Chapter Fifty-Nine: Taming

Morning.

When Qin Fei woke up again, the right leg that had been stung by the giant scorpion last night had almost fully recovered. The detoxifying power of those white berries truly was remarkable.

Standing at the mouth of the cave, Qin Fei noticed something unusual in the sky. In the southwest, northeast, and center of the island, three enormous floating towers had appeared, each a different color. Qin Fei hadn’t seen these towers yesterday; they must have materialized overnight.

These must be the Ark towers present on every map in the game.

Qin Fei glanced at the system messages within the rhombic crystal. Heading to the Ark would allow him to acquire new skills... The thought stirred something in him. But there was no need to rush. The system hadn’t specified any time limits, so he could claim the skill whenever he wished.

Still, there were considerations. If he went too early, he might encounter other survivors heading for the Ark, leading to conflicts. Qin Fei saw no reason to clash with others now, so he’d rather avoid them if possible.

Of course, going too late wasn’t good either. The sooner he obtained new abilities, the more time he’d have to adapt. More importantly, gaining new skills early would give him greater strength to compete for resources on the island.

So Qin Fei decided to wait a day before heading out to investigate the three Arks.

For now, the most important thing was to hunt for food outside the cave and fill his stomach. Last night’s giant scorpion had only sufficed for a single meal. Despite its impressive size, after removing the mouthparts, venom sac, and tail sting, there was little meat left.

As Qin Fei stepped out of the cave, he saw a fat pig charging toward him from the distance.

No—more accurately, it was a Palaeotherium. Though it resembled a pig, it was at least twice the size, its nose much longer than that of a pig.

Palaeotheriums were herbivores, not particularly formidable, and most importantly, their bulky bodies were packed with meat. Roasted over a fire, they would surely yield plenty of fat...

The thought made Qin Fei’s mouth water. He immediately pulled his shotgun from his backpack, raised it, and took aim at the Palaeotherium.

This was a gift delivered straight to his door...

Qin Fei planned to let the creature come a bit closer before firing.

The Palaeotherium drew nearer, but Qin Fei soon noticed a dinosaur over a meter tall pursuing it.

Judging by its appearance, it was a raptor.

Bang!

Several lead pellets shot from Qin Fei’s gun, striking the raptor. Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn’t shoot the Palaeotherium.

First, he had to deal with the greater threat—the raptor.

After taking the shot, the raptor’s body bore several wounds, blood gushing forth, yet it wasn’t killed. The beast, after Qin Fei’s attack, almost human-like, turned its head and glanced at him. Qin Fei’s shot seemed to have enraged it.

It abandoned its chase and lunged at Qin Fei, knocking him to the ground and swiping the shotgun from his hands.

What?

Stunned, Qin Fei could only watch his weapon fly from his grasp, bewildered by the raptor’s actions. Did it really know to disarm him first?

As the raptor pinned him, Qin Fei caught a glimmer of disdain in its gaze.

Could it be that the island’s creatures possessed some intelligence?

Such a possibility wasn’t far-fetched. The creatures in the Ark world were all prehistoric species, artificially bred and genetically modified. This made them tamable, able to understand human commands, and even fight alongside humans.

So it wasn’t surprising that some had intelligence.

The raptor, after pinning Qin Fei, immediately lowered its head to bite at his throat.

If it succeeded, Qin Fei would most likely die instantly!

Damn!

Qin Fei had always acted cautiously, but he never expected the dinosaurs on this island to possess such intelligence—even knowing to disarm him before attacking. This was completely outside his calculations...

His pupils dilated, fear of death flooding his mind. The raptor was powerful; once pinned, he had no strength to break free.

This dinosaur was far too formidable—he was surely doomed... Helpless, out of options, Qin Fei could only close his eyes and await death...

Suddenly, the raptor let out a miserable cry and was flung from Qin Fei’s body, as if something had crashed into it.

Qin Fei turned to look—it was the Palaeotherium! After escaping the raptor’s pursuit, it had doubled back to rescue him!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Qin Fei rolled over, grabbed his shotgun, and fired twice at the wounded raptor.

Another agonized howl, and the raptor collapsed, barely clinging to life.

To save ammunition, Qin Fei drew his knife, intending to finish it off.

Seeing the raptor grievously wounded, the Palaeotherium rushed forward and, with two bites, killed it outright.

It acted faster than Qin Fei could.

After dispatching the raptor, it turned to him, as if seeking praise, raising its head proudly and casting a triumphant glance.

Qin Fei was dumbfounded.

Was it really a Palaeotherium? It seemed more like a person in disguise!

The creature trotted over to Qin Fei, circled him twice, and nudged him with its nose.

Qin Fei stared, momentarily stunned... Was it thanking him for helping earlier?

Looking at the bulky "pig," nearly as tall as himself, Qin Fei was speechless.

Should he still eat it?

There’s a saying: "Never strike a smiling pig."

Faced with the continual gestures of friendliness, Qin Fei’s heart softened. He reached into his backpack and pulled out the berries he’d gathered yesterday, offering them to the Palaeotherium.

On seeing the berries, the creature gazed at Qin Fei gratefully, then gobbled them up in just a couple of bites.

Munch, munch, munch...

The Palaeotherium ate loudly.

After feeding it, Qin Fei felt even less inclined to kill it for meat.

Forget it, he’d eat the raptor instead!

He carried the freshly slain raptor back to the cave, cut off a hind leg, and set it over the fire to roast.

Strangely, after finishing the berries, the Palaeotherium lay down beside Qin Fei, unwilling to leave.

Qin Fei continued roasting the leg by the fire, paying it little mind.

A pig truly is a pig—soon, it was fast asleep beside him, snoring loudly.

This...

This fat pig trusted him far too much! Wasn’t it afraid he’d eat it?

In the Ark game, nearly all creatures could be tamed by humans.

There were two main methods of taming: the first involved knocking out the target and feeding it until domesticated; the second applied to creatures less aggressive toward humans, which could be tamed simply by feeding them without stunning.

Of course, games and reality differed.

Qin Fei observed the sleeping Palaeotherium... Could it be that it was already tamed by him?