Tao Fu followed Qin Ziwen to the settlement.

There, at the edge of the settlement, Tao Fu saw the Tyrannosaurus skeletons, which had been picked clean of all flesh.

Winged Dragons circled in the sky. A few of the bolder ones landed on a Tyrannosaurus skull, pecking at its empty eye sockets.

As Tao Fu drew closer, the Winged Dragons took fright and flew off.

Tao Fu squatted, running his large, calloused hands over the two Tyrannosaurus skeletons.

His fingertips traced the massive bones. Tao Fu then got on his tiptoes, trying to break off a piece with his bare hands. He tapped on it repeatedly, testing its hardness.

Finally, a smile spread across his face. He hurried back to find Qin Ziwen. "Sir, do you have any other use for these two skeletons?"

Qin Ziwen glanced at the skeletons resting in a nearby clearing. The bones had been picked clean of all flesh and hide. Some people were probably planning to take a few home to make bone broth.

He shook his head.

Tao Fu said, "Sir, since you have no use for them, might I have them? I want to try using the section from the ribcage to the spine as a ship’s keel, reinforcing it with rivets and wooden planks."

Qin Ziwen agreed. "Of course. Take them back and give it a try."

Tao Fu was overjoyed. After asking Qin Ziwen for a few men, he led them away to dismantle the skeletons.

In a nearby clearing, a group of people had set up a large cauldron over a fire.

Inside, fresh Tyrannosaurus meat was boiling away.

The Tyrannosaurus meat tasted a bit like chicken, but it was much chewier—even tougher than beef.

Cradled in his arms, Black smelled the aroma of the meat and eagerly poked his head out.

Qin Ziwen held him tighter. "You can’t eat this. Xiaowu, bring over some Raptor meat."

Qin Ziwu came running over with a basin of Raptor meat. He couldn’t help but stare at the pet in his brother’s arms. "Huh, he looks familiar... Is that a Tyrannosaurus?!"

"That’s right. It hatched from the egg we brought back from the nest."

Qin Ziwu’s eyes lit up. "Wow, I can’t believe it actually hatched!" he said, delighted.

He squatted down and offered the fresh meat. "Here you go, little guy. Let me get a good look at you."

Black took the meat with his two small claws and began to chow down, completely focused and oblivious to the world around him.

Afterward, Qin Ziwen called Tao Fu over to eat with them.

He, Qin Ziwu, and the core members of the Hunting Group sat in a circle, eating together.

Everyone noticed the new addition by Qin Ziwen’s feet—Black.

Then, Qin Ziwen briefly explained the task required for his breakthrough to the Extraordinary rank: he needed to complete a hunt, and the target had to be the strongest creature they could handle.

Cao Biansheng spoke up. "President, is this a solo hunt for you? The Raptors in the Oasis would be a decent challenge."

"It’s not a solo hunt. Du Yu and the Beaked Eagle can provide support," Qin Ziwen said, shaking his head.

Cao Biansheng’s tone immediately changed. "Well, in that case, our options just opened up."

Qin Ziwen shot him a sidelong glance.

Seeing the look, Cao Biansheng chuckled sheepishly and quickly backtracked. "President, I was just joking. Since Instructor Du and the Beaked Eagle can join in, what’s there to think about? We just have to go after whatever’s strongest in this Oasis!"

"I want to hunt the Giant Rock Dragon."

A hush fell over the group. Cao Biansheng hesitated. "But, President, we haven’t found any trace of a Giant Rock Dragon."

Yuan Ming nodded. "He’s right. We’ve killed two Tyrannosauruses, but there’s been absolutely no sign of this Giant Rock Dragon. It’s like a hidden boss from a video game—it’s tucked away too well."

"It’s fine. If we really can’t find it, we’ll just hunt another creature. But for now, I need everyone to be careful during their hunts. Don’t complete any of the missions on the Hunting Celestial List."

"Don’t worry, I’ll pass the word along."

After lunch, everyone went about their respective duties and got to work.

The three hundred people split into teams of various sizes to gather resources, hunt, explore, and transport water.

Each team worked in an orderly fashion.

Two full days passed, during which they turned the Oasis practically upside down. They even managed to get a clear picture of the bottom of the central lake.

There were no especially large aquatic creatures in the lake, only a school of giant catfish, each over two meters long, dwelling at the bottom.

Beyond that, the Oasis had no underground caves or hidden passages.

The remaining large beasts consisted of herds of Duck-billed Dragons, Zungar Rhinoceroses, and Gobi Armored Dragons, as well as the Desert Raptors scattered throughout the Oasis.

Du Yu reported, "We’ve searched this entire area thoroughly, but we haven’t found any sign of the Giant Rock Dragon in the Oasis. Sir, I suspect it may not live in this region at all."

"Not in the Oasis?" Qin Ziwen frowned. ’Judging by the image on the Hunting Celestial List, the Giant Rock Dragon should be massive.’

’A creature of that size would have definitely left some trace of its existence here.’

Du Yu shook his head. "Given its size, it would have absolutely left some kind of trail if it were in the Oasis. But since there are no clues at all, I suspect one of two things: either there’s a second oasis somewhere in this part of the Gobi Desert, or the creature lives somewhere much farther away, not in an oasis at all."

"Do you have any theories?"

Du Yu turned his head to look north, toward the small river that was the lifeblood of the Oasis, and shared his theory. "Sir, there can’t be another oasis nearby, or all these animals wouldn’t have migrated here. Therefore, I’m guessing it might be somewhere upstream."

Qin Ziwu chimed in, "Bro, I have an idea, too. Judging by its name, Giant Rock Dragon, it probably lives underground or in caves. Is it possible it doesn’t rely on the Oasis and is just hibernating in some cavern or sand dune somewhere?"

"No, it has to be near the Oasis," Qin Ziwen said, shaking his head. "No matter how long it hibernates, it still has to eat! It can’t survive on rocks, can it?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He paused for a moment at that thought. "Then we’ll search upstream along the river!"

Following that, Du Yu mounted the Beaked Eagle and began scouting upstream, following the river north of the Oasis.

Meanwhile, Qin Ziwu led a team of his own to investigate the riverbanks on foot.

On the third day, they finally received news about the Giant Rock Dragon!

It was neither in the Oasis nor along the upstream portion of the river.

The news came from the team responsible for transporting water back and forth to the Gated Community.

At the bottom of the Great Rift Valley south of the Gated Community, someone had discovered an underground cavern. Inside, the person claimed to have seen a giant, subterranean monster with his own eyes!

Qin Ziwen didn’t dare to waste a moment. He immediately took Du Yu, mounted the Beaked Eagle, and flew ahead back to the Gated Community.

Luo Gang explained the situation to Qin Ziwen. "One of the students from our Student Union found the cavern. He was searching for prey in the southern Great Rift Valley when he stumbled upon a patch of damp earth. Suspecting a spring underneath, he dug away the soil and found a natural fissure. He squeezed through and discovered a massive underground space, and he could hear animal noises coming from inside."

Luo Gang then introduced the student to Qin Ziwen.

...

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