274: Chapter 274 Is a hippo really that rude?

Seeing Tiger Mom, Leopard Mom, Little Scar, Three Hairs, and his other old pals all turning their heads to look at him,

Old Crocodile immediately burst out cursing, "Why are you all looking at me, Old Crocodile?"

"It's not me this time, I haven't eaten any Hyenas."

"Can you guys stop looking at me every time you smell something foul?"

Ever since he ate a Hyena last time, whenever there was even a slight scent in the Camp,

All the animals would look at him in unison.

This made Old Crocodile very dissatisfied; it seriously affected his refined and grand image, okay?

"Old-timer, your bad breath is etched in everyone's minds," Jingang said meaningfully and faintly.

Nearby, Sister-in-law Crocodile rolled her eyes. "Who told you not to listen to our little friend back then?"

"Why did you have to be so stubborn and eat that Hyena?"

"Now even Little Tiger and Little Wild Leopard think you're the God of Bad Breath."

Old Crocodile wanted to cry but had no tears, deeply regretting his past actions.

Seeing the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, A Giao, Hua Hua, and the other animals who joined later looking curious,

To save his image, Old Crocodile quickly changed the subject:

"The stench seems to be coming from this body of water."

"To be precise, it's coming from up ahead..."

The speaker was casual, but the listener was attentive.

An Ke's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered a nickname for the Hippopotamus—

A walking manure-making machine.

Not just the excretion itself, but they also loved to "fly."

Every time they defecated, they would use their tails to scatter it,

Making their dung go everywhere,

Expanding the area of contamination...

An Ke's scalp felt numb, and he couldn't help but look down at the water surface beneath him.

In other words, this body of water was actually already filthy.

There was dung everywhere...

At this thought, An Ke's stomach churned.

He was extremely glad he hadn't gone in for a swim himself.

Otherwise, if he accidentally swallowed a few gulps of water...

An Ke swore that if it really came to that, he would slaughter this entire group of Hippopotamuses.

"No way! We absolutely cannot stay here any longer..."

Not to mention the heavy, unbearable stench.

The longer they stayed here, the dirtier this water would become.

It might even turn into a cesspool in the end.

How would they get across then?

As the smell grew stronger, it became a form of torture for the animals and the savages as well.

Their sense of smell was dozens, if not hundreds, of times more sensitive than a human's.

Sometimes, having a keen sense of smell wasn't necessarily a good thing...

While lamenting inwardly, An Ke made up his mind to leave this area immediately.

He looked up ahead once more.

The path was completely blocked by the Hippopotamuses; to pass through, they had to make them yield.

Thinking of this, An Ke looked at his system panel again.

["Natural Affinity" is estimated to upgrade in about 18 minutes.]

"18 minutes... there'll be thousands more pounds of crap by then..."

An Ke didn't want to stay here for a single second longer.

He immediately made arrangements. "Jingang, Three Hairs, Aman, Old Crocodile—the two of you come with me to negotiate with the Hippopotamuses."

"The rest of you, stay back and maintain a distance of about 30 meters."

"If the negotiation fails, Sister-in-law, cover our team's retreat immediately."

"Little friend, why don't you let This mother go with you?" Sister-in-law Crocodile volunteered.

"This mother has more moves than Aman."

"I can run a bit faster."

An Ke didn't know whether to laugh or cry, then shook his head. "No need!"

"If the negotiation fails, Jingang can take me away."

Without further nonsense, An Ke said in a low voice, "Aman, Old Crocodile..."

"Let's go!"

An Ke and the others began to step forward to negotiate with the Hippopotamuses.

The closer they got, the more they could feel the pressure emanating from this group of Hippopotamuses.

They were massive, like small buses.

Their mouths could open 180 degrees, wide enough for An Ke to stand inside.

Such a physique made even Aman feel the pressure.

He feared his constriction wouldn't be enough to take down a Hippopotamus anytime soon.

And once bitten by one of these guys, they would be killed in return.

"Has This Muscle Man arrived at a latrine?"

At that moment, Jingang shouted from the air.

He used his wings to fan frantically, trying to drive the stench away.

Unfortunately, the stench seemed to be everywhere; no matter how much he fanned, it still filled his nostrils.

"Master, Master, Little Mouse is going to throw up~" Three Hairs covered his nose tightly with his tiny hands.

A Hamster's nose was extremely sensitive.

"Boss, what on earth is going on?"

"Could this smell be coming from the Hippopotamuses?" Aman asked with a stiff face.

"Exactly! That's why I'm in a hurry to leave."

"These Hippopotamuses are walking manure machines. A thousand of them can produce eight tons of waste in a day..."

"With over a hundred of them, it's about a ton a day..."

An Ke didn't say anything further.

These Hippopotamuses were huge, so they would only produce more waste.

But there was no need to say it, as a ton of waste was already disgusting enough.

Besides, they didn't even know how long this group of Hippopotamuses had been staying here.

"Blech~" Three Hairs gagged on the spot.

Then, with tears in the corners of his eyes, he cried, "Master, Master, Little Mouse is going to throw up~~"

As for Jingang, this was the first time he had looked terrified since obtaining 200 Strength.

"Are these King Kong Barbie Beasts this disgusting?"

Aman subconsciously turned his head slightly to look at the half of his body submerged in the water.

Before, when he looked at himself, he really wanted to eat it.

But now, he felt nothing but disgust.

His body was dirty!

Actually, Aman, Three Hairs, and Jingang were slightly better off.

The most miserable one was Old Crocodile.

Upon learning the truth, he wished he could stand up and walk upright.

Didn't this mean he was currently soaking his whole crocodile body in a cesspool?

The key point was that every time he swam, water would flow through his mouth.

A crocodile's mouth cannot be sealed airtight; it's their tongue that prevents water from entering their body.

The tongue can curl upwards.

Therefore, water would flow into his mouth.

Old Crocodile lifted his head, trying to stay away from the water surface as much as possible.

He roared in anger, "Can't these Hippopotamuses have some manners?"

"How can they just poop everywhere?"

"Don't they know to protect the environment?"

Old Crocodile was truly livid.

Meanwhile, Old Crocodile's angry roar caught the attention of the Hippopotamus herd.

They flicked their ears and turned their heads to look.

Upon seeing An Ke and the others, they immediately glared at them.

One Hippopotamus barked, "Do not come any closer!"

"Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

"This body of water is our territory. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

"Can't you see we're bathing? How dare you disturb us?"

"..."

At just the first glance, the Hippopotamus herd showed hostility.

Some of them even slapped the water surface as a warning.

"A bunch of barbaric and unreasonable fellows," Old Crocodile huffed.

Why couldn't they learn from him?

Even as a fierce beast, he was reasonable. Why were the Hippopotamuses so irrational?

An Ke also didn't expect this group of Hippopotamuses to have such a violent temper.

He managed a smile, trying to see if he could reason with them.

However, before An Ke could speak...

The nearest Hippopotamus, seeing that An Ke and the others were still not leaving, immediately let out a roar:

"This is more than one can bear!!"

"We gave you a chance, but you failed to take it!"

The Hippopotamus began to leap through the water, charging towards An Ke and the others.

...