I Can't Afford to Keep You

Thinking of this, the leader riding the Dinophant shouted at his subordinates again, pulled back his Long Spear, and charged forward once more.

Luo Chong drew his Longbow and nocked a Feathered Arrow, aiming at the one riding the Dinophant. He steadied his breathing and released the arrow when it was 70 meters away. It struck his right eye with a cry of pain, and the leader fell off the Dinophant's back. The advancing Dinophant then stepped on him with its hind leg, crushing his intestines and killing him instantly.

The Dinophant's back suddenly lost its rider. Feeling as though it had just stepped on something soft and unknown, it turned its head back in confusion and was immediately distressed.

Emmm... what did I step on? When did he get under my foot...

The bewildered Dinophant, looking a bit lost, actually stood still.

The surrounding subordinates were also somewhat confused. How did their leader suddenly die? However, their forward charge didn't stop.

"Counterattack! Charge and Spear Throw!"

Seeing that Dashu and the others had finally caught their breath, Luo Chong also seized the moment of the enemy's shock to issue the counter-charge command.

The four of them spread out and charged towards the enemy, stopping to Spear Throw after advancing 10 meters. At this point, the two sides were only about 40 meters apart. The enemy quickly stopped to Spear Throw as well, but they were a step too late. Dashu and the others' three Spear Throws and Luo Chong's one Feathered Arrow flew over first, instantly killing three more people. Now, only three enemies were left alive, and they started to panic.

Luo Chong drew another Feathered Arrow from his quiver and charged forward again, scaring the three into quickly turning and fleeing. The one riding the Dinophant even controlled it to turn around, but then felt it was too slow and jumped directly off its back. As a result, before he even landed, an arrow pierced his chest. He ran a few more steps backward before collapsing directly onto the ground.

Dashu and the other two also charged out from behind Luo Chong. Three Stone Axes flew out with the sound of the wind, taking care of the last two remaining enemies.

Thus, this jungle pursuit and guerrilla battle finally came to an end. At the cost of only minor injuries to Tree Stump and Mutong, Luo Chong perfectly annihilated the enemy by utilizing his range advantage, advanced guerrilla tactics, and the Tree Tribe's home field advantage on the terrain.

Dashu and the other two couldn't believe it. Just the four of them had actually wiped out a team of 40 people. Oh, right, and two Dinophants.

Luo Chong looked around at the two large, somewhat bewildered creatures standing still, then issued a new command.

"Tree Stump, you wait here. Mutong, go find all the tribesmen and bring them back. Dashu, you and I will go finish them off."

"Finish them off? What's finishing them off?" Dashu asked, confused.

"It means completely killing those who weren't killed. Some enemies were injured by the Stone Axes just now but aren't dead yet. We can't let them stay alive." Luo Chong slung his Longbow over his back, picked up the enemy leader's Bone Spear, and stabbed the 'corpses' on the ground one by one.

Dashu understood and said "Oh," then followed Luo Chong back along the route of the chase, killing some of the 'corpses' on the road again. The Feathered Arrows were retrieved, and the intact Stone Spears and Stone Axes were also collected.

As a result, the two unsupervised Dinophants kept following Luo Chong, even making two "oh oh" sounds.

Luo Chong stopped and turned around. One of the Dinophants came over and nudged Luo Chong's chest with its trunk. What the heck, what does this mean? Can someone translate for me?

The large creature in front of him looked at Luo Chong with big, innocent eyes, its long eyelashes fluttering like little fans.

But no matter how cute you are, no matter how much you try to act adorable, don't follow me, Luo Chong thought speechlessly.

This was a real Dinophant. Luo Chong had only seen Dinophant skeletons in museums before; this was the first time he had seen living ones.

Although Dinophants and mammoths were both giant elephants, the Dinophant's characteristics were very distinct. Mammoths and modern elephants look similar, just larger with longer hair.

But Dinophants were different. Other elephants' tusks grew on both sides of their upper lips, extending forward and curving upward at the ends. However, the Dinophant's tusks grew on its lower lip, extending downward and then curving backward. And they weren't as long as a mammoth's tusks. If they were that long, it could stab its own chest just by lowering its head. Therefore, this creature is highly recognizable and is one of the most bizarre-looking elephants.

Although these two "little guys" are only over two meters tall now and are still young, adult Dinophants are giant beasts that are 8 meters long, over 5 meters tall, and weigh about 15 tons. They are a species that could go head-to-head with a Tyrannosaurus Rex without fear, they just didn't live in the same era. Standing there, they were like a two-story building. How much food must this thing eat in a day?

Luo Chong pushed its trunk away and said, "Go on, you're free now. Don't follow me, your brother can't afford to raise you."

If you want to engage in farming, you have to consider the benefits. If the value it brings is less than what it consumes, then what do I need you for?

Luo Chong planned to raise rabbits because he wanted to eat the meat and skin them. Also, rabbits don't eat much, breed quickly, and don't attack people, making them very suitable for farming.

Raising Blue Antelope was intended to use them like donkeys, for pulling carts and plowing. They could also turn a millstone. Luo Chong could also afford their food consumption.

But why are you a Dinophant joining in? Are you going to turn a mill? How big would that mill have to be? Are you going to plow fields? The ground would be trampled into pits. Are you going to pull a cart? It would probably have to be a level of a container trailer to match its size, but there are mountains and jungles everywhere here. Where would you drive my trailer?

Considering all of this, Luo Chong didn't plan to adopt these two "little guys." He really couldn't afford them. So, he ignored them and continued forward with Dashu to finish off the others.

They went all the way back to where the two sides first met, which was Luo Chong and their campsite. However, there were only 36 'corpses' along the way. According to Dashu, there should have been 40 people, but now four were missing. There were no signs of them being alive or dead, which made Luo Chong feel uneasy, like failing a quest objective.

But there was no way to search now. In such a large Black Tree forest, if someone wanted to hide, even mobilizing ten thousand people to search might not find them.

After a busy latter half of the night, Tree Stump and Mutong finally brought the main group back at dawn. Fortunately, no people or supplies were missing.

While everyone sat down to rest, Luo Chong had Dashu distribute the captured Stone Spears and Stone Axes to everyone. Except for the children, everyone now had a weapon for self-defense. Only then did he let everyone eat breakfast.

Breakfast was roasted rabbit. There was no water source nearby, but Mutong somehow found some red Salty Tree Sap. It helped supplement everyone's salt and water intake. They also used the excess tree sap to wash wounds. According to Dashu, washing wounds with this kind of tree sap helps them heal faster and people are less likely to die.

Tsk tsk, it seems this stuff also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. In Luo Chong's understanding, only modern dragon's blood tree sap has this function. As for the ancient tree species of the primitive era, he really didn't know many.

The Blue Antelope and rabbits still ate the forage they brought with them, which Luo Chong had bundled up from the edge of the Swamp. But now, two strange large creatures had unexpectedly come to freeload on food, which made Wuda and Ximen unhappy. However, they could only tolerate it. They were half the size of the others. When eating grass, they were pushed aside and didn't dare to even fart, obediently like quails.

Seeing the forage that could have lasted for two more meals disappear in an instant, Luo Chong wanted to curse.

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