Chapter 198: Tracking from Afar
Chapter 198: Tracking from Afar
Northward Bound.
The Red-feathered Raptors indeed had great endurance. Along the concrete highway, they sprinted for over 150 kilometers, reaching Mashindi only slightly out of breath.
Ji Xinghuo and his group slowed down as they entered the city.
"Let's go take a look at the scene," Ji Xinghuo said.
Jing Ji, however, was skeptical. Shaking his head, he replied, "It's been over a week. I'm afraid any clues or traces have been destroyed."
Just as Ji Xinghuo was about to say something, he spotted another hunting team, also riding on Raptors.
The two groups eyed each other from a hundred meters apart as they passed on the street.
After this, they encountered several more hunting teams on their way to the scene. It was unusual to see so many foreign hunters in Mashindi, a city with a population of just over 2 million. Everyone was on guard, and many of these hunters were clearly skilled, with some even belonging to hunting companies.
When they finally arrived at the location from the video, Ji Xinghuo and his teammates exchanged glances, all feeling helpless.
The scene was crowded with people!
The Mashindi military had blocked off the entire neighborhood, keeping residents at a distance.
A loudspeaker blared repeatedly: "Entering the scene will incur a per-person fee of 1000 Asian Yuan or 4000 US Dollars. Pets enter for free, with a time limit of 10 minutes."
Foreign hunters were lined up, paying the fee to enter.
Outside the blockade, a sea of onlookers had gathered—the residents of the city, curious about the commotion.
"What a mess," Chi Zhonglin muttered. "With so many people trampling the area, any clues would be long gone, and the scent of the monster would be indistinguishable."
Ji Xinghuo turned to Lu Yunhai, seeking his opinion with a glance.
Lu Yunhai shook his head. "Not possible for Duanya," he said with a hint of guilt. "The scene is too chaotic with scents, and he can't distinguish which one belongs to the monster. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Ji Xinghuo reassured him.
He knew from Qinghong Gou that it was beyond their capabilities as well.
"Wait here for a moment," Jing Ji said, his figure suddenly vanishing from the raptor's back. Ji Xinghuo saw him slip into the shadows and enter a shop on the street.
Jing Ji returned shortly and said to the group, "Let's head out of the city, eastward."
"What's up?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"The owner of that shop gave me a clue," Jing Ji replied. "On the day of the incident, someone saw the monster by the river east of the city. They even provided me with a specific navigation location." He didn't elaborate on how he had coaxed this information out of the shop owner.
Ji Xinghuo didn't press for details. The group immediately left the city and soon arrived at their destination.
"Is this the place?" Ji Xinghuo asked, gazing at the broad, tranquil river before them. Over a hundred meters wide, the seemingly calm surface hid swirling currents, flowing out from an endless marshland. The group was at a loss.
"This is the Nile River, right?" Ji Xinghuo checked his map and confirmed it was indeed the famous river.
To the east lay the vast "Lake Kioga," spanning over 2500 square kilometers. It was connected to Lake Victoria, its shores winding and filled with reeds and floating plants. While the lake wasn't particularly deep, only four to five meters, its enormous size was daunting.
"Footprints!"
Jing Ji, who had been scouting the area, discovered several peculiar prints.
"Duanya, go!"
At Lu Yunhai's command, the Primeval Hunting Hound dashed forward, sniffing at the strange footprints on the ground.
Ji Xinghuo and the others approached to inspect the marks as well. From their contours, they could tell that the creature that left them was enormous. The five-toed claws had sunk deep into the hard ground, leaving imprints nearly half a meter in diameter, still visible even after a week. As the creature moved, it dragged its feet, creating shallow furrows.
Following the direction of the prints, they entered the Nile River.
The hound sniffed vigorously for a long time before finally standing by the riverbank, its eyes gazing at the wide river with a lost expression.
Lu Yunhai stood up and said, "Based on these prints, I estimate the creature's length to be around 10 meters, with a weight of 3 to 4 tons. Its running speed could reach 160 kilometers per hour. It's likely a mutated giant lizard rather than a crocodile. The most famous lizard in Africa is the Nile Monitor Lizard, but I've never heard of one growing to this size, so I can't be certain. I'm only 60% confident in this assessment."
This analysis left the group impressed.
While it wouldn't be surprising for an experienced hunter to deduce such details from footprints, Lu Yunhai was still a novice.
"Why do you think it's a lizard and not a crocodile?" Ji Xinghuo asked, puzzled.
"It's simple," Lu Yunhai replied confidently, pointing at the footprints as he explained. "Both giant lizards and crocodiles have five toes, but crocodiles have stouter claws. Giant lizards have longer, sharper claws, and these prints show five deep holes where the claws dug in. The difference is quite obvious."
He projected a photo of the Nile Monitor Lizard with his phone, and indeed, the lizard had slender claws just as he described.
The shape matched the footprints perfectly.
The teammates were thrilled.
Lu Yunhai continued, "The Nile Monitor Lizard is semi-aquatic and a good swimmer, but they like to sunbathe on land to dry off. They have a varied diet and are found all over Africa, though they mostly inhabit riverbanks, lakes, and swamps. We can search for it in those areas."
"Well done!" Ji Xinghuo praised, smiling. "I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about animals, Yunhai."
"Hehe..." Lu Yunhai blushed, "It's just basic knowledge for a hunter. I've been cramming a lot these past few years."
Jing Ji studied the map and frowned. "It won't be easy to find it," he said.
East Africa was crisscrossed with waterways—lakes, rivers, and interconnected channels. The giant lizard could travel the entire African continent by following the water flow.
"Now that we have a general idea of the monster, it's not that difficult," Ji Xinghuo said with a calm smile.
The others looked at him expectantly.
Ji Xinghuo didn't keep them in suspense. "Just look for footprints," he said.
If Lu Yunhai's speculation was correct, the Nile Monitor Lizard would frequently come ashore to sunbathe.
The others nodded in realization, marveling at the powerful scouting capability provided by electromagnetic induction.
"Time is of the essence. Let's head upstream first."
The group rode their Raptors eastward along the riverbank, heading towards Lake Kioga, which was over 20 kilometers upstream from their current position.
Ji Xinghuo extended his electromagnetic induction, carefully searching the ground along the shore, even scanning the shallower parts of the riverbed.
They continued their search late into the night and through the early morning, covering a distance of nearly 200 kilometers from where they had initially found the footprints, but still, they found nothing.
"It probably headed downstream," Lu Yunhai speculated.
"Or it could have swum into Lake Kioga and crawled out on the opposite shore," Chi Zhonglin added.
"Let's set up camp and rest for the night. We'll continue our search tomorrow," Ji Xinghuo suggested.
Ji Xinghuo chose a campsite on the edge of a forest, a safe distance away from the riverbank. "I'll go hunt for food for the Raptors," he offered, and walked a few dozen meters ahead. He raised his Invisible Thorn, drew an arrow, and fired. The arrow turned invisible and vanished into the dark forest. A second later, a mournful howl echoed through the night, followed by the sound of a heavy body collapsing to the ground.
Lu Yunhai was amazed. He had fused with the "Hawk Eye" species, granting him exceptional eyesight, but even so, he couldn't see very far in the pitch-black night, and he had no idea what Ji Xinghuo had shot at.
Ji Xinghuo soon returned, carrying a massive wild boar on his shoulders.
Thud!
The boar's body hit the ground with a dull thud, leaving Lu Yunhai stunned. This was the first time he had witnessed Ji Xinghuo's hunting skills in action, and it had completely exceeded his expectations. He thought to himself that if Ji Xinghuo were an enemy, he would never even know how he died.
Zhuoliguet, an expert in close-quarters combat and healing, also looked on with a grave expression. Archers with such pinpoint accuracy were his worst nightmare.
Jing Ji, Yuan Chongzhen, and Chi Zhonglin, however, were used to such displays. Jing Ji glanced at the boar and commented, "That wild boar must weigh at least a ton. If we're lucky, it might even evolve into a monster." He drew his curved blade and swiftly chopped the boar into several pieces, leaving only a chunk of leg meat for roasting. The rest was fed to the Raptors and the Ferocious Battle Bears.
The sound of ripping flesh and bones being devoured filled the air around the campsite.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they retired to their tents for the night.
"Yunhai, you get some rest. I'll take the first watch tonight," Ji Xinghuo said to Lu Yunhai.
Lu Yunhai shook his head. "But before we left, we agreed that I would take the watch."
"I'll do it," Ji Xinghuo insisted.
"I'm not tired. Don't worry about me," Lu Yunhai persisted. "Last month, I fused with the 'Headhunter Bloodline,' which gave me incredible stamina and regenerative abilities, as well as the ability to heal my wounds. I could go three days and nights without sleep if needed."
Ji Xinghuo was surprised.
The Headhunter tribe was a common race in the Star Realm, often surviving in the most hostile environments. By killing and consuming them, one could acquire their innate species abilities. Fusing with their bloodline granted a comprehensive enhancement to one's physical attributes, making it a highly desirable extraordinary species.
"Wake me if you notice anything unusual," Ji Xinghuo said before retiring for the night.
However, he didn't entirely leave the safety of the team in the hands of a novice. He quietly instructed Qinghong to remain vigilant and alert him if necessary.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, after breaking camp, the group continued their search for the monster's footprints.
They spent two days circling Lake Kioga but found no trace of the creature. Eventually, they returned to the riverbank where they had initially discovered the footprints.
Ji Xinghuo chose to head downstream, away from the lake.
On the third day, the team traveled over 100 kilometers along the Nile River when Ji Xinghuo's spirit suddenly lifted, and his electromagnetic induction picked up on fresh tracks.
The team's morale soared.
Ji Xinghuo led them about a thousand meters away from the riverbank to a patch of shrubbery, where they discovered several familiar footprints.
Lu Yunhai's ancient hunting hound rushed forward to sniff the prints, and Lu Yunhai's face lit up with joy. "These footprints are fresh; they can't be more than three days old!" he exclaimed.
The teammates searched the surrounding area but couldn't find any other traces.
"It can definitely fly!" Ji Xinghuo said gravely, his electromagnetic induction supporting this conclusion.
A flying monster would make tracking and hunting it at least ten times more difficult.
"Duanya has locked onto the scent," Lu Yunhai said, petting his battle pet. He rewarded it with some food and let it lead the way.
The ancient hunting hound set off in a particular direction, running with the team following close behind on their Raptors. Occasionally, it would stop, circle around, and then continue on its path.
This went on for two whole days.
They headed west, passing north of Lake Albert, traversing the East African Rift Valley, and entering the Congo Basin. The vegetation became denser as they descended from the East African Plateau, and low-lying mountains appeared in the distance. Along the way, they encountered several attacks from monsters and wild beasts, but none posed a significant threat.
They had now left the borders of the East African Kingdom and entered the territory of the Zaile Confederation of Emirates, over 500 kilometers away from Mashindi.
In the afternoon, the ancient hunting hound suddenly halted and let out a low howl.
Lu Yunhai turned back and said, "We're close to the source of the scent. It shouldn't be more than 10 kilometers from here."
"Let's keep going," Ji Xinghuo ordered, following the hound's lead.
A moment later, he raised his hand to signal the team to halt. "We've found it," he whispered.
(End of Chapter)
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