The next morning, as Xiao Bendan needed a day of rest to recover its optimal condition, it remained at the camp.
The team, now on foot, arrived near Observation Point 3 and split into two groups to begin their operations.
Yudora headed to the higher terrain of the mountains to collect cacti while observing the movements of the Diablos.
Li Fan, along with Dilu, led Shasha, whose carrying capacity was exceptionally high, across the desert plains for collection.
*Chigga!*
The shovel plunged into the sand, and a cactus was scooped up.
Li Fan turned, the shovel lifted, and the cactus landed in the large grass basket strapped to Shasha's back.
"Phew~ It's so hot..."
Li Fan took a long gulp of his cold drink, pulled his sun hat lower, and as he raised his shovel to dig again, a purple signal flare exploded in the sky.
This was the signal agreed upon by the team. If Yudora observed the Diablos moving closer to the team members, she would release a flare.
"Quick, to the designated safe point on the map!"
Li Fan and Dilu hurried, reaching a sandstone cave entrance only half a person's height.
Dilu scrambled in first. After Li Fan recalled Shasha into its Poké Ball, he followed, carrying the large grass basket.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*....
Soon, a rumbling sound, accompanied by tremors, came from underground, like an approaching train.
As the tremors intensified, a wave of sand and dust swept across the ground.
*Boom!* The sandy ground suddenly burst open! Countless sandstone fragments flew everywhere.
*Thump! Thump!*....
Li Fan, crouched inside the cave, could only see two massive, three-toed paws with extremely rough skin texture stomping on the ground.
*Aow~ Aow?*
Pausing for a moment before the cacti, the Diablos let out a low growl. Its pair of massive horns dug into the ground, and as its wing-claws dug, sand and rocks flew. Its enormous body rapidly sank, and in an instant, it disappeared underground.
The ground trembled again, but this time, the tremors moved from near to far.
*Phew~*
*Meow~*
Li Fan and Dilu simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Standing up and turning around, they discovered a dozen black Melynxes, each holding a wooden staff, staring at them.
*Meow! Meow!*...
After a series of chaotic meows, the Melynxes, without ceremony, began examining the two large grass baskets.
Once they confirmed the baskets contained only cacti, their interest quickly waned, and they dispersed.
Li Fan observed the open-air sandstone cave, noting the strange red markings on the stone pillars and the Melynxes' near-wild state. He deduced this was likely a wild Melynx camp.
The Melynxes here did not interact with humans and did not speak human languages. They were likely only interested in the various supplies humans carried.
Li Fan crawled out of the cave entrance and continued his collection.
In the evening, the team reconvened and returned to the camp. The cacti collected that day filled two large grass baskets, and with what Yudora carried in her backpack, they piled up like a small mountain.
"Tomorrow, we'll go to this area..."
Li Fan said, drawing a circle on the map.
"Don't collect all the cacti from the other location. I'm afraid Xiao Shuai will think they're completely depleted nearby and leave to find a new habitat."
The strategy for this plan was similar to when they guided the Zinogre.
However, the rarity of Thunderbugs was much higher than cacti, which meant Xiao Shuai wouldn't stay fixed in one area.
The next day, the same collection efforts continued for the entire day.
Xiao Shuai became increasingly active on the sandy plains in its search for cacti.
As they had to wake up early the next day to set up the operation, the team went to bed before 8 o'clock.
During this time, Yudora mentioned she couldn't sleep, so Li Fan summoned Yeye, who quickly lulled her to sleep.
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*....
At three in the morning, the handheld alarm clock rang.
The team donned their gear, packed their supplies, and rode Xiao Bendan towards the area around Observation Point 3.
Under the moonlight, the sandy plains, viewed from high above, resembled wrinkled silk, possessing a comfortable and serene beauty.
Upon reaching the designated spot and disembarking, the team began placing cacti at intervals.
Time flew by quickly. Soon, the sun rose, and the sandy plains were once again engulfed in heat.
At Observation Point 3, situated on a sandstone plateau, Yudora, lying prone, looked at the cacti arranged in a line on the ground and asked uncertainly, "Will this really work?"
"Xiao Shuai hasn't eaten cacti to its heart's content for two days. I think it's fine."
Li Fan stated his assessment.
About an hour later, a distinct tremor shook the ground, and Xiao Shuai burst from the sand.
It lowered its head, examined the cacti for a moment, and then swallowed one. As it chewed, it noticed another cactus fifty meters away.
So, it walked slowly towards it and swallowed it again.
From above, Xiao Shuai looked like a chick pecking at rice, constantly being guided forward.
"Xiao Shuai is so dumb..."
Yudora, observing through her binoculars, said with some frustration.
"This is the negative effect of having too high an ecological niche."
Li Fan replied.
"I feel like I've heard that somewhere before?"
"It's a concept from ecological data. It mainly suggests that if a monster's ecological niche in a fixed area remains at the top for a long time, its perception of danger will weaken. Conversely, monsters in the middle of the ecological hierarchy are more vigilant towards unknown species and abnormal situations. Xiao Shuai might have been too long without experiencing a survival crisis, which is why it's so indifferent to traps."
Li Fan explained.
"Then, do you think... Xiao Shuai might know this is a trap?"
Yudora asked curiously.
"Monster minds are generally quite simple. As long as we don't put anything potent in their food, they shouldn't connect it to being a trap."
Li Fan inferred from his experience.
Some monsters might naturally dislike humans, but sufficient interaction is needed for them to realize they've been tricked by humans.
This was something Li Fan deduced by reverse-engineering when feeding monsters.
For example, if the other party doesn't see you feeding them, then the food is a gift from nature.
Conversely, as long as they can't detect the hunter team's presence or haven't had similar experiences of being tricked, then no matter what happens, they won't associate it with humans.
Of course, it's not uncommon for them to take their misfortune out on any hunter team they encounter.
While walking and eating, Xiao Shuai thus moved out of the range of Observation Point 3 and headed towards Observation Point 2.
The team rode Xiao Bendan to follow. Upon reaching Observation Platform 2, Dilu noticed something unusual: "Why is Xiao Shuai resting, meow?"
"Perhaps it's tired from eating."
Li Fan estimated, as this was completely different from normal feeding.
After lying down for about ten minutes, Xiao Shuai stood up again and began using its tail hammer, which resembled a double-edged axe, to smash the cacti before swallowing them.
"Oh, so it's the continuous chewing that's fatigued its jaw muscles."
Li Fan suddenly realized.
"You can even figure that out..."
Yudora was quite surprised.
"As long as you have sufficient knowledge, it's not difficult to figure things out."
Li Fan explained.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
Xiao Shuai continued this way, its tail smashing all the way to the vicinity of the cave near Observation Point 2.
Seeing the cacti filling the cave entrance, Xiao Shuai tilted its head, looking left and right, as if sensing something was amiss.
But looking at the cacti placed at the cave entrance, it ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and slowly approached.
Even without burrowing underground, just walking normally, with a Diablos' nearly 30-meter size, there would definitely be tremors.
So, with every step Xiao Shuai took closer to the cave entrance, echoes would reverberate from within the cave.
*Bang!* The massive tail hammer struck the cave entrance, smashing all the cacti, and a loud noise echoed into the cave.
"Aren't you coming out yet, meow?"
Seeing Xiao Shuai enthusiastically eating, Dilu asked anxiously.
"With such a loud noise, it's sure to sense it."
Li Fan was confident.
"Hey... I see a Brachydios."
Yudora reported.
"There's nothing in the cave."
Li Fan quickly adjusted the magnification of his binoculars, but the cave remained dark.
"The Brachydios isn't in the cave; it's on the sandy plains and is heading towards the cave."
Yudora, looking in a completely different direction, informed them.
Li Fan and Dilu quickly shifted their binoculars.
"This... sigh, we were only focused on Xiao Shuai's movements and didn't account for the Brachydios. However, the situation is still quite good. If they met on the sandy plains, the Diablos would have an even greater advantage."
Li Fan felt that although the situation had changed, it was still developing in a favorable direction.
Soon, the Brachydios sensed Xiao Shuai, which was squatting at its cave entrance and vigorously chewing cacti.
After a brief moment of surprise, it slightly increased its speed.
Xiao Shuai sensed the heavy thudding of paws and turned its neck to look back.
The two monsters' eyes met, and there was a long silence.
*Aow... Aow...*
The Brachydios stopped and spoke first.
*Aow... Aow?*
Xiao Shuai turned its head slightly, looking confused.
"Uh... you don't mean you can understand their conversation, do you?"
Seeing Li Fan watching so intently, Yudora tentatively asked.
"The Brachydios said, 'What do you mean, little brother?' and Xiao Shuai said, 'I don't mean anything.'"
"Ah! You really can understand?"
Yudora said disbelievingly.
"It's situational empathy. It's roughly that feeling."
Li Fan explained.
*Aow! Aow!*
The Brachydios seemed to lose patience, its roar becoming fierce.
Xiao Shuai didn't back down. It straightened its posture, faced it directly, and responded with two roars of its own.
"Why are you both looking at me?"
Feeling their gazes, Li Fan moved his binoculars away and discovered two pairs of expectant eyes fixed on him.
"Translate for us, meow. We really want to hear."
Dilu, with her paws clasped together, pleaded.
"Hmm... the Brachydios says, 'The day the tail blade is forged is the day the swordsman returns...' and the Diablos says... 'Brave Diablos, unafraid of difficulties.'"
"Oh! They both sound so powerful, meow!"
Dilu exclaimed.
A moment later, the Diablos lowered its center of gravity, its paws constantly scraping the ground.
Beneath the flame-like shell protruding from the Brachydios' back, it gradually turned red, and wisps of heat began to rise.
Under normal circumstances, without sufficient reason, even if five-star monsters encountered each other, they wouldn't necessarily engage in combat.
However, both the Brachydios and the Diablos had extremely violent personalities.
Neither was willing to back down or compromise, so the only way to decide the victor was through battle.
Xiao Shuai lowered its head, straightened its posture, and its legs pushed off forcefully, its ferocious impact kicking up a cloud of sand.
The Brachydios didn't want to take the charge head-on. It moved two steps to the side, its tail blade, which was hanging low, quickly swung to the other side of its body, becoming taut and ready.
It seemed to intend to deliver a tail blade strike to Xiao Shuai's back after evading the charge.
However, with a slight adjustment in its footwork, the unstoppable horn charge caused a subtle shift in its angle.
To adjust its angle during a charge!
Li Fan was greatly surprised.
This seemingly ordinary adjustment ability was an undeniable divine skill for the Diablos.
*Clang!* The curved horn directly struck the Brachydios' chest, causing it to lose balance and lean backward.
Xiao Shuai didn't stop. Its tail hammer, resembling a double-edged axe, swung through its extension and retraction, arced through the air, and then slammed down with immense force.
*Boom!* It precisely hit the Brachydios' head, and several plates of armor around its mouth cracked and fell off.
*Aow! Aow!*...
The fallen Brachydios roared in anger. The blood vessels under its skin rapidly bulged and turned red, and flames continuously overflowed from its mouth.
*Aow!!!*
Xiao Shuai tilted its head upwards and swung it from side to side in the air, letting out a terrifying shriek, as if declaring itself the victor.
"Its combat technique is strong, but its mentality is still too young."
Li Fan analyzed.
*Boom!* The Brachydios' thigh on the outer side, pressed against the sandy ground, exerted force. It managed to stand up using only the strength of one leg.
After gathering its power in its throat for a moment, it spat three balls of orange-yellow liquid explosive minerals at Xiao Shuai's feet.
These explosive minerals quickly turned black after losing their heat and detonated with a roar in less than two seconds.
Only a small amount adhered to Xiao Shuai's feet, but the burning and subsequent explosion caused it unbearable pain, forcing it to stomp hard into the sand to extinguish the flames.
*Hiss! Clang!*...
At this moment, a grating sound of biting was heard.
The Brachydios placed its tail blade in its mouth, continuously swallowing and spitting out explosive minerals to heat them, grinding and forging them with the armor around its cheeks.
The surface of the tail blade, mottled and metallic blue, soon turned orange-yellow under the high temperature.
Seeing this, Xiao Shuai, disregarding its injured foot, quickly lifted it from the sand, straightened its posture, and extended the double horns on its head.
The Brachydios opened its mouth, its tail blade detached, and it let out a low growl from its flame-filled mouth.
Seeing the two monsters confronting each other, Yudora, who had been holding her breath, let out a sigh of relief and remarked, "Is this the fierce side of five-star monsters?"
"Compared to them, isn't Poffu much more elegant?"
Li Fan asked.
"Indeed, but I always feel Poffu would be at a disadvantage against them."
Yudora said with some concern.
"Not necessarily."
"Really?"
"Excessive use of power inevitably leads to excessive consumption. If we were to classify monsters, both of these are burst-type, while Poffu is likely balanced-type."
Li Fan stated his conjecture.
After rubbing its claws on the sand, Xiao Shuai accelerated its charge again.
The Brachydios exerted force with its legs, leaped forward, and rapidly rotated its body in mid-air. Its tail blade, ignited with flames, swung down like a sword.
*Screech!*
The tail blade collided with the double horns, and sparks of explosive mineral residue flew during the friction.
The two enormous bodies paused briefly. The Diablos pushed away the tail blade and continued to charge forward, but a deep, scorched, concave mark on the fan-shaped armor on its head was particularly conspicuous.
After stopping, the monster's instincts told Xiao Shuai that something was attacking from behind.
Unable to turn its body, Xiao Shuai vigorously swung its tail hammer to defend behind it. However, just as it made a move, it was struck on the back by the scorching tail blade from mid-air.
*Clang!* Xiao Shuai's entire body sank sharply.
The scorching tail blade pressed down, emitting a sizzling sound of burning on the earthy yellow back armor.
The cracks began to deform and shrink, starting to melt!
Under the heavy pressure of the tail blade, Xiao Shuai's body lunged forward. Its double horns dug into the sand diagonally, and its wing-claws dug downwards rapidly.
The Brachydios retracted its tail blade, turned its body, and swung again.
However, it only collided with the tail hammer, which hadn't yet submerged into the sand.
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*...
Watching the sand surface bulge, Xiao Shuai seemed to have created distance from the Brachydios.
But both the team observing from above and the Brachydios knew that the most dangerous moment was approaching.
*Screech!*
The Brachydios' eyes kept track of the tracks on the sand surface while it put its tail blade in its mouth and gnawed and ground it fiercely.
The tail blade, which had been chipped and cracked during the previous strike on the armor, was quickly made round and sharp again by the rapid friction.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*...
The area of the tail blade being ground in its mouth moved backward. With each backward movement, the Brachydios' body twisted and tightened slightly, like a gradually tensing bowstring.
"Go, Xiao Shuai!"
Yudora, engrossed in watching, started cheering.
"I... I support the Brachydios, meow!"
Dilu raised her paw to express her opinion.
"If Xiao Shuai wins, it's beneficial for us... but I also hope the Brachydios wins!"
*Slap!* Li Fan high-fived Dilu as he spoke.
"Whatever, we can't influence the outcome anyway... Here it comes!!!"
Yudora, seeing a bulge in the sand moving towards the Brachydios, widened her eyes and followed its trajectory.
*Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!*...
The sand surface vibrated violently, and gravel flew up and down.
The Brachydios, its entire tail blade imbued with orange-yellow, had tightened its body to its limit, its mouth biting the tail blade in an oval shape.
*Boom! Buzz!*
The sand exploded, and Xiao Shuai, flying out diagonally, thrust its horns forward.
The Brachydios released its bite. Its coiled body and tail blade, propelled forward, spun and slid out.
*Clang!* One of Xiao Shuai's horns on its head was split and broke off, falling to the ground.
Meanwhile, the central part of the Brachydios' tail blade was pierced by the other sharp horn.