What appeared in Chuck's line of sight was actually an approximately several hundred square meter summit lake, pitch-black under the dim sky.
Unlike the hot spring a hundred meters below, the sulfur smell of this lake was much fainter, and it wasn't murky either, even carrying a hint of eerie clarity. It was just that due to the lighting and the pitch-black stone walls, the light was completely absorbed by the lake water, making it impossible to see the situation beneath the surface.
The torrential rain poured down, and the howling wind carrying moisture raged across the summit. Dense raindrops smashed against the water surface, splashing fine spray, constantly churning and undulating.
And just as Chuck expected, right by the shore of this summit lake, an approximately two-meter-high stone cave gaped open silently, pitch-black inside.
But when Chuck's gaze looked inside, his body instantly tensed instinctively, and his spirit naturally became nervous.
It was indeed that thing's nest!
Amidst the rain curtain, beneath the goggles, Chuck's eyes grew brighter and his mood more excited.
With the arrival of the storm, the giant bird that originally soared in the sky became a wild chicken trapped in a mountain cave. From an aerial predator that once covered the sky and sun with immense oppressive force, it turned into a prey full of weaknesses...
The volcano summit wasn't very spacious, with over 70% of the area occupied by the central summit lake. It seemed this place used to be a blazing crater in the past. After being extinguished and washed by rainwater over the years, such a bottomless volcanic lake eventually accumulated.
Obviously, this was the source of the water for the entire deserted island.
The water source and the bird's nest—the two most important things placed before Chuck had all their answers revealed at this point.
And Chuck also ushered in the most crucial hunt after facing the tiger.
Thanks to the howling storm, Chuck's actions of climbing to the peak didn't seem to have alarmed that giant bird. Besides the sound of the storm and the dense white noise of the rain on the lake surface, there was only the occasional muffled thunder ringing on the horizon.
Chuck held his breath and concentrated his spirit to an unprecedented level. He bypassed the pitch-black summit lake and approached the stone cave along the smooth, cold, and wet outer edge of the summit.
Lightening his footsteps as much as possible, Chuck gripped his clothes tightly to prevent them from rubbing and making noise in the strong wind. He walked all the way until he was only a dozen meters away from the stone cave...
With a slight raise of his hand, the improved three-bow ballista appeared on the ground beside him.
The improved ballista not only had its bolts become shorter, thicker, and heavier, but to maximize power, the weight of the ballista body was also much heavier than before. So much so that even if Chuck emptied all the items in his storage space, it could only barely fit the main body of the horizontal ballista bed.
Therefore, the installation of the ballista bolt could only be done temporarily on site.
This time, Chuck carried the two improved ballista bolts with him on his back. Actually, one bolt was enough; bringing an extra one was purely for backup.
The hardwood frame of the ballista was quickly soaked by the dense rain curtain. Chuck's expression was calm, but his spirit was highly concentrated. His hand movements were clean and swift, taking a ballista bolt from his waist behind him, installing it on the ballista, and drawing the bowstring.
The entire process from start to finish took no more than ten seconds.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. Once the string was drawn, there was no need for Chuck to hesitate anymore.
Like a hitman who, after long and meticulous planning, after overcoming numerous obstacles and difficulties, finally arrived at the target's bedside late at night and loaded his gun.
At this moment, what would happen next was exactly like a released ballista bolt—there was no turning back.
Holding the fully drawn ballista, the ballista weighing over a hundred kilograms felt like an ordinary school desk and chair in Chuck's hands. He carried it straight into the pitch-black mountain cave.
And the moment he stepped into the cave, an intense, pungent smell of fishiness, urine, mixed with mold and rot rushed at his face.
Inside the pitch-black cave, a tall, dark silhouette was half-squatting at the edge of the nest. Its feathers were slightly raised, and it was lowering its head, silently preening its neck feathers.
Although up close, the size of this giant bird was far less astonishing than when it flew in the sky, now, with its wings folded in the cave, it still stood close to two meters tall.
A sharp beak like a hooked beak, pupils ferocious and terrifying.
Almost the instant Chuck's figure appeared, this giant avian that covered the sky and sun during the day abruptly raised its head. Its terrifying yellow pupils suddenly contracted. The moment it detected the intruder, a sharp, piercing screech instantly exploded within the narrow cave!
"Screech—!!!"
The cry was as harsh and rapid as metal scraping against rock. Yet it didn't spread its wings; instead, like a maddened free-range chicken, its legs kicked off the ground violently, and its massive body lunged forward carrying a foul wind.
That hooked sharp beak came straight for Chuck's head, threatening to peck through his skull in the next second!
In a flash of lightning, Chuck's expression and gaze remained as calm as usual, but his hand movements were astonishingly fast. He easily placed the ballista weighing over a hundred kilograms on the ground, quickly adjusted the angle, and then decisively pressed the firing trigger.
Then the next moment, that short and thick improved ballista bolt instantly unleashed its most powerful force at this distance of less than ten paces!
Crack!
The trigger mechanism suddenly released, and the dull sound of the bowstring exploded in the cave. That steel arrowhead, having undergone multiple smeltings and become heavy and massive, carried terrifying penetrating power and buried itself into the giant avian's chest in an instant!
The massive impact force directly knocked the giant bird backwards, finally smashing heavily against the rock wall. Fresh blood flowed down its black feathers in large patches, soaking the layer of bird droppings on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, fresh blood spurted out like a fountain, dyeing half the cave wall red. The giant bird let out an utterly miserable wail of agony, kicking its legs weakly a few times. Its massive wings, which it had hesitated to open, finally began to struggle and flap, sweeping up a gust of air that forced Chuck to take half a step back.
Outstanding effect!
No... it's outstanding among the outstanding!!
Watching this scene, Chuck's originally steady breathing suddenly became rapid.
According to his original plan, after this shot hit, if it struck a vital point, he would abandon the ballista and bolts immediately and run with all his might towards the cave leading to the north of the island on the hot spring platform below... just like when he killed the tiger before.
But looking at it now, Chuck's plan to sneak attack the nest while the giant bird was hiding from the rain seemed to be even more fatal than he anticipated.
The giant avian that originally covered the sky and sun instantly turned into an oversized ostrich inside the mountain cave. Chuck's improved close-range ballista bolt sacrificed range but maximized lethality...
Let alone severely injuring it, just one bolt almost killed this raptor on the spot!
In that case, is there any need to run?
These thoughts flashed through Chuck's mind in an extremely short time, making him reach a judgment instantly. He didn't abandon the ballista and run; instead, he pulled out the second backup bolt from behind him—the very one Valentina had personally handed to him before he left.
Chuck's expression was cold, but his mood grew increasingly excited. His hand movements were still incredibly fast as he drew the string, but his fingertips trembled slightly uncontrollably.
No more running, finish off this giant bird right now! This is an excellent opportunity!
That giant bird struggled for a moment, seeming to know its life was nearing its end. So it let out another mournful cry full of despair and anger, desperately straightened its upper body, and its sharp beak, still dyed red with blood, thrust towards Chuck's abdomen once again!
Crack! Squelch—
For the second shot, Chuck didn't aim at its chest again, but aimed directly at its neck, piercing through with one shot.
Just like that, it hung securely on the giant bird's neck.
The next moment, this tall giant avian nearly two meters high, the overlord of the sky soaring in the heavens, crashed heavily to the ground, splashing a large spray of blood.
And died so humiliatingly under Chuck's two bolts.
Looking at the massive corpse that still fluttered occasionally, Chuck just stood there blankly, looking at the ballista in front of him somewhat in disbelief...
Is it over just like this?
Isn't this... a bit too easy.
A feeling of confusion subsequently surfaced in his heart, but Chuck ultimately wasn't the squeamish type. So this confusion only lasted for a short time before he impatiently began searching the cave.
Ultimately and unsurprisingly, he found what was hidden deep in the stone cave nest, clustering a blue oval crystal in the center...
A full seven blue Flowers of the Other Shore!
It's actually pure blue?
It really is an avian class.
Looking at this large field of Flowers of the Other Shore before him, Chuck wasn't surprised. After all, being a raptor flying in the sky, it was naturally pure blood blue, specializing in agility and perception.
This point also matched its positioning.
Anyway, the major task was completed, next was the time to harvest the spoils!
Storing the crystal properly and picking all the Flowers of the Other Shore to deposit into the workbench, Chuck then drew his short knife from his waist, approached the giant bird's corpse, and began skillfully disemboweling it to extract the heart and process the carcass.
Just like every time he killed a fierce beast before, it was nothing more than refining a potion and utilizing the corpse as much as possible. And as a lord-class fierce beast the same as the tiger, it was a pity that after plucking its feathers, the remaining meat of this giant bird probably wouldn't even amount to a hundred kilograms. It was probably impossible to refine a new Essence Potion.
But this was harmless.
It was just that Chuck processed it increasingly smoothly, and large patches of fresh blood spread under his feet, making the already foul-smelling and pungent nest smell even more fishy and rotten.
Chuck frowned and remained silent, just blindly cutting the corpse, skinning and plucking, wanting to finish this giant bird as quickly as possible, and then go home early to rest with his spoils using the recall skill...
So much so that he completely failed to notice that unexpected situation.
And when his sensory nerves suddenly issued a warning to him at maximum volume, making Chuck's entire back bristle with hairs like an electric shock in an instant, Chuck only had time to instinctively fall backwards.
He barely dodged a huge, bloody maw coming straight for him by a hair's breadth!
Crunch!
A teeth-aching loud noise exploded. The bloody maw snapped shut violently, biting Chuck's three-bow ballista placed on the ground into pieces in one bite! Under that terrifying bite force, the hardwood frame weighing over a hundred kilograms actually snapped and flew apart like a brittle cracker!
In the critical moment, Chuck's spine was almost pressed against the cold rock wall.
A foul wind rushed at his face, carrying a strong smell of rot. A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated outside the stone cave, and Chuck's pupils contracted sharply.
He finally saw the true face of the attacker clearly—
It was actually a terrifyingly massive giant crocodile!
It was a full over five meters long, its thick body almost stuffing the cave entrance completely. Its dark scales gleamed with a moist, faint light in the weak illumination.
Looking at this thing, Chuck felt a strange sensation gradually occupying his heart.
This isn't right...
How could this be?
Hasn't this deserted island... always been similar to a survival game?
Challenges would appear, it would encourage him to challenge BOSSes, but there had never been any certain-death situations or traps...
But what the fuck is going on here?!
Why would there be two fierce beasts in one area?!!!
Chuck's long-held rationality almost completely shattered at this moment, fear making his body grow increasingly stiff.
Looking at it now, this giant crocodile seemed to live in that summit lake outside the stone cave. After Chuck killed the giant bird, attracted by the smell of blood, it silently came ashore and crawled into the stone cave.
And right now, this thing was fiercely twisting its body, forcefully squeezing into the narrow stone cave. Moving its four short, thick limbs, carrying extremely cold killing intent, it approached Chuck bit by bit...
Like a brutal Godzilla from childhood nightmares.
Chuck's heart pounded wildly, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat.
The cave entrance was completely blocked by this behemoth, behind him was the steep volcanic rock wall. He quickly scanned his surroundings in a flash of lightning—
There were no crevices inside the stone cave, no second exit. Even the space inside the stone cave became narrow, it could be said there was almost not even room to roll and dodge.
Could it be that he was going to die?
This thought, like a cold bolt of lightning, ruthlessly struck into Chuck's mind.
At the critical juncture, Chuck actually lost control for a moment. In the silent, foul, bloody stone cave, which was also the place where he was about to die without a burial place, he let out a chuckle.
"If you walk by the river often enough, how can you not get your shoes wet..."
It must be said, Chinese culture is indeed so extensive and profound. No matter what kind of bad luck one encounters, even at death's door, one can find a proverb, and then sigh with emotion about the wisdom of one's ancestors before dying.
But despite the sighing emotion, Chuck was still a warrior.
As a warrior, no matter how desperate, he wouldn't bow his head and accept his fate.
The giant crocodile let out a low roar, its massive body lunging forward again, its bloody maw open to the limit, going straight for Chuck's chest and abdomen!
A fierce light also flared up in Chuck's eyes.
Since there was no way of retreat, he gripped the short knife at his waist tightly, his foot kicking violently against the rock wall, his whole person throwing himself at that foul, giant mouth.
Although he always planned meticulously, in the end, he always had to risk his life anyway. It was as if above his head, there was some fucking entity toying with him, insisting on seeing him narrowly escape death time and time again to be satisfied.
Then let me show you again, you fucking thing!
Using all his strength and gathering all his momentum, Chuck thrust his knife straight towards the softest part of the crocodile's upper palate. With a squelch, it buried itself into the soft flesh inside the giant crocodile's mouth!
But the next second, a whistling sound that made Chuck's heart instantly run cold rang out from above his head.
At the very last moment, he only had time to look up.
He saw a tail as thick as an adult's thigh, covered in hard scales, carrying a terrifying sound of breaking wind and tremendous force...
Sweeping straight towards his head.