Infinite Hunter

Only after Cheng Yijiu left did the herders dare approach the dead horse to clean it up. The police had been called and the short video had been sent to them. Some were planning to post it online, hoping to recoup some of the tips—perhaps even more than the price of the horse. Some even lamented that they'd been so stunned by the moment and forgotten to livestream the video. As the video uploaded, the internet exploded.

Chapter 12 Thinking

On the famous Bilibili and A-sites, there are certified professionals who can identify various "legendary water monkeys," as well as the evolutionary science blogger Apozhu. They all analyzed this video immediately, pushing it to the top three in terms of popularity. The animal in the video was confirmed to be real, a true Titanosaur. More than one person exclaimed, "So this is what Titanosaur feathers looked like."

The sight and momentum of Titanosaurs devouring meat amazed the experts. Tears welled up in their eyes, as if they were witnessing the feeding of ferocious carnivorous Archosaurs 65 million years ago. It was truly heartbreaking. The herders received a small reward, while the old lady received a substantial reward. State compensation aside, the local forestry bureau and professors from Beijing immediately arrived at the ranch.

Until now, no one has linked the deaths of herbal farmers in the suburbs of Beijing to the Titan bird. Eating livestock is a minor issue. Rare wild animals, even those found guilty of eating humans, are confined to zoos for life. Those directly executed are usually captive. For something like the Titan bird, while no one can explain its presence here, the fact remains, and that hasn't stopped the local government from raising its protection level.

This is a nature reserve, and while grazing has been permitted since ancient times, crop production must be abandoned and restored to its natural state—a process completed several years ago. Aside from some specialty crops like medicinal herbs and a few cash crops, grain production has long ceased. Many people are now flocking to the reserve to watch the birds, and local police are trying to stop them—after all, these are terrestrial birds of prey, and that could be dangerous.

Birds of prey flying in the sky are generally not likely to attack adults, but this terrestrial raptor, standing over three meters tall, can chase and kill a horse. How easy would it be for it to attack a human? Wouldn't it be a snap? Therefore, for safety reasons, it's best to keep no one within 500 meters to one kilometer of this raptor. If surveillance is desired, drones can be used from a distance.

Close observation is essential, and only by professionals, not just any birdwatcher. Cheng Yijiu was desperate. His appearance was already incredibly unusual—the sudden appearance of an extinct North American raptor, Titanosaurus, was inexplicable. The reappearance of an extinct creature was causing quite a stir worldwide, and Titanosaurus could be considered an Ice Age creature, contemporaneous with saber-toothed cats, giant short-faced bears, and mammoths.

Paleontologists around the world were thrilled, eager to witness a new, living Lazarus species—the strongest land raptor and largest predatory bird, declared extinct 15,000 years before human civilization. Cheng Yijiu's subsequent foray was broadcast live worldwide—via drone, of course. The university and the Forestry Bureau established observation posts to spot Cheng Yijiu if he emerged.

A bird that large, charging straight at the herd, would have taken a blind man to miss. And with drones monitoring the area during the day—the good thing about industrialized nations: drones are cheap and large, making them perfectly affordable. The livestream showed, just as many paleontologists have reconstructed the Titanosaur's ecology, the massive bird took off in pursuit of the scattered horses, running at a remarkable speed, at least as fast as a horse.

While Mongolian horses aren't known for their speed, at around 20 kilometers per hour, the bird's speed was definitely no less than that. Soon, the giant bird was practically neck-and-neck with the horse, and its hunting method was consistent with scientists' predictions: it lowered its head, swung its neck, and struck the horse's side with its beak, causing a severe "car-grab accident."

The horse immediately lost its balance and fell to the ground, a heavy fall. It couldn't get up, for a massive foot had pinned it down, and its axe-like beak swooped down from the air, shattering its head. After efficiently killing its prey with one strike, Cheng Yijiu withdrew, and the Titanosaur began tearing and devouring it. The footage was captured by drones, and the scientists at the observation point danced with joy.

This can generally be considered a hunting method common to small to medium-sized theropod dinosaurs. Dinosaur skulls are quite strong, so it's possible that a carnivorous dinosaur would have head-butted its prey, knocking them off balance. Discussions are underway to anesthetize the titanosaur, attach a radio beacon, and perform a physical examination. If an adult titanosaur has appeared, there are likely several in the area, making it a small population.

However, no matter how hard we searched, we found no further historical records. The ancients left no record of a bird that could be confirmed as a Titan bird, and the Classic of Mountains and Seas contains nothing that could be ascribed to a Titan bird, effectively proving that ancient Chinese people had no such bird. How could such a creature have survived and thrived here until now? And there's no record of it at all. Historically, dynasties maintained enclosures here, yet there's still no record of such a bird.

Anyway, let's call it a mystery. The reality is that it just appeared, and it deserves to be temporarily designated as a protected species under regulations. According to the original regulations, it should be adjusted regularly, but this is a special case - a national first-class protected species. Until a second female is found, this bird can be labeled "pending extinction"...

Cheng Yijiu knew he'd been spotted, but what could he do? Did he really think he couldn't see those drones? However, life forced him to reveal himself. But there was one good thing: the authorities wouldn't hunt him. In this day and age, he was definitely a very rare and protected species. Cheng Yijiu wasn't sure if the authorities knew he'd killed a human, and now it seemed they probably didn't.

He had to be careful not to get captured and sent to a zoo for a good meal—but before that, he'd probably lose control, and if he caused casualties, he'd have a tough time. He was just as lethal as a tiger, with both size and weight. His beak was a powerful weapon, easily capable of crushing a human skull. While the claws on his feet had been worn down by running, the remaining claws were still capable of disemboweling a human with a single blow.

While tearing the dead horse apart, Cheng Yijiu finished these thoughts intermittently in his mind. He breathed a sigh of relief... "This punishment mission may be the safest." He still thought intermittently.

Chapter 13: Trap

A small team crept forward, each of the four men armed with a tranquilizer rifle—a tranquilizer rifle, intended to tranquilize the titan bird before examining it. This was a dangerous situation, essentially the same as confronting a wild Siberian tiger, though perhaps even more formidable. The reason was simple: tigers generally avoid conflict with humans; they are simply "afraid" of them.

But would the Titan Bird be similar? No one knows. It might not be afraid of humans at all, and if it were to come into contact with humans, it could result in casualties. This monster could weigh over half a ton, which is probably heavier than most brown bears. When dealing with a bird like this, especially a raptor, the amount of anesthetic needed would need to be carefully considered—if four shots didn't sedate it, it would be a real problem.

Anyway, let's give it a try. If that doesn't work, modifying the drone to carry tranquilizer bullets is one solution. The four of them circled around but didn't find Cheng Yijiu. They didn't dare go deep into the hills. On the plains, everyone was upright and could see each other. If they suddenly encountered each other in the hilly jungle, it would be bad for everyone... "So let's modify the drone. A six-rotor drone should have enough load capacity to carry a tranquilizer gun system."

Several domestic manufacturers offer a variety of drones for the military, including multi-rotor models equipped with low-recoil grenade launchers. Switching the payload to a high-pressure air-powered tranquilizer gun is also possible. Avoiding human intervention is best avoided; drones are best for such dangerous tasks. While modifying the drones, scientists at the observation point once again observed the Titans' hunting behavior.

It still chases and rams its prey, causing it to lose balance and fall, and then delivers a fatal blow with its massive beak—a highly efficient hunting method. This raptor appears remarkably clear even in high-resolution footage. Its legs are among the most robust of any living walking bird. If you cover the upper body, you'd mistake them for the legs of a theropod dinosaur. The small wing has only a single claw, seemingly useless.

The neck is incredibly thick, with powerful muscles supporting the large head, allowing it to be swung like a battering ram. The tail feathers provide balance, but unfortunately, it's not a rigid tail, so the bird isn't very agile when turning. "Degenerate structures won't re-evolve..." one scientist lamented, noting that the bird's tail vertebrae have degenerated and fused, making it impossible to regenerate a long tail.

He could only use his tail feathers to balance his large head, and lately, Cheng Yijiu had been feeling itchy on his butt. His original feathers had fallen out, and new ones seemed to be growing. "Will I become like a peacock?" Cheng Yijiu pondered for a long time. Birds have a flawed brain. He already felt top-heavy when running, so he had to achieve this balance in the future. Right now, it seemed, he would rely on growing new tail feathers to replace the broken ones.

The tail feathers would likely be quite long and heavy, perhaps even spreading like a peacock's. Perhaps this was how Titanis displayed its tail feathers during courtship? Cheng Yijiu hunted three times, and on the third, he discovered a modified drone. Titanis had exceptionally sharp vision, possessing the stereoscopic vision of a bird of prey, and of course, excellent resolution—they relied on their eyes to forage, so poor vision was a necessity.

He could also see more colors than humans, including ultraviolet light, which is invisible to humans. So he immediately saw the outline of the drone and the object mounted on it. A real Titan bird wouldn't have understood what it was, but Cheng Yijiu immediately recognized it as a firearm. He was ready to run, but then he thought, he was one of a kind. Who would be so foolish as to shoot him?

"Forget it..." The guy finally decided not to take any chances, ripped off the last sliver of flesh, and ran off with his long legs. The drone tried to close in, but Cheng Yijiu, who had escaped into the woods, used tree trunks and branches to block the drone's range. Perhaps they needed more drones...

Cheng Yijiu, alerted, initially considered moving his hunting grounds to a truly uninhabited area. However, animals tend to stay where food is plentiful and easily accessible. Horse ranches are such an area, where the horses are easily accessible. Therefore, even if Cheng Yijiu tried to stay away, they would return if things got out of hand. Cheng Yijiu immediately abandoned the idea of ​​leaving. If he went out hunting when things got out of hand, things would be very difficult to handle.

In that state, he probably wouldn't be wary of drones, and he might get hit. And what would happen to him once he was anesthetized? He'd probably lose control. What if he was caught and taken to a garden, and then raised fat and white, how embarrassing! If he were caught, he might actually be imprisoned in a garden—as long as he was alive and well, modern technology might be able to rebuild his population.

Cheng Yijiu still wanted to go back. This time, the punishment seemed to be to avoid trap after trap without any harm. There was no risk to his life. Flying drones were just the beginning... Scientists were also modifying small unmanned vehicles and, most simply, traps. Traps that wouldn't injure the giant bird were quite difficult to create. Digging pits or traps wouldn't work, so bait was the best option.

Tie one horse to a stake, drive the rest of the herd elsewhere, and then set up shooting points near the bait, using unmanned vehicles or hidden remote-controlled shooting points to shoot. Placing people there is too dangerous, and there are probably no tranquilizer guns with a range of several hundred meters... So when Cheng Yijiu was once again hungry, he discovered that the herd was gone. "Hey? Where are the horses? Such a large group of horses? Where did they go?"

The Titan Bird's relatively simple brain could only immediately realize the lack of prey. When Cheng Yijiu wondered where the horse had gone, the Titan Bird had already spotted the horse tied to the hitching post. It didn't think it was bait, only that it was prey. Cheng Yijiu only realized it was bait when the Titan Bird, half out of control, walked about 60 or 70 meters away from the bait. This was too insulting to human intelligence. The bird didn't understand that the horse was tied, so how could humans understand it too?

But his hungry stomach told him it wouldn't work today—given the quality of these people, the only horse they had was probably the one in front of them; the others were probably dozens of kilometers away. Going back to the mountains to look for deer or wild boar? If he hadn't been so lazy and hadn't waited until he was starving to come out to feed, he could have done that...

Chapter 14 Can't Catch

Helpless, Cheng Yijiu could only gradually approach the bait. He knew it was bait, but he couldn't do anything about it, teetering on the edge of losing control. He rarely lost control when he was full, but when he was hungry, there was no way he could do anything. He could only try to maintain his sanity, such as quickly killing the horse in front of him, and at the same time, quickly eat something before the trap was triggered.

When the Titan bird was about twenty meters away, it suddenly accelerated, swooping down and slamming down, killing the horse instantly. Before the horse could fully breathe, Cheng Yijiu had already begun rapidly devouring it, his frantic tearing movements more like something out of a horror film than usual. At this moment, the ambush mechanism activated, and multiple tranquilizer rounds were fired at him from different angles.

Thanks to Cheng Yijiu's prior vigilance and the Titan bird's sharp reaction ability from its ancestors, the bird jumped away in a very short time, avoiding most of the flying tranquilizer bullets - two of them missed, one hit the feathers and did not penetrate, and only one successfully hit his bald butt.

The Titanosaur flung its long legs aside and bolted away, still clutching half a horse's hindquarters. The injection was definitely insufficient to incapacitate the Titanosaur. Perhaps it would only slow its reflexes, and now it had already been thrown from its rear. "Escape!" Cheng Yijiu thought, and so did the scientists. The Titanosaur was unexpectedly alert, and it was undeniable that the dynamic vision and reflexes of archosaurs, or their avian descendants, were truly exceptional.

If he could escape like this, then catching him next time might be even harder—one can only hope the Titanosaur isn't that smart. Fortunately, with the exception of some birds, most aren't very smart, but raptors aren't among them. Given the Titanosaur's size, its head looks pretty big, so its brain definitely couldn't be the size of a walnut.

Cheng Yijiu already felt the situation was becoming increasingly problematic. If things continued like this, he might be forced to migrate under public scrutiny. Returning to the south was definitely not a good idea, and continuing north would make winter difficult. The temperature was already nearing its limit. It was summer now, and winter might make this place unbearable. Titanosaurs' ancestors came from South America and weren't fully adapted to the North American climate, as evidenced by their distribution before extinction.

When winter arrives, the Titan Bird might be forced to move south into the mountains, where it's warmer. However, Cheng Yijiu didn't think he'd be kept there for long. In fact, he almost felt that this punishment mission might be over. This mission was very safe. If there was any danger, the first mission was the most dangerous, followed by the mission where he was forced to become a giant python, because both were under the real threat of human hunters.

And the Titan Bird? It was probably the easiest and least dangerous punishment mission, practically unworthy of its name. After devouring half a horse, Cheng Yijiu felt a bit groggy and his reflexes were slow, but fortunately, he didn't lose control, so he pressed on deeper into the hills. The drone didn't catch up with him; after all, the Titan Bird's camouflage was effective; it was difficult to spot him in the light and darkness of the woods.

Reaching a recess, the Titan bird bent its legs and sat on the ground as if incubating an egg, its large head resting on one side of its wing as it fell asleep. This was Cheng Yijiu's nest. He had gathered a number of branches and piled them into a mat, then covered it with peeled bark and his own shed down and feathers. This made a pretty good nest—though it wasn't waterproof. Fortunately, even if it rained, water would quickly flow away through the gaps between the branches and wouldn't accumulate here.

Combined with the Titan's body heat, it was relatively easy to dry its feathers and nest. The humans didn't bother it any further, nor did they chase it down to give it a few tranquilizer rounds—it was simply too dangerous. After all, if it were a tiger, everyone would have experience, but with an extinct species, no one really knew what would happen.

The effects of Cheng Yijiu's medication wore off, and the well-rested Titan Bird once again emerged, head held high, patrolling its territory and searching for food. This time, it was clearly out of control, as it rushed towards the large piece of meat that had been released. Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu was online in time, but this time, he might not be so lucky—the drug was injected into the meat, soaking it in the drug.

Fortunately, the Titan was surprisingly resilient. Perhaps because the drugs used on ostriches and other birds were ineffective against it, it merely shook its head occasionally, likely feeling a bit dizzy. However, when the expedition team approached, the giant bird fluffed its feathers in a threatening gesture. If they continued to approach, the raptor would have attacked in the next moment. This was also due to the fact that the team was sitting in a light all-terrain vehicle.

If it were a single individual, the bird would likely attack. While humans appear larger than humans in the eyes of quadrupedal beasts due to their bipedal stance, and therefore unwilling to engage in conflict, the titan, a bipedal and even taller bird, sees humans as mere prey, perhaps even less threatening than a horse. After all, a titan's head, when standing upright, is nearly three meters and two inches tall, making it a truly enormous bird.

The average Titanosaur, at least those found in fossils, was only about two and a half meters tall.

This Titanosaur is one-third larger than the fossilized Titanosaur. Of course, it's possible that the fossil remains are incomplete, and the final Titanosaur would have been this tall. The close encounter with this raptor, its feathers spread out, is incredibly oppressive. Even from the comfort of a car, it's condescending, its black eyes staring at you without emotion, and a chill naturally washes over you.

So the expedition team retreated and sought a way to attach a radio beacon to the Titanosaur. They likely wouldn't resort to the usual leg or neck collars, and certainly not the subcutaneous beacons that could injure the bird. The initial decision is to use a long-endurance drone to keep an eye on it. Thanks to China's world-leading drone and image recognition technology, these drones are capable of keeping an eye on this incredibly rare bird of prey around the clock.

The ultimate goal is to determine whether this raptor still has a population, where it is, and whether it can be conserved in the wild. Restoring the population, as was done with the crested ibis, is a difficult task for raptors, especially these giant flightless birds, which are considered the top of the terrestrial food chain, competing with tigers and other predators for territory.

Chapter 15: Unexplainable

Cheng Yijiu, a zoologist by trade, quickly understood the scientists' thinking when he spotted a drone hovering above the trees. It wasn't a multi-rotor aircraft, but a traditional, long-range drone with a considerable wingspan. It was flying at an altitude he wouldn't have noticed without his keen eyesight—at least a thousand meters.

He was right. The drone was equipped with several high-precision cameras, capable of accurately identifying specific objects by overlaying images from different angles. It even had an infrared camera for nighttime use. While the Titan's feathers were excellent for insulation, infrared light still revealed its cheeks and parts of its torso to glow red. Two drones could provide 24-hour uninterrupted surveillance.

Most experts in the team still firmly believed that a small population must exist somewhere in this area - because this Titan bird looked to be an adult, it couldn't be just one. It was also necessary to re-examine the fossils that had been accumulated in the warehouses of northern archaeological sites for many years and had not been completely cleared. Among them might be fossil evidence of this bird crossing the land bridge to Asia.

As for an ancient invasion? Even the most mad scientist wouldn't believe it. Even the BBC wouldn't believe it...

Titans roamed the hills and grasslands, while in the sky, enormous birds of prey glided silently. To protect this rare bird, the herders in the area had to be relocated—replaced by herds of wild horses, donkeys, and other animals. The density of these animals was certainly not as high as before, but it should be sufficient to maintain a dynamic balance with the Titans. Therefore, when the Titans rushed out and killed another donkey, the sudden appearance of the raptor startled everyone.

A black and white bird of prey descended from the sky, its massive claws gripping a wild donkey's neck and back before dragging it to the ground. The bird released its claws to avoid being dragged into the beast, then leaped briefly before snagging another claw into the donkey's skull. The bird was also exceptionally large, with a wingspan of over three meters and a height of over one meter when standing on the ground. Its flight was so agile that it could even take off quickly after an attack, avoid a roll, and launch a second attack.

This wasn't a golden eagle; golden eagles wouldn't attack prey that large. None of the ornithologists present had ever seen this type of raptor, but one exclaimed, "Haast's eagle? Impossible!"

It's truly impossible—if there's even a remote possibility that Titanis could have spread to Asia, then Haast's Eagle, which bred and ultimately became extinct on New Zealand's South Island, couldn't possibly have appeared in mainland China. It's completely impossible, as all fossil evidence of this bird is found only there, and there's no evidence of its spread. This is completely unexplainable. Fortunately, the Titanis was so engrossed in its food that it didn't pay much attention to the raptors in the sky.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. This was truly difficult to explain—though facts didn't need explanation, there had to be a context. An extinct ancient creature couldn't just appear out of thin air, especially one so completely unrelated. The previous explanation for Titanosaurs had little evidence, and now with the even more inexplicable Haast's Eagle, it was hard not to speculate on some paraphysical theory—perhaps an ancient invasion...

A rough biological census has been conducted from the Beijing suburbs where the Titan bird was previously reported to be found, all the way to this grassland. With the help of drones and infrared cameras, the survey is much more efficient than before. After discovering that wild leopards have spread from Shanxi to Hebei and even approached the suburbs of Beijing, they did not find any other traces of Titan birds, not even one.

There is a high probability that the eagle that appears now is the same - they didn't even notice it before, just like this Titan bird, it seemed to appear out of thin air.

Cheng Yijiu didn't care how troubled those people were. He just ate his prey, and at the same time, he looked at the raptor not far away from him. After confirming that it was harmless, he ignored it - that's the bad thing about bird brains. This punishment task probably meant that he would lose weight afterwards, that's all. This time, when he finished eating the wild donkey and returned to the nest, Cheng Yijiu was already standing in the hall.

This punishment mission felt relaxing for him. He walked into the study with ease. Not surprisingly, on the outer shelves, there was another row of new books. He looked at these rows—starting with The Man-Eating Tiger of Bihar, then The Blood Orchid Python and The King of the Sea. Now, there were a dozen more books, starting with The Last Echo. These were his gains from the punishment mission, becoming a kind of "legend" for a time.

Cheng Yijiu also gained a lot of benefits from these punishment missions and hunting missions. Although this hunting lodge was a bit like an infinite flow, it didn't give him any immediate benefits in terms of exchange and enhancement. It was all small improvements gained through hard work, and it was a subtle improvement. The punishment missions and some of the more recent missions gave him more benefits.

Cheng Yijiu had already reached the upper limits of a human male of his height and weight, and he was unbiased in all areas—his strength, agility, speed, and reflexes had all reached peak levels, like a tiger. His energy reserves, recovery capabilities, and cellular activity—his ability to recover from injury—had also made significant progress. This was due to the efficient oxygen exchange he'd gained from the mission he'd just completed.

Apollo's blessing had previously granted him true supernatural powers, allowing him to truly break the limits of the human body, gaining feedback not only in terms of mental strength but also in terms of physical strength. He was still human, but had transcended the mundane—he could truly say, "I am better off being human than you are not."

He flipped through the book in his hand. It was a record of scientists' sudden appearances of extinct creatures. Titanbird was unlucky, but it was eventually captured and carefully examined. And indeed, no other such creature had been found in the census—it was as if it had appeared out of nowhere. Incidentally, the eagle later disappeared, before anyone could trap and examine it. It only attacked a wild donkey once, and then it was never seen again.

The Titan bird has always been active in that protected area. This area of ​​more than 600 square kilometers is where the Titan bird roams. The lifespan of this bird is estimated to be hundreds of years. Unfortunately, there is no second female for this big bird to reproduce.

Volume: Ice and Fire

Chapter 1 Preparation

These things happened in another time and space; these books wouldn't exist in this world. After the punishment mission, there would be several months of leisure time, which could be used to improve oneself, or simply wasted. Cheng Yijiu felt that life was good for a shopkeeper like him. It didn't matter if his handmade armor and swords couldn't be sold; after all, they had no cost at all.

Cheng Yijiu was still young, after all, and he was quite interested in a lot of anime—especially those with relatively plausible medieval military settings. Considering his age, this was a very well-made OVA, The Record of Lodoss War. While the swordplay wasn't a concern, the armor and weapons were quite impressive. The armor worn by Mamo's high-ranking officers was metal in the anime, but Cheng Yijiu knew it would be iron-studded leather in real life.

"That kind of ornate decoration is only ceremonial armor, not combat armor, I'm afraid." The animation visuals were stunning, but Cheng Yijiu knew the ins and outs of these armors. The armor he'd prepared for himself wasn't nearly as ornate, just chain mail with steel plates embedded in it, designed to keep his feet as nimble as possible—with his strength, he could certainly afford full plate armor, but it wasn't necessary.

The helmet couldn't be simpler, a half-face armor with a long, detachable strap. As for weapons, Cheng Yijiu chose a boar-hunting cross spear and a two-handed, bastard-like greatsword modeled after the Soul Breaker from the Record of Lodoss War, all forged by himself. He had excellent material at hand—cold iron, which was excellent for forging both armor and weapons, boasting exceptional hardness and toughness—it only needed proper heat treatment.

Furthermore, if a weapon is forged, its durability is excellent, at least it doesn't need to be sharpened frequently. Furthermore, for Cheng Yijiu, forging weapons is a great way to while away his time. At most, he can use alchemy to refine it at the end. He is now a well-known blacksmith in the circle. Even some of the more prominent figures are interested in the materials he handles. They really want to know where Cheng Yijiu's steel for forging comes from. You know, some famous foreign knife makers even customize their own raw materials.

He had indeed produced a few cold iron ingots, and those who got the ingots were basically more reputable players. In fact, it didn't matter even if they took them for metallographic analysis, because no abnormalities could be found.

Forging the Boar Cross Spear was easy: once the spearhead was forged, it was simply slid onto a preservative-treated wooden shaft—the traditional method was to soak it in oil. Forging the Soul-Crushing Sword, however, required more effort. First, the cold iron had to be repeatedly folded and forged, then stretched to create the basic shape—Cheng Yijiu had an air hammer in his workshop, so this wasn't too tiring. The hand hammer was used to fine-tune the shape, and he quickly forged a sword blank with a blade length equivalent to half his height.

The cross-shaped hilt was forged separately. This sword also had a blade, but Cheng Yijiu wouldn't make it truly sharp—that would easily injure him, so he left the tip unsharpened, which could also be used as an armor-piercing chisel. After the sword was forged, clay was applied—because it needed to be heat-treated, at least the blade had to reach a hardness of 55 or higher.

After the oil quenching was complete, the blade was tested, reaching a precision of around 60 points, which was sufficient. The entire sword now weighed approximately 4.5 kg, making it quite comfortable for Cheng Yijiu. The blade was polished on a belt conveyor, pickled to create the pattern, and then sharpened with a ruby ​​whetstone. The guard and hilt counterweight were installed, and then the outer wrapping of the hilt was installed—cork, cloth, and leather with good sweat-absorbing properties. Two artificial rubies were also inlaid in the center of the guard.

Next came enchantment, using mithril thread. This process took Cheng Yijiu over a month to complete, and he finished by crafting the scabbard from wood and leather. During this time, he frequently exchanged techniques with fellow swordsmen who joined him. He was practically unbeatable, a true professional. He had mastered the techniques of European sword masters. The only thing he lacked was experience in slaying humans, though he should have plenty of experience slaying beasts.

Will there be any chopping and stabbing during the hunting mission? Cheng Yijiu thought of the werewolves he had encountered before. If he stabbed a werewolf, it would be similar to chopping a human, but with more variations. And if the next mission was a similar task, he couldn't say whether he would need to use cold weapons. Cheng Yijiu was terrified when he thought about the things that happened in ancient Greece. He really didn't want to do it again.

If possible, he still prefers to track with a hunting rifle, then find the target and kill it with one shot. The last time he strangled the lion with his own hands, it was really too barbaric... If he wasn't careful, he would die.

Nothing unusual had happened to him recently, and the authorities didn't seem to want to monitor him. The only thing that bothered Cheng Yijiu was his parents' constant pressure to get married. They kept wondering why he didn't have a girlfriend, wondering if other men his age already had children starting elementary school. Cheng Yijiu said he had no idea what to do about it. He had women, but he couldn't bring them out, and besides, his relationships with them were mostly physical—the kind you see in American movies.

However, it's really hard for Cheng Yijiu to find a girlfriend now, so his parents told him over the phone that they would arrange a blind date for him and asked him to prepare. "What a headache! I better start the mission right away." Cheng Yijiu muttered to himself while leaning on the counter, feeling quite irritated. Fortunately, the mission had already appeared. "This time it's hunting... dragons? Damn it! Hunting dragons already? Or dinosaurs? What am I going to hunt with?"

The limitations of the mission made it impossible for him to carry any firearms, not even muzzle-loading flintlock rifles. He could only carry cold weapons, and ordinary bows and arrows would be useless if he was just hunting dragons, so he decided to see if there was a crossbow after entering. This time, Cheng Yijiu had to choose the equipment he brought in as carefully as last time - "Ah, armor is definitely needed, and then weapons: a spear, a sword, and a small round shield. A helmet and a large backpack - canvas or cowhide? Anyway, some basic medicines must be brought, as well as water purification tablets and a pot. Finally, you have to bring sanitary necessities and compressed bread." This compressed bread is harder than a brick, and the way to eat it is to cut off a piece and cook it with meat or vegetables. It is difficult for most people to bite it alone.

Cheng Yijiu also had to bring a jar of salt and several spices, thankfully made of sturdy stainless steel. He packed everything into a large leather bag, along with a change of clothes. Cheng Yijiu slung the items over his shoulder. "Hmph, this load must be fifty kilograms, right?" he muttered, pushing open the door.

Chapter 2 Encountering the Enemy

The door closed behind him, and he gradually disappeared from this world. Cheng Yijiu was now unarmored. He had removed his armor and gear at the last moment and tossed them onto a four-wheeled wooden cart that could be pulled by humans. Based on past experience, he wouldn't be in danger upon entering. He only held his spear in his hand. His clothing was "reasonable" enough to pass through the gate, although in reality, such a medieval-style place would be almost impossible to produce.

Those finely woven cotton garments couldn't be woven on a medieval loom, and the shoes he wore couldn't possibly be made in the Middle Ages—the thick but soft puncture-resistant outsole was barely passable, while the surface-treated cowhide upper was also extremely tough, and the hardened ankle protection probably couldn't be made anywhere else. In short, while his outfit looked similar to medieval armor and coat, the craftsmanship was 21st-century.

It's just that in theory it could be "reproduced" by hand in the Middle Ages.

Cheng Yijiu looked around. He was now on a road, seemingly deserted. The road surface was paved, but after rain, it would certainly be muddy. The weather was quite warm, at least above 20 degrees Celsius. Cheng Yijiu kept pulling the cart, carefully observing the surroundings. "It's hard to confirm exactly where this place is, but speaking of dragons, there's a good chance they have supernatural powers, right? After all, whether it's Western dragons or Eastern dragons, they seem to rely on supernatural powers to survive."

He could think of quite a few relatively scientific dragon-like monsters, but since civilization had already developed, if those dragon-like creatures were truly relatively scientific, then humans wouldn't have existed, and even mammals wouldn't have evolved to their current state. His sharp eyes spotted deer, wild boar hoof prints, and even claw marks from large cats. Based on Cheng Yijiu's current knowledge and logic, if dragons that powerful really existed, they would have evolved to dominate the food chain and certainly wouldn't have allowed mere mammals to overthrow them.

He thought about it, thinking he'd never know if he'd met anyone. He continued along the road until he finally spotted some people. It was cultivated fields, probably planted with wheat. The agricultural technology couldn't possibly be medieval—there was cultivation, and the air was distinctly scented with humus fertilizer, suggesting they'd learned to compost. This was a shabby old medieval era. If it were truly medieval, he'd definitely be in Asia.

But this wasn't really Asia, not just because of the wheat, but also because Cheng Yijiu saw the houses directly. The houses here were very typical of European houses - simply put, they were small and shabby, mainly made of stone and mud, with pointed roofs. Cheng Yijiu saw horses in the animal pen outside the house. Compared with Chinese horses, these horses were surprisingly strong-boned and large.

"A draft horse, it looks like it's used for plowing." Cheng Yijiu touched the small leather bag in his arms, which contained a hundred silver coins and ten gold coins that he had stamped with a stamping machine. He was really considering whether to buy a horse for transportation, but the first thing he had to figure out was where exactly this place was.

Someone came out. Cheng Yijiu touched his cheek. The man who came out was wearing a linen sweater and a simple vest. His hair was a bowl cut. His high nose and deep eyes were typical of a European peasant. However, his height was not suitable for the Middle Ages. He was almost as tall as Cheng Yijiu, who was 5 feet 4 inches tall. The man also saw Cheng Yijiu. When he started talking, Cheng Yijiu was immediately pleased to find that he understood him completely.

It was a language that was English mixed with some French words. Cheng Yijiu was quite alert when he heard it, "Hey, who are you?" The other party did not regard him as a monster. Seeing that he was holding a short spear in his hand, he even picked up the hay fork beside him. Amidst the shouting, several young men rushed out from several other houses, also picking up scythes and flails, which were both farm tools and weapons.

Cheng Yijiu placed his short spear on the cart and spread his hands to show he was harmless. "Hey, I want to ask where this place is?" His action somewhat dispelled some of the locals' hostility, but the place names they mentioned were ones Cheng Yijiu had never heard of before. As he was thinking about what to say next, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves. The villagers yelled and screamed, some fled directly back home, while others jumped into the stables, holding weapons and watching secretly. Only Cheng Yijiu was standing alone on the road, with a four-wheeled cart behind him.

The sound of horse hooves approached, and Cheng Yijiu saw cavalrymen riding warhorses, wearing chain mail and leather armor. They looked dirty and didn't look like good people. Their beards were untidy and their clothes were dirty, but the weapons in their hands were well-maintained. Cheng Yijiu clearly felt the malice of these people. "Are they here to rob?" he thought. The leading cavalryman looked at Cheng Yijiu. Although they were still dozens of meters away, Cheng Yijiu could sense a greedy desire.

His own clothes were clean and tidy, and they looked new and valuable. Those people would definitely beat him to death and strip him of his clothes. So, rather than letting them attack first, it would be better for Cheng Yijiu to take the initiative. So the hunter grabbed his short spear, took a step forward, swung his arm, and threw the boar hunting spear. The short spear pierced the sky like a meteor. Under Cheng Yijiu's extraordinary power, the leading cavalryman had no way to avoid it.

He merely revealed his malice, probably still envisioning charging forward and smashing the man's head in with a hammer, when a lightning-fast javelin appeared before his eyes. The leading cavalryman didn't even have time to react before he was knocked off his horse by the short spear. The foot-and-a-half-long spear blade pierced his half-body armor, and the two horizontal bars that prevented it from penetrating too deeply even left dents on both sides of the armor. The spear blade completely penetrated his body and nearly exited from behind.

The force of the impact threw him off his horse, and he was dead before he hit the ground. Cheng Yijiu's short spear was thrown very accurately. He did have a strange feeling when he threw it, that is, this blow was bound to hit, as if it was guided by Apollo. At this moment, Cheng Yijiu, who was about to join the battle, was illuminated by the sunlight and seemed to be glowing. He pulled back and pulled out the greatsword "Soul Breaker" from the wooden cart. This greatsword was given the properties of sharpness, toughness and inwear by alchemy, and it also had the effect of destroying magic - especially the power of darkness.

Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to meet those cavalrymen with a big sword in hand...

Chapter 3 Killing

The two-handed hybrid greatsword was a formidable battlefield weapon, particularly suited for knightly foot combat. Cheng Yijiu, a swordsman, naturally had his own preferences, particularly those for the two-handed and the greatsword. He had extensive practice and research in these areas, and once his physical condition had reached a certain level, he became adept at wielding these weapons.

He was at a professional level, lacking only the experience of actually striking. Thanks to the advanced information exchange of modern society, his fundamental skills and knowledge were probably superior to most people in this world. The secret manual of the Nine Great Sword Masters of Europe was now open for public instruction.

Cheng Yijiu wasn't afraid of bloodshed; he'd done it before when he was armed, and even more so during his punishment missions. The detachment from modern society transported directly to the Middle Ages made him feel even more reckless. The Soul-Breaking Sword, including the hilt, was over 1.2 meters long. He grasped it with both hands, suddenly accelerating as he took a long stride, spinning halfway and delivering a diagonal slash from below.

Driven by tremendous force, the sharp sword blade cut through the cavalryman's waist and ribs at an extremely fast speed. The chain mail was broken, and the man's semen immediately flowed out from his half-broken stomach, carrying with it the severed blood and food. At this time, the warhorse had already carried him forward.