Chapter 12 – First Head-On Battle
Old Li panted heavily.
He was already exhausted but didn’t dare relax for a moment. After turning and firing his last crossbow bolt, he discarded the crossbow and continued running forward.
The giant lizard behind him was momentarily hindered by the bolt, allowing him to widen the distance slightly.
Run faster…
Just a bit faster…
This giant lizard had originally been his target; he was preparing to hunt it.
Who would have thought that after entering the breeding season, the giant lizard’s territory had an additional female lizard? The pregnant female not only didn’t become weak but became even more alert and ferocious. As soon as he stepped into what should have been a safe distance, he was detected.
So, the male lizard gave chase.
This caught Old Li off guard, and he could only flee in panic. The anesthetic he carried could only slow it down slightly; it couldn’t put it to sleep.
Now that his crossbow was gone, he could only rely on his physical strength and willpower to keep going.
Old Li dashed and weaved through the ruins. His agile movements and swift speed made it hard to believe he was already over seventy years old.
But such speed didn’t last long.
Without any backup, continuous running rapidly consumed his stamina, and he gradually slowed down.
Finally, while climbing over a low wall, he was caught by the giant lizard. It bit down fiercely on his calf, and the intense pain made him let out a scream.
Was he really going to die here today?
Old Li’s heart was filled with despair and unwillingness, and even a bit of regret—regret that he shouldn’t have come alone to explore the edge of the central area…
But now it was too late.
In his blurred consciousness, he vaguely heard the sound of bells ringing.
Was he hearing things?
As he thought this, he suddenly felt the giant lizard loosen its grip on his leg. Without time to think, he hurriedly continued climbing over the low wall, dragging his injured leg deeper into the ruins.
No matter why the giant lizard had let go, this low wall should at least block it for a while.
He needed to find a higher place to hide…
*
“Jingle jingle—”
“Jingle jingle—”
Once they were within a hundred meters, the sound of the Invincible Cat Teaser’s bell finally reached the giant lizard’s ears.
Attracted by the ringing, the giant lizard quickly released its grip and looked over in the direction of Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi.
Seeing the man take advantage of the lizard’s release to drag his injured leg over the wall and disappear from sight, Tang Yu’an breathed a slight sigh of relief.
They didn’t have time to worry about him for now. Once the giant lizard charged toward them, Zhou Qi carried Tang Yu’an and ran away.
The giant lizard was at least three meters long and ran very fast. At this short distance, without the Lightness Technique, Zhou Qi definitely couldn’t have outrun it.
Fortunately, now with the skill’s assistance, he was able to run with ease.
After confirming that the giant lizard was chasing them, Tang Yu’an quickly put the Cat Teaser back into his portable warehouse.
Only by touching the Cat Teaser would the dangerous creature turn into a cat. This giant lizard was too terrifying; he didn’t want it to get that close.
After Tang Yu’an put away the Cat Teaser, the giant lizard didn’t stop pursuing them, clearly treating them as new prey.
Zhou Qi ran with all his might, constantly using obstacles to dodge and delay, never giving the giant lizard a chance to catch up. Tang Yu’an also seized the right moment and threw the Frisbee in his hand.
Super Cool Dog Frisbee, activate!
The Dog Frisbee shimmered with a dazzling light, flying toward the giant lizard and quickly passing over its head.
The giant lizard’s gaze was drawn to the Frisbee.
It turned to chase it, leaping midway and accurately biting down on the Frisbee, then landing on the ground with a loud thud.
Dust and debris filled the air.
The giant lizard held the Frisbee in its mouth. Compared to the Frisbee, its mouth was much larger; rather than holding it, it was more like the Frisbee was just inside its mouth.
“Thump thump thump—”
“Thump thump thump—”
The giant lizard turned around and ran out of the dust toward Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi. Its heavy body swayed left and right, giving it a comically enthusiastic appearance.
As it ran, its body gradually shrank.
Zhou Qi descended from mid-air.
By the time it reached them, the giant lizard had already turned into a big yellow dog wagging its tail.
Even though they had witnessed this once yesterday, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were still amazed by the scene.
Zhou Qi reached out to take back the Frisbee, but Tang Yu’an stopped him: “Brother Qi, wait! Gloves!”
Tang Yu’an took out a pair of disposable gloves from his portable warehouse and handed them to him. Zhou Qi put them on before retrieving the Frisbee from the mouth of the lizard-turned-big-yellow-dog.
After the Frisbee left its mouth, the big yellow dog appeared momentarily stunned, its wagging tail coming to a stop.
It looked at Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi in confusion, then looked down at itself, let out a whimper, and then turned and ran away.
Watching the lizard-turned-dog disappear into the rubble, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Facing such a terrifying large creature head-on for the first time, even knowing the effects of the Cat Teaser and Dog Frisbee, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Fortunately, they managed to resolve the situation smoothly in the end.
“I was scared to death just now!” Tang Yu’an jumped off Zhou Qi’s back, stretching his slightly numb limbs.
Zhou Qi nodded, taking out a plastic bag to store the Frisbee, which was covered in the giant lizard’s saliva.
Even through the gloves, he could feel a slight heat, unsure if the lizard’s saliva was corrosive.
In any case, it was best not to touch it directly. Better to wash it clean when they got home before using it again.
After placing the Dog Frisbee back into the portable warehouse, Zhou Qi picked up Tang Yu’an and continued to search for the man who had escaped.
He had been bitten by the giant lizard and was likely seriously injured.
With Tang Yu’an’s map guidance and the bloodstains left on the ground, Zhou Qi quickly found the man on the roof of an abandoned building.
The man had gray hair and beard; clearly, he was not young. It was unclear how he had climbed up there. His body was covered in mud and dust, as if he had rolled in muddy water and then dried off.
When they found him, the old man was already on the verge of death, still holding a small knife in his hand. On his calf, where the giant lizard had bitten, a chunk of flesh was gouged out, looking bloody and gruesome.
Above the wound, he had tightly tied a cloth strip, serving as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding to some extent, but a pool of blood had still accumulated beneath him.
Seeing such a severe injury, Tang Yu’an felt his scalp tingle. He had never seen such a serious wound or so much blood; he was momentarily stunned with fear.
“An An, did you bring alcohol?” Zhou Qi said calmly.
“Ah? Yes!”
Tang Yu’an quickly took out the first aid kit from his portable warehouse, which contained bandages, disinfectant alcohol, and other medical supplies. He then took out scissors.
Zhou Qi took the scissors, cut off the trouser leg below the man’s wound, and then picked up the alcohol to clean his wound.
The alcohol stimulated the leg muscles. The old man, who had been dozing off with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes in pain. Seeing strangers in front of him, he instinctively raised his hand to attack Zhou Qi.
Tang Yu’an reacted quickly, grabbing his hand.
“Grandpa, please bear with it; we’re treating your wound!”
Grandpa…
The old man’s muddled consciousness cleared slightly. He looked at the two unfamiliar teenagers in front of him and realized they meant no harm. The hand holding the short knife slowly lowered.
Zhou Qi watched him cautiously. Seeing he had no intention to attack, he continued cleaning the wound with alcohol, though his movements were much gentler than before.
The old man endured the pain, gritting his teeth without making a sound. Sweat seeped from his forehead, dripping profusely.
After cleaning the wound, Zhou Qi picked up hemostatic powder and sprinkled it on the injury to stop the bleeding. When the powder touched the wound, the old man, who had just slightly relaxed, felt a surge of pain, veins bulging on his forehead.
This hemostatic powder was highly effective but notoriously painful.
Zhou Qi paused, seeing that the old man could endure it, then continued applying the powder. Finally, he covered the wound with clean cotton and white gauze, wrapping it with bandages.
By this time, the old man was already somewhat dizzy from pain and blood loss, but he forced his eyes open, refusing to pass out.
Zhou Qi found a pill among the cotton that came with the hemostatic powder, pried open the old man’s mouth, and fed it to him.
This pill had hemostatic, analgesic, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory effects. In their original world, it was nicknamed the “Life-Saving Pill.”
“How do you feel?” Zhou Qi asked.
The old man didn’t know what he had just been fed. He looked at the two teenagers, his eyes somewhat unfocused. In a weak voice, he said, “Thank you… leave, leave quickly… dangerous…”
The blood would attract mutant creatures.
Even if the giant lizard was gone, other creatures might be drawn.
“Where do you live? We’ll take you home,” Zhou Qi said.
If they left the old man here, he would most likely die.
Whether out of the education they had received since childhood or the benefits of developing him into a stable customer, they couldn’t just leave him.
The old man opened his mouth but finally, his will to live made him nod.
“Then… then I’ll trouble you…”
Zhou Qi bent down to carry him on his back, leading him downstairs.
“By the way, Grandpa, how should we address you?” The socially adept Tang Yu’an didn’t remain silent but started chatting with the old man.
“My surname is Li… everyone calls me Old Li…” he said weakly.
Old Li!
Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an simultaneously paused.
They exchanged glances, then focused their attention back on Old Li.
However, when Tang Yu’an wanted to continue talking to him, he found that the old man had leaned on Zhou Qi’s shoulder and had passed out.
He quickly checked the old man’s breathing and sighed in relief: “Brother Qi, he seems to have fallen asleep.”
Zhou Qi nodded.
“I didn’t expect he is the Old Li that Granny Guo mentioned!” Tang Yu’an said with surprise and relief. “Good thing we saved him.”
At this moment, he glanced at the map and suddenly said, “Not good, Brother Qi, a red dot is approaching! Let’s hurry and get out of here!”
It was likely a mutant creature attracted by Old Li’s blood. It was still some distance away but moving quickly—come to think of it, the giant lizard that had turned into a big yellow dog had disappeared from the map; they didn’t know where it had gone.
However, Zhou Qi didn’t move immediately. After hesitating for a moment, he turned back to where they had found Old Li.
He gathered all the trash into plastic bags, especially those stained with blood, even picking up sand and stones.
Thinking he wanted to reduce the scent of blood, Tang Yu’an quickly helped. Finally, they tied the plastic bags and put them into the portable warehouse.
“An An, use the Lightness Technique on yourself,” Zhou Qi said. He had to carry Old Li and couldn’t carry Tang Yu’an as well.
“Wow! Really?” Tang Yu’an cheered and quickly used the Lightness Technique on himself.
Then the boy slightly bent his knees and leaped into the air, experiencing the sensation of jumping three meters high!
“An An…” Zhou Qi called to him helplessly.
An overexcited Tang Yu’an landed back on the ground, stuck out his tongue apologetically, quickly curbed his playful mood, and opened the map to locate Old Li’s home, preparing to take him back.
