ryethenovel Chapter 8: Confusion, what should I choose?
Chapter 8: Confusion, what should I choose?
At this moment, the civilization observer also saw the ultimate evolutionary form of these Southern Cross Dragons. It slowly walked out of the forest, the sunlight shining on its rough skin, and each step made the earth tremble slightly.
Its eyes were cold and cruel, aloof and indifferent to everything.
It's as if it's saying: I am the king of this world!
Upon seeing that the Southern Cross Dragon could evolve into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a creature of immense size far exceeding any carnivorous animal they had ever known before, more than a dozen observers from the civilization instantly vied for the right to observe the Southern Cross Dragon.
Those muscular guys rolled up their sleeves, their eyes gleaming with greed, eager to try it out.
Even the Dragon Kingdom Blue Star Online research team got excited.
"Southern Cross Dragon! This creature is called a Southern Cross Dragon!"
"My god, this thing can evolve to such a huge size later on, it looks incredibly powerful!"
"If we can bind to it, it's equivalent to binding to the Sharp-Toothed Beast in the last game, directly reaching the top of the food chain!"
"As long as we don't encounter a natural disaster like the volcanic eruption we had last time, victory is practically guaranteed!"
With this in mind, many scientists suggested that Professor Li use the rewards from before the game to contact Wang Lin and get him to join the battle, hoping to seize the observation rights for the Southern Cross Dragon.
"Old Li, contact Wang Lin quickly! The Southern Cross Dragon is a promising prospect! We need to observe it!"
"Yeah, if someone else snatches it, our chances of winning this round are in jeopardy!"
"I see those foreign players are already getting ready to grab the ball; we can't fall behind!"
Although Mr. Li was somewhat tempted, he ultimately shook his head.
Because he noticed that Wang Lin was no longer looking at the Southern Cross Dragon, but was looking at other creatures.
It seems this young student has quite an appetite, not even putting the Southern Cross Dragon in his eyes. I wonder what creature he will ultimately choose.
After witnessing Wang Lin leave, the other civilization observers all breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Wang Lin doesn't look particularly strong, the more people vying for it, the more battles they'll have to fight, and the lower their chances of actually getting the Southern Cross Dragon.
After all, their method of vying for the right to observe the Southern Cross Dragon was very simple and straightforward—after determining how many players decided to join the competition, the game planners would put them in a room for a two-on-two duel.
The winners advance, and the losers are eliminated.
Then the victors fight each other, and so on... until finally defeating everyone, they can gain the right to observe the creature they desire.
To put it bluntly, it's like a contest.
Whoever is the strongest fighter will get the Southern Cross Dragon.
As for why so many civilization observers still choose the Southern Cross Dragon, even though they know that the offspring of the Southern Cross Dragon will grow to an enormous size and even become super land-killer Tyrannosaurus Rex, which violates the requirements of the game's winner, why?
The reason is actually very simple.
Only those who survive to the end are the victors!
So how can you survive to the end?
Become the overlord of this era!
To survive to the end, one must become the overlord; to become the overlord, one must acquire the most powerful species. Therefore, the Southern Cross Dragon was fiercely sought after by everyone.
Those contestants who knew they couldn't beat these muscular giants could only silently turn their attention elsewhere.
Some contestants turned their gaze to the sky.
Betianpterosaurus, an early pterosaur, had a wingspan of just over one meter and weighed less than two kilograms. Its body was covered with fine down, and it had small teeth in its mouth, which were suitable for hunting insects.
Its wings are made of skin and muscle, extending from the side of its body to the tip of its fourth finger. Its flight ability is still very primitive, and it glides between trees most of the time.
But its descendants are no ordinary creatures—the Rhinoceros, Pteranodon, and Quetzalcoatlus are all rulers of the skies.
The Quetzalcoatlus, in particular, had a wingspan of up to eleven meters, like a small airplane, making it the largest known flying animal in the history of Earth.
Flying dinosaurs are also a popular seed, and many players choose them.
However, Wang Lin only glanced at it twice before looking away.
Other contestants set their sights on the ocean.
The Triassic oceans had begun to recover.
Ichthyosaurs, Phantomosaurus, Shield-toothed Dragons... these marine reptiles swam around in the Tethys Ocean, some of them quite large and looking rather intimidating.
However, Wang Lin only glanced at it twice before looking away.
These are all version traps, you can't choose them!
This left everyone completely confused.
Nearly twenty minutes have passed, and there are less than ten minutes left before the selection time ends. Why hasn't Wang Lin made a choice yet?
Does he not like any of these creatures?
In an instant, a large number of bullet comments appeared on the screen.
What is this young man picking and choosing about?
[I think that Southern Cross Dragon is pretty good. I just checked out the live stream of other countries' civilization observers, and this thing can actually transform into a super-sized dinosaur! It's incredibly powerful!]
We can't possibly get our hands on those dinosaurs; haven't you seen how many civilization observers are eyeing them?
There has to be at least one choice, right? Time is almost up, and he's not choosing anything. What's the point?
Is this guy still feeling dizzy from carbon monoxide poisoning? He should eat some dirt to calm down.
[Shut upstairs! This is a matter of life and death, can't you be serious?]
[I can't be serious! This kid is floating around in mid-air, looking everywhere, but just won't choose anything. I'm about to have a heart attack!]
Is it possible... he genuinely doesn't know what to choose? After all, he looks like he's just turned 18, maybe he's still a student...?
[It's all over, it's all over, the Dragon Kingdom is doomed again!]
The scientists in the research team were also completely baffled.
"What is he looking at?" a young researcher couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know." The other one shook his head. "He's seen everything he could want to see, including the Southern Cross Dragon, the Belial Wyvern, and the Water Dragon. He didn't choose any of the popular options."
"Could it be that he's waiting for us to give him advice?"
Someone whispered, "But didn't Old Li say he hadn't read the Southern Cross Dragon...?"
Old Li stared at Wang Lin's back on the screen and remained silent for a long time.
"Don't rush," Old Li said slowly, "Let's take another look."
"But time is running out, Mr. Li!"
"I know," Old Li said calmly, "but have you noticed a problem?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Mr. Li continued, "From the beginning until now, although this student Wang Lin has been looking at all sorts of creatures, his expression hasn't changed much after each look. Whether it's the Southern Cross Dragon or the Betula, whether it flies in the sky or swims in the water, he hasn't shown much interest."
"What does this mean?" someone asked.
Old Li pushed up his glasses: "That shows he knows what he's doing."
The group looked at each other, unsure whether to believe it or not.
Meanwhile, Wang Lin, who was floating in mid-air, was working at a rapid pace in his mind.
Southern Cross Dragon?
No, the body shape has changed too much, and the diet has changed from omnivorous to purely carnivorous; the mechanism has changed.
Betura?
That won't work either. The size changed from a one-meter wingspan to an eleven-meter wingspan, which is even more outrageous than the Southern Cross Dragon.
Water Dragon Beast?
Their size increased several times over, and although their diet remained the same, they went extinct without even witnessing the end-Triassic extinction event...
Ichthyosaur?
That thing evolved from a terrestrial reptile into a completely aquatic marine creature; its size, diet, and lifestyle all changed. It's practically the epitome of change.
Will not work.
So what should we choose?
Wang Lin frowned, his gaze sweeping aimlessly across the ground beneath his feet.
A crimson desert, sparse vegetation, and the occasional Triassic lizard crawling by...
and many more.
Wang Lin's gaze suddenly froze.
Beside the dried-up riverbed lay a creature he hadn't paid much attention to before.
The creature was not large, probably just over a meter tall, with four striking long legs, a flat body, and a long, powerful tail.
Its skin is dark brown and covered with rough scales, almost blending into the color of the surrounding soil, making it almost invisible unless you look closely.
It lay there, motionless, as if sunbathing or waiting for its prey to take the bait.
His mouth was half-open, revealing a row of uneven teeth, and his eyes were dull with a hint of... lewdness?
Wang Lin stared at the creature for three seconds.
Then the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.