Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 345 Meeting an Old Friend (Strange?)

With Jump Jump's current physique, he runs incredibly fast, and in just a few minutes he caught up with the convoy again.

The guard at the rear of the caravan was tense when he first noticed a large monster approaching, hesitating whether to ask the accompanying hunters for protection. But as the monster got closer and he saw the two figures on the dragon's back, he was dumbfounded and released his half-drawn sword.

Are hunters these days really this wild? They can even tame large bird wyvern monsters and use them as mounts?

Jump quickly passed the guard and arrived at the middle of the group, where their truck was located.

"You're back, meow?"

Date, sitting on Little White's back, greeted the two of them when they returned.

"Yes, I went to say goodbye to Xiong Er."

Lin Lin nodded, looked around, and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"By the way, where's Brave? I saw him before we left."

"Brave?"

Date thought for a moment, "He seems to be sitting in the car, meow."

"In the car? Doesn't he feel suffocated?"

"I don't know, but he seems a bit down. He probably doesn't notice these little details anymore, meow..."

Lin Lin was even more confused. Dejected? Why was he depressed? Had something happened?

Seeing the puzzled look on Lin Lin's face, Yezao opened her mouth, recalling the scene she and Ziyuan had witnessed last night:

……

Manjushri: "Your dancing is quite good. I didn't expect you to have such a good sense of pitch."

Brave: "Thank you, but you flatter me. I think you jump much better than me."

Manjushri laughed and said, "You're quite modest."

Brave quickly waved his hand: "No, no, to be honest, I really think you danced very well!"

Manjushri shook his head and chuckled, "No, no, no, if you praise me like that, I'll really get carried away."

As they started by awkwardly boasting to each other, then moved on to talking about dancing, hunting, and everyday life, they gradually became quite animated. Finally, when fireworks lit up the night sky, Brave asked a question.

"What are your plans after this? Will you return to Flamefire Village, stay in Jieyun, or travel to other places?"

"Hmm, I'll probably go back to Flamefire Village to check things out. If nothing's wrong, I'll likely continue traveling to improve my strength. What about you?"

"Lin Lin and the others are going to Dongdoruma, and I plan to go with them too."

"Dondoruma? Before coming to Yukumo, that was my last stop. It's definitely a 'feng shui treasure land' that can really hone a person."

Manjushri smiled mysteriously, emphasizing the phrase "feng shui treasure land" as if it held a deeper meaning.

However, Brave did not notice this.

"You just left Dongdoruma, which means you won't be going back there anytime soon?"

"Hmm~"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Brave's demeanor visibly weakened.

……

Yezao scratched his cheek and briefly explained his speculation to Lin Lin.

Lin Lin stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Could it be that Bref has a thing for that Manjushri girl? I never would have guessed! This guy with those thick eyebrows and big eyes actually has a thing for that kind of thing—a dark-skinned, older, and bold woman, tsk tsk…

Lin Lin subconsciously glanced back at Ye Zi. How adorable she was, so fair and tender... *cough cough* Of course, it's not that I mean Manjushri is bad, I was just a little surprised.

Ye Zi was unsure of Lin Lin's intentions in looking at her, but that didn't stop her from expressing her opinion.

"Hmm... Judging from what Yezao said, I don't know much about Brave. Sister Manjushri probably doesn't have that kind of intention. With her personality, she can chat very warmly with anyone."

Lin Lin blinked, then looked in the direction of the truck, a moment of silent sorrow washing over him.

Poor prison shack...

While Lin Lin and his companions chatted, the convoy continued its slow journey. This route was familiar to Lin Lin; he had taken the same route on his last trip to and from Lokrak.

Therefore, when they came to a stream, Lin Lin jumped off Tiao Tiao's back and let Xiao Bai carry him instead.

"Brother Lin Lin, what are you going to do?"

Lin Lin patted Xiao Bai's head. "I'll get you guys some good food. Taking Tiao Tiao over would make us too conspicuous. Let Xiao Bai take me there. Ye Zao, you can help me out too."

Ye Zi was actually quite curious, but since she couldn't take Tiao Tiao with her, Xiao Bai alone couldn't carry the two of them and the cat. So she could only suppress her curiosity and quietly wait for Lin Lin to return.

……

The Fang Hound is a fanged beast monster that is particularly good at running, and Little White is a Fang Hound individual that has undergone a lot of training and is in excellent physical condition. When it runs, its speed is no less than Jump, and because it is smaller, it is even more agile. Riding Little White through the mountains and forests, Lin Lin soon found a muddy riverbed.

Lin Lin bent down to examine the deep craters in the sand before him and couldn't help but lick his lips.

I really miss it; the last time I had crab roe was almost a year ago...

Unfortunately, we came at the wrong time of year. The shield crabs were not in their breeding season, so even if they had roe, they wouldn't be as delicious. Since that's the case, it doesn't matter whether they are male or female. We can just pick two with lots of meat and kill them. Although shield crab meat is not as premium as crab roe, it is still a very good ingredient. Even if we just steam it simply and add a few slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell, it will still taste very delicious.

"Boss Meow, what are we doing, Meow?" Lin Lin smiled slightly. The last time he came here was before he went to Lockrak. At that time, Date didn't know him yet, so it was normal that he didn't know.

"I said I'd cook something delicious, so help me out later and prepare the ingredients right here."

Date nodded blankly, until Lin Lin excitedly drew his sword and charged at the shield crab that was walking sideways toward the water's edge not far away, at which point it suddenly realized what was happening.

Wait a minute, the boss doesn't want me to help fight, he just wants me to help prepare the ingredients?!
……

The process of cooking the small shield crab was really unremarkable. Lin Lin could easily handle it when he was only a two-star. Now that he has reached the five-star level, his strength is several levels higher than before. If it weren't for the need to preserve the crab meat in the claws, Lin Lin would have liked to use his strength to kill it directly.

Looking at the two neatly arranged shell crab corpses in front of him, Lin Lin gently shook off the blue bloodstains on the Shark Guardian and was about to call Date to help him cook the two ingredients.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he saw Yezao pointing behind him and loudly reminding him:
"Boss, watch out for the meow behind you!"

At the same time, a gurgling sound came from behind, like the sound of water being stirred up with bubbles.

'Tsk, really, I just wanted to get two small ones to eat...'

A thought flashed through Lin Lin's mind. He pushed off the ground with his feet and slid to the side.

The next moment, a thin but rapid stream of water shot towards the spot where he had been standing.

Lin Lin turned his head slightly and saw an enormous shield crab, entirely red and white, spitting out a high-pressure water gun. When it missed its first shot, the creature even moved its claws and shifted its body sideways, trying to adjust the trajectory of the water gun so that it would hit the intruder again.

This famous Shield Crab... looks kind of familiar?
Didn't I spend quite a while clinging to this guy's back before sneaking away? Judging by its size, it's grown quite a bit in the past year...

As the high-pressure water gun came hurtling towards him, Lin Lin even had the leisure to examine the famous shield crab. Just before the water gun was about to hit him, he suddenly unleashed his silkworm silk, releasing a fully charged counterattack to block it. This operation made Yezak sweat with anxiety.

The water kept crashing against the shield, and the silken threads at the four corners vibrated incessantly. Lin Lin felt the force coming from his arm and felt... as if he could block it by directly taking the hit?

Having once faced the terrifying water cannon of the Storm Dragon, capable of tearing the earth apart, the water gun spewed out by the Daimyo Shield Crab in front of me is really not much different from a toy water gun; they are equally harmless.

The water continued to pound against the shield, but like seawater trying to break a reef, it was destined to achieve nothing.

After attacking for two or three seconds, before Lin Lin could even react, the Daimyo Shield Crab's stamina gave out, and it stopped breathing with a "squeak".

Initially, seeing that Lin Lin was not very big and had killed two small shield crabs, the famous shield crab thought it was just an ordinary predator invasion that could be easily crushed or driven away. However, after seeing that Lin Lin remained unmoved under its breath, the famous shield crab began to realize that things were not so simple.

So it forcefully opened its claws, making a threatening gesture to make itself appear even larger.

Unfortunately, its intimidation posed no threat to Lin Lin. Lin Lin simply spun around, channeling the newly replenished energy into his shield and activating its enhanced state.

Wow, this fully charged counterattack is truly a god-tier skill. Activating the red shield and accumulating vials is incredibly easy. Life without Scrapworms is just too miserable...

"Boss, do you need my help, meow?"

Date drew the Thunder Wolf Dragon Cat Sword from its waist, eager to join the battle.

"No need, it's just a Daimyo Shield Crab. You can just peel the meat off the other two! I'll keep its attention from interfering with you!"

As he spoke, Lin Lin charged towards the Daimyo Shield Crab.

Seeing that its intimidation was ineffective and the opponent was charging straight at it, Daimyo Shield Crab decided to take matters into its own hands and pinched Lin Lin with its pincers.

Lin Lin glanced at the Daimyo Shield Crab's raised pincers. The attack trajectory was too obvious; a simple slide or side jump would have been enough to dodge it. However, Lin Lin did not do that. Instead, he swung his right shield out to meet the descending pincers.

"when!"

A sound like metal clashing came, and the force of the impact traveled up my arm and through my whole body, bringing a slight tingling sensation.

Feeling the pressure constantly being exerted through the shield, Lin Lin couldn't help but grin, revealing a slightly ferocious smile.

Lin Lin's legs sank into the muddy ground due to the recoil, with his calves even being pressed deep into the mud. However, he seemed oblivious, his right arm shield firmly blocking the Daimyo Shield Crab's pincers, preventing it from advancing an inch. Meanwhile, he swung his charged sword in his left hand, continuously stabbing at the Daimyo Shield Crab's mouth and abdomen behind its pincers.

"Hey! Hey! Drink up!"

The Daimyo Shield Crab was in pain when its vulnerable spot was pierced by the sword. The pressure on its claws involuntarily weakened. The moment it felt the pressure lessen, Lin Lin roared and its power exploded, forcefully lifting the shield upwards.

The famous shield crab's claw involuntarily rose high, causing its center of gravity to shift and its balance to break. It fell backward, rolling on the muddy ground. Its originally beautiful red and white body was mostly stained black by the mud.

With a powerful strike, Lin Lin flipped over the Daimyo Shield Crab, feeling a surge of exhilaration. He couldn't wait to let out a long roar to release his pent-up emotions. Instinctively, he wanted to plunge his sword into the shield and unleash a Super Amped Strike on the dazed and bewildered Daimyo Shield Crab lying on the ground.

However, just as he inserted the sword into the shield, Lin Lin realized that the energy in the shield had been used to activate the shield enhancement state. He had to give up the tempting idea of ​​using a super attack and instead filled the shield with the energy accumulated from the previous few thrusts.

Watching the Daimyo Shield Crab quickly adjust its posture and stand up to face him again, Lin Lin's gaze lingered on its claws for a moment. He wondered what the claws of this big guy tasted like. With such a large size, there must be a lot of meat, right?
Hmm... no, this guy's pincers are quite powerful, and the muscles inside are probably quite developed, so it might be hard to bite through—of course, it could also be very chewy; we'll only know the answer when we actually taste it.

Sensing the increasingly dangerous gaze of the small but incredibly powerful figure opposite him, who was practically a miniature Lion, Daimyo Shield Crab's alarm bells rang loudly.

It didn't hold back at all, yet it was still easily taken down. What's the point of fighting now? There's no way to fight it. If it stays here any longer, it might even lose its life!

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the best is to flee. When living in the wild, the most important thing to learn is to retreat, flee, and escape!

Kill the little shield crabs all you want, just don't try to kill me!
Run!
So, just as Lin Lin was pondering how to deal with the Daimyo Shield Crab's claws, he saw the creature suddenly exert force with all four legs, leap into the air, and then "plop" crash into the river beside it, splashing water everywhere.

Lin Lin: ...

"Huh? They just ran away like that?"

Dude, at least try one more hit! I had my red shield up and energy fully charged, ready to unleash a super attack to send you to your grave, and you just ran away?

After standing still and waiting quietly for a while, Lin Lin couldn't help but sigh in disappointment when he found that the famous Shield Crab really didn't show its face again.

"Sigh, looks like they really ran away... What a pity, I won't get to taste that guy's crab claws..."

After watching Lin Lin fight the Daimyo Shield Crab, the stunned Yezakura finally came to her senses:

"Boss Meow, don't forget we didn't accept any hunting commissions, meow..."

(End of this chapter)