The back of the Summon Card looked like a starry sky.

Against a deep blue background were many small, white points of light, like stars.

The front featured the image of a Duck-billed Dragon.

Holding the Card in his hand, Qin Ziwen knew how to use it.

For the next twelve hours, he could summon a Duck-billed Dragon that would obey his commands.

The Duck-billed Dragon’s size and strength would be identical to the one that had been hunted. And the Card was single-use, similar to a Healing Card.

The Card would be destroyed upon use. The summoned Duck-billed Dragon would last for a maximum of twelve hours and would disappear whether it was killed or the time limit was exceeded.

[Summon Card] Ordinary · Duck-billed Dragon (☆☆☆☆) (12 Hours) (1/1)

He put it away and looked at the Duplication Card.

The Duplication Card had an interesting color. It was multicolored, like a ball of modeling clay kneaded together. Both the front and back had no distinct images, only a complex, dazzling pattern.

Its effect was easy to guess from the name.

Once used, this Duplication Card could permanently transform into any Ordinary Level Building Card.

However, it could only duplicate a Card, not an existing building.

As for the last Blank Expansion Card, its purpose was self-evident.

Suddenly, a dark shadow shot toward him from beneath the water.

’So there really are creatures at the bottom of this lake.’ It wasn’t very large. The lake wasn’t deep, and using the available light and his own experience, he estimated the aquatic creature to be between two and three meters long.

Qin Ziwen swam quickly toward the surface, the shadow giving chase.

A violent disturbance erupted in the water behind him. Sensing the impact of the current, Qin Ziwen instinctively curled his legs and stretched out his arms.

Just then, a shadow fell over him from above.

The Beaked Eagle, circling in the sky, had noticed the thing tailing its master from the very beginning.

Its thick talons broke the surface of the water. Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, it pulled a large fish from the lake. The fish’s slender tail thrashed wildly in the air.

The Beaked Eagle’s talons easily pierced the fish’s belly, spraying a mixture of blood and lake water like rain.

Qin Ziwen cupped some lake water and wiped his face.

Looking up, he saw the Beaked Eagle drop the large fish, lower its talons, and hover above his head. Qin Ziwen grabbed its legs, and the eagle flew him back to the shore.

As soon as he landed, he saw Wang Sheng, who had clearly been waiting for some time. "Mr. Qin, do you think I could join the Qin Alliance?"

Qin Ziwen smiled slightly. "There’s no formal ’joining.’ If you want to be a part of it, then you’re one of us."

...

The convoy slowly drove into the Gated Community.

A crowd had long since gathered at the entrance, waiting.

"The water’s here!"

"We finally have water!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, swarming the water tanker and kicking up clouds of dust.

They surrounded the tanker, forming several layers deep in no time.

"Everyone, back up!" Zou Jianghe shouted. "What are you all doing crowded around here? Can’t you see the convoy can’t move?"

He had to shout several times before the crowd finally dispersed.

Zou Jianghe walked over to the flatbed truck and lifted the water tank’s cover.

Seeing the clear, pure water inside, Zou Jianghe felt a little relieved. He turned to a tall man nearby and asked, "How are things at the Oasis?"

An Alliance Association member responsible for transporting the water replied, "We were attacked by a pack of wolves on our way there, but we drove them off. These are the wolf pelts we skinned."

Zou Jianghe glanced over and noticed that his Alliance Association members had the most wolf pelts, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. ’I suppose whoever killed them gets to keep the spoils,’ he thought.

"Go on," he said.

"Then we reached the Oasis. There were a lot of animals there, many of them even bigger than elephants."

"That’s normal. It’s an oasis, so all the nearby animals would gather there," Zou Jianghe said, nodding in understanding.

"Later, Chairman Qin led us to hunt down the Giant Hyenas. Almost none of us were injured." As the member spoke, his tone involuntarily filled with admiration.

Zou Jianghe keenly sensed it.

’If these Alliance Association members spend more time at the Oasis, won’t they all start thinking about defecting to the Qin Alliance?’

But then he consoled himself. ’It was just killing a pack of wild beasts. It’s nothing special. I should trust them.’

"Anything else?" Zou Jianghe continued to probe. His feelings were complicated now; he hoped for good news but was also afraid of hearing too much of it.

The member shook his head. "We headed back as soon as we finished loading the water."

’It seems Qin Ziwen’s progress over there is limited,’ Zou Jianghe thought, feeling a little relieved. "What’s your name?"

"Chairman, my name is Jiang Shan."

"Mm, keep up the good work."

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Zou Jianghe’s mind. ’Since the Oasis doesn’t seem too dangerous, maybe I should go over there and make a show of things myself.’

"Let me ask you, are there any ferocious beasts at the Oasis? Were you attacked at night?"

"There are two Tyrannosaurs active near the Oasis, but we haven’t been attacked at night so far."

Hearing this, the idea that had just sparked in Zou Jianghe’s mind was instantly extinguished.

’Forget it. Discretion is the better part of valor.’

...

Luo Gang’s expression grew solemn after hearing his subordinate’s report about the two Tyrannosaurs at the Oasis.

"Normally, predators of this level have very large hunting territories. It’s almost impossible for another of the same species to be in the same area, unless it’s of the opposite sex."

"But Teacher Luo, we saw with our own eyes that the two Tyrannosaurs were in a standoff. One of them even acted aggressively toward the other."

"Describe the scene to me again."

After hearing the description, Luo Gang frowned, his expression growing even more grave.

"If I’m not mistaken, those two Tyrannosaurs are a male and a female. The one acting aggressive was probably the female Tyrannosaurus. She must be pregnant or have already laid eggs. Did she show any special behavior when she was hunting? For example, did she catch any prey to take back with her?"

This student thought back carefully, then shook his head. "I don’t think so."

"Think again, carefully."

The student quickly asked his classmates nearby.

In the end, they all concluded that she had not.

Luo Gang said, "In that case, she has most likely already laid eggs, but they haven’t hatched yet. When you go back, tell Chairman Qin that this female Tyrannosaurus is in a nesting period. Her mood may be unstable, so try to avoid her hunting grounds when moving about."

"Yes, Chairman."

"As for the other Tyrannosaurus, that should be the male. If you want to hunt the Tyrannosaurs, you could consider this angle and try to provoke a fight between the two of them. Of course, the specific course of action will be up to you to decide on the spot."

"Yes, Chairman. I’ll pass on the message."

"Mm. Are you short on any supplies? We can prepare some more for you here and have them sent over when you return. If you’re short-staffed, we can also organize more people for reinforcements."

"On the way back, Chairman Qin mentioned that the temperature over there is low, so we could bring more bedding and things for insulation. We don’t need anything else for now. Oh, he also said that if there’s an emergency here in the Gated Community, we should contact Jia Liangcai."

Luo Gang looked thoughtful. "Alright, I understand."

With that, he looked to the east and prayed silently in his heart, ’I just hope their trip is a success.’

...

...