Sss...
Li Fan, holding a hunter's knife, repeatedly cut at a sharp spike on the wing.
Roar...
The sleeping Spinosaurus let out a low groan. As soon as its eyelids opened, it saw a giant bird spreading its wings towards it.
Hummm...
The cyan sleeping powder dispersed, and the hypnotic sound waves spread from the wing membrane, combined with Yeyee's rhythmic head shaking.
Feeling drowsy, the Spinosaurus closed its eyes again and fell back asleep.
"This is so hard to cut..."
Yudora pulled out the hunter's knife embedded in the spike and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"To obtain the venom, cutting from the root is the best method."
Li Fan didn't look for ways to improve efficiency.
"How about we drink some water first, meow?"
Dilu said, handing over the water flask.
"Thanks."
Gulp~ Gulp~...
As Yudora tilted her head to drink, she saw a green figure in the sky and her expression immediately froze.
"Pfft!... It's a Spinosaurus! Another Spinosaurus!"
Yudora spat out the water and shouted a warning.
"Everyone, conceal yourselves!"
Li Fan said, quickly climbing a lush tree nearby.
Dilu and Yudora leaped and hid in the bushes.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~...
Yeyee spread powder with its wings and entered stealth mode.
Thump! Thump!
A moment later, another, slightly smaller Spinosaurus landed on the ground.
Roar!
With a roar, Li Fan, who was hugging the tree tightly, shook along with the trunk.
Yudora, hidden in the bushes, thought the team had been detected and drew her sword to fight, but Dilu grabbed the pouch on her skirt.
Tsk~
A cat's paw pointed in a direction. Li Fan's hand, extended from the dense leaves at the top of the tree, waved, signaling not to attack.
Could the roar not be directed at their team?
Yudora withdrew her gaze and observed carefully, discovering an anomaly.
This Spinosaurus was indeed very angry, but its head had been facing the other sleeping Spinosaurus since it landed.
Roar!
With another roar, the Spinosaurus, which couldn't be awakened by the previous blade strike, opened its eyes.
Seeing the newcomer, the Spinosaurus quickly pushed off the ground and stood up.
Roar! Roar! Roar!...
The ecosystem is showing signs of disturbance! And you're still sleeping every day!
Have you found a new habitat!
I'm about to lay eggs! Can't you shoulder your responsibility as a male!
....
Amidst a series of roars, the male Spinosaurus that had just woken up retreated, until its wings were pressed against the rock face.
Li Fan finally understood that this was a pair of Spinosaurus.
They had sensed the surrounding ecological anomaly and decided to migrate.
Clearly, even if they weren't affected by the Parasitic Insects themselves, the collapse of the food chain would eventually make it impossible for them to continue living in the island's dense forests.
Roar~
The male Spinosaurus let out a muffled roar, indicating it was leaving, and then spread its wings to take flight.
Roar~
Be careful.
The female Spinosaurus's cry became much softer.
Thump~ After watching it fly away, the female Spinosaurus, which had fallen asleep instantly, collapsed in its nest.
I almost cut through my spike, and then a new one appeared...
Li Fan, feeling a bit dejected, could only start over.
Fortunately, this time the cutting was smoother. After half an hour of work, warm venom with purple bubbles gushed out from the tips of the two spikes on its body.
The team emptied all their containers to collect it.
At the outpost, the receptionist girl, Cheqi, looked at the contract given by Yan several times, still with an incredulous expression.
"Editor Dilu is a hunter cat from a chief hunter team, why would she write this kind of contract?"
"It's indeed baffling. Perhaps she's pursuing the ultimate state of hunting, but the team seems quite confident."
Yan said.
"But if I authenticate the contract, it means the countdown has begun."
Cheqi reminded him.
"I believe them."
"Alright."
Cheqi said, picking up the dragon-patterned authentication seal and pressing it onto the contract.
"Is this contract just authenticated?"
Li Fan asked.
"Yes... you're back?"
Yan said with great surprise.
"Yes, and we brought back quite a bit of Spinosaurus venom."
Li Fan said, and Dilu opened her backpack, taking out various containers filled with venom.
"They actually succeeded."
Yan looked incredulous.
"By the way, didn't you leave earlier?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"The transport ship I took made a stop at the Citadel High Camp... How did you manage it?"
"It was a brutal battle, and in the end, we were the ones who won."
Li Fan gave a very brief description.
"So this is what a top hunter team is like... I've already informed Admiral Gareas about the situation with the Parasitic Insects. Since I need to continue my research, we might not see each other for a while."
Yan said, then put the bottles and jars of Spinosaurus venom into the multi-layered medicine box he carried on his back.
"So... is this contract considered complete?"
Cheqi asked uncertainly.
"Yes."
Yan gave a very definite answer.
Thump~ The seal of completion fell.
The royal palace of the abandoned castle, after renovation, became Elgard's combat command center.
Gareas, with graying temples and a solemn expression, stood with his hands behind his back, observing several map display boards. He then turned to the sand table and picked up the puppet soldiers representing the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad, placing them in various areas of the Citadel High Camp.
He had led and commanded the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad to repel the Velkhana multiple times and was a beloved hero.
However, the sudden appearance of the Parasitic Insects had left him in a state of confusion.
"Is it truly you, the source of the kingdom's constant turmoil..."
Gareas muttered, gently picking up the Velkhana model that occupied the ruins of the royal castle on the sand table.
"Admiral Gareas, the chief hunter team has arrived by invitation!"
A Royal Knight ran to report.
"Good."
Gareas responded and then went to the palace gate to greet them.
"Hello, I am Gareas, the overall combat commander of Elgard."
After the team introduced themselves, Gareas smiled and said, "Although the chief hunter team is renowned, it was Puxian who made me want to get to know you three more deeply."
"Is the Admiral acquainted with the village chief of the Fire Village, meow?"
Dilu asked curiously.
"Yes, every time the Fire Village has a Hyakuryu Night, Elgard also experiences unusual activity. Although we are separated by the sea, we are like brothers in misfortune. Coupled with the trade of ores with the Fire Village, the two sides quickly formed an alliance. Puxian also helped a lot in setting up this outpost."
Gareas informed them.
"Admiral, is there something you need us for?"
Li Fan asked.
"I wish to formally invite the three of you to participate in the investigation of these Parasitic Insects."
The two humans and one cat looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.
Clearly, the team was already highly involved, so what did the invitation mean?
"No problem, the chief hunter team accepts the invitation."
A moment later, Li Fan gave a positive response.
Without Gareas's formal invitation, the team could have acted independently.
However, their information sharing and the support they could receive from the outpost would have been severely limited.
"Excellent. All intelligence from the combat command room will be fully accessible to the team. Furthermore, the hunting ship 'Valiant' will be gifted to the team in the name of the kingdom, along with the authority to mobilize elite members of the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad. I hope these will assist you in helping the kingdom overcome this crisis."
Gareas was surprised that Li Fan accepted the invitation before he could even mention the benefits.
"The 'Valiant' hunting ship... that's too valuable. And given the current situation, it's a critical time when transport capacity is urgently needed."
Yudora expressed her concerns.
Having a hunting ship exclusively for their team would indeed be very convenient, but Yudora did not want it to affect the overall deployment of the outpost.
"It's alright. Once the kingdom's fleet arrives, a large number of new Dragonator and rapid-fire cannons will be deployed. As long as it makes travel more convenient for the chief team, this sacrifice is entirely worth it."
Gareas said generously.
"Then, alright."
Yudora finally realized that Elgard was backed by a kingdom, not just an ordinary village.
It was a nation that had clashed with Velkhana multiple times and successfully repelled it even before the Hunter's Guild established itself.
"For the new Dragonator, we've added a secondary booster jet device to the rear. Once we resolve the issue of fixed launch angles, humans may no longer need to fear Elder Dragons."
Gareas introduced.
Dragonator that's like a missile... Rapid technological advancement isn't always a good thing.
Li Fan thought to himself.
After signing the formal contract and walking out of the palace gates, Yudora looked at the contract scroll and said in amazement, "They can even mobilize Fio...?"
"Speaking of Fio, she went to the Citadel High Camp on a mission. Could she have encountered any danger?"
Li Fan thought of her near-death experience in the story due to infection by Parasitic Insects and couldn't help but worry.
"No, meow. Didn't you mention in your letter to be careful?"
Dilu didn't think it would be such a coincidence.
"But she's the captain of the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad. There are many situations where she can't retreat, right?"
Li Fan sighed.
As they conversed, the team arrived at the plaza adjacent to the port.
Although the outpost was built within the ruins of a castle, after long-term renovation and management, it had already achieved the prosperity of a core town.
Meow Mail, general store, workshop, research institute...
All sorts of facilities were readily available.
"The Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad is back!"
With a shout, a hunting ship with dark red sails entered the port.
Amidst the cheering crowd, Fio, with a haggard expression, arrived at the port with two other elite members of the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad.
Seeing Li Fan in the plaza, Fio slowly walked towards him amidst the cheers. However, just a few steps away, she suddenly collapsed to the ground in pain.
Half an hour later, in the outpost's infirmary, Yan completed his diagnosis of the unconscious Fio and said with certainty, "Yes, it's Parasitic Insect poison."
"The Captain blocked the Velkhana at that time, otherwise we would all have been in danger. We thought it was just a scratch, but we didn't expect it to be so serious."
Jieyin, an elite member of the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad, said with guilt.
"Can the progress of the antidote research be accelerated?"
Li Fan asked.
"I'll try my best to push it."
Yan responded, gave some instructions, and then rushed back to the research institute to continue developing the antidote.
Walking out of the infirmary, Yudora sighed, "I never expected Fio, who seemed so strong, to collapse just from being touched by the insect poison."
"Until the antidote is developed, the team should try not to leave the outpost. Especially you, if you must go out, leave it to Dilu and me."
Li Fan made his deployment.
This invisible threat was one of the few factors that could endanger the team members.
"But according to the intelligence brought back by the Kingdom Knights' Hunting Squad, the Velkhana has been very active recently, and it might even attack the outpost."
Yudora voiced her concern.
"I'll find an opportunity to communicate with the Monster Squad and put some pressure on the Velkhana."
"Uh... I have a theory. Could it be because of the Monster Squad that the Velkhana has become so active?"
Yudora ventured.
"That's right, we can't put any more pressure on it."
Li Fan thought Yudora's point was valid.
He had instructed Meowmeow, Uragaan, and Chacha not to provoke unnecessary fights.
The Velkhana, in its haste to charge the swarm of Parasitic Insects, should not be actively seeking trouble.
But that didn't mean it wouldn't provoke the Velkhana and put it on edge.
"Then what should we do?"
"Have the Monster Squad withdraw. This will ease the environment in the Citadel High Camp."
Li Fan stated his opinion.
Late at night, outside the public camp at the Citadel High Camp, Li Fan conveyed his deployment.
Roar?
Uragaan, now a size larger with slight cracks on its shell, let out a confused roar.
Since the target didn't understand due to the "Hunger's Unrighteousness" effect, Li Fan vividly demonstrated the message to it individually.
"Uragaan, do you understand now?"
Roar...
A simple question caused the head-tilting Uragaan to fall silent, seemingly frozen.
Roar?
At this moment, Meowmeow asked about the recent situation of Little Meow.
"Uh... Little Meow is being looked after by a specialist. Someone stimulates it with Dragonite crystals every day. It's estimated that it will hatch in the near future."
Li Fan had entrusted the spike, concentrated with Meowmeow's life essence, to Patch for care. It was currently in the incubation chamber of the Fire Village's ship.
Since Pidan hatched under Patch's care, his experience was quite rich.
Roar~ Roar~...
Meowmeow bared its fangs, looking blissful.
Feeling a chill down his spine, Li Fan quickly looked at Chacha.
"Chacha, your vitality has started to decline. Although the progress is very slow, the Parasitic Insects attached to you have reached their limit. Stop recruiting them."
Li Fan earnestly warned.
In fact, after being parasitized by a certain number of Parasitic Insects, except for the special case of Meowmeow, a decline in vitality was a normal phenomenon.
Chacha's condition was not too serious for a six-star monster, but Li Fan did not want it to take risks, only intending for a mild attempt.
Roar~
Chacha responded, indicating it would be careful.
Roar~ Roar!
At this moment, Uragaan, which had been stuck for a long time, suddenly roared, indicating it understood.
As for Uragaan's Parasitic Insect infestation, Li Fan did not mention it.
Firstly, it couldn't understand, and secondly, due to its reduced intelligence, there weren't many Parasitic Insects attached to Uragaan.