Zhuo Lige Tu sat down on the ground with a thud, his armor completely soaked inside and out, and he was spitting out water. Seeing Lu Yunhai run over, he gasped and said, "Brother, you saved my life."
Jing Ji nodded as well, his face showing gratitude.
"It’s what I should do," Lu Yunhai said with a serious expression, not allowing himself a smug smile over the feat.
Chi Zhonglin said, "It’s good you acted decisively and blasted that monster into the river with a shot; otherwise, we would have been in a dire situation."
Ji Xinghuo let out a sigh of relief.
He had always been confident in Lu Yunhai, and today’s performance was no surprise, but now was not the time for rewards and recognition—the giant lizard wasn’t dead yet.
In the synchronized senses, Yuan Chongzhen had already caught up with the giant lizard while riding Qing Hong. The speed of the transformed Secretarybird wasn’t particularly fast among birds, and it had been gravely injured. After the initial burst of energy while fleeing, its speed was now declining.
"Can you all still move?" Ji Xinghuo asked as he got up.
Jing Ji and Chi Zhonglin both made it clear they were in good condition.
Only Zhuo Lige Tu’s face was somewhat pale. He had been healing teammates continuously in a short span of time, and it had been excessively draining.
The White Knight’s "Life Infusion" and "Sacrificial Aura" were fast-acting and provided good recovery, built on the foundation of consuming his own vitality. The Black-clothed Bishop’s "Soul-stealing Scythe" could originally harvest the enemy’s life force to replenish what was spent, but Zhuo Lige Tu had been too busy healing to have a chance for replenishment.
Moreover, he transferred his teammates’ injuries to himself, taking on greater damage. The battle lasting just a few minutes nearly drained him completely.
Being electrocuted and suffocated in the water had made him collapse all at once.
Zhuo Lige Tu waved his hand, "Pursuing the monster is the priority, I can recover on the way."
In the middle of speaking, he took out several potions and drank them down. His color immediately improved. He took a few breaths, stood up, treated the Fierce Battle Bear’s injuries, and then mounted its back.
Seeing that he could still persevere, Ji Xinghuo said, "Let’s set off immediately."
The group, completely drenched, started to run, returned to where the Velociraptors were tied, and released them. Everyone swiftly jumped on.
Through "Alien Coexistence," they sensed Qing Hong’s location, heading far to the east.
Ji Xinghuo pointed towards the east.
The Velociraptors began to run at full strength, sparing no effort, darting at high speed through the tropical rainforest.
On their frenzied run, Ji Xinghuo sensed Qing Hong’s position every half a minute, guiding the team to adjust their direction. Almost an hour later, Qing Hong had stopped moving, and the images seen through the synchronized senses locked onto the same spot; it had landed.
The phone immediately rang.
After answering, Yuan Chongzhen’s voice came through: "It has landed. I’ve sent the coordinates to the group chat."
"Keep your distance and watch it; don’t startle the beast. We’ll be there soon," Ji Xinghuo responded and then opened the location map to take a glance. The giant lizard had hidden itself in a canyon between Albert Lake and Lake Edward, part of the East Africa Rift Valley, within the territory of the East Africa Kingdom.
"We need to get there within two hours."
Ji Xinghuo silently calculated the distance and time, then ordered his teammates, urging the Velociraptors on to pick up their speed.
Moving east from the Congo Basin, the altitude gradually increased as they entered the plateau.
The density and height of the vegetation began to decrease.
The view opened up, allowing them to see the Great Rift Valley in the distance, the volcanoes standing on the horizon, and the lush savannah with large groups of wild animals—zebras, antelopes, elephants—as well as prides of lions and cheetahs. The scenery was picturesque and brimming with life, yet Ji Xinghuo and his team had no time to appreciate it, continuously urging the Velociraptors to run across the plateau.
Some mutated fierce beasts and monsters launched attacks as they passed by.
But before they could get close, they were shot dead with an arrow.
The long-enduring Velociraptors, after running at full speed for over two hours, began to pant heavily, their feathers soaked with sweat, and their speed inevitably slowed down.
"We’re almost there."
Finally, when the Velociraptors were nearly out of stamina, they were just a few kilometers away from the location sent by Yuan Chongzhen.
Ji Xinghuo had everyone slow down a bit.
Ahead was a vast canyon, stretching from north to south, with no end in sight.
The canyon was several kilometers wide and two to three hundred meters deep, with vertical fractured cliffs on both sides revealing layers of different colored geological strata, a truly spectacular sight.
This was part of the East Africa Rift Valley.
Ji Xinghuo did not rashly approach the canyon. Yuan Chongzhen had been continuously sending messages in the group chat, and they soon found him concealed in a bush on the west side of the canyon, just a few dozen meters from the cliff edge.
"You guys have finally arrived!"
A Shadow Leopard emerged from the bush, transforming back into Yuan Chongzhen’s figure.
Jing Ji, unable to wait, asked, "Where’s the giant lizard?"
"It’s inside the canyon." Yuan Chongzhen pointed towards the bottom of the cliff on the east side, "I didn’t dare look too much, afraid it might notice me. Xinghuo’s War Pet has been keeping an eye on it."
Qing Hong had shrunk to just a few centimeters, lying at the edge of the cliff, closely watching the giant lizard.
At that moment, it crawled back to Ji Xinghuo’s hand, and he said, "Jing Ji, Silent Illusion, let’s observe it and then plan our strategy."
Jing Ji released a Silent Illusion, enveloping the entire team.
Everyone crouched low and approached the edge of the cliff in utter silence.
In the canyon, a river snaked through, forming lakes and ponds of various sizes. Many animals grazed leisurely by the river, while hippos inhabited the water, and crocodiles lurked within. It was a magnificent scene of wild, natural splendor, truly unforgettable.