Lizard Lord - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - The Benefits of Intelligence

Tang Zhao walked to the location where the tortoise's body had been and hoped to find some clues about the missing body.

Obviously, the thief didn't even try to hide. There was a footprint that extended from the forest all the way to the pond, and then back into the forest.

Based on the spacing and other details of the footprint, the owner of the footprint should be a bipedal creature.

However, the shape of the footprint was strange, with only two toe-like things, somewhat resembling a spider's footprint.

The imprint was deep, indicating that the owner was not light in weight. But Tang Zhao couldn't imagine what a bipedal spider would look like.

【For now, let's call it Spider-Man or Spider Monster. It must be quite a threat, and likely to be intelligent.】

He had hunted a few spiders before and speculated that there might be some creature feeding them.

The appearance of this Spider Monster seemed to fit the description, possibly being the feeder of those spiders.

Fighting with wild beasts was one thing, but fighting with intelligent monsters was another.

This forest was full of malicious creatures everywhere, and Tang Zhao didn't believe that the spider monster would be a good person. He assumed it was an enemy.

He had eaten quite a few giant insects around him, and there was no point in staying still. Tang Zhao sunbathed for a while to warm up his body, then carried the bundle made of a fur cape and set off.

...

To migrate, he had to pass through a forest entangled with many spider webs. It was risky but necessary. This was the first time Tang Zhao carefully observed the interior of the forest.

The canopy of the trees was covered with the remains of many animals, and occasionally he could see the discarded exoskeletons of arthropods, but he didn't find any major threats.

There were a few trees surrounded by spider silk, and he didn't know what they were used for. Besides that, there were few spider webs spreading to the ground.

However, there were still some exceptions.

He carefully stared at the ground beside him, or more accurately, the spider web trap covered by branches and leaves.

There was a hollow space covered with spider webs and concealed by plants. If one didn't pay attention to their footsteps, they could easily fall into it.

After stepping on empty space, he would be stuck in a spider web and unable to move, and then a certain kind of monster that came after finding out would end his life.

Imagining this scene, Tang Zhao shivered slightly.

Looking down, he nervously observed the surroundings, preparing to continue on.

He could see some traces of insects around, but Tang Zhao wouldn't hunt in this kind of environment. His size was also not on the menu for the majority of insects, so he avoided them and both sides could be considered at peace.

Halfway through, his tongue caught a special scent.

The scent of a certain animal, different from ordinary insects, but he had never smelled the same scent on other creatures.

【Most likely, that Spider Monster is nearby. Even if it's not, it would be a similar predator.】

He had never seen gentle herbivores like beetles and millipedes in this place. They were all fierce carnivorous insects, a very strange ecological environment.

Spider webs were everywhere around, and the terrain was also rugged. It would be difficult for him to outrun a giant spider.

And if he was ambushed by the enemy during the escape, the consequences would be disastrous.

All the giant arthropods he had encountered were venomous. If he was bitten through his scales, he would immediately be at a disadvantage.

He had venom glands, but he didn't necessarily have any venom resistance.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind, Tang Zhao stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the treetops behind him.

Opening his mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth, and raising his body with his limbs, Tang Zhao appeared even taller and stronger. His scales all over his body stood up, displaying a deterrent posture.

The purpose was not to scare the other party, but to warn them: I have already spotted you.

If the enemy hadn't made a move yet, it meant they were cautious or the difference in strength between the two sides wasn't particularly large.

After losing the element of surprise, the enemy should think carefully before taking action.

Based on the arrangement of the traps and the behavior of raising spiders, the other party was very intelligent.

This was not a good thing for him, but it was not purely a bad thing either.

The smarter the creature, the more concerns they had, and they would also be more cautious before making a move.

He had other prey to choose from, and didn't necessarily have to choose Tang Zhao, who was prepared and tough.

After posing a deterrent posture for a few minutes, Tang Zhao remained vigilant of any movement around him. His muscles were tense, ready to attack the enemy as soon as he found them.

Fortunately, the other party chose to temporarily back down in the end.

As the special scent in the air gradually faded, Tang Zhao's tense heart finally relaxed.

The other party might call for reinforcements, so Tang Zhao quickened his pace and quickly left.

He found another open space in the woods, with a small stream flowing through it, so he didn't have to worry too much about water sources.

Instead of hunting immediately, Tang Zhao started digging a hole.

Just in case, hunting still carried the risk of getting injured, so if anything unexpected happened, he could hide in the hole.

It was also to guard against the Spider Monster. The other party still had the possibility of launching a surprise attack, so a safe refuge was important.

After putting in some effort to dig a hole, Tang Zhao began another round of hunting.

At first, he found a mantis. The efficiency of hunting this type of insect was indeed not low, but its pair of scythe-like forelimbs couldn't harm Tang Zhao, who had overwhelming size advantage.

Ignoring the mantis's forelimbs, Tang Zhao lifted his claw and pressed it down, then bit off the mantis's head and swallowed it.

Originally, he had conditions for being picky about food, but now he didn't have such conditions. He would eat whatever he had and as much as he had.

After tearing off the mantis's forelimbs and completely neutralizing the threat, Tang Zhao began searching and successfully found a blood core from the mantis's abdomen.

Digesting food would slow down his movements, so he only took a few bites hastily and stored the mantis's body in the hole.

After resting, he came out of the hole again to hunt. This time, he found an insect that posed a sufficient threat to him in the surroundings, but it didn't encounter him in the way he had imagined.

It was a giant centipede hidden in the bushes, holding a cluster of milky white spheres, motionless at the moment.

Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter