"What do these people want?" Half-closing his dragon eyes, Zephyr once again noticed the movements of those sneaky black-clothed figures. This time, they weren't causing trouble near his lair but were investigating something nearby.
Were they planning something again?
Regardless, it was time to move. Whatever these people were preparing had nothing to do with him anymore. Returning to his lair, he bundled up all the collected treasures in a large fur and tucked it under his wing. Though it couldn't make him fly, it allowed for flexibility in other ways.
As for leaving behind these 'burdens'? He felt that, despite everything, these items were hard-earned—looted or collected—and abandoning them for others to find wasn't pleasant.
Under the cover of night, a dragon stealthily left his cave. Shortly after, another group arrived at the site.
"Where's the dragon? Isn't it supposed to stay inside at night?" Looking into the seemingly empty cave, the intruders were puzzled; there was no place to hide.
Another person scooped up some dirt from the ground, looking slightly confused. "Our actions haven’t been leaked, right? It seems to have escaped."
"Escaped?!" The others were stunned. Examining the cave closely, aside from the sleeping spot, everything had been cleaned out. If the dragon had gone out for food, it wouldn’t have carried heavy items.
Now, all the loot previously gathered by the dragon was gone. Clearly, it had fled!
"There’s still the dragon’s scent in the cave; it hasn’t been long since it left."
"Then chase it!"
Their plan was to lure the dragon to a prepared ambush site. Even though the dragon never harmed anyone, its entire body was valuable.
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"Will this ever end?" Hearing hoofbeats behind him, Zephyr turned irritably. His vision wasn’t hindered by the dark night, so he could clearly see the pursuers chasing him!
Looking around, if he remembered correctly, ahead was a cliff. Shifting the bundle from under his wing to his claws, he glanced back at the approaching pursuers with annoyance and leapt off the cliff, spreading his wings wide like a glider, flying away. "Roar roar roar, surprised? I can fly!"
"Go meet up with the others, we won’t lose this dragon." Watching Zephyr’s receding figure, the pursuers immediately planned their next move. They anticipated the dragon might fly but believed a young dragon couldn’t sustain flight for long.
Chewing on a piece of dried meat, staring into the dark night, he sighed softly. Ultimately, he couldn’t bring himself to act more aggressively. His mindset hadn’t fully shifted. With his strength, he could have dominated the area, eliminating any opposition. Yet, despite his powerful body, his soul remained that of an ordinary human.
Truly, why couldn’t everyone just live peacefully?
Thinking this, a sudden sharp pain in his wing startled him awake. "Ow!"
Turning his head, he saw a metal crossbow bolt piercing his wing, attached to a sturdy rope. The pain and pulling force threw him off balance, causing him to crash into the forest below.
Grimacing, Zephyr stared at the embedded bolt. Its design infuriated him—it had barbs, making it impossible to pull out easily. Moreover, the whistling sounds of incoming bolts forced him to roll through several trees, narrowly avoiding further strikes.
Though some bolts hit him, they didn’t penetrate weak spots like his wings, only barely scratching his scales.
This shocked him. He knew the strength of his scales well; even his own claws, which could tear steel, could only leave shallow marks unless he used full force. Such scratches healed within days.
Upon realizing what attacked him, Zephyr understood. His scales could withstand automatic rifle fire, but against more powerful crossbows, they were insufficient. He even spotted a crossbow wagon!
Seeing it sent chills down his spine. He absolutely couldn’t let that thing hit him!
Shaking his wing, he bit through the rope connected to the bolt, which was tied to several trees. Without breaking it, his mobility would be severely restricted. As for the bolt, the barbs meant it could only be pushed out, not pulled.
However, doing so now wasn’t feasible. Even in areas with fewer blood vessels, pulling it out would cause severe tearing.
Zephyr also felt relieved that this world’s combat primarily relied on cold weapons, lacking advanced firearms like guns and cannons.
Counting about two hundred people, most armed with bows, only the heavy crossbows posed a threat. Bows and melee weapons could be ignored. The crossbow wagon was the biggest concern!
"Huh!?" Surprised, he watched several people rush towards him. Were they crazy, charging at an enraged dragon?
Surrounded and angered, Zephyr lost all rationality and mercilessly slashed with his claws.
His claw, slicing through the air, was blocked by three large swords. Their coordination was perfect, evenly distributing the force. Despite this, the three warriors suffered greatly, their feet sinking into the ground.
"This dragon’s strength... is incredible!" The three warriors exchanged looks, seeing astonishment in each other’s eyes. Such power wasn’t typical for a young dragon, even among juvenile dragons, it was top-tier. Fortunately, they worked together; otherwise, the one responsible for blocking would likely be dead.
Though they didn’t underestimate him, they still struggled. Now, facing Zephyr’s second strike, half-buried in the ground, they could only brace themselves.