Chapter 44

Under the cover of night, Da Fei didn’t need to aim; he fired cannon after cannon, blasting the slow-moving, glowing-eyed giant lizards. These poor lizards never knew where the attacks in the darkness came from until their last breath.

In the seawater, there were also flashes of light, the frog-like eyes of crocodiles. They finally began to react to the approaching lizards, slowly drifting towards the shore to gather.

The strategy was effective, and the luring of the monsters was on track! Da Fei was even more invigorated. He had lost count of how many lizards he had killed when a golden light descended from the sky.

— System Notice: Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 20! You have gained 1 free attribute point, 1 skill point, +2 HP, +1 leadership, +1 tactical slot, and +1 to personal base damage.

— System Notice: As a初级航海家 (初级 means '初级' and 航海家 means 'navigator'), you have grown. You have gained 1 free attribute point.

Oh yeah! Level up! A初级航海家 only gets 1 point every 5 levels, so at level 20, there should be 4 points. And at level 19, 3 points were already awarded, so this 1 point is a compensation.

But the thought of the divine scroll of the navigator falling into her hands made Da Fei's heart ache! No way, it's just a female NPC, right? Without a car or a house, can she really make me explode? I don't believe I can't get her! I will not only complete this task but do it beautifully. One unit of pearls? I will exceed the task and collect all the pearls in this area.

A red glow appeared on the eastern horizon; dawn was breaking.

After a night of shooting, the corpses of the lizards had piled up into a mountain of flesh on the beach. This night of shooting had brought Da Fei very close to level 21.

I can proudly affirm that, although there might be a million players starting with a ballista, very few can use it as skillfully as I do. I don’t need soldiers to protect the ballista, I don’t need to position it strategically, I don’t need to aim, and I don’t need spare parts for maintenance. What else could this be but mastery?

The realm of a master isn’t about fancy tactics, but about facing the right enemy at the right time. I am a master! How could a master like me stoop to being a pirate? It’s a waste of talent and against the laws of nature. Being a merchant is the way to go, hahaha!

Finally, the crocodiles, which had been watching all night, moved. They climbed ashore in groups, beginning to feast on the easy prey. Even the crocodiles, known for their resistance to all diseases, were wary of the lizards’ toxic decay, which was why they had been watching last night.

And this was the opportunity Da Fei had been waiting for. As the crocodiles swarmed ashore, Da Fei immediately rushed to the beach to collect shells.

— System Notice: You have picked up a pearl oyster, obtaining one blood pearl!

Blood pearl! Looking at the large, red glass-like sphere in his hand, Da Fei’s eyebrows twitched! Is this a pearl? Pearls are usually white, right? Could this be an extremely rare variety? That would mean it’s extremely valuable?

Haha! The more valuable, the better. I was planning to clean this place out anyway!

Da Fei began to collect pearls frantically, while the crocodiles on the shore feasted. Time flew by, and before he knew it, the sun was high in the sky, and it was noon.

The shells in the sea were becoming fewer and harder to find, and the mountain of corpses on the shore was almost gone. It was time to wrap up. By this point, Da Fei had collected 345 blood pearls, or 3 units and 45 portions, far exceeding the task. Humph, just a simple collection task, no problem for me.

Satisfied, Da Fei went ashore to disassemble the ballista and prepare to leave. Looking back at the direction of the small boat, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Humph! I want to see your faces when you realize I’m not to be underestimated! I wonder what her expression will be when I give her this pile of pearls? Will she offer herself to me? Hahaha! I know you are high-class, but my requirements are not high. Just give me the scroll, and we can part ways amicably. Why make it difficult?

Of course, to prevent the crocodiles from causing trouble, Da Fei kept an eye on the crocodiles that were basking in the sun after their meal.

Wait! Suddenly, Da Fei realized something was wrong! These crocodiles are too full, their bellies swollen like big tents! How ridiculous!

Da Fei immediately took out his telescope and saw that one crocodile still had a piece of a lizard’s tail sticking out of its mouth, and it was still trying to swallow it completely.

Da Fei’s jaw dropped. Damn, I was so focused on collecting pearls that I didn’t notice them. Could these crocodiles have swallowed the lizards whole?

Crocodiles are different from other predators. Their front limbs are too short to help cut prey, and unlike sharks, they don’t have rows of sharp teeth to tear off chunks of meat. Have you seen how crocodiles eat in nature? They throw their food! A group of crocodiles bite into a captured zebra or antelope, then fight and tear until a large piece of meat is torn off, which they then toss and swallow.

But in this situation, with these lizards being much smaller and more numerous, do the crocodiles need to fight and tear? They just swallow them whole like snakes! And when a snake is full, it’s completely defenseless, right?

Looking at the crocodiles’ swollen bellies, which looked like inflated balloons, a crazy and irresistible idea suddenly came to Da Fei’s mind: fire a shot and see what happens?

That’s right! Most people are like this. When you see a big balloon, don’t you secretly want to see it burst? When you see a waiter carrying a lot of plates, don’t you secretly want to see them all fall? What’s this called in psychology?

Anyway, at this moment, Da Fei really, really wanted to fire a shot!

But Da Fei’s reason and desire were in intense conflict! After all, this is a game, not real life. If the crocodiles are completely defenseless, wouldn’t it be asking for trouble? Normally, how much damage would a shot do to a crocodile?

Master-level ballista: 30 attack, base damage 6-7. Da Fei is level 20, with 19 attribute points from leveling up and 4 from the navigator’s bonus, totaling 23 points. (Note: The ballista is not affected by skills or equipment, so the Captain’s Sword’s attributes do not apply to the ballista.)

Total damage = base damage × hero’s strategic attribute points = 138-161. But the crocodile boss has an astonishing 50 defense, and the ballista’s attack is 20 points lower, so the damage is only 50%, or 69-80. Against the crocodile’s 900 HP, is it possible?

But since I’ve already completed the task, and this ballista has already killed so many bosses, it’s already paid for itself. If I’m going to get in trouble, I might as well try. It’s like buying a lottery ticket; even if the chances of success are low, as long as you try, you have a chance to succeed. If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed!

Finally, Da Fei’s speculative nature overcame his reason—fire! It’s better to regret what you did than what you didn’t do! It’s like buying a lottery ticket; even if the chances of success are low, as long as you try, you have a chance to succeed. If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed!

With his mind made up, Da Fei began to reassemble the ballista, feeling the same excitement he felt when checking lottery numbers.

The ballista was reassembled!

Da Fei took a deep breath, loaded two arrows, and aimed at a distant balloon. This shot would either witness a miracle or a foolish act.

— Boom! The two arrows flew out! Bang! Bang! A shower of blood! “-243”! “-251”!

Success! Da Fei stood up, excited! The attack and defense were reversed; the ballista’s attack was higher than the crocodile’s defense, at least 10 points higher! The bloated crocodiles were indeed defenseless! At the same time, a series of system notices appeared.

— System Notice: You have further improved the information on the man-eating crocodiles of the荒夷海岛 (荒夷海岛 means '荒夷海岛')!

— System Notice: You have obtained the information for the grandmaster-level reconnaissance skill “Intelligence Analysis.”

— Intelligence Analysis: After obtaining all detailed information about an unknown creature, the hero can discover its fatal weakness, ignoring 25% to 100% of its defense during battle. Requirement: Grandmaster-level reconnaissance.

Da Fei’s eyebrows twitched in surprise!

Wasn’t the information on the man-eating crocodiles of the荒夷海岛 already publicly available on the official website? Can it be further improved? Information on grandmaster-level sub-skills? While reloading, Da Fei quickly opened the information panel and saw that the crocodile’s special skill had an additional entry: ???

He had discovered a new, unknown special skill of the crocodile! This skill must be a negative one, or a weakness. Damn, with their bellies so full, it’s obvious they are weak, no need to discover it!

The key question is, what is this sudden appearance of the grandmaster sub-skill “Intelligence Analysis”? Isn’t this skill already in the skill book, and can be learned directly once you reach grandmaster level? Why would you need to collect skill information?

But there was no time to think about it. The attacked crocodile roared and staggered towards him!

Looking at its zombie-like speed, Da Fei laughed out loud, “What I put in, I will take out!”

(A new week has begun, please recommend, collect, and vote for the Three Rivers, thank you all!)

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