The expressions of Rhea and the others changed drastically. They couldn't be more familiar with this roar; didn't it sound exactly the same as the dragon they had just killed?
"Another one is coming," Salina exclaimed in shock.
"It seems there's more than one dragon," Number Four's face darkened. Killing just one had taken so much effort. If a few more showed up, it would be extremely miserable.
"Then we'll just kill another one," Rhea said coldly. She flicked the blood off her longsword and then took to the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Salina and the other three birdkin also took flight. Looking toward the depths of the valley, they could see trees falling in the distance. Clearly, a dragon was rapidly approaching.
"Be careful, the dragon is approaching fast," Rhea frowned and shouted down to the ground.
"Everyone on high alert! Attack the dragon the moment you see it!" Number Four nodded and issued the order.
"Yes, sir!" All the special operatives moved swiftly, loading their bolts and coating them with anesthetic.
In the air, Rhea had also reloaded the heavy ballista with a new bolt. This time, she used even more anesthetic.
These bolts were specially made. Both the shaft and the arrowhead featured grooves stuffed with threads of cotton, designed to hold larger quantities of anesthetic.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
Tap, tap, tap...
Two minutes later, the trees ahead crashed down, and a dragon similar in size to the one they had just killed emerged. It was also completely blackish-brown, though it didn't look quite as ferocious.
"Big Sister, there's a smaller one too," Salina suddenly pointed to the area right behind the dragon.
"Awoo, awoo..."
Behind the large dragon was a completely black baby dragon, only two or three meters long. It also opened its mouth, letting out immature roars.
"It must be its child," Rhea shouted coldly. "Take out the big one first!"
"Understood," Number Four replied. The next moment, the dragon appeared before them.
"Roar..."
It threw its head back and let out a roar, then lowered its head to sniff the fallen body of the other dragon.
"Fire!" Number Four did not hesitate. The creature's action stirred a slight ripple in his heart, but what needed to be killed had to be killed. Otherwise, the temporary base near the black oil fruits would never be safe.
Swish, swish, swish...
Bolts flew out in rapid succession, piercing the dragon's scales and causing it to roar in fury once again.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
"Die!" Rhea shouted loudly. With a powerful flap of her wings, she simultaneously pulled the trigger of the heavy ballista. The spear-like bolt shot out once more.
Swoosh!!!
The dragon still couldn't dodge it—its body was simply too massive. The bolt pierced straight into its ribs.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
This time, the bolt only penetrated one-third of the way in, but that was more than enough. It roared furiously, thrashing its tail wildly. It even accidentally swatted the baby dragon, sending it tumbling away several rolls.
"Fire again," Number Four ordered deeply.
Swish, swish, swish...
Another volley of bolts rained down, all landing accurately on the dragon's body.
Swoosh!!
At the same time, Rhea's next shot arrived, this time piercing straight through the dragon's hind leg.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
This shot brought the dragon straight to the ground. It struggled in the dirt, thrashing its tail and letting out low, furious roars.
"Phew..." Number Four breathed a sigh of relief and loaded another bolt. He remembered there was still a baby dragon.
"Awoo, awoo..." The baby dragon struggled to its feet. Seeing both its parents fallen, it charged towards Number Four and his men.
Swish!
Number Four pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bolt pierced the baby dragon's forelimb, causing it to faceplant into the dirt, unable to get back up.
It had already been injured by its parent's tail sweep earlier. Now that the anesthetic was taking effect, getting back up was completely impossible.
Rhea and the others descended to the ground and dispatched the second large dragon using the exact same method.
"What do we do with this baby dragon?" Salina asked, looking at Rhea.
"Tie it up and bring it back to Sedona City. Let Lucas take a look and see if it's a true dragon," Rhea said deeply, flicking away the fresh blood coating her sword.
"Okay." Number Four waved his hand. The special operatives used hemp rope to truss the baby dragon up tightly like a dumpling, wrapping it round and round, ensuring it couldn't break free.
"There shouldn't be any more dragons now, right?" A birdkin breathed a sigh of relief and casually remarked.
"Roar, roar..."
"Roar, roar..."
The very next second, several consecutive roars rang out.
Number Four and the special operatives all looked speechlessly at that birdkin. Even Rhea and Salina were no exception, their eyes twitching.
"Uh..."
The birdkin immediately covered his mouth, looking deeply embarrassed. He never imagined he'd be such a jinx. He had just made an offhand comment, and it actually came true.
"Fall back! Take the baby dragon and retreat immediately," Rhea commanded Number Four, then spread her wings and took to the air.
Whoosh, whoosh...
"Yes! Please be careful, Miss Rhea!" Number Four did not hesitate. They were already running low on bolts and anesthetics.
Furthermore, there was clearly more than one roar just now. There were at least three or four dragons heading this way. Since his squad couldn't fly, staying here would mean a very gruesome death.
"Retreat!" Number Four waved his hand. Several special operatives each grabbed one of the baby dragon's legs and sprinted outward.
Tap, tap...
As he ran, Number Four sprinkled some black powder along the path, which instantly released a pungent odor.
This was a powder accidentally discovered by the Research Department. When scattered in the air, it emitted a sharp, pungent smell that could be used to mask scents.
"Big Sister, what do we do now? Keep killing?" Salina's expression was grave.
"Lure them away to buy the others time to evacuate," Rhea said deeply. She pulled the very last bolt from the quiver of the birdkin carrying it, loaded it onto the ballista, and aimed at the falling trees ahead.
"Roar..."
Two minutes later, three dragons of similar size appeared once again.
Swoosh!!! Rhea pulled the trigger immediately. The spear-like bolt shot out, striking the dragon at the very front. Unfortunately, this one wasn't coated with anesthetic.
"Roar..."
This successfully drew the attention of the three dragons to Rhea and her group. They threw their heads back and roared furiously at the sky.
"Go! Don't fly too low!" Rhea ordered deeply. She spread her wings and flew in the direction she pointed, which was precisely the opposite direction of where Number Four and the others were retreating.
"Roar, roar, roar..." The three dragons let out furious roars and chased directly after Rhea's group.
"Lure them further away. I'm going deep into the valley to see exactly how many dragons there are," Rhea said in a low voice.
"Big Sister, be careful," Salina nodded.
Whoosh, whoosh...
Rhea spread her wings and ascended high into the sky. Reaching a certain altitude, she flew towards the depths of the valley.
Three minutes later, Rhea reached the innermost part of the valley. Ahead of her appeared a massive cave, with three baby dragons playing at the entrance.
"Roar, roar, roar..."
"Awoo, awoo, awoo..."
From outside, she could faintly hear an endless chorus of beast roars coming from deep within the cave. This caused Rhea's expression to change drastically. Without lingering any longer, she turned and flew straight out of the valley.
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