Du Yu stood at the mouth of the rock cave, and the Desert Raptor stood within. It lifted its head, its nostrils flaring as it took a shallow breath, and a low, unintelligible rumble echoed from its throat.

The next second, it moved.

Like an arrow, it shot toward Du Yu!

"There are hunting methods for a group, and there are hunting techniques for an individual." Du Yu’s voice was clear, reaching everyone’s ears.

Cao Biansheng and the others watched intently, not missing a single detail.

Because this was something they might also have to face in the future.

The Desert Raptor tilted its head as it drew near, then abruptly snapped its jaws open and bit at Du Yu.

With a flick of his wrist, Du Yu’s Long Spear struck at the Desert Raptor’s forelimb like a viper. But the creature reacted just as quickly, twisting its body away. It pushed off with its powerful legs, throwing itself to the side. The Long Spear only managed to graze its flank, leaving behind a bloody streak.

"HSSSK!"

The moment the Desert Raptor’s feet hit the ground, it launched forward again. Its powerful, sickle-clawed hind leg flew through the air in a kick, bringing the full weight of its several-hundred-pound body to bear.

Du Yu leaped to the side. The instant his feet landed, the Desert Raptor’s powerful tail whipped toward his chest.

Du Yu arched his back in a deep bend, planting the butt of his spear on the ground for support and using the leverage to thrust upward.

The thrust was fast and true, piercing the Desert Raptor’s chest.

But the creature was massive. Including its tail, it was nearly five meters long. While the spear had punched a hole through its flesh, it hadn’t struck any vital organs.

The Desert Raptor leaped back and began to circle Du Yu on its powerful legs, its tail swaying constantly to maintain balance.

Yuan Dajun said, "I’ve noticed it looks like a scaled-up Single Claw Dragon."

Wang Yun said, "That’s because they’re close relatives. Think of it like the difference between a house cat and a tiger."

Yuan Dajun felt the Raptor’s presence was far more intimidating. "I see. But their attack methods seem a little different. The Single Claw Dragon relies on its foreclaws and mouth, while this one prefers using its tail and hind legs."

Wang Yun speculated, "It’s probably because of the size difference. If a Raptor were attacking larger prey, it would likely use its foreclaws to latch on, too."

"SKREEE!" In the center of the clearing, the Desert Raptor made its move. It abruptly turned its head and bolted, fleeing toward a gap in the crowd behind it.

The crowd was stunned. But without orders, no one moved to stop it, watching helplessly as the Desert Raptor fled.

’Who would’ve thought that thing would actually run away?’

But what was even more astounding was that a person had actually managed to fight it off. It was no different from watching someone single-handedly drive off a tiger.

Yuan Ming exclaimed, "Instructor Du is incredible! He actually made that thing run. How am I supposed to learn that? Chief, are there any simpler techniques?"

Cao Biansheng chimed in, "Of course. Go find some Poison Dart Frogs or Poison Arrow Wood, coat your weapon in the venom, and as long as you can break the skin, the Poison Divine Power will take care of the rest."

Du Yu’s expression hardened. He hefted his Long Spear and gave chase in the direction the Desert Raptor had fled.

Though both were on two legs, his speed was clearly no match for the Desert Raptor’s. It soon vanished from sight.

"Beaked Eagle," Qin Ziwen called out.

The Beaked Eagle, which had been quietly preening its feathers on a nearby dead tree, turned its head and shot into the sky.

Du Yu nodded to Qin Ziwen. "Sir, I’m heading out."

With that, he hefted his Long Spear, ready to give chase.

"Wait," Qin Ziwen stopped him, then called over Red Hare. "Take the horse. Dismount when it’s time to fight."

Du Yu didn’t refuse, merely giving a steady nod.

Qin Ziwen led the others back to the water source and joined in the work of piling up stones.

A few animals occasionally approached, but upon seeing the large group of humans bustling with activity from a distance, they quickly scurried away.

After a long time, by evening, they had finally built a low stone wall encircling the area.

They had also cleared out three vantage points in the vicinity.

Someone laughed heartily. "Once we’ve secured this place, I’ll finally be able to take a proper shower."

"Haha, Liu the Second Elder, you idiot! You’re going to haul two buckets of water all that way back just for a shower? Your wife will kill you!"

"Hah! Who said I was taking it back? Can’t I just take a cold shower here? I’ll just rig up a screen with some wooden planks."

"It’s a long walk back. You’ll just get all sweaty again."

"It’s not the same. I can get properly clean here. When I get back, I’ll just need to wipe off the sweat with a towel."

Once the defenses were set up, the group started collecting water again.

One bucket after another, they soon drained the puddle dry, leaving only a slow trickle of water seeping from a fissure in the ground.

"This water isn’t coming out very fast," someone noted, squatting down. "Why don’t we chisel the ground open and make the hole bigger? Wouldn’t that give us more water?"

A man in the crowd who looked like a teacher spoke up to stop him. "That’s very risky. It could destabilize the fissure structure in the rock layer. We might see an increase in water flow in the short term, but in the long run, it could destroy the natural filtration system. The groundwater would carry up more suspended solids and clog the opening."

"What’s that got to do with us? We’re only living here for a month anyway, right everyone?" the man said, looking to the others for support.

Some people looked hesitant. If they destroyed the structure, it would definitely have an ecological impact.

But most were more focused on their own immediate survival. They could worry about other things once they were sure they would live.

"Yeah, so what if it gets destroyed? Forget that this is the Otherworld—even on Earth, this would count as acting out of necessity! We can’t just let thousands of us die of thirst!"

"That’s right! I haven’t had a bath in days, not since we were transported to this Gobi Desert."

The man tried to explain, "No, that’s not it. What I mean is that the risk is extremely high. I studied geology, and aquifer systems are very complex. If we destroy this opening, we could alter the subterranean flow patterns. That might cause the groundwater to divert, making the flow here decrease instead of increase. It might even create a new spring somewhere else entirely."

Hearing him put it that way, everyone was suddenly much more receptive.

The tone of the crowd shifted instantly. "I think you’ve got a point. This is the only water source we have right now. There’s no need to risk it."

"Yeah, the flow now is just about enough. If we’re careful, it’ll do."

One after another, they chimed in, a few of them acting as if they hadn’t been the ones arguing for it moments before.

Suddenly, the cry of the Beaked Eagle sounded from overhead.

Qin Ziwen looked toward the sound, and saw something at the far end of the passage to his left.

A Mongolian Horse was slowly walking toward them, a rope tied to it, dragging a massive carcass.

Beside it, a man carrying a Long Spear walked in lockstep.

The surrounding chatter gradually faded away. Many of the people who had been resting on the ground rose to their feet, their gazes fixed on the corpse of the Desert Raptor being dragged behind the Mongolian Horse.

Jiang Shan trembled, suddenly recalling what Cao Biansheng had said the day before.

He looked at Du Yu as if gazing upon a god.

...

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