Chapter 27: Thunder Dragon Bell vs. Elite Velociraptor

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As he watched over a dozen velociraptors, their fangs bared, charging straight at him, Bell erupted with powerful fighting spirit, charging forward without the slightest hint of fear. Though Bell was still not yet fully grown, he was an enormous beast compared to the raptors; at the very moment of contact, he sent the two leading raptors flying with a single charge.

Twisting his massive body, Bell struck out left and right amid the pack. During his time wandering alone, his combat prowess had grown tremendously—so many battles had taken place to fend off enemies that even Bell had lost count. Yet these velociraptors were no pushovers; they were fearless before this formidable foe. In mere moments, Bell’s hide was slashed open by their claws, leaving him with chilling wounds. Several nimble raptors even clambered onto Bell’s back, digging in with all four claws, clinging on no matter how violently Bell thrashed.

With Bell drawing the attention of so many raptors, the pressure on the nearby human defensive line was greatly relieved. Lü Haomin immediately commanded his people to fill the gap in their line.

Gazing at Bell, locked in frenzied combat with the raptors, Lü Haomin made a swift and wise decision.

“All mages, buff the thunder dragon! Now!”

In an instant, Bell, locked in melee with the raptors, was suddenly awash in radiant colors...

He received: [Enhanced Defense]... [Regeneration]... [Spirit’s Fire]... [Magical Shield]... [Fleetness]... [Critical Strike]...

Buffs poured onto Bell as if there were no cost—he felt his body surge with strength, and the wounds left by the raptors no longer stung so fiercely.

“Everyone, push back!”

“Hyaa!”

A host of human warriors raised their weapons, echoing the chieftain’s call. As Bell fought amid the raptors, Lü Haomin led his people in a coordinated counterattack, seeking to divide the enemy’s assault and relieve each other’s burden.

At this moment, the elite raptor, seeing its subordinates unable to bring Bell down, grew agitated. With a hoarse screech, it turned and charged straight at Bell.

Bell sensed the elite raptor’s approach. Though he was now fully buffed, he still struggled under the relentless assault of the raptors.

The elite raptor was lightning-fast. It didn’t attack immediately but circled Bell, searching for a blind spot. At last, leaping high with its companions’ cover, its talons slashed open Bell’s back, drawing bloody furrows.

The elite’s claws were razor-sharp; Bell cried out in pain, a terrible wail echoing across the battlefield.

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But the elite raptor’s true power went far beyond that. In the split second that Bell was wracked with pain, the raptor snapped its jaws wide, twisted its head, and lunged for Bell’s vulnerable neck.

“Look out!”

Lü Haomin, watching anxiously from nearby, couldn’t help but shout in alarm at the perilous turn.

Bell, his back to the elite raptor, sensed the imminent danger from the pain radiating through his hide. As the raptor lunged, Bell jerked his neck sharply to the left, narrowly dodging the lethal bite.

Missing its mark, the elite raptor grew furious, pulling back to attack again. At that instant, Bell suddenly reared his massive body up, like a wild stallion, nearly standing upright.

With his balance lost, the elite raptor toppled backward off Bell’s back.

Bell’s upright stance didn’t last long—his forelegs crashed down with a thunderous impact, gouging two deep pits in the earth.

Lü Haomin and the other humans felt the ground tremble violently, and many were thrown off their feet. The raptor pack fared no better, reeling in the aftershock, stars spinning before their eyes.

Freed from their grip, Bell spun around, murderous fury blazing from his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the elite raptor struggling to stand.

He whipped his head and bit down hard on the raptor’s neck.

Crack!

Though the thunder dragon was a herbivore, biting a rat-man to death was easy enough—but this was a powerful elite raptor; a single bite would not kill it.

A spray of blood burst forth. The elite raptor let out a long, unwilling screech as Bell’s jaws clamped onto its neck.

Bell ground down with all his might, his rage, accumulated over countless days, unleashing in a torrential flood. No matter how the raptor twisted, no matter how the other raptors tore at him, Bell did not let go.

He bit down, over and over.

By now, Bell was streaming with blood. The raptors’ claws had left countless terrifying wounds across his hide. Still, he kept his jaws locked on the elite raptor’s neck, even as the others ripped and tore at him in desperation.

It was a scene of utter carnage. Lü Haomin, watching from the side, was shaken to the core, shouting ceaselessly for his people to fight toward Bell’s position.

Gazing at the storm of fury in Bell’s eyes, Lü Haomin could not fathom what this young thunder dragon had endured...

In this brutal struggle, the elite raptor finally succumbed. Its neck went limp as Bell bit down, killing it on the spot. Nature is cruel—failure means death; there is no second chance.

Seeing their leader slain, the other raptors scattered in panic.

Bell, his body drenched in blood, stood where he was. Though he was just a herbivorous thunder dragon, at that moment, Lü Haomin felt a chilling aura of death radiating from his every scale.

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At that moment, Bell stretched his neck to the sky and let out a long, heartrending roar. His towering anger melted into deep sorrow, hot tears welling in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks.

“Mom... Dad... did you see me? I’ve grown strong! I can finally protect you now—so where have you gone? Answer me! Please...!”

All the pain and negative emotion that had built up in Bell’s heart now burst forth in a flood, the crushing sense of helplessness stabbing deep into the young thunder dragon’s soul.

The surging tide of grief and rage crashed over him like a wave, and Bell collapsed into unconsciousness.

...

Southern Norcen Plain

Xia Rong was leading a band of lizardfolk toward the center of the Norcen Plain...

Just then, a squad of a dozen or so rat-men appeared on the horizon, wielding spears and short of stature, yet showing no fear before Xia Rong’s force of over a thousand prairie green lizardfolk.

Xia Rong knew these rat-men must be Yang Jie’s scouts. He raised his hand, halting the advancing lizardfolk host.

The leader of the rat-men was a hideous, scar-faced figure—nothing at all like the cute hamsters Xia Rong had kept in his youth.

“Who are you? Why are you trespassing on our land?”

The scar-faced rat-man stopped some distance away, his tone surly and sharp.

“Greetings, I am a friend of your chieftain. We have migrated from the southern Chakalke Plains to join your clan, and I have urgent intelligence to share with your chieftain in person. Please, could you pass on this message?”

Xia Rong understood that the rat-men’s chieftain, Yang Jie, was the same Yang Jie who had claimed third place in the dinosaur siege.

As the saying goes, it’s wise to cozy up to the powerful—if not now, when?

The scar-faced rat-man’s beady eyes darted as he weighed the situation, then replied, “We haven’t been notified. Here’s what we’ll do: bring two of your people with you, and I’ll take you to our chieftain.”

He pointed a claw at Xia Rong, his tone still stern but somewhat more cordial.

The rat-man, thinking to himself that this might be another chance for merit, began to feel quietly pleased.

“Set up camp here and rest. I’ll be back soon. If things look bad, run right away!”

“Chieftain, let me go with you!”

“Please be careful, Chieftain!”

After quietly instructing his lieutenants, Xia Rong turned and replaced his face with a professional smile. With only two companions, he strode toward the scar-faced rat-man...