Ambush

"How is it?"

The rain fell heavily from the sky, accompanied by a cold wind that left a chilling sensation against the skin.

Looking at the collapsed house before him, Shen Changchuan felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Seeing Han Qinhu walk out from the ruins of the house, he immediately spoke up to ask.

"Three are dead. Preliminary judgment suggests that the beast took advantage of the night to crawl ashore from the river. It launched an attack similar to the water arrows from the other day, instantly demolishing this house and killing the villagers resting inside along with it."

"We only found some mangled remains; the rest were likely dragged away by the beast."

"Although there are patrol teams in the village, the continuous rain has lowered their vigilance and reduced the efficiency of their patrols. Coupled with the poor visibility caused by the downpour, they failed to detect the beast lurking about."

Han Qinhu's expression was also quite grim as he recounted the details gathered from his investigation.

"That beast, I fear it has already become a spirit!"

Han Qinhu could not help but exclaim.

Hearing this, Shen Changchuan remained silent.

But deep within his eyes, a flash of cold, murderous intent flickered.

That Crocodile Demon in the river had to be dealt with!

Just like the definition of man-eating beasts in his past life, once they had tasted human flesh, there would inevitably be a second, a third, and countless times thereafter!

This time would only be the beginning.

He had to resolve it in one fell swoop, once and for all!

Shen Changchuan had already made up his mind.

"Grandfather, have you found the location where it came ashore or its path of movement?"

After a moment of thought, Shen Changchuan asked Han Qinhu, who stood to the side.

Most wild animals generally possessed the habit of following old paths.

When traveling in the wild, they habitually walked along routes they had previously determined to be safe.

Shen Changchuan did not know if the demonic beasts of this world shared such habits.

But at the very least, determining the creature's movement trajectory would help him predict where the Crocodile Demon might appear next.

It would make it easier for him to set a trap or an ambush.

However, Han Qinhu shook his head with a troubled expression.

"I checked, but the rain is too heavy. The ground is covered in flowing water; even if the beast left tracks, they have all been washed away."

"There are simply no traces left to find."

The rain had been falling for over half a month, leaving layers of standing water on the ground, which turned into rushing torrents on steeper slopes.

The grass along the riverbank had been flattened by the force of these currents.

Even if there had been signs of the Crocodile Demon crawling ashore, they would have been erased by the torrential rain.

Clearly, after a thorough search, Han Qinhu and his men had come up empty-handed.

Shen Changchuan frowned in contemplation, and the air fell into silence once more.

"Changchuan, what if we move the village up to the mountains?"

"With that beast's movements in the water being unpredictable and its gaze fixed upon us, the village is too close to the river. If it crawls ashore to attack again, I fear it will only lead to more casualties."

Han Qinhu said, filled with worry, as he offered his suggestion.

In truth, he had harbored this thought for some time.

When the attempt to lure and kill the Crocodile Demon had failed, Shen Changchuan had told him that while he could not deal with the beast for the time being, he was fully confident in his ability to force it back should it come ashore.

Han Qinhu knew his grandson was not the type to puff himself up to look bigger than he was; he preferred to be realistic in his words, so he assumed there was no falsehood in what he had said.

But that only made Han Qinhu worry all the more.

Because his grandson, Shen Changchuan, had said he was fully confident in forcing the Crocodile Demon back if it came ashore, not that he was fully confident in killing it!

The gap between the two, was vast indeed!

If one could only force the beast back, then even if it were repelled, there would always be a time when it returned.

Living in constant fear and having to be on guard every single day, was simply not a sustainable path.

From that moment on, he had already begun to ponder a solution.

"If we move the village up into the mountains, far away from the Dawan River, and clear away all the surrounding brush and trees, then station men at the village entrance—even if it crawled up, we would be able to spot it in advance."

Han Qinhu proposed the solution he had been contemplating for a long time.

However, after hearing this, Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment, and shook his head.

"With the torrential rain pouring down, the ground is flooded and movement is extremely difficult. Furthermore, the mountain forests are infested with mountain leeches. To establish a settlement for over two thousand people in such harsh conditions—I fear dozens would die before we could succeed."

"Let us forget that idea."

If they forced a relocation, they could certainly succeed.

But the cost was far too great, and not something he would choose.

"Grandfather, go and gather the men first. Select those with the greatest strength and the most robust physiques, prepare them for battle, and find some hunters to set up traps."

"I will go and track the path that creature took after crawling ashore."

Shen Changchuan's voice was thoughtful for a moment as a plan took shape in his mind, and he issued his orders.

Behind him, Han Qinhu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he kept it to himself and retreated in silence.

So be it, let it be this way for now.

Since Changchuan has decided, he must have his reasons.

Carrying a heart full of worry, Han Qinhu withdrew to make preparations according to Shen Changchuan's instructions.

At the same time, with a flicker of thought, Shen Changchuan opened and closed his eyes, and a faint white light bloomed within his pupils.

He unleashed his Spirit Eye Technique, now at the perfection stage.

His vision shifted instantly, and Shen Changchuan seemed to enter another layer of the world's perspective.

He cast his gaze toward the collapsed houses and the wisps of grey demonic aura lingering on the ground.

The brow that had been slightly furrowed now smoothed out.

"As expected, the Spirit Eye Technique at the perfection stage is enough to see the demonic aura left behind by that creature as it moved!"

"This is more than enough!"

Following the trail of lingering demonic aura, Shen Changchuan quickly located the spot where the Crocodile Demon had crawled ashore, as well as the route it had taken.

After committing every part of the path to memory, he cast a deep look at the river, which had become murky and turbulent from days of rain, and without lingering, he turned and left.

Time flew by, and soon, Han Qinhu had personally selected the ten strongest individuals from among the two thousand villagers.

He equipped these ten men with heavy armor and shields as tall as a person, forming a squad ready for battle at any moment.

He also selected those with keen eyesight to hide in high places, keeping watch over the steep embankment between Dawan Village and the Dawan River.

Meanwhile, ropes were casually laid out along the Crocodile Demon's path, disguised to look as though they had been scattered by the rushing water, but with a simple pull of a mechanism hidden nearby, a massive net would instantly rise.

Huge boulders, logs, and other obstacles were placed in strategic positions.

Once the Crocodile Demon attacked, these would at least provide some measure of obstruction.

And beyond the traps they had set, Shen Changchuan had also scattered some seeds along the movement trajectory of that Crocodile Demon prior to this.

Everything was ready; all that was missing was the east wind.

He was simply waiting for the Crocodile Demon to cast itself into the net!

However, for three full days and three nights, nothing unexpected occurred.

It was as if the Crocodile Demon had eaten its fill and gone dormant.

Yet Shen Changchuan was not anxious.

He sat cross-legged within the village's main hall, meditating to restore his spirit, keeping himself in peak condition, and running through various contingency plans in his mind as he quietly awaited the arrival of news.