Through the scope of Blood Ghost, Xiao Feng scanned the location where the green marker had appeared—but curiously, the formidable figure of the four-horned rhino was nowhere to be seen. All he saw was a chaotic expanse of jagged boulders piled densely atop one another.
Puzzled, he glanced at the coordinates on his wristwatch and muttered under his breath, "That doesn't make sense. The four-horned rhino should be right there…"
Lin furrowed his brow. "What's going on?"
"The coordinates clearly point to that spot, but I can't spot the rhino anywhere," Xiao Feng replied.
Lin took the rifle from Xiao Feng's hands and peered through the scope in the same direction. "That's strange… How could it not be there?"
Then, through the crosshairs, Lin caught sight of a single rhino horn. "There it is! That thing is hiding in the rocks!"
Startled, Xiao Feng took the rifle back and adjusted his aim according to Lin's cue. Sure enough, nestled amidst the stones was a rhino's horn, barely visible. "So it is here… Captain Rice, get ready. I'll draw it out with a shot—once it moves, you fire!"
Rice grinned. "You can count on me." He began adjusting the laser cannon in his hands; several nodes on the weapon lit up, glowing with swiftly flowing energy.
Xiao Feng aligned the scope's crosshairs just beneath the visible horn and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. Boom—the rifle discharged, the bullet slicing through the air toward its hidden target.
Beside him, Rice watched the scene with rapt attention, prepared to unleash the might of the laser cannon at a moment's notice.
With a metallic clang, the bullet struck the horn—but the four-horned beast didn't even flinch.
Puzzled, Xiao Feng chambered another round and fired again. Boom—another direct hit. Yet the rhino remained utterly unresponsive.
"This is odd… Why isn't it reacting?" Xiao Feng muttered. "Captain Rice, cover me. I'm going to take a closer look." He handed Blood Ghost to Lin, drew his black alloy combat blade, and with a single fluid motion, leapt from cover and darted toward the beast, nimble as a shadow flitting through the stone labyrinth.
From a vantage point atop a large boulder near the rhino, Xiao Feng looked down—and froze.
From afar, Lin and Rice saw him standing motionless and exchanged concerned glances.
"What's Xiao Feng doing?"
"No idea…"
"I'll go check—"
"Wait," Rice interrupted, "let's hold for his signal."
Moments later, Xiao Feng waved them over.
With Blood Ghost slung on Lin's shoulder and the laser cannon in Rice's hands, the two quickly made their way to Xiao Feng's side—only to be struck by the same stunned awe.
Beneath their feet lay the massive corpse of a colossal beast, easily ten meters in length. It was unmistakably a four-horned rhino. Its rugged hide bore testament to formidable natural defenses, but its enormous body was riddled with gruesome wounds—some so deep the pale sheen of bone was visible beneath torn flesh.
"What the hell happened here?" Rice exclaimed, visibly shaken.
"Judging by these wounds, it must have been killed just moments ago…"
"Had we arrived just a few minutes earlier, we might've witnessed whatever killed it…"
Lin's voice was tense. "What kind of creature could slay an E-class magic beast in mere minutes? Thank goodness we weren't here earlier—if we'd crossed paths with that thing, I don't think we'd have lived to tell the tale."
Xiao Feng nodded gravely. "You're right. Our timing was fortunate…"
He glanced at his wristwatch, frowning. "Lin, if there was another beast here, shouldn't my watch have registered its presence? Why didn't it show anything?"
Lin explained, "Your watch only detects beasts up to C-class. Anything above that wouldn't appear."
Xiao Feng stiffened. "Are you saying… it might've been a B-class?"
Rice blanched. "Don't say that! If it's a B-class, that thing probably isn't far. We need to leave—now."
Xiao Feng jumped down from the boulder and began slicing into the rhino's belly with his black alloy blade, reaching inside in search of its magic crystal. But the beast's sheer size made the search difficult—he couldn't reach far enough to find it.
Lin and Rice joined him, and for half an hour, the three of them scoured the rhino's remains. But the crystal was nowhere to be found.
"This doesn't make any sense…"
"Yeah," Lin echoed. "It should be here."
Xiao Feng fell into deep thought. Suddenly, an unsettling theory took shape in his mind. "I think I know what happened…"
"What is it?" Lin asked.
Xiao Feng's gaze turned to the massive, lifeless creature before him. "The crystal… it's already been taken—by the beast that killed this one. Which means…"
He paused, the thought growing darker.
"Which means that creature understands the value of magic crystals. It wants that power to evolve… It knows what it needs to grow stronger…"
Rice paled. "Are you saying this B-class beast knows how to evolve? Damn it, stop scaring me! We need to go—immediately!"
Lin's face was grim. "He's right. If it's intelligent enough to steal crystals for evolution, we're in serious trouble."
Xiao Feng nodded solemnly. "A B-class magic beast… capable of conscious evolution…"
"Let's save that nightmare for later," Rice said. "We came out here to hunt—we can't go back empty-handed."
"Agreed," Xiao Feng replied. He shook the blood from his hands. "Let's move on—next target."
And with that, the trio emerged from the stone-strewn ravine and drove off.
Not long after their departure, a swarm of mutated rats scurried out from the cracks in the rocks. Drawn by the scent of blood, the ravenous creatures descended on the four-horned rhino's corpse. Tonight, the flesh of a freshly slain magical beast would be their feast.
Chapter 94: The Four-Horned Rhino II(continued)
Not long after they had vanished into the distance, a rustling began to stir among the rocks. From the dark crevices and jagged fissures, countless mutated rats emerged, their crimson eyes glinting hungrily beneath the shadows.
The scent of fresh blood had drawn them—thick, iron-laced, and warm. Without hesitation, the swarm surged forward like a tide of black filth, pouring over the immense carcass of the four-horned rhino.
Their needle-like teeth tore into the beast's once-mighty flesh, squeals of delight echoing through the canyon as they gorged themselves on its meat. In this lawless wilderness, even the corpse of a magic beast was not afforded dignity in death.
Nature here showed no mercy. It devoured its fallen and rewarded only the cunning, the strong, and the ruthless.
And so, beneath a blood-soaked sky, the remnants of the mighty rhino were stripped bare—not by a worthy foe, but by vermin, tireless and insatiable.