Chapter 16: The Fetal Movement

“Maybe the one who put in the most effort gets the most energy clusters? Han Ning contributed the most, so he should get the most,” Chen Yan pondered aloud.

Liu Feng shook his head.

“That’s not right. If that were true, Ming Hu should have taken more damage from the giant crocodile lizard than Zhou Wan, yet Zhou Wan received more energy. Why is that?”

Han Ning, inwardly exasperated, spoke up to remind them, “I don’t know. Let’s discuss this later. Let’s go check on Ming Hu.”

“Ah, right! How is Ming Hu?”

The others snapped out of their thoughts upon hearing the reminder and quickly gathered around Lu Minghu’s side.

Lu Minghu had just been hit directly on the shoulder by the giant crocodile lizard’s saliva, which tore open a bloody gaping wound on his right shoulder. Blood pooled on the ground, and he had fainted.

Even now, with the energy clusters slowly nourishing him, his complexion remained pale, as if he had breathed out more than he had breathed in.

The good news was that the bleeding had stopped.

Zhou Wan quickly examined Lu Minghu’s body and analyzed, “He lost a lot of blood, but there don’t seem to be any other major injuries.”

“This place isn’t safe to stay long—the smell of blood is too strong and will attract more monsters,” Liu Feng observed as he glanced around.

“Let’s bandage Ming Hu’s wound and head back. We’ve all been seriously injured, and today’s gains have been substantial,” he said.

Without hesitation, Zhou Wan set down her composite bow and swiftly pulled a waterproof first aid kit from her backpack.

“I’ve studied some first aid. Let me treat the wound,” she declared.

Her hands moved deftly as she opened the kit, taking out disinfectant, hemostatic bandages, and gauze, then crouched beside Lu Minghu.

“Hold him still. Don’t let him move,” Zhou Wan instructed calmly but with a noticeably quicker pace.

Chen Yan and Liu Feng quickly stepped forward, one holding down Lu Minghu’s shoulder, the other his leg.

Zhou Wan carefully cut away the clothing on Lu Minghu’s shoulder to reveal the torn flesh, now a grisly, bloodied hole.

The edges of the wound showed an abnormal grayish-white color, faintly corroded.

Her brow furrowed as she rinsed the wound thoroughly with water, then quickly applied the disinfectant.

“Ugh...” Lu Minghu twitched involuntarily in the throes of unconscious pain.

Unfazed, Zhou Wan used gauze to absorb the dirty blood and excess disinfectant, then pressed a large hemostatic cotton pad firmly over the wound, wrapping it tightly with bandages.

---

While Zhou Wan concentrated on the bandaging, Han Ning, who had been vigilantly watching the surroundings, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Look at the crocodile lizard’s belly,” he suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention.

“What is it?” Liu Feng immediately became alert, turning to where Han Ning was looking.

In the dim light outside the window, the huge belly of the crocodile lizard, covered in pale scales, was faintly and rhythmically rising and falling.

“It... its belly is moving?” Chen Yan noticed the anomaly as well.

Liu Feng got up and approached the dead crocodile lizard, pressing a finger against its cold, slimy scales to feel the slight pulsing.

His expression shifted. “Could it be... a pregnant female lizard?”

“Whether it’s a lizard or a crocodile, aren’t both oviparous?” Han Ning said with surprise.

Liu Feng’s eyes hardened, resolute. “Whatever it is inside, it must be dealt with.”

“Help me hold it down.”

He turned and picked up the chainsaw.

“I’ll help hold the body,” Chen Yan stepped forward.

Han Ning watched Liu Feng pull the cord to start the chainsaw, then glanced again at the slowly rising and falling belly.

A sudden spark of inspiration flashed through his mind, and a bold idea surged forth.

“Wait,” Han Ning urgently interrupted.

Liu Feng halted, confused. “What is it?”

“If there really are unborn offspring inside... I want to take it with me.”

“Take it with you?!” Liu Feng and Chen Yan, even Zhou Wan who was still bandaging the wound, were stunned, staring at Han Ning as if he were mad.

“Are you crazy? Bringing back a monster’s offspring? That’s inviting disaster,” Chen Yan was the first to object.

Liu Feng frowned and fixed Han Ning with a stern gaze. “Brother Han, this is no joke. We’ve all seen how dangerous this thing is.”

Han Ning’s reason for wanting the baby crocodile lizard was his animal companion skill.

He wondered if he could use that skill to form a contract with the creature, gaining an additional ally. They had witnessed the crocodile lizard’s terrifying combat power firsthand.

Of course, he couldn’t say this outright, so he lied:

“To know your enemy is to win every battle. I want to take it back for experiments. Don’t worry; if it gets out of control, I’ll kill it decisively.”

There was a heavy silence.

Han Ning had contributed the most and quite literally saved everyone’s lives.

His request forced the others to consider it seriously.

---

After a few seconds of silence, Liu Feng finally spoke, “I have no objection.”

Chen Yan frowned, clearly disapproving, but with Han Ning’s strength and recent contributions, he could only say resignedly, “You’re the leader, so it’s your call. But if anything goes wrong, you’re responsible.”

“I agree with Han Ning’s attempt. We need more information about these creatures,” Zhou Wan concurred.

“Alright.”

Liu Feng no longer hesitated and said to Han Ning,

“Safety first. If anything abnormal happens, it must be dealt with immediately.”

“Understood,” Han Ning promised.

“Let’s get started!” Liu Feng restarted the chainsaw, the piercing buzz ringing out again.

He signaled to Chen Yan and Han Ning, “Hold it down!”

Chen Yan pressed down on one side of the crocodile lizard’s body with his still-functional right arm.

Han Ning manipulated several vines, wrapping them around the other side and tail to secure it firmly.

Liu Feng’s gaze was grave as he gripped the chainsaw with both hands, aiming carefully at the faintly rising belly and cautiously pressing down.

Ssssh—sss—sss—!

The high-speed rotating teeth of the saw ground fiercely against the tough scales, producing a piercing screech and sparks.

Amid the teeth-gritting cutting sound, the armor was slit open.

In an instant, an indescribable, overwhelmingly pungent stench—a foul mixture of blood, musk, and some kind of viscous fluid—burst forth.

“Ugh...” Chen Yan and Liu Feng, closest to the source, grimaced in disgust, nearly vomiting on the spot.

Han Ning also felt a wave of intense nausea rise in his throat.

As the incision widened, a large amount of semi-transparent, egg-white-like viscous liquid flowed out.

Liu Feng clenched his teeth and continued to operate the chainsaw to enlarge the opening.

Once the cut was wide enough, the three of them leaned closer, using the light to observe inside.

Within the crocodile lizard’s massive abdominal cavity curled a small creature roughly 80 centimeters long, its body covered in a thin, grayish-white fetal membrane.

Its form was basically fully developed—a miniature version of the crocodile lizard itself.