The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and rain fell in sheets, punctuated by lightning. It was the height of summer, yet the downpour had persisted for over a month, flooding the Jingxiang region entirely.
On Dongting Lake, Ke Yiming piloted a small boat, accompanied by four others, in pursuit of the Yangtze River Dragon King. This crocodile, once hunted by Shen Feng, was now back in their sights. It had consumed thousands of lives, and such a monstrous beast had to be eliminated swiftly.
Lu Kaiwen seized the moment, stating, "Everyone, crocodiles don't have gills, so they must surface to breathe! This is our chance. We cannot afford to miss again. Once the wild deer is digested, the tracker will be expelled, and we'll lose the Dragon King's trace!"
Shen Feng, holding a telescope in one hand and a heavy sniper rifle in the other, replied, "Brother Lu, rest assured. If the Dragon King dares to appear on the surface, I'll shoot it directly, blasting its last eye. Let's see if it can still cause trouble!"
The other two were also evolved individuals, armed with heavy weaponry, ready for battle.
Shen Feng sat at the stern of the boat, having fully deployed his parachute, which spanned over five meters. In critical moments, he could use his ability to fly high into the sky. He had to sit at the rear, otherwise, the parachute would obstruct the others' line of sight.
The small boat emitted a blinding beam of light, illuminating the water ahead with perfect clarity. Even the splashes caused by raindrops on the lake were visible.
Before long, the water surface suddenly turned dark. Lu Kaiwen had been right; mutated crocodiles were still crocodiles. When their lungs lacked air, they still needed to surface for a breath. This was the moment for everyone to attack.
A small portion of a massive head emerged from the water. Shen Feng and the other two evolved individuals opened fire, while Ke Yiming casually summoned a patch of scorching flames. The inferno spread towards the crocodile on the surface, reaching its eyes in an instant.
The crocodile immediately submerged, rendering the fire attack ineffective. Ke Yiming felt a pang of frustration. The water was not his advantageous territory. If only Fang Qinghao were here; he could whip up massive waves to engulf the Dragon King, allowing them to attack as they pleased. It was a pity Fang Qinghao couldn't make it.
Shen Feng kept his gaze fixed on the water surface through his telescope. He was certain that at least two bullets had hit the crocodile's head. However, due to the angle, the bullets had ricocheted, causing no substantial damage. He had to admit, the armor on the crocodile's body was incredibly thick. Bullets fired at the wrong angle couldn't even inflict significant harm.
"This thing stays in the water all the time, and our advantage isn't being utilized. Firing underwater, the bullets are buffered by the currents. Firing at the upper part, the angle is too small, and the bullets are deflected by its thick dorsal armor. This is truly troublesome!" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Ke Yiming gritted his teeth and said, "Even if it's troublesome, we have to do it. If we don't kill it, who knows how many more people it will eat!"
Lu Kaiwen, helpless, suggested, "Then let's wear it down. We'll pursue it relentlessly, exhausting the Dragon King's stamina. It can't stay in the water forever."
When it came to endurance, humans were second to none in the animal kingdom. Humans were arguably the most enduring creatures in nature. Even before their brains were fully developed, their stamina far surpassed that of ordinary animals. In hunting, humans' earliest learned method was pursuit. While animals might run faster than humans for short bursts, human endurance was formidable. If they gritted their teeth and pursued, even a cheetah could be exhausted to death.
Ke Yiming was determined to eliminate the Yangtze River Dragon King and thus pursued it across Dongting Lake. The small boat was equipped with several barrels of gasoline, and Ke Yiming had no intention of stopping to rest until the fuel was depleted.
Lu Kaiwen tightly gripped the handles beside the small boat. Falling into the water at this moment would be perilous. Even without the Yangtze River Dragon King, there were plenty of piranhas in the water. The sky was still rumbling with thunder and raining, as if trying to drive them to their deaths.
On Dongting Lake, under Ke Yiming's control, the small boat relentlessly pursued the Yangtze River Dragon King. The Dragon King was not a true dragon and had to surface for air. The opportunity to attack was precisely then! The lake's surface churned with waves, causing the small boat to bob up and down, threatening to capsize at any moment. Ke Yiming was resolute; if the Yangtze River Dragon King wasn't killed, it would eventually cause greater harm. Therefore, despite the dire conditions, the small boat continued its pursuit.
The Dragon King had to surface for air. It could only stay submerged for about twenty minutes at a time, but it moved incredibly fast underwater. Before breathing, it would always accelerate suddenly to outrun the small boat. After surfacing for air, it would immediately dive back into the water.
Shen Feng's attacks were proving ineffective. The bullets' impact was limited by the water. Bullets fired into the water only had a killing range of two to three meters. Situations like bullets hitting people underwater, as seen in movies, simply wouldn't occur. Even bullets fired at a small angle to the water surface could be deflected.
Ke Yiming unleashed bursts of flames, attempting to burn the Dragon King as it surfaced. However, the Dragon King was also cunning. Despite having only one eye left, its attention was entirely focused on the small boat. As soon as it detected an incoming attack, it would immediately dive underwater.
The vast river water became the Yangtze River Dragon King's sanctuary. As long as it remained underwater, it was safe from all danger.
Shen Feng felt a sense of helplessness and couldn't help but say, "Even if Jin Zijue were here, the situation wouldn't be like this. We can only wait for this thing to breathe before attacking; we have no initiative whatsoever."
Shen Feng's ability was truly useless underwater. After all, he controlled the wind. The oxygen dissolved in the water was inaccessible to him, and Shen Feng couldn't even fight underwater. If only Jin Zijue were here; his ability was lightning. He could directly inject current into the water, electrocuting the crocodile underwater. Even if it didn't kill it, it could temporarily stun it.
Ke Yiming, at this moment, quipped, "Fishing with electricity is illegal. Please don't cross the line."
"A crocodile isn't a fish, so it's not illegal," Shen Feng retorted immediately.
The hunt for the crocodile had gradually devolved into a chase. Long-range attacks on the Dragon King were no longer effective. The best opportunity to fire their weapons was when they waited for the crocodile on the shore earlier, but unfortunately, everyone had fallen asleep, so no one seized that fleeting moment.
The group could only follow Lu Kaiwen's suggestion and compete with the underwater crocodile in terms of endurance. They refused to believe the Dragon King wouldn't get tired. Once its stamina was depleted, they would finally have their chance to shine.
As a result, the five of them pursued the Yangtze River Dragon King from Dongting Lake all the way to Jinling, from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River to the lower reaches. For two days, they traveled thousands of kilometers, pursuing it without rest, utterly exhausted.
Lu Kaiwen could no longer bear it. The pursuit on the small boat was incredibly taxing. Fortunately, he was an evolved individual, and his body could barely withstand it. Otherwise, he would have collapsed by now.
"My dear brothers, please, grant me a moment to rest ashore. I truly cannot take it anymore! Since I can't be of much help, I'd rather leave," Lu Kaiwen pleaded.
For the past two days, the five of them had eaten, drunk, and relieved themselves on the boat. Their food consisted of compressed biscuits, and their drink was mineral water. The other two necessities were handled on the spot. Everyone was nearing their limit.
Shen Feng quickly said, "Brother Lu, don't give up. As the ancient saying goes, 'Those who run a hundred miles are ninety percent of the way.' We are already at our limit, and the Dragon King underwater must also be exhausted. Persevere, and victory is within reach."
Ke Yiming also chimed in with encouragement, "Brother Lu, you cannot leave us! You understand the crocodile far better than any of us. We will still need your guidance in the future!"
The group quickly comforted Lu Kaiwen. Although they were exhausted, this hardship was necessary to kill the Yangtze River Dragon King.
Lu Kaiwen felt his importance soaring, and he became somewhat conceited. He had never imagined that he, a researcher, would become so important.
Lu Kaiwen nodded reluctantly and said, "Alright, I'll hold on a bit longer. Honestly, I've never seen a crocodile with such stamina."
This was, of course, stating the obvious. After mutating, the crocodile's body had enlarged, and its body fat had increased. Its caloric needs had significantly decreased, eliminating the need to bask in the sun on land. Consequently, its stamina had greatly increased. It had swum continuously in the water for two days, from Dongting Lake to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with the city walls of Jinling still visible in the distance.
Shen Feng looked up at the sky. He hadn't seen the sun in over a month. Now, with sunlight piercing through the clouds and warming his body, he felt considerably better.
Jinling had received advance notice. Ke Yiming and Shen Feng, both ability users, were hunting the Yangtze River Dragon King. The Dragon King had also claimed many lives in Jinling. Upon hearing of Ke Yiming and Shen Feng's actions, they immediately provided support, replacing their small boat with a new one and replenishing their supplies of dry rations and drinking water.
"Lord Wind God, you must kill the Dragon King! We await your good news!" many people in Jinling cheered loudly.
Shen Feng smiled and waved his arm towards the people on the shore. He hadn't expected his reputation to have reached Jinling.
Ke Yiming, feeling tired, handed the steering wheel to a subordinate. "You drive, keep going! I'm going to rest. This Dragon King is more troublesome than a beast; it's exhausted me!"
To everyone's surprise, the Yangtze River Dragon King did not choose to head out to sea. Perhaps it felt it couldn't escape the pursuit even in the ocean. Instead, it chose to head north along the Grand Canal! If it managed to travel from the Yangtze River to the Yellow River, the scope of its harm would be even greater.
Lu Kaiwen couldn't help but grumble, "Does this Dragon King have GPS navigation? It even knows how to find the canal and is heading north. Isn't it afraid of freezing to death in winter?"
In reality, the crocodile hiding underwater was also nearing its limit. Earlier that day, it had surfaced and seen Shen Feng sitting at the back of the small boat. It immediately recognized him: wasn't this the human who had blinded one of its eyes upstream on the Yangtze River? Why was he chasing it again? It hadn't ventured upstream, so why wouldn't he leave it alone?
The Dragon King knew Shen Feng's prowess. Therefore, even after mutating again, it dared not attack Shen Feng directly at this moment. It could only desperately swim towards other bodies of water, hoping for a chance to escape.
After another half-day of pursuit, the group followed the tracker's location along the Grand Canal upstream. They finally noticed the crocodile's speed gradually decreasing, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the Dragon King was also reaching its limit. If they continued to pursue, it wouldn't be able to swim any further.
However, as evening approached, dark clouds suddenly obscured the sky. Ke Yiming took out his satellite phone to contact his superiors and learned the news: a typhoon was moving eastward, seemingly about to leave the land. The month-long torrential rain was finally coming to an end.
It was currently summer, June. In one month, the year's rainfall had been completed. The typhoon was finally leaving the land, which was considered good news.
It was just unfortunate for the group pursuing the Dragon King. They had just arrived in the lower reaches from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and had basked in the sun for half the day. By nightfall, the typhoon had caught up with them, and it started raining again.
Ke Yiming's gaze towards Shen Feng shifted. He looked at Shen Feng and questioned, "How come I suspect that you summoned the typhoon? When you were in Chongqing and Jingxiang, the typhoon was in Jingxiang. Now that you've come to the lower reaches, the typhoon is also heading towards Huainan?"
Shen Feng was rendered speechless by the question. After a long pause, he said, "If I had such an ability, why didn't I use it when I was fighting zombies in Yanjing? Wouldn't it be better to summon a typhoon and drown those zombies?"
Ke Yiming considered it and relaxed. Indeed, Shen Feng couldn't possess such immense power.
Natural ability users were powerful because their abilities could cause changes in natural phenomena. Although Shen Feng was a wind ability user, typhoons were not something that could be summoned casually. If he could summon strong winds at will, Shen Feng would truly be a god.
In reality, Shen Feng's abilities were so limited that he couldn't even fly. If Shen Feng could summon typhoons, that would be greatly overestimating him.