Lu Kaiwen saw the light below the distant cliff, about two hundred meters away. The bottom of the cliff was sunken, making it difficult to see from the sky. The mutated crocodile was covered in rough, tough, black skin that looked like stone. If it hadn't been for its eyes emitting green light, it would have been hard to spot.
One of the Dragon King's eyes had already been blinded by Shen Feng, leaving it with only one. Lu Kaiwen saw the faint green glow and immediately realized it was the mutated crocodile.
Alerted by Lu Kaiwen, everyone became tense, not expecting the mutated crocodile to be so close. If the Dragon King were to suddenly attack, they would suffer heavy casualties.
Shen Feng and Ke Yiming immediately moved to the front. Ke Yiming said to the three behind him, "Quickly retreat, be very careful, this thing is fast!"
Everyone quickly retreated, while Shen Feng and Ke Yiming rushed down the cliff. Now on land, both Shen Feng and Ke Yiming's combat power had more than doubled. Away from the water, the crocodile's abilities were no longer a threat to them.
When Shen Feng and Ke Yiming reached the bottom of the cliff, they found the mutated crocodile lying there obediently, not moving at all. Instead, it was panting heavily. Despite its massive size, it was now unable to move.
Seeing this, Shen Feng and Ke Yiming found it unbelievable. It had been so lively moments ago, why was it suddenly lying there so weak? Could it be a trap to lure them into attacking?
The mutated crocodile was covered in wounds of various sizes, most of them bullet holes from being hit by a large-caliber machine gun. Each shot had created a terrifying bloody cavity, and blood was still flowing from its body. The largest wound was on its tail. Although it had managed to burrow into the forest in time, a missile had still blown off its tail. While crocodiles and geckos are both reptiles, their tail regeneration abilities were clearly different.
Shen Feng saw the weakened mutated crocodile lying at the bottom of the cliff and said to Ke Yiming, "Let's attack it from a distance, don't get too close. Otherwise, in its death throes, it might inflict great harm."
Ke Yiming nodded, and a giant fireball appeared in his hand. The falling rain hit the fireball, making a sizzling sound and emitting wisps of white smoke.
Then, Ke Yiming gritted his teeth and threw the giant fireball. The water-tank-sized fireball shot towards the mutated crocodile. If the crocodile didn't dodge, it would definitely be hit.
However, the mutated crocodile did not dodge. The scorching fireball collided with its body, instantly searing large portions of its flesh. The mutated crocodile let out a final mournful cry, its eyes gradually closed, and its breathing slowly ceased.
Shen Feng dared not underestimate the Dragon King, fearing it was faking death. He unleashed "Furious Wind," sending hundreds of wind blades flying out. The sharp wind blades sliced through the crocodile's body, continuously cutting it, and pieces of flesh flew everywhere. But the Dragon King remained motionless.
At this moment, Shen Feng understood that the Dragon King was truly dead.
Shen Feng quickly called the three behind him over. Lu Kaiwen, after hearing the description, stroked his chin and said, "It seems the mutated crocodile was at the end of its rope. First, it lost too much blood and suffered severe heat loss. Then, being out of the water, its immense weight pressed down on its internal organs, especially its lungs, making it difficult to even breathe. Even if we hadn't killed it, it wouldn't have survived."
For land animals, the lungs are very important. The lungs are connected to the heart. If the lungs are damaged or injured, it directly affects the heart's function. Even if Shen Feng and the others had arrived a little later, the mutated crocodile would likely not have survived and would have died of hypoxia.
The mutated crocodile had evolved and was truly like a dragon in the water. However, its body could only function in water. Once it left the water, it was like the saying in storytellers' tales: "A dragon in shallow water is bullied by shrimp, a tiger on flat ground is harassed by dogs. A triumphant cat acts like a tiger, a molting phoenix is worse than a chicken."
Shen Feng nodded, relieved, and said, "It seems the mission is complete, and we can go home. I just hope nothing too serious happens in the next six months."
Lu Kaiwen also nodded and said, "Indeed. Since the doomsday began, we've been busy every day. It's rare to have some leisure time. After we go back, I don't plan to come out unless absolutely necessary."
Even Shen Feng, an ability user, felt very tired. He was originally a homebody who rarely went out. But with the arrival of the doomsday, he had to run around all day, constantly striving for survival. He longed to quietly stay in his room, reading comics or playing games.
Ke Yiming looked at the current environment, it was dark and slippery, making travel difficult. He suggested, "Let's take shelter from the rain under the cliff. We can roast the mutated crocodile and discuss future plans. What do you all think?"
Everyone agreed. They all took shelter under the cliff in a large recess where the rain couldn't reach them directly. Moving the mutated crocodile's body could block most of the wind and rain from outside.
Huddled in the cave, they first started a fire, then cut off pieces of the mutated crocodile's meat and began roasting them by the fire.
Lu Kaiwen noticed the tough hide of the mutated crocodile and had initially wanted to take some of it, thinking it could be made into wallets or shoes. However, after a closer inspection, he gave up the idea because the crocodile skin was too thick to be made into wallets, and even if made into shoes, it would be very uncomfortable.
Ke Yiming said to Shen Feng, "Next, I need to go to Jinling. Old Li will accompany me. Mainly, Nanjing will fulfill our rewards. You guys should come along too. I heard many media outlets will be there for interviews, and Shen Feng, you'll definitely be in the spotlight."
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "I've been away from home for over a month. I need to go back and check on things. I don't need to be in the spotlight anymore; I've already had my share of attention in Yanjing."
Shen Feng refused Ke Yiming's invitation because he was worried about Chang Jianyi, who was far away in Yuzhou. He hadn't heard any news from Chang Jianyi for days and didn't know her exact condition. He could only confirm this after returning home.
Lu Kaiwen would naturally accompany Shen Feng back. His family had all died in the doomsday. Now that the world was in chaos, it was more suitable to stay in Yuzhou, at least for safety and less strenuous work.
Zheng Xiqing, while eating roasted meat, said, "I'm going to follow Big Sister. She protected us for a long time. Someone tried to bully us before, and Big Sister killed him. She also avenged me. I'm going to the Dabie Mountains. She left a marker, and I can find her."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "It seems we're going our separate ways. I can take Zheng Xiqing to the Dabie Mountains, as it's on the way. Ke Yiming, I won't escort you; you go on your own. Take care."
Hearing Shen Feng's words, Ke Yiming couldn't help but roll his eyes and said grumpily, "Why are you so apathetic? We're not parting until tomorrow, and you're already saying goodbye. Isn't this making everyone uncomfortable? Besides, we'll have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future. Why be so hesitant?"
Shen Feng shrugged and shook his head helplessly, "Will we really have many opportunities to meet? I doubt it. We might meet for the last time."
"Bah, are you cursing me to death? We have no past grievances and no recent enmity. Can you stop saying such unlucky things?" Ke Yiming couldn't help but retort.
Shen Feng smiled and said nothing more.
However, Shen Feng also knew that in the doomsday, no one knew what dangers they might encounter. Wars were happening everywhere, and accidents could occur at any time. Some things, if not said at the time of parting, might never have a chance to be said again.
After finishing his roasted meat, Ke Yiming leaned against the stone wall and muttered to himself, "Now I've completed a difficult mission. Although I had your help, this is still something that will make me famous. After I go to Jinling, I might get a special title. What do you think I should be called?"
Shen Feng replied without thinking, "For a title, how about 'God of Fire'?"
Ke Yiming quickly shook his head and said, "No, Xiao Sheng is generally known as the God of Fire. If I use that name now, it would be a repetition. Let's pick a more distinctive name."
Lu Kaiwen interjected, "How about using names from Greek mythology? The god of fire is called Hephaestus, right? Xiao Sheng's title is Zhu Rong, the Eastern God of Fire. You could be the Western God of Fire, that would distinguish you."
"It would distinguish us, but it's too awkward to say!" Ke Yiming was still unsatisfied, thinking Lu Kaiwen's suggested title wasn't great either.
Zheng Xiqing also joined the discussion. She thought carefully and said, "How about 'Dragon Flame'? It means the flame that slays dragons. Since you killed this mutated crocodile, this name is very fitting."
"Yes, yes, Little Sister Zheng is the most thoughtful. I'll go with this name. From now on, when people mention it, they'll know it was me who killed the Yangtze Dragon King." Ke Yiming nodded, feeling a surge of excitement.
When morning arrived, the rain had stopped. Although the sky was still overcast, it was a good thing that it wasn't raining.
Ke Yiming brought a recorder and could receive broadcasts at any time. After listening to the weather forecast for a while, he learned that the typhoon was heading back to the Pacific. After more than two months, the typhoon had finally ended, which meant the floods would also subside.
Shen Feng and Lu Kaiwen, with Zheng Xiqing, headed west, while Ke Yiming and Old Li headed east. Shen Feng was going home, and Ke Yiming was going to collect his reward.
If there were enough manpower, the mutated crocodile's hundreds of tons of body would definitely have been dragged away. Even the meat alone could feed tens of thousands of people. However, there were only five people on Shen Feng's side, and they couldn't carry the heavy crocodile. They could only cut off some meat to take as rations, leaving the crocodile's carcass in the mountains.
"What a shame, it's a treat for the mutated beasts in the mountains," Lu Kaiwen lamented. So much meat could have created so many evolved humans. It was a pity to just let it rot in the mountains. Perhaps in a few days, mutated beasts would eat it down to the bone, which would be a terrible waste.
In fact, Shen Feng also wanted to take the Dragon King's head, but even after cutting it off, it would still weigh tens of tons. He could barely lift it, but he couldn't carry it while traveling. Thus, Shen Feng had to leave with regret.
Among many mutated beasts, there were extraterrestrial elements. Chai Kefu had detected them with his abilities in Yanjing. The more powerful the mutated beast, the more likely it was to contain extraterrestrial elements. Although they might not be able to use abilities themselves, they could command other mutated beasts.
"Forget it, no need to regret this thing. Let's hurry back." Shen Feng shook his head regretfully and left with Zheng Xiqing.
As soon as Shen Feng left the cliff, soldiers soon arrived at their previous night's resting place. When Ke Yiming reported to his superiors, he mentioned the location of the Dragon King's corpse. He didn't think there was any problem because he didn't believe the Dragon King's corpse had much value. It was just hundreds of tons of crocodile meat, why make such a fuss? Besides, at this time, soldiers were busy with disaster relief in the Jianghuai region and didn't have time to deal with a dead crocodile.
However, the laboratory in Jinling knew the importance of the mutated crocodile, especially the Yangtze Dragon King's massive size. Its brain might contain extraterrestrial elements, so they immediately dispatched soldiers to handle it.
The soldiers dismembered the Dragon King's massive body and airlifted it away by helicopter. The mutated crocodile's head, in particular, was the most important part and needed to be sent directly to the Jinling laboratory without any delay.
Shen Feng believed the mutated crocodile would be eaten by other mutated beasts, but this did not happen because the army soon took the mutated crocodile away.
Furthermore, more than a dozen helicopters arrived and airlifted the dismembered mutated crocodile. So much meat left in the wild would be a waste. If it could be obtained, it could easily cultivate thousands of evolved humans, and with a bit of luck, even create a few ability users.