71: The Hunt of Prehistoric Giant Crocodiles

A matter of life and death!

The Emperor Crocodile's massive maw, filled with bone-white fangs like barbed hooks, was about to snap shut. The stench of decay was so thick it seemed to choke the breath from everyone's throats.

In that split second, Lin Feng exploded with all his might, the veins in his arms bulging like coiled dragons.

"Get over there!"

With a roar, he grabbed Wang Dalong by the back of his collar, swung him in a wide arc, and hurled him away with all his strength!

Wang Dalong traced a pathetic arc through the air, letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig before crashing into the shallow water near the shore, splashing up a wall of muddy sludge as tall as a man.

At the same time, Juan and Carlos demonstrated the top-tier professionalism of veteran Mercenaries.

They didn't need a second command!

The instant Lin Feng's roar rang out, the two of them shot out like cannonballs. Diving left and right in perfect form, they lunged toward the nearby riverbank.

CRACK—!!

A terrifying, thunderous sound erupted, enough to make one's soul tremble!

The dugout canoe that carried all their hopes was as fragile as a soda cracker before the Emperor Crocodile's hydraulic-press-like bite force.

The hard ebony was instantly bitten into a flurry of flying wood chips! The hull disintegrated on the spot!

Meanwhile, using the recoil from throwing Wang Dalong, Lin Feng's toes ghosted off the shattering gunwale with a sudden, powerful kick.

Using that momentum, he vaulted into the air like an agile ape, leaping toward the shore.

While in mid-air, his body twisted at an almost impossible angle. From the corner of his eye, he precisely captured the next move of the terrifying beast beneath the water.

Missing its mark didn't cause the slightest hint of annoyance in the Emperor Crocodile's cold, vertical pupils; there was only the absolute logic of a predator.

Its massive tail, harder than steel, swept through the water in a sudden, violent strike!

SPLASH!

A massive wave over three meters high exploded out of the flat river surface!

It wasn't a wave; it was a moving wall of water! Carrying immense force, it slammed hard into Juan and Carlos, who had just hit the water and hadn't yet found their footing.

Pfft!

As if seized by an invisible giant hand, the two of them didn't even have time to react before they were caught by the giant wave, pushed back into the deep water by that irresistible force!

"Juan! Carlos!"

Lin Feng's eyes nearly burst from their sockets, instantly becoming bloodshot.

With a thud, he slammed heavily into the mud on the shore. Cold, viscous sludge immediately submerged his calves, but he couldn't care less about that.

He whipped his head around, staring fixedly at the river.

In the murky water, Juan and Carlos were paddling desperately, using every ounce of strength to swim toward the shore.

But that colossal black shadow had already adjusted its direction, closing in on them again like the Grim Reaper's scythe!

"Get up here! Hurry!" Lin Feng stood on the shore, his heart racing so fast it felt like it would jump out of his throat as he roared frantically at them.

Wang Dalong also scrambled up from the mud. Looking at the prehistoric monster in the river that he had only ever seen in movies, his face turned as pale as paper and his legs shook like sieves, barely able to stand. Yet, seeing his companions struggling in the river, he still instinctively reached out, trying to pull them in.

Who could understand... that despair of watching helplessly!

It was too late.

Everything was too late.

The Emperor Crocodile's speed in the water completely defied the laws of physics.

It didn't even bother to use its mouth to bite. Its massive body, like a high-speed locomotive, slammed into Carlos—the one closest to it—with a momentum that crushed everything.

THUMP!!

A dull impact sound that made one's heart skip a beat.

Carlos was like a ragdoll hit by a truck at full speed, instantly thrown several meters into the air.

A spray of wretched blood mist erupted from his mouth, forming a desperate arc under the pale sunlight.

His body twisted at a bizarre angle in mid-air. Anyone could see that every bone in his body had been vibrated into powder by that single collision.

"No—!" Witnessing his companion's tragic state, Juan let out a heart-wrenching roar.

Carlos's body fell limply back into the water, creating only an insignificant little splash before quickly sinking, never to be heard from again.

The river remained murky.

This time, not even the Piranhas that would go crazy at the smell of blood appeared.

In this river bend, this Emperor Crocodile that had survived from prehistoric times was the sole monarch, the absolute law.

Any creature that dared to intrude upon its territory would only end up crushed.

Having dealt with Carlos, the Emperor Crocodile's cold, emotionless golden vertical pupils slowly turned, locking onto the last living thing in the water—Juan.

The shadow of death completely enveloped him.

Juan stopped his futile struggling.

He knew he was dead.

He gave up swimming, allowing his body to float in the cold river water. Then, he slowly turned his head and took a long, deep look at Lin Feng on the shore.

That look was extremely complex.

There was the fear of facing death and the unwillingness to let go of life, but more than that, there was a strange sense of relief and a silent entrustment.

His mouth opened and his Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something.

But not a single word could come out.

Because the Emperor Crocodile was already in front of him.

The giant beast opened its bloody maw, wide enough to snap an adult hippopotamus in half, and without the slightest hesitation, swallowed Juan's entire upper body in one bite.

"Crunch... Crunch..."

The sound of bones shattering was so crisp it made one's scalp tingle, mixed with the sound of muscle being torn. Even from dozens of meters away, it was still clearly audible, as if it were happening right next to the ear.

Blood, like ink dripping into clear water, instantly stained the river around Juan a shocking dark red.

The Emperor Crocodile's massive mouth chewed twice, seemingly tasting this long-awaited "snack," then it impatiently tossed its head, flinging Juan's mangled lower half—with bits of organs still attached—to the side.

Then, those cold and ruthless vertical pupils slowly, slowly turned toward Lin Feng and Wang Dalong on the shore.

It wasn't full yet.

You two are next.

"Run!!!"

Lin Feng's head exploded with a buzz, and the threat of death pierced his marrow like an ice pick! All feelings of sadness and anger were completely overwhelmed by the instinct to survive at this moment.

He grabbed Wang Dalong, who was still dazed with dilated pupils, and turned to sprint into the dense jungle on the shore!

"Ah!"

Wang Dalong was pulled into a stumble, his soul seemingly just returning to his body. He didn't dare look back; he was afraid that if he did and saw that hellish scene, he would completely lose the last bit of courage to escape.

He could only scramble along, being dragged by Lin Feng, running forward like a madman.

"Splash—! Splash splash—!"

Behind them came the sound of massive splashing, as well as the terrifying noise of earth and trees being violently crushed.

That Emperor Crocodile had actually crawled out of the river and onto the shore!

Its massive body, covered in thick armored plates, moved much slower on land than in the water, but every step it took shook the ground!

Trees as thick as bowls were as fragile as weeds before it, easily snapped and crushed by its tyrannical body.

This was a hunt with no suspense.

Two tiny humans fled for their lives through the light-blocking jungle, their hearts pounding so hard they felt like they would burst.

A giant beast from a prehistoric hell followed unhurriedly behind them, its cold eyes even showing a hint of the cruel pleasure of playing with its prey.

Lin Feng's brain worked at high speeds under the extreme conditions.

Can't run in a straight line! Definitely not!

He pulled Wang Dalong tightly, constantly changing directions in the jungle, using the thick trees that would take several people to encircle and the tangled vines to try and hinder the monster's pursuit.

But the effect was minimal.

The monster completely ignored any terrain obstacles; it moved in a pure, violent straight line!

Anything blocking its path, whether it was a boulder or an ancient tree, would be crushed to pieces by its terrifying weight and power!

"Feng... Brother Feng... I can't... I... I can't run anymore..."

Wang Dalong was out of breath, his lungs feeling like they were burning, as if they would burst at any moment. Every breath he took felt like swallowing knives.

His stamina had completely reached its limit.

Lin Feng's own stamina was also being rapidly consumed, his legs feeling as heavy as lead.

He knew that if this continued, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

Five minutes? Or three?

Must... must find a place! A place it can't enter!

Lin Feng's gaze swept forward rapidly, piercing through layer after layer of leaves.

Jungle, still endless jungle. Nothing but trees, and more trees!

Was he really going to die here today? To become a meal for that monster?

Just as a hint of despair quietly grew in his heart, at the end of his vision, through the layers of constantly swaying gaps in the foliage, he vaguely caught sight of a massive gray-black silhouette that was out of place in the surrounding lush green environment.

Those sharp, distinct lines were definitely not naturally formed!

That was a... field of Stone building ruins!

A set of... Ancient ruins that had been hidden by the jungle for untold ages!