Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 251 Shocking Appearance! A Giant Pet Beast!

The earthquake was sudden and the tremors were quite strong. Although it was far from causing the ground to crack, such a strong earthquake would certainly be detected and announced by the authorities.

However, no one has heard of any earthquakes occurring near Weixian County recently. Moreover, the probability of an earthquake occurring in Weixian County is extremely low, with only a handful of historical records.

Furthermore, the cliff-tailed centipede just stated that they experienced a violent earthquake in the valley yesterday and were forced to leave.

This earthquake was very strange; something was definitely wrong.

Meeting everyone's gaze, Song Wei knew the seriousness of the matter and her expression was unusually serious: "No, and I didn't encounter this situation when I came to investigate yesterday."

Shi Gang's thoughts raced, and his brows furrowed. At this moment, he fully demonstrated the maturity and composure of an association advisor: "Okay, then let's report the situation here to our superiors and have the association send professionals over to investigate the specifics of this earthquake."

"Ok."

Seeing Shi Gang's composed reaction, everyone instantly felt reassured, and Song Wei nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Shi Gang pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Shi Yu and said in a deep voice, "Here's what we'll do: you come with me to find out what's going on, and Xiao Wei, take your disciples and get away from here first."

As an advisor to the association, it was necessary for him to investigate the basic situation before the professionals arrived, so that the professionals could better gather information and analyze the situation.

As for the others, Shi Yu's apprentices were unable to protect themselves and had to leave first, so Song Wei was there to protect them.

Shi Yu and he worked well together, and Shi Yu was already a mid-level beast tamer with considerable strength. Even in special circumstances, they could take care of each other.

"Okay." Shi Yu nodded emphatically without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Song Wei hesitated. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

As a forest ranger, she knew that in special circumstances, she had to obey the command of the stronger person, which might come from experience and knowledge, or from ability.

Regardless, Shi Gang, as the association's advisor, is undoubtedly the stronger one, and everyone should obediently follow his orders.

Su Zhu thought the same thing.

She really wanted to tell her master and second master that she also wanted to go with them to find out what was going on, but when she saw their serious faces, her restless heart immediately calmed down.

No, this matter is very important and very serious.

As a beast tamer who will be entering the Beast Taming Academy for further studies next year, Su Zhu is very clear about one thing: with her current strength, getting involved in this situation will only hold her two masters back and distract them.

Since that's the case, I should just retreat obediently and listen to my masters recount what happened afterward.

Numerous thoughts swirled in her mind, but Su Zhu suppressed them and smiled at her two masters, saying, "Master, Second Master, I'll be waiting for you to come back."

at the same time,

As the earth shook violently, the storm larks flapped their wings and flew higher into the sky, quickly turning into tiny black dots and disappearing into the boundless sky.

Clearly, these hot-tempered fellows weren't going to bother with the Cliff-tailed Centipede any longer.

Seeing the Cloudbirds leave, the Cliff-tailed Centipedes had no intention of lingering. In addition, the commotion caused by the recent earthquake made them also prepare to leave the area.

Shi Gang called out to them, asking, "Where is the valley where you live?"

When the leader, the cliff-tailed centipede, pointed in a direction, Shi Gang nodded and led Shi Yu forward. Song Wei and the other apprentices prepared to return to Daping Village first to report on the situation.

After walking a short distance and until everyone had disappeared from sight, Shi Yu suddenly asked, "Brother, what's your opinion?"

Shi Gang stared straight ahead at the bare forest, with the undulating snow-capped mountains stretching to the horizon. His voice was deep: "It must have been the pet beast that made the noise."

After a brief pause, he carefully chose his words and slowly expressed his thoughts: "It's very simple. This earthquake was not detected, and even the nearby Daping Village did not feel it, proving that the impact area was extremely small."

"The impact area is extremely small, but it happened both yesterday and just now, so it was definitely caused by some kind of pet beast."

Shi Yu nodded: "That's what I was thinking."

"Hmm." Shi Gang withdrew the clumsy rock giant and instead sent out the agile and nimble monstrous monkey to guard the surroundings. His voice was unhurried but clearly revealed a hint of solemnity. "But if it was caused by a pet beast, its strength must be very strong."

To be fair, both of his pet beasts were very close to the third tier, yet neither could cause such a massive earthquake.

Even a third-tier pet would probably find it difficult to do that.

If his guess is correct, then this place must be inhabited by an incredibly powerful wild beast that would seriously threaten the safety of the surrounding area.

As an advisor to the association, one of his responsibilities is to investigate potential safety hazards in various areas of Baokun City and to be vigilant against high-risk wild pets.

When faced with such a situation, he had to step forward.

"Is that valley just ahead?"

After walking for about ten minutes, a valley suddenly came into view, with bare trees standing on the snow-covered ground, a far cry from the height of summer.

Shi Gang raised his head slightly and, with his excellent eyesight, could clearly see that the lark was standing on the branches. They were small in size and chirping noisily.

Shi Gang couldn't help but purse his lips: "These little guys are just as noisy as the larks."

Fortunately, compared to the volatile Tyrant Lark, the Flowing Lark has a gentle nature and is loved by many new Beast Tamers.

Almost no beast tamer would choose to contract a Cloud Sparrow, since no one wants to upset the Cloud Sparrow and have it peck them.

The two continued forward, but the flock of larks suddenly fell silent, then frantically flapped their wings and hurriedly flew into the sky.

However, the tips of the lark's wings stiffened due to inexplicable fear. Some of them accidentally bumped into each other, while others took the opportunity to fly higher into the sky.

"Something's wrong."

Upon seeing the unusual reaction of the flock of larks, Shi Gang's pupils suddenly contracted, and he stopped in his tracks, his wary gaze sweeping around.

Shi Yu stood beside the massive Yuanyue Giant Bear, the two of them close together, the latter's face revealing obvious anxiety.

Compared to beast tamers, pets are more sensitive to danger and even have the intuition to anticipate it.

Even before the resurgence of Reiki, when an earthquake is imminent, many animals will exhibit abnormal reactions, such as large livestock refusing to enter their pens, dogs barking wildly, birds or insects taking flight in fright, and abnormal herd migrations, etc.

next moment,
Low-frequency vibrations began to emanate from their ears. These were not regular pulsations, but rather the rumbling of some enormous creature twisting its body wildly underground.

"retreat!"

Shi Gang's eyes flashed, and without the slightest hesitation, he roared.

The monstrous monkey and the giant bear each grabbed one of the two, and their massive bodies began to run wildly on the trembling ground, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Under a bare tree, a filthy gray-armored wild boar was busy digging for food when it suddenly sensed something was wrong. Its ears pricked up, and sand cascaded down its back. The next second, it let out a piercing howl, turned, crashed into a tree as thick as a bowl, and galloped wildly towards the edge of the mountain.

Just then, the low-frequency vibrations in my ears became high-speed and intense, as if they had escalated into a violent rumbling sound.

The ground began to shake violently, and the tall trees swayed so violently that it seemed to affect the surrounding mountains, with piles of rock dust falling down.

Suddenly, a three-meter-high mound of earth rose abruptly from the ground directly in front of the valley, with clods of earth flying out like a torrential rain.

"Crackling——"

Accompanied by a muffled, terrifying roar, a figure that seemed to blot out the sky burst forth from the ground, casting a vast shadow.

Shi Gang, held in the arms of the monstrous monkey, looked back and saw a figure that looked like a colossal creature against the backlight, with countless legs standing on both sides of its body, instantly bringing a strong sense of oppression.

Even Shi Gang, who considered himself well-informed, stared wide-eyed, his breath caught in his throat, and he swallowed hard: "What the hell is this?"

It's too big.

Since becoming a beast tamer, Shi Gang has never seen such a huge pet beast. Even the Rockfall Giant and the Abyss Bear, which are known for their enormous size, appear small and exquisite in front of it.

boom! ! !
The next instant, the enormous creature crashed to the ground, its entire form now fully visible to the two.

It is at least 20 meters long, resembling a giant metallic arthropod. Its body is covered with hundreds of hexagonal dark brown rock plates, and its densely packed rock-like legs are close to the ground. Its terrifying number is enough to make any person with trypophobia dizzy on the spot.

If you look up with all your might, you can clearly see a fluorescent yellow energy vein running through the midline of its back, constantly radiating dazzling light.

The moment Shi Gang saw the pet beast, his eyes widened even more, and his voice betrayed his shock: "A Thousand-ridged Rock Beetle, how is this possible???"

The Thousand-ridged Rock Beetle is an earth-type pet. It is born with the quality of a leader and lives underground. It has an amazing ability to burrow.

However, the Thousand-ridged Rock Grasshoppers that Shi Gang remembered were at most five or six meters long. The behemoth in front of him, which was more than twenty meters long, was several times larger than the ordinary Thousand-ridged Rock Grasshoppers, and the sense of oppression it brought was indescribable.

Is this an elongated and thickened version of the Thousand-ridged Rock Jelly?
If it's this guy, it's reasonable that he could cause an earthquake.

But why is this thousand-ridged rock worm so big?

Shi Gang was shocked. The overwhelming sense of pressure made him involuntarily retreat. The monstrous monkey beside him, however, was not afraid. Its eyes flashed with ferocity, and its fur-covered arms suddenly swung, baring its teeth as if it wanted to meet him head-on and launch an attack.

Scared?
No, that's not true. The monstrous monkey is naturally violent and dares to punch any creature.

But whether they can win is another matter entirely.

Upon noticing the strangely strong monkey's movements, Shi Gang's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition instantly surged in his heart. The thought immediately came to mind: "No, don't do it yet."

"Roar?"

The monstrous monkey turned its head and looked over, its wide eyes filled with doubt. Then it clenched its fist tightly, trying to show the results of its training with its visible muscles.

It is no longer the same as it used to be; it has become much stronger.

Shi Gang glared at the monstrous monkey with superhuman strength, his voice turning serious: "Back off!"

He's not like some beast tamers who treat their pets like royalty and unconditionally fulfill all their demands.

While we can respect the pet's own wishes, the final decision must ultimately rest with the tamer.

Upon seeing the Beastmaster's reaction, the monstrous monkey immediately composed itself, obediently taking a half-step back and ceasing its clamor to launch an attack.

Seeing this, Shi Gang turned his head to look at Shi Yu, who was standing there dumbfounded. His expression was solemn and his voice was low: "Don't just stand there, let's get out of here first."

After becoming an advisor to the association, he was once full of confidence, believing that he could easily face any opponent with his strength and talent.

Until his dream was shattered at the Taibai Cup exhibition match.

After the recent Big Wind Cup, Shi Gang has come to a profound realization: one must learn to recognize one's own strength and have self-awareness.

At this moment, the powerful aura emanating from this Thousand-ridged Rock Grass was clearly far stronger than that of the Strange Strength Monkey, indicating that it was definitely at the third tier or even higher.

Even when facing Consultant Chen's Yan Yun Falcon, he had never felt this kind of pressure.

If they provoke them, the monstrous monkey might not be able to leave here alive.

After all, formal battles emphasize stopping when the opponent loses the ability to fight, and the battle ends when the opponent loses the ability to fight. However, in the wild where there are no rules, wild pets consider the loss of life ability as the end of the battle.

"Hmm." Shi Yu suddenly came back to his senses, but then a thought suddenly struck him, and he quickly said, "Brother, I just remembered something."

"explain."

"A while ago, an academic journal published a paper that said that due to genetic mutations, a very small number of pet animals may be several times larger than their ordinary counterparts once they are born. This abnormal phenomenon is called gigantism."

Upon hearing this, Shi Gang frowned slightly: "You mean, this is a gigantic Thousand-ridged Rock Beetle?"

Shi Yu nodded: "That's the only explanation."

Shi Gang frowned, his thoughts racing. Just as he was about to say something, a sudden change occurred.

"Crackling——"

The Thousand-ridged Rock Beetle, which had been staying in place, seemed to be stimulated by something. Its four diamond-shaped mouthparts spun at high speed, and the winch teeth chewed the giant rock in front of it into dust.

With a deafening roar, the countless legs beneath the Thousand-Spine Rock Beetle swayed in unison, propelling its massive body forward in a charge!
The scene was breathtaking and the atmosphere was incredibly powerful.

The Thousand-ridged Rock Beetle's charge was unstoppable. All obstacles in its path were no match for its massive body. Bodies were crushed, trees were knocked down, and the once-flat snowfield was plowed into a huge ravine, while snowflakes splashed in all directions.

Upon seeing this, the two were immediately terrified: "Run! Run!"

In the face of this thousand-ridged rock lizard, don't even think about resisting; running for your life is the only thing to do.

Both of their pets realized the seriousness of the situation at the same time. When they saw the Thousand-Spine Rock Beetle charging towards them, even the naturally bold and powerful Monkey King lost the courage to fight back and hurriedly fled with Shi Gang in his arms.

But after a while, the two suddenly felt the tremor gradually recede. Shi Gang looked back and saw that the Thousand-Spine Rock Beetle was not chasing them, but instead rushed in another direction.

He breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, they're not chasing us."

"Go back and tell Chen about the situation here."

However, before he could finish speaking, Shi Yu's face turned deathly pale. He bit his lower lip and said in a heavy voice, "Brother, that's the direction where Daping Village is located."

Shi Gang suddenly looked up.

(End of this chapter)