The Yangtze River had long been a dumping ground for zombie corpses, making the aquatic life within it exceptionally plump in recent times. Much of Jiang Yang's meat supply came from the fish and other creatures caught in the river, which were now unusually large, with dozens of pounds of fish being commonplace. These plump fish not only sustained humanity but also other animals in the food chain.
The crocodiles gathered near the Yangtze River on the outskirts of Yuzhou were a testament to this. These were not the crocodiles found in markets or zoos, but prehistoric behemoths, each at least seven to eight meters long, with the largest stretching over ten meters. Such colossal crocodiles were only thought to exist in prehistoric times.
Seemingly sensing the commotion from the city, the crocodiles began to emerge from the Yangtze River and advance towards the street where Shen Feng was located.
A group of over ten people had driven to the riverbank to collect water, as dusk was approaching and it was time to prepare meals. However, as they made their way to the river, dozens of massive crocodiles suddenly appeared and began to attack their vehicles. The rubber tires were bitten and instantly burst.
One person grabbed a walkie-talkie and frantically shouted, "Requesting support! We've encountered mutated crocodiles on the road to the Yangtze River! Help us!"
With their tires blown, the vehicles were forced to stop. As five cars halted in the middle of the road, they immediately attracted the crocodiles' ferocity. Several crocodiles latched onto the tires and bumpers, initiating death rolls that tore off tires and car parts, leaving the vehicles in a state of disrepair.
One crocodile ripped through a car door, and others swarmed in, killing the three people inside. Many were swallowed whole by the crocodiles, while the remaining survivors watched in terror.
Fortunately, Yang Chang received the news and rushed over with five hundred soldiers, opening fire on the crocodiles. The armored hides of these prehistoric giants were indeed tough, and bullets from a distance had little effect. However, with five hundred soldiers firing their weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition could not be stopped, especially since bullets capable of piercing steel plates would not be significantly less effective against flesh and blood.
The crocodile hides were indeed resilient; often, bullets that did not strike the crocodiles head-on could not even break their skin. The mutated crocodiles had enhanced defenses.
The crocodiles were systematically killed, with hundreds falling to the rifles. Crocodiles further away, witnessing the intense firepower, quickly turned and fled.
Shen Feng, having heard about the incident on the road to collect water, hurried to the scene. He was astonished to find the dead crocodiles on the ground were enormous, truly like the legendary prehistoric giants. Fortunately, their combat prowess was not exceptional, and they quickly succumbed to the barrage of rifle fire.
Puzzled, Shen Feng turned to Yang Chang and said, "Let's go to the riverbank and see how many of these crocodiles there are."
Over five hundred people left a few dozen to deal with the crocodile carcasses, while the rest followed Shen Feng and Yang Chang to the riverbank. Upon reaching the Yangtze, they soon spotted thousands of prehistoric giant crocodiles patrolling the waters. These crocodiles floated on the surface like submerged logs, their sheer numbers threatening to block the river channel.
Shen Feng frowned at the sight and remarked, "If we don't deal with these crocodiles, collecting water will be extremely dangerous. It seems we have no choice but to eliminate them."
Yang Chang, however, was less optimistic and said with difficulty, "Bullets have limited effectiveness against aquatic creatures. Mobilizing soldiers to deal with these crocodiles would only be a waste of ammunition. I think we should try to collect water from upstream or downstream, bypassing these crocodiles."
Shen Feng patted Yang Chang's shoulder and said seriously, "These crocodiles must be dealt with sooner or later. Otherwise, if they continue to prey on humans, it will cause panic. Moreover, I don't intend to deploy a large number of personnel to kill them. I'll bring Chu Chaoyan; the two of us will be enough. We'll act tomorrow."
Yang Chang nodded dejectedly. He understood that he was not an ability user and could no longer participate in operations involving them.
As night fell, Shen Feng found Yang Chang and said, "Come with me. I have a big surprise for you!"
Yang Chang was filled with suspicion, unsure why Shen Feng had sought him out so late at night. He could only follow Shen Feng passively.
Shen Feng led Yang Chang to the rooftop, where they could see the city in the darkness. Although nothing was visible, Shen Feng could use his abilities to scan the surroundings, ensuring no one was observing them from the shadows. As for satellites overhead, their effectiveness would be greatly reduced in the dark, making it impossible for them to know what was being discussed.
Seeing Shen Feng's mysterious demeanor, Yang Chang felt a flicker of fear and asked cautiously, "City Lord, what do you want to show me?"
Shen Feng smiled and said, "You're quite brave today. I think you don't understand anything."
"Just kidding, I'm super brave. And what is it that I'm supposed to understand?" Yang Chang asked, completely bewildered as to why he had been brought to the rooftop.
Shen Feng then whispered, "If you want to understand, I'll teach you, and I can make you different."
Yang Chang instinctively took two steps back, sensing something was amiss. The conversation seemed to imply something, and he wondered if the City Lord had some unsavory habits.
Shen Feng no longer played coy. He produced an ability potion from his person and whispered, "After drinking this potion, you can become an ability user. The preciousness of this item is self-evident. Only the brains of Corpse Kings can be used to manufacture ability potions. Considering this, even headquarters doesn't temporarily know the materials for making ability potions. Such a valuable item cannot be used casually, don't you agree?"
Upon seeing the pale green potion in Shen Feng's hand, Yang Chang immediately understood. So that was it. The City Lord had called him to a private place to explain this matter! At this moment, Yang Chang knew his opportunity had arrived. If he wanted to become an ability user, now was the time!
Therefore, Yang Chang immediately knelt on both knees, looked up, and said earnestly, "City Lord, please rest assured. I have always been loyal. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do it. Whether it's setting up an ambush or using knockout drugs, whether it's a honey trap or a setup, I can do anything! I will never betray you."
Shen Feng heard this and felt a bit exasperated, asking, "Can't you think of some positive tasks? It's like I'm asking you to join a gang. I'm counting on you to charge into battle in the future. You must not do those despicable things!"
Yang Chang quickly corrected himself, "From now on, I will go through fire and water for you, City Lord. No matter how dangerous the situation, I will be the first to charge forward. I will shed my last drop of blood for you, City Lord. I swear to the heavens that if I dare to betray you, may I die without a burial place!"
Shen Feng nodded with satisfaction and said, "Stand up. I won't ask you to go through fire and water. Your loyalty is enough. Here, take the potion. There are only a few hundred ability users in the entire world. You're lucky today!"
Yang Chang carefully took the ability potion, his palm trembling slightly. He knew he no longer had to envy Chu Chaoyan, as he was about to become an ability user himself. Perhaps in the future, he would possess the ability to summon wind and rain, and perhaps he could become a legend!
Shen Feng instructed, "Find a safe place to use the potion. It will take about a week to become an ability user. During this period, you will lose all consciousness. However, with me here, there will be no danger."
Yang Chang remembered these words and quickly left the rooftop, eager to transform into an ability user.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng used "Swift as the Wind" and transformed into a black shadow, leaping through the city. In two minutes, he reached the top of a building by the Yangtze River. He looked at the constantly flowing river, where he could now see specks of stars in the water. However, the color of these stars was clearly wrong, as they were all green. A moment's thought revealed that the twinkling stars in the river were actually the eyes of crocodiles.
"The crocodiles have mutated too, and they dare to prey on humans. This is not good," Shen Feng muttered to himself, observing the Yangtze.
If Shen Feng had not been particularly concerned about mutated beasts before, he was now on high alert. Zombies did not reproduce and would eventually be wiped out. However, mutated beasts were different; they might appear endlessly. Now that crocodiles had become prehistoric giants, would dinosaurs appear in the future? Would even more terrifying creatures emerge?
Many crocodiles were not simply bathing in the Yangtze River. A significant portion of them were lying on the banks or roads, sleeping. After all, crocodiles are cold-blooded animals, and the temperature at night was very low, making them reluctant to move. Moving at night consumed more energy than during the day.
"See stars, one, two, three, forming a line," Shen Feng murmured, looking at the starlight on the Yangtze and its banks.
Suddenly, at this moment, there was a splash in the Yangtze River. A colossal creature emerged from the water and slowly walked onto the bank to rest. Upon closer inspection, it was a mutated crocodile, but its length was an astonishing forty meters! Such a behemoth was comparable only to the giant python Shen Feng had seen before, but the python's girth was clearly no match for the crocodile.
"What the hell... what is this thing? Dinosaurs aren't even this big!" Shen Feng doubted his own eyes, wondering if he was mistaken.
Shen Feng was certain that no such large crocodiles existed in history. There were few animals even forty meters long. Therefore, the giant crocodile before him was undoubtedly an unprecedented species. Such a massive crocodile could swallow a human whole in a single bite! Shen Feng looked at the two long swords he carried and had to shake his head slightly, realizing that cold weapons would likely inflict little effective damage on the crocodile.
Shen Feng surmised that such a colossal crocodile could probably only be killed by high-yield weapons, perhaps even missiles.
At this moment, the giant crocodile reached the bank, instantly pushing aside the other crocodiles. To the forty-meter-long behemoth, the other prehistoric giants were merely the size of its offspring. The other crocodiles could only grudgingly make way, creating a clear space.
"There are Corpse Kings among zombies, Dog Kings among dog packs, and even Rat Kings among rats, all possessing ruling abilities. Could this be the Crocodile King?" Shen Feng pondered in his mind.
After observing the Yangtze Riverbank for some time, Shen Feng returned to the camp. Fortunately, they had traded for a lot of heavy weaponry from Rongcheng. Currently, in addition to rifles and grenades, Shen Feng's forces possessed other weapons, such as small mortars and even anti-tank missiles. At critical moments, these weapons could inflict considerable damage.
Shen Feng still felt a sense of regret, as he lacked truly long-range strike capabilities. If he had an artillery battalion under his command, the crocodiles by the Yangtze River would be no problem; a barrage of artillery shells would surely kill them.
Crocodiles did not move randomly at night because their body temperature was too low, making movement difficult. Only during the day, when the temperature was higher, would crocodiles become active. While nighttime would have been the most opportune time to attack the crocodiles, Shen Feng's camp currently lacked electricity, making operations in the dark very challenging. Shen Feng could only wait until the next day to engage in combat.