Chapter Eleven: Wind Dragon! Golden Achievement, Spirit Perception!
Dead.
From the lightning strike to the successful hunt, less than a minute had passed.
Witnessing Dragon Mother’s entire hunt of the elderly Edmontonian dragon, Chu Xu was filled with amazement. His previous theories about the hunting methods of Tyrannosaurus rex had been validated.
T. rex was undoubtedly most adept at ambush hunting, using its highly developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing to search for targets. After selecting a suitable prey, it would conceal itself patiently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike when the prey showed a weakness.
Once it closed in, with its terrifying bite force and lethal arsenal, few prey could escape its grasp.
With the hunt successful, Dragon Mother’s taut muscles finally relaxed as she turned and let out a roar toward the three young T. rex nearby.
The three young Tyrannosaurs, their stomachs growling with hunger, eagerly approached to share the meal.
Dragon Mother claimed the abdomen of the elderly Edmontonian dragon, tearing open the belly with her claws and devouring the internal organs in great mouthfuls.
Chu Xu received one of the sturdy hind legs of the elderly Edmontonian dragon. It was two meters long and when standing upright, towered far above him.
[ Ding! You have consumed Edmontonian dragon meat. Evolution points +0.2. ]
After Chu Xu ate his fill, another evolution point was credited to his account.
“How many evolution points could be gained from hunting a full-grown Edmontonian dragon?” Chu Xu pondered inwardly. It would surely be a generous sum.
However, given his current size, such a feat was far beyond reach. One had to eat bite by bite, and hunting had to start with smaller prey.
Once the entire family was satiated, Dragon Mother dragged the remaining carcass of the elderly Edmontonian dragon home, adhering to a prudent habit of conserving food.
“Caw!! Caw!!”
Just as Chu Xu’s family returned home laden with their spoils, a hoarse cry echoed from the sky, followed by vast shadows cast overhead, like a dark cloud looming above them.
“It’s the Quetzalcoatlus!”
Chu Xu looked up toward the sound, seeing several enormous Quetzalcoatli circling in the air, their wings unfurled to an extent that obscured the sun, with wingspans exceeding ten meters.
Quetzalcoatlus, also called Feathered Serpent-wing Pterosaurs, belong to the family Azhdarchidae and genus Quetzalcoatlus, representing the largest pterosaurs known to science.
An adult Quetzalcoatlus measures over five meters in length, comparable in height to a giraffe when standing, with a wingspan surpassing ten meters and weighing up to 500 kilograms. Their sheer size alone imposed a heavy burden of intimidation on other creatures.
“Caw!! Caw!!”
These Quetzalcoatli continuously circled and soared above Chu Xu’s family, emitting sharp, piercing cries. Clearly, they were not mere passersby.
Seeing these unwelcome guests approach, Dragon Mother’s muscles immediately tensed. After setting down the elderly Edmontonian dragon’s carcass, she quickly shielded the three young T. rex beneath her.
She knew all too well what these Quetzalcoatli were scheming.
Quetzalcoatlus were not scavengers but typical carnivores with a wide diet including fish, birds, amphibians, and small dinosaurs.
Therefore, these Quetzalcoatli were not interested in the Edmontonian dragon carcass Dragon Mother had just killed; their sights were set on the three young T. rex behind her.
Lunar and Starfall trembled in fear, curling up tightly beneath Dragon Mother, terrified of being snatched away as a snack by the Quetzalcoatli.
Chu Xu clung tightly to Dragon Mother’s thigh—not out of cowardice, but for self-preservation.
Indeed, only upon firsthand contact with the late Cretaceous’s last dinosaur kingdom did Chu Xu truly grasp the countless dangers and threats lurking here.
The Tyrannosaurus rex was unquestionably the undisputed terrestrial overlord of the Hell Creek Formation during the late Cretaceous, reigning supreme atop the food chain. Aside from their own kind, few other creatures dared provoke them.
Yet this was only true for adults; undeveloped T. rex juveniles could fall prey to other predatory animals at any time.
The standoff between the Quetzalcoatlus flock and Dragon Mother persisted.
One or two Quetzalcoatli emitted grating, provocative cries in the sky to draw Dragon Mother’s attention, while others attempted to circle behind to strike at the three young T. rex.
But Dragon Mother was not fooled by these cunning pterosaurs. She stood firm where she was, resolutely shielding the three young T. rex beneath her, leaving no opening for the Quetzalcoatli.
This scene was akin to a Cretaceous version of “Eagle catching chicks.”
“Caw!”
In the end, seeing no opportunity to succeed, the Quetzalcoatlus flapped their massive wings in frustration and reluctantly turned to fly away.
After all, they dared not risk a direct confrontation with a fully grown T. rex.
Though large in size, Quetzalcoatli weighed only about 500 kilograms; the adult T. rex tipped the scales above eight tons. A fight would end in an instant—one glance, one fatal blow.
As the terrifying shadows of the Quetzalcoatlus faded away, Dragon Mother finally exhaled in relief and released the three young T. rex hiding beneath her.
Chu Xu, still somewhat shaken, mentally noted these Quetzalcoatli in his little book.
Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west; never underestimate a young Tyrannosaurus!
He filed this grudge away for now, promising to repay them tenfold someday.
...
Returning home without further incident, the exhausted Dragon Mother and the young Lunar and Starfall went to bed early.
Chu Xu, however, continued practicing to complete the day’s skill proficiency tasks.
After today’s events—the hunt and the Quetzalcoatlus threat—Chu Xu dared not relax. He had to seize every moment to grow stronger, to survive in this perilous world fraught with danger!
[ Ding! You have persistently trained for 200 days since birth, earning the golden achievement—Spiritual Perception (Beginner). ]
[ Spiritual Perception: Golden achievement, upgradeable. Enhances the five senses to become more acute, allowing perception of the scent of other creatures within one kilometer, identifying their shape, exact location, and number. ]
Just as Chu Xu finally ended today’s skill proficiency training, an unexpected system notification sounded in his ears.
He had earned yet another achievement!
Beginner Spiritual Perception could sense the presence of other creatures within a kilometer radius, as well as environmental factors such as temperature, scent, water pressure, electrical signals—encompassing all details with precision.
This was a powerful auxiliary skill. With it, locating suitable prey during hunts would become effortless, and lurking dangers could be detected well in advance!
As he looked forward to upgrading it to intermediate and advanced levels, its effects would become even more formidable.
Chu Xu eagerly awaited what was to come.
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