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"They're here!"

Xiao Yun was startled, guessing that the long-tailed rabbit, which had reverted to its ancestral form, had arrived.

He guessed that Zhong Mo's "biological nuclear weapon" could attract the ancestral long-tailed rabbit, but he did not expect the effect to be so significant.

Xiao Yun looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the bushes had been pushed open to create a straight path, and something was rushing toward them at an extremely fast speed.

Less than a minute later, a huge animal pushed through the bushes and appeared in front of Xiao Yun.

Its size is comparable to that of an adult Akita Inu, and its long, white tail is like that of a fox, but its sharp, cone-like incisors and its scarlet eyes with no visible pupils are so terrifying.

Xiao Yun also spotted its second spine at a glance. That spine, like a snake, meandered and coiled around the main spine, its ferocious outline resembling barbs through a layer of fur.

If a normal long-tailed rabbit is still considered an 'animal,' then this atavistic long-tailed rabbit is an absolute 'monster'!

Xiao Yun had no doubt that the monster in front of him could easily kill him and Zhong Mo.

However, the monster's attention was clearly not on the two of them.

Its scarlet eyes stared intently at the smelly socks in the cage, filled with disgust... even terror.

As if guarding against a natural enemy, it instinctively repelled the extremely foul-smelling thing in front of it.

"The system wasn't lying to me!"

The long-tailed rabbit that had reverted to its ancestral form was clearly more intelligent. Although it was extremely disgusted by the source of the stench in the trap, it was also mindful of Xiao Yun's threat, so it did not approach immediately, but instead bared its teeth and kept panting.

"Is this... vigilance, or just bluster?"

Xiao Yun's initial anxiety gradually subsided, and he found a rock to sit down.

"Brother Yun, are you really going to just sit around waiting for something to happen?"

Zhong Mo looked completely bewildered and scratched his head in confusion.

He always felt that this method was unreliable.

However, Brother Yun must have his reasons for doing this.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Go and call Ji Mingyu and the others. I'll stay here and keep watch."

Although he was very confident in his strategy, he knew that he couldn't possibly defeat such a large prey with his simple short spear when it was struggling in its death throes.

"Okay, Brother Yun, take it easy. If it really doesn't work, just give up. There's no need to risk your life for a newborn."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Xiao Yun waved to Zhong Mo, urging him to hurry up and go.

Zhong Mo didn't waste any more words and turned to leave.

Instantly, the atmosphere fell silent, almost frozen.

The man and the beast faced off in silence, waiting for each other's patience to run out.

In fact, Xiao Yun couldn't possibly waste time here until nightfall.

However, the long-tailed rabbit, which has reverted to its ancestral form, also returns to its burrow after sunset to avoid other wild animals that forage at night.

Xiao Yun could give up this opportunity, but for the long-tailed rabbit to endure this "biological nuclear weapon" staying in its habitat for one night... was absolutely impossible for it.

As time went on, the atavistic long-tailed rabbit began to become restless.

It seems that he realized his situation would be even worse once the other person returned, or perhaps he discovered that Xiao Yun was alone and isolated.

It hopped around in place, its gaze wandering between Xiao Yun and the smelly socks in the animal trap.

Clearly, it wanted to "drive out" this foul-smelling thing, but was also wary of Xiao Yun's threat from the side.

As for the small animal trap in front of it... it obviously can't hold it.

It is considering and weighing the risks and benefits.

Xiao Yun couldn't help but marvel at the intelligence of the beast before him:

"This rabbit's intelligence is comparable to that of a five- or six-year-old human child, isn't it?"

Being able to weigh the pros and cons, risks, and even assess the timing of an action means one has transcended the realm of a foolish hare.

However, that's all the wisdom a wild animal can possess.

Less than ten minutes later, the long-tailed rabbit, having lost all its patience, lunged straight at the trap.

In just a few seconds, it had already grabbed the smelly sock and half of its body had left the trap, ready to escape.

But how could Xiao Yun do as it wished?

The instant the long-tailed rabbit made its move, Xiao Yun pounced with his short spear, his entire body like a sharp sword released from a bow, directly stabbing at the prey in front of him.

*Pfft*

The fruit knife at the tip of the short spear pierced through flesh instantly, and gushing blood spurted out.

"ah--"

The long-tailed rabbit let out a sharp screech, its four legs flapping wildly as it struggled frantically.

Xiao Yun lay on the cage, pressing down hard on the short spear, his entire weight pressing down on it, not allowing the prey to break free.

In the face of life and death, the long-tailed rabbit's counterattack was particularly fierce. Xiao Yun felt as if he was not pressing down on a rabbit, but on a crazy electric scooter.

The extreme stench of Zhong Mo's smelly socks lingered in his nostrils, and the sharp screeching of the long-tailed rabbit echoed in his ears. Xiao Yun felt increasingly dizzy and even had difficulty breathing.

Having expended a lot of energy in the morning, and without replenishing their energy with high-calorie foods for the past two days, Xiao Yun felt their physical strength rapidly declining.

Seemingly sensing that Xiao Yun's power was weakening, the long-tailed rabbit struggled even more violently, and the small animal trap began to twist and deform, with some of the steel wires even breaking.

A man and a beast fought on the ground, locked in a stalemate, for an unknown period of time.

click-

A crisp snapping sound rang out as the crude short spear, unable to withstand the fierce battle, broke apart.

"ah--"

With the chance to escape right in front of them, the long-tailed rabbit, which had reverted to its ancestral form, let out another loud battle roar, and its power surged once more.

Without the short spear's restraint, it had an even greater chance to counterattack. It turned its body, its powerful rear end springing up like a spring, and then slammed into Xiao Yun's chest like a cannonball.

bang-bang-bang-

A muffled thud like a drumbeat sounded from his chest. Xiao Yun felt his chest go numb for a moment, his vision went black for a second, and his chest burned with pain when he breathed.

The long-tailed rabbit, which had reverted to its ancestral form, continued to beat him with its legs. With each kick, Xiao Yun felt as if he had been punched hard in the chest.

Xiao Yun's throat gradually filled with the sweet, metallic taste of blood. He wanted to fight back, but the strength of the ancestral long-tailed rabbit was too great. He could barely hold it down, let alone fight back.

In this struggle, I was completely at a disadvantage, and defeat was looming.

The power within his body was slowly draining away, his blood volume was decreasing, and Xiao Yun felt the scene before him becoming increasingly blurry.

The prey in front of them still had more than half of its health remaining.

"Should we give up...?"

But the next second, a fire ignited in his heart, and Xiao Yun's chaotic eyes instantly became firm.

"How could this be! We were so close... how could we let you get away!"

Xiao Yun roared, and a warm current suddenly surged through his empty body.

[Ding! Congratulations on breaking through your limits in a desperate situation and unleashing your inner potential!]

Strength +1, Constitution +1

With the crisp notification sound of the system, surging power coursed through his body, his weak muscles regained their strength and resilience, and the wounds from the long-tailed rabbit attack on his chest slowly healed.

In that instant, the struggles of the prey were so weak and powerless, even somewhat disappointing.

In that instant, Xiao Yun felt as if he had been reborn, and an indescribable sense of exhilaration grew in his heart, causing him to let out a long roar.

Clang——

Before the long howl had ceased, the broken mithril sword rang out, the two merging together, startling the birds in the forest and causing the primordial long-tailed rabbit in his hand to let out a desperate cry.

Feeling the fingers tightly gripping its neck and the broken sword about to fall from above, it knew it was over...

click-

Xiao Yun's broken sword fell, piercing through flesh and shattering bones.

Fresh blood gushed from his throat, like a blooming blood lotus.

Xiao Yun's clothes were instantly stained red, and a foul stench filled his nostrils, but his eyes shone with an alarming brightness.

He felt the long-tailed rabbit twitching between his fingers, looked at the pool of blood on the ground, and listened to the faint sounds around him—

That was life crying out in despair, that was death singing its praises.

The light in the eyes of the atavistic long-tailed rabbit gradually faded, and its flailing legs finally drooped limply to the ground.

[Ding! You have successfully captured the animal 'Atavistic Long-tailed Rabbit'. Your encyclopedia entry has been updated.]

Xiao Yun maintained this posture until the blood on his body was dried by the wind before he finally exhaled.

Then, he looked up at the sky and suddenly laughed...

Two minutes later, the other three rushed over and were stunned by the scene before them.

Xiao Yun sat on the rock and smiled slightly at them.

In his hand, the second spine, freshly extracted from the ancestral long-tailed rabbit, still bearing traces of blood, meandered and coiled around his arm like a crimson-gold dragon coiled around him.

"Looks like we're too late..."

Ji Mingyu helplessly shrugged, looking at Xiao Yun with eyes full of awe:

"Brother Yun, is there any left for us with such good stuff?"

Xiao Yun grinned:

"Enough for everyone!"