calling now that you're in trouble?"
Zhang Lingyun smiled mysteriously and said:
"Useful."
Ding Shuangshuang looked completely bewildered:
"What do you mean? I don't understand!"
Zhang Lingyun patted her on the shoulder:
"We'll talk about it later, listen to me!"
Finally, they managed to persuade Ding Shuangshuang to stop, and then the three of them began their arduous climb.
The rock face was covered with slippery moss, and stones would occasionally fall from underfoot.
Thirty meters from the crack, the first screaming vine finally moved.
Like a venomous snake, it emerged from the crevice in the rock and instantly coiled around the oil drum's ankle.
He swung the oil drum with a machete and chopped the vines in half. The dark green sap that splattered from the cut scalded his arm, creating a string of blisters.
More vines surged in from all directions, wrapping around his limbs and waist.
The vine split open its mandibles and slowly aimed them at his ears—
The brain matter in the oil drum was about to be shaken into mush.
The long lever decisively pulled the trigger.
The demon-slaying bullet, glowing with a pale blue light, shot through the air and precisely shattered the tip of the vine.
Zhang Lingyun was at the back and dodged the first wave of attacks.
He raised his hand and unleashed the [Seven-Colored Jet], causing seven colors of dazzling light to explode on the rock wall.
With the added refraction of the cubic crystal, it seemed as if the entire mountain was glowing.
The Screaming Vines are extremely sensitive to bright light, so all of them curled up and let out a low scream.
Fang Xinyu shouted:
"Oil drums, clear the way!"
He ripped the screaming vine off the oil drum, enduring the burning pain in his arm.
He wielded the machete with fierce power, cleaving through all the screaming vines blocking his path.
The three took the opportunity to rush into the cliff cave.
Deep within the dark lair, a palm-sized elf dragon was curled up in a small nest made of pebbles.
Its scales have a faint sapphire luster.
Its translucent wings are as thin as cicada wings, and its eyes are like two dazzling red crystals.
Upon seeing the human intrusion, it let out a sharp cry.
A ripple-like pattern of light spread across his body, and he vanished from his spot in an instant.
The Fairy Dragon possesses a remarkable ability called Phase Shift.
You can disappear from the human world for one second and then randomly reappear in a nearby location.
Many of the technologies used to study the "Gateway to the Spirit Realm" were inspired by the spirit dragons.
He reached out and grabbed the oil drum, but only managed to pick up a few stones.
The three of them quickly searched around and saw it appear on the stone wall five meters away a second later.
Fang Xinyu threw several throwing knives, trying to pin the elf dragon to the ground.
As long as I don't die, that's fine.
However, the Fairy Dragon activated [Phase Shift] again and disappeared from everyone's sight once more.
Zhang Lingyun drew the [Phantom Steed] card.
A semi-transparent magical warhorse leaped out of the void, its black body and gray mane churning the air with its four hooves.
Oil Barrel admired the warhorse with surprise, its eyes practically popping out of its head with envy.
Unfortunately, given his size, he was destined not to be able to ride on it.
The fairy dragon disappeared for a second before reappearing outside the cave entrance.
Zhang Lingyun mounted the Phantom Steed and sped out of the cave.
The phantom steed galloped wildly along the sheer mountainside, leaving faint trails of smoke behind its hooves.
Even the incredibly fast Screaming Vine couldn't catch up with its shadow.
Although Zhang Lingyun could not see the vanished spirit dragon, he could see a faint ripple in the air.
Like an arrow released from a bow, the phantom steed shot straight toward the ripples.
When the fairy dragon returned from the other dimension, it happened to appear in the gap of the square crystal pillar.
Before it could react, a semi-transparent warhorse had already charged in front of it.
Zhang Lingyun suddenly reached out and precisely pinched the back of its neck.
Fang Xinyu shouted joyfully:
"cage!"
The big guy, who had been standing at the foot of the mountain, suddenly threw the cage up.
The oil drum, with its plump body, bounced up and was caught steadily in mid-air.
Zhang Lingyun shoved the struggling dragon back into the cage.
With a click, the cage door was locked.
The silver runes on the surface of the cage lit up instantly, forming a strange magical barrier.
The blue light on the dragon's body dimmed instantly, and it could no longer use phase shift.
"It's a success!"
Everyone shouted excitedly.
Zhang Lingyun and Ding Shuangshuang were happy because they could finally make the Body Tempering Potion.
The others were happy because they would receive the generous reward.
-----------------
After successfully capturing the fairy dragon, all seven returned unharmed.
Only the oil barrel suffered minor injuries, and the witch lost a few dead rats.
After reuniting with the reserve hunters, they didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately set off back to the outpost town.
The thought of receiving that large sum of money so soon filled me with joy.
Everyone was very excited, chatting and laughing all the way back, planning to have a good drink when they got back.
On the first night of the return journey, we will still have to spend the night in the wild, and we will be able to return to Qianshao Town by the morning of the second day.
Old Bai led the remaining reserve hunters and quickly set up the tent.
Fang Xinyu placed the magic cage containing the dragon spirit in the largest tent.
Then he arranged for his men to take turns on guard duty, changing shifts every two hours.
Zhang Lingyun originally intended to put the cage inside his small tent.
But Fang Xinyu said with great experience:
"We've been traveling for days on end and are completely exhausted. You'll definitely be sleeping soundly without any awareness, and if something unexpected happens, you'll not only lose your dragon, but you'll also lose your life."
Zhang Lingyun asked:
"So you'll be fine if you put it in the big tent?"
Fang Xinyu told him:
"Something might still happen, but it will only cost other people their lives, not yours."
In the end, Zhang Lingyun listened to the expert's advice.
That night, he and Ding Shuangshuang slept in a separate small tent.
Zhang Lingyun lay in her sleeping bag, still immersed in the joy of her harvest, and couldn't fall asleep for a while.
Ding Shuangshuang suddenly leaned closer, gently pushed him twice, and said:
"Change back."
Zhang Lingyun frowned and said:
What are you doing?
"I'll let you turn back. Don't show me my father's face."
Zhang Lingyun sighed and lifted the tent flap to look outside.
Only after confirming that he would not be discovered did he remove the [disguise technique] and return to his original handsome appearance.
Ding Shuangshuang smiled with satisfaction and crawled into his sleeping bag.
Zhang Lingyun clicked his tongue and complained:
"What are you doing? Go back to your sleeping bag."
But Ding Shuangshuang rejected it:
"I want to sleep with you."
Zhang Lingyun sighed helplessly:
"That's not good."
Ding Shuangshuang questioned:
"Are you afraid Xia Youran will find out?"
Zhang Lingyun was speechless.
Ding Shuangshuang asked again:
"You said today that if anything happened to you, you should let me call Xia Youran. Does she have some kind of special secret technique?"
Zhang Lingyun was surprised by Ding Shuangshuang's sensitivity.
He thought about it for a moment, but felt he still couldn't tell her.
Xia Youran's "Resurrection Armor" is his last line of defense.
Moreover, this was a secret he shared exclusively with Xia Youran, and he didn't want to share it with anyone else unless absolutely necessary.
Ding Shuangshuang looked at the hesitant expression on his face and felt a surge of displeasure.
"It's because of this secret technique that she's more favored by you than me, isn't it?"
Zhang Lingyun explained:
"That's not how it works."
Ding Shuangshuang was very unhappy and asked:
"What kind of person is she? Am I really incapable of replacing her? Am I really inferior to her?"
Zhang Lingyun sighed softly, gazing wistfully at the top of the tent, and said:
"No, you are no worse than Xia Youran. You are also a very outstanding girl."
If I had met you first, perhaps you would have been my first love.
Upon hearing this, Ding Shuangshuang was deeply moved.
She suddenly felt that God was really unfair. Why didn't she meet someone who was so compatible with her first?
However, Ding Shuangshuang is not the type to complain or blame others.
She has a very strong personality; she will definitely work hard to get what she wants.
She hugged Zhang Lingyun tightly and said:
"What she can do for you, I can do for you too."
Zhang Lingyun sighed and said:
You don't need to force yourself.
Ding Shuangshuang suddenly sat up, her red lips dangling from a rubber band, and neatly tied her long hair into a high ponytail.
Zhang Lingyun was wondering what she was going to do.
Then Ding Shuangshuang bent down and crawled into her sleeping bag.
"No, no, not here!"
Zhang Lingyun tried to refuse, but it seemed to be in vain.
In the small tent next door, Fang Xinyu and Big Guy were sleeping.
The big guy suddenly opened his eyes and said in a deep, gruff voice:
"Sis, the tents over there seem to be making a lot of noise."
Fang Xinyu covered her ears with her hands and said impatiently:
"Go to sleep and don't listen to the noise outside."
"Sis, what are they doing?"
"They're doing something shameless."
"What constitutes shameless behavior?"
Fang Xinyu kicked him:
"Go to sleep now! If you dare ask another question, you won't be allowed to eat tomorrow."
The big guy felt very wronged, and his thick lips trembled a few times.
He pressed his ears down with a pillow, turned over, and fell asleep.
Fang Xinyu also turned around and said resentfully:
"An old cow eating young grass, how shameless."