Chapter 50: Tragedy Strikes, the Clever Groundhog

"..."

Xu Xiaoyu slapped her forehead. "What am I thinking, expecting Chen Shu to be scared? What's wrong with me?"

"Roar!"

The Clever Groundhog let out a fierce roar and swiftly eliminated three more Ice Hares. Seeing the remaining five hares attempting to escape, its body emitted a series of faint glows, causing its speed to increase dramatically. Clearly, it was another combat skill!

"Ch-ch..."

The five remaining Ice Hares were not spared; they all became lifeless bodies. The Clever Groundhog's eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and it opened its mouth wide, ready to devour them.

"Big black dog! Leave the hares alone!"

Chen Shu stood up, shouting loudly, causing even the Clever Groundhog to tremble. He held a bag of urea in his hand and jumped off the back of the Flame Bird. Ignoring the resentful gaze of the Clever Groundhog, he collected the hare carcasses into the bag.

"What kind of person is he? He's actually competing with a wolf for food? And it's the one I killed!" The Clever Groundhog felt bitter but could only helplessly watch as Chen Shu took the prey away under Zhou Shi's command, leaving behind drooling envy.

"Xiao Chen, the ordinary-level Ice Hares have no value," Zhou Shi couldn't help but say. Even if they sold them to the restaurants in Qingyun Town, they would only fetch a few hundred yuan each.

"I know, but aren't you hungry now?" Chen Shu replied earnestly. He then took out various iron rod supports from his marching backpack. Surprisingly, he had an assembleable barbecue grill set.

"Wait! Hold on!"

Zhou Shi's mouth twitched, feeling like his brain had momentarily frozen. "Big brother, this is the Qingyuan Forest. We're not here for camping..."

Zhou Shi spoke up, "It's daytime now, and our time for action is limited!"

Seemingly tempted by the deliciousness of the Ice Hares, he secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva and continued, "Even if we're hungry, we'll have to wait until evening!"

Chen Shu looked disappointed and packed away the barbecue grill set. However, the Ice Hares were nearly one meter in size, and a urea bag could only hold two of them. It would be difficult to carry them if they didn't deal with them on the spot.

"Big black dog, you can have a few," Chen Shu threw the five Ice Hares to the Clever Groundhog, while the remaining four were placed on the back of the Ironback Beast.

Everyone felt a bit tempted but didn't stop Chen Shu's actions. With the Clever Groundhog responsible for combat, the role of the others was not significant. Mainly, it was to enhance their coordination with each other, as they belonged to the same Beast Taming Corps and would face many powerful beasts in the future.

After devouring the Ice Hares, the Clever Groundhog looked satisfied and remained vigilant of its surroundings. Zhou Shi approached the Great Strength Flower and prepared to pick it.

"I'll do it!" Chen Shu rushed forward again, holding a delicate silver shovel in his hand.

"The textbook says it's best to use silver objects for picking the Great Strength Flower, otherwise, its medicinal properties might be lost," Chen Shu explained.

Zhou Shi was slightly stunned and smiled, saying, "You really know your materials science, huh?"

Chen Shu carefully dug up the Great Strength Flower and said, "Of course, don't you know the value of a 396 in academic achievement?"

"You? 396? Come on, don't make me laugh. Do you think I, Uncle Zhou, never went to school?" Zhou Shi scoffed. Even the strongest in the academic field would find it difficult to surpass 380 points because the final question was truly beyond human capabilities.

"Believe it or not," Chen Shu disregarded Zhou Shi's disbelief and calmly put the three Great Strength Flowers into his backpack.

Zhou Shi: "???"

"You're really smooth with your moves, aren't you, a repeat offender?"

Looking at Zhou Shi's expression, Chen Shu explained, "I know how to store them properly, so let me hold onto them for now."

Zhou Shi shook his head and turned to the others, saying, "Rest here for a while."

After speaking, Zhou Shi took out a small blue bottle and sprayed it randomly around them. A peculiar scent filled the air, instantly dispelling the lingering smell of blood.

"Uncle Zhou, your air freshener is so dominant! It's a must-have tool for robbing and arson!" Chen Shu's eyes sparkled, amazed by its miraculous effect.

Zhou Shi remained silent, thinking that Chen Shu was the real air freshener here.

The group replenished their energy and restored their stamina during the break. Half an hour later, they set off again.

However, when they had only traveled about a kilometer, the crows in the sky let out alarmed and noisy cries.

"Boss, it's bad! There's a Steeltooth Rat Tide ahead!"

One Beast Tamer turned pale with fear, his eyes filled with dread.

Zhou Shi's expression changed drastically as he shouted, "Take to the sky!"

In an instant, the contracts between the people and their contracted spirits disappeared, being withdrawn into their Beast Taming Spaces. Even the Clever Groundhog vanished along with them.

A gray eagle suddenly appeared, emanating an aura that belonged to the Black Iron level. It was evidently Zhou Shi's second contracted spirit.

"Xiao Yu, instruct the Flamebird to fly as high as possible!" Zhou Shi reminded, while instructing the teammates to gather on the back of the gray eagle.

The gray eagle's wings trembled as it carried six people, clearly struggling under the weight, but eventually managed to reach the sky.

Xu Xiaoyu also gave some instructions to the Flamebird, which had been flying at a low altitude. Its wings flapped, faintly shimmering with a red glow. In the next moment, it soared, reaching a height of several tens of meters, almost level with the tall trees.

This was the Flamebird's another skill, 'Wing Flutter,' which could temporarily enhance its flying ability.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Almost simultaneously with the eight people ascending into the air, there was a slight tremor on the ground. Leaves fell one after another, and a deadly crisis suddenly swept through.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

Sharp screeches spread, as if an inaudible electric current was spreading, sending shivers down people's spines.

The vibrations became more intense, as if a behemoth was trampling the earth.

At this moment, Chen Shu tightly hugged the two ice hares in his hands and looked ahead through the falling leaves. His eyes widened like copper bells, and he exclaimed in shock,

"Oh no! The groundhogs have become spiritual beings!"