"Get it!"
Several more people stepped out, holding clubs and bats.
Qin Ziwen recalled what Home had said about acquiring Cards. The first way was to explore high-risk areas, and the second was to kill powerful creatures in the current area.
'I wonder if this crocodile counts as a powerful creature in this area,' he thought.
In terms of sheer size, even ten or twenty adult men wouldn't be its match if they fought it bare-handed in the river.
But on land, the crocodile's agility and stamina were limited.
"Let's go."
Qin Ziwen took a step forward, holding the laundry pole spear with a fruit knife tied to its end. His younger brother followed behind him, clutching a wooden club.
A quick scan revealed that at least a dozen men had stepped forward.
The bearded man said, "In a bit, I'll throw this curtain over the crocodile to cover it. It's sure to struggle, so we'll have to find a way to tangle it up."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have an idea."
The bearded man looked over.
Qin Ziwen explained his suggestion, "If we just throw it, the curtain is too smooth. If the crocodile turns to run, it'll be hard to trap it. I think we should tear some holes in it. That way, when it tries to escape or struggle, its head and limbs will get caught in the holes, just like a fishing net. The more it struggles, the tighter it will be trapped."
The bearded man's eyes lit up after hearing this. "Yeah! That sounds a lot more reliable."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have curtains at my place, too. I can go get mine."
The bearded man waved his hand. "No need to go to all that trouble. We'll use mine. The salesman was bragging about how good the quality was, said it was even resistant to cat and dog claws. Perfect time to test it out."
With that, the man pulled out a boning knife and stabbed it into the curtain he was holding. The motion was so fast and precise that it made Qin Ziwen's eye twitch.
Soon, the curtain was full of holes of various sizes. But getting the crocodile to stick its head precisely into one of them was another problem.
Qin Ziwu suggested, "Why don't we use poles to hold it open and try to guide its head into a hole?"
Huang Tao said, "That might work, but who's going to hold the poles?"
The group looked at each other, at a loss.
The crocodile lay there, its limbs thicker than a man's waist, its eyes slightly narrowed. Even though it was motionless, no one was foolish enough to treat it like a statue.
The longest of their clubs and laundry poles were only about two meters long. At that distance, facing a five-meter-long crocodile, they felt no sense of security whatsoever.
The young property management employee in the white security uniform said, "How about we just throw it? If it works, great. If not... we'll just go get another curtain."
Everyone agreed with this plan.
Qin Ziwu said in a low voice, "Bro, I'll do it."
Qin Ziwen's gaze sharpened. "Stay back."
Qin Ziwu immediately stood his ground obediently.
Old Deng put down the box containing his fishing rods, asked his wife to hold it for him, and then rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
His wife asked worriedly, "Are you going?"
Old Deng laughed heartily. "Those young fellas dare to go, so how can I just stand back and watch the show? Besides, I've never eaten a fish this big. I'll get some crocodile meat for you and our daughter to try."
Old Deng asked Old Liu, who was standing nearby, "You coming?"
Old Liu shook his head cautiously. "Nah, you guys go ahead."
Qin Ziwu, who had been staring at his brother, felt a couple of pokes in his side. He turned around to see the girl behind him teasing, "Your brother looks so serious. Are you scared of him?"
Qin Ziwu recognized her as Brother Deng's daughter and said dismissively, "Like you're not scared of your dad."
"Tch, I'm not scared of my dad."
"I am. I'm scared something will happen to my bro."
After saying that, Qin Ziwu turned back around, his eyes fixed on his brother's back. He tightened his grip on his club, ready to charge forward at a moment's notice.
The girl blinked, looking at Qin Ziwu's back. She wanted to keep talking to him, but her mom slapped her on the shoulder. "You talk too much. Your dad and the others are doing something important. Be quiet."
"Oh..."
The Liu Family's son took the opportunity to sidle up to her. "Yingying, I think fighting that crocodile is really dangerous."
The girl wrinkled her delicate nose. "Shut up."
"Brother Deng, you're coming too?"
Qin Ziwen looked at Old Deng beside him in surprise. Old Deng raised an eyebrow. "Who are you looking down on? I was a soldier, you know."
Six men each grabbed a corner of the curtain, stood on the ladder, and took two steps forward.
As they got closer and closer to the crocodile, Qin Ziwen could hear the breathing of the men around him grow heavy.
Never mind the others; even his own hands were starting to feel weak.
No one who hasn't been up close to a large predator without a barrier between them could possibly understand the feeling.
The crocodile's tail suddenly twitched.
"CLATTER."
On the far left, the young man in the security uniform suddenly went weak in the knees and nearly fell, only catching himself by planting his left hand on the ground.
The sudden movement immediately caught the crocodile's attention.
The crocodile opened its cold eyes. Its vertical pupils, devoid of any emotion, turned to stare intently at the six humans who dared to approach.
The crowd of onlookers on the ladder behind them erupted in an uproar.
"THUMP, THUMP, THUMP."
The crocodile shot into motion.
Its thick limbs exploded with incredible speed as it charged toward the fallen security guard.
"Throw it now!"
The bearded man yelled.
The men threw the curtain, but since the fallen guard was still holding one corner, it didn't go very far.
The charging crocodile ran headfirst into the curtain, its head and the front half of its body becoming covered.
But its speed didn't decrease in the slightest, and it slammed right into the security guard.
The guard's thigh was pinned under its claws, and he let out a terrified shriek, "Help! Help!"
The bearded man grabbed the back of the guard's collar, trying to pull him back.
But the crocodile sensed its prey trying to escape and instinctively hooked its claws in.
The others' clubs and bats rained down, striking the crocodile's back.
"AHHH!!!"
In the distance, the crowd of onlookers gasped. "That crocodile's cry is so pitiful."
"You heard wrong. That's the security guard screaming."
The crocodile's claws were sharp, digging deep into the guard's thigh like hooks.
After being attacked, the crocodile let out an enraged, low growl that sounded like a roaring engine.
Its thick tail swept back and forth, making a SWISH-SWISH sound as it scraped against the ground.
Qin Ziwen gripped the laundry pole with both hands and thrust it at the side of the crocodile's head, under the curtain!
He was aiming for the eye but hit something hard, like tough leather, and couldn't pierce it.
Immediately, an immense force traveled up the other end of the pole, driving him stumbling backward.
The crocodile charged in Qin Ziwen's direction.
Qin Ziwu's furious shout erupted from behind him. "Get out of the way!"
A dark figure leaped from behind and to the side, swinging a long club in a half-circle.
"CRACK!"
The club, as thick as a man's thumb, snapped in two.
But the charging crocodile also stopped in its tracks.
The solid blow had dazed it.
"Get it!" A burly man with a fire axe charged out from the crocodile's rear flank, bringing the axe down hard on the curtain covering it.
"AWOOO~"
The crocodile under the curtain let out a mournful howl, its tail lashing out behind it in a blur.
"THUMP!"
There was a dull thud, like a sledgehammer hitting a sack of rags.
The burly man with the fire axe didn't even have time to react before his entire body was sent flying backward without warning!
He flew a good three or four meters before landing heavily on the ground like a pile of mud. His lower leg was bent at an unnatural angle; anyone could see it was clearly broken.
The scene instantly fell deathly silent.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on the previously feverish atmosphere.