Du Yu lowered her bow and stood tall, her gaze sweeping across the crowd. "For the time being, I’ll lead you on hunts. If anyone has an objection, speak now."

Wang Sheng was silent for a moment. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced a smile. "I have no objections."

He Biao’s face went pale. Though Du Yu’s glance had been fleeting, he felt it linger on him for a moment. He suppressed the pounding of his heart, his voice strained. "I... have no problem."

The rest of them were silent as the grave.

Those who had already witnessed Du Yu’s skills were thoroughly convinced, while those seeing her in action for the first time were inwardly astounded.

Du Yu said, "Good. Next, we’ll find a place to set up camp, and then we’ll send a group back with the water."

After some searching, the group found a plateau to the east. It was about seven or eight meters high, with a climbable path up its side that was relatively easy for anyone with climbing skills.

It would be very difficult for any four-legged beasts or two-legged dinosaurs to reach it.

The only threats were exceptionally large Giant Beasts, like Tyrannosaurs, or the flying Winged Dragons.

While the terrain wasn’t ideal, it was the most suitable place near the Oasis that could hold several hundred people.

From the plateau, they could also observe the activity in the Oasis.

Their arrival drew the attention of many of the Oasis’s animals, but most only gave them a brief glance before looking away.

In the wake of the massive sandstorm, animals from all over the surrounding region had gathered here.

Qin Ziwen noticed something very interesting.

Around the lake’s edge, an invisible hierarchy seemed to exist among the animals, dividing them into distinct territories.

The prime location—the core area with the most lush vegetation and easiest access to water—was occupied by a herd of Duck-billed Dragon Beasts.

Next in the hierarchy were the social Gobi Armored Dragons and Zungar Rhinoceroses.

The Gobi Armored Dragons were relatively small, only six to seven meters long, but they had a ferocious appearance. They had the standard Armored Dragon build, draped in thick bone plates that ran from neck to tail. These plates were studded with thick, black spikes, but their most distinct feature was the bony club at the tip of their tail, which resembled a giant, round warhammer.

The nearby Zungar Rhinoceroses looked like living hills. Their skin was coarse and thick, covered in deep, ravine-like folds as they moved slowly on all fours.

The more powerful the creature, the more advantageous its territory.

Each species occupied its own section of the watering hole. Squabbles over plants or water broke out occasionally, but they were generally kept under control.

ROAR~

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the entire Oasis.

At the edge of the lake, some of the gathered herds began to stir restlessly.

Everyone whipped their heads around. Atop a sand dune to their east, a tall, tyrannical, and ferocious silhouette was making its way down.

"A Tyrannosaur!" He Biao’s teeth chattered.

The Tyrannosaur’s path down the dune overlapped with their chosen campsite!

The Tyrannosaur ambled past, its head level with their plateau. A slight turn was all it would take for it to see them all.

As it passed, its head shifted. The instant its eyes met theirs, the survivors felt a chill as if they’d been plunged into an icy cavern.

Everyone held their breath. A hideous scar ran across the bottom of this Tyrannosaur’s left eye, one that had nearly torn through the eyeball itself.

As it moved past the plateau, it suddenly stopped.

It tilted its head, its massive nostrils flaring as it took a breath.

It seemed to be memorizing their scent.

Perhaps because it had never smelled a human before, a low growl rumbled in its throat, like a revving engine.

Qin Ziwen gripped his longbow, nocking an arrow and preparing to shoot.

The Tyrannosaur turned its head away and continued its slow descent down the slope.

Watching it go, an untold number of people let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

The Tyrannosaur continued on its way down, and every animal in its path scrambled to get out of its way. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The herd of Duck-billed Dragons roared. The adults moved to confront the Tyrannosaur, forming a protective wall in front of their young.

The Tyrannosaur sneered, baring its sharp teeth. It gave the Duck-billed Dragons a single glance, then slowly ambled to the side.

The Gobi Armored Dragons formed a circle with their rumps facing the Tyrannosaur, their hammer-like tails swinging back and forth.

The Tyrannosaur continued onward, but then it suddenly stopped.

It tilted its head, its gaze landing on a herd of camels nearby.

Then it moved, charging into the camel herd like a hurricane.

It snatched up a camel in a single bite, its massive jaws closing around the upper half of the animal’s body.

The camel, like a fluffy yellow cupcake, was crushed in a single bite.

Crimson juices dripped from the corners of the Tyrannosaur’s mouth.

The remaining camels didn’t even think of fighting back; they scattered, fleeing in a panic.

In full view of the other beasts, the Tyrannosaur savored its meal, devouring the camel in just a few bites.

Seemingly satisfied, it lumbered over to the lake’s edge and began to drink deeply.

But suddenly, it froze.

It whipped its head to the side.

ROAR!!!

ROAR!!!

At almost the exact same moment, another, equally powerful roar answered from the hillside.

"Shit, there’s a second Tyrannosaur," Cao Biansheng couldn’t help but curse.

From the direction they had come, another Tyrannosaur now stood atop a sand dune, facing the one by the lake.

"’One mountain can’t hold two tigers, unless it’s a male and a female...’ Don’t tell me these two Tyrannosaurs are a pair..." Qin Ziwu muttered to himself.

Wang Yun stared intently at the two confrontational Tyrannosaurs. "Hard to say. For now, at least, it doesn’t seem like it. They look like they’re about to fight, which doesn’t exactly scream ’courtship’."

He Biao’s face was ashen. ’The only thing more terrifying than one Tyrannosaur at the Oasis is two!’

’Killing one would be hard enough. How are we supposed to deal with two?’

Qin Ziwen looked up as the Beaked Eagle descended from the sky.

He stroked the Beaked Eagle’s head, removed the phone from around its neck, and began reviewing the video it had recorded.

Scrubbing through the video, he found footage from the Beaked Eagle showing a nesting ground for a flock of Winged Dragons. It was on a high cliffside plateau further east, only about five or six kilometers from the Oasis.

Suddenly, he froze. In the Beaked Eagle’s footage, he had spotted the Tyrannosaur.

The bird’s-eye view captured the Tyrannosaur’s trajectory with perfect clarity.

He scrubbed back and forth through the footage and finally confirmed it: this Tyrannosaur had emerged from a rocky mountain to the east.

’Could that be its lair?’

Qin Ziwen’s eyes gleamed. ’This is good news. If I can confirm the exact location of the Tyrannosaur’s lair, we can go and set traps in advance. Poison, fire... both are excellent options.’

...

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