Brandon walked forward cautiously. His body was in a weakened state, and if he encountered a powerful beast, he couldn't guarantee he could handle it easily.
The trees on the island were incredibly tall, creating a spacious area underneath. With Brandon's massive fifteen-meter-long body, he could move freely beneath them. Five to six-meter-tall shrubs grew tenaciously under the trees, striving for the sunlight filtering through the canopy. These shrubs were so tall that, in any other place, they wouldn't be considered shrubs at all.
Brandon crawled forward slowly, trying to keep his footsteps light. His eyes constantly scanned his surroundings for any movement, but apart from some inexplicable insect sounds, everything was eerily quiet.
Suddenly, Brandon's keen ears picked up a sound. He stopped, turned his head, and listened carefully. There was a faint, muffled noise coming from ahead. Brandon guessed that a large beast must be in the distance.
He lowered his body and crept towards the direction of the sound, step by step. Brandon had no idea how far he had crawled when the sound grew louder and the ground began to tremble slightly. He gently parted the shrubs obstructing his view.
About a thousand meters ahead, a colossal creature was repeatedly ramming into a giant tree. This tree, about five or six meters in diameter, looked quite ordinary in this place.
The tree's lush, dense canopy spread out like a massive green net, covering the sky for hundreds of meters. Among the thick leaves were basketball-sized fruits, pink and tantalizing. The giant beast's massive body crashed into the tree again and again, causing it to shake violently. Fruits occasionally fell from the tree, and the beast eagerly devoured them, seemingly enjoying itself immensely.
This creature stood seven to eight meters tall and over ten meters long, with huge, curved tusks extending from its broad mouth. A tuft of dark brown hair adorned its head. Its cylindrical, pillar-like legs resembled four massive stone columns. The creature's body was covered in thick, rough, tan-colored skin, clearly providing excellent protection. To Brandon's astonishment, this creature was none other than a mammoth, a species long thought extinct. Moreover, it was even larger than a typical mammoth.
Brandon was slightly taken aback, but his hunger quickly overrode any awe for the nearly extinct creature. The intense hunger caused his pale golden eyes to glint faintly green.
He focused his mind, lowered his body, and began to approach slowly. His massive form was well-concealed in the underbrush, making him almost invisible. Brandon carefully controlled his presence, inching forward cautiously to avoid alerting the giant beast.
At five hundred meters, then two hundred meters, the mammoth seemed to sense something. It abruptly stopped ramming the tree, its fan-like ears twitching as its clumsy head turned, scanning its surroundings warily. Brandon froze, holding his breath. The mammoth looked puzzled but, evidently, it hadn't detected anything. Glancing up at the delectable fruit it was reluctant to abandon, it hesitated for a moment before resuming its assault on the tree.
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Brandon exhaled quietly, continuing to inch forward with even greater caution. His muscles were tense, moving incrementally. In his weakened state, he lacked the strength for a prolonged chase. His best hope was to get close enough to the prey and then launch a swift, lethal attack with his sharp teeth.
In the past, at this distance, he would have already charged, his incredible speed allowing him to bring down the mammoth in seconds. But now, feeling weak and powerless, he had to rely on the hunting techniques he remembered from his time as a lizard, slowly closing in on his prey.
Now only a hundred meters away, the mammoth seemed agitated, as if it sensed danger. Its massive legs were restless, stamping the ground repeatedly. There was no more time to get closer. Brandon gathered his strength, energy surging through his body, and shot out from the underbrush like an arrow, charging toward the mammoth.
A hundred meters was a mere breath for a dragon. The mammoth barely had time to react before the dragon's massive form was upon it, a powerful gust of wind blowing in its face. The mammoth's pupils contracted instinctively, the approaching figure growing larger and larger in its sight.
In a reflexive response to the threat, the mammoth reared up, its colossal front legs rising high as if to crush the oncoming attacker. Every creature that had previously dared to bother it had been flattened by its mighty, pillar-like legs. The mammoth had lost count of how many lives had ended beneath its immense weight.
However, this time the mammoth clearly miscalculated. The creature charging at it was even larger than itself, with purple-golden scales that gleamed faintly in the sunlight and sharp claws that glinted menacingly. It lunged at the mammoth with terrifying speed.
With a loud crash, the mammoth and the dragon collided violently. The mammoth was knocked to the ground, rolling over from the impact. Its thick, rough skin was torn open by the dragon's claws, revealing tender flesh beneath. Blood gushed from the wound in torrents.
The mammoth let out a wail of pain, its expression terrified as it struggled desperately to get up. But the blood loss quickly drained its strength, making its efforts futile. Its massive legs dug several large holes in the ground as it thrashed about. Suddenly, the sky seemed to darken, and the mammoth looked up to see the giant creature's gaping maw descending upon it.
A sharp pain pierced the mammoth's throat as it collapsed heavily to the ground, its eyes staring blankly at the sky. The lush leaves above and the enticing pink fruits seemed so beautiful.
After finishing off the mammoth, Brandon panted heavily. The intense effort had drained his remaining strength. He clamped his jaws tightly around the mammoth's throat, drinking deeply as the blood flowed into his mouth. The hot blood spread warmth throughout his body. Rich with energy, the blood was quickly digested and absorbed. Every part of his body, like thirsty little mouths, eagerly sucked in the nourishment. Gradually, strength began to return to Brandon.
Ten minutes later, the mammoth's blood had been completely drained by Brandon, leaving the once mighty beast shriveled and dehydrated. After consuming such a large amount of blood, Brandon felt significantly better. The creatures here were different from those in other places; their flesh and blood were rich in energy, providing powerful nourishment to his body.