Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 401 Awakening Jump, Reason Returns!
With one hand supporting Ye Zi and the other holding Xiao Jia, Lin Lin effortlessly gleaned the full picture of the situation from Xiao Jia's thoughts.

Things turned out pretty much as he had guessed.

Yezi had no recollection of firing a signal flare, because the distress signal was not sent by her, but by Xiaojia who had gone to great lengths to create it. If Xiaojia hadn't been so clever, he wouldn't have been able to find Yezi in the vast sea of ​​trees in such a short time.

When Ye Zi was found, neither Tiao Tiao nor Xiao Jia were by her side. This was because Tiao Tiao had suffered a stroke a few minutes after fainting, its eyes turned red and it became aggressive. To prevent it from hurting Ye Zi who was still unconscious, Xiao Jia went to great lengths to lure Tiao Tiao away to another place.

It was precisely because the mad dragon-like Jumpy was so troublesome and agile that Xiao Jia had to use almost all its strength to lure it away. That's why, after finally shaking off Jumpy, it was difficult to maintain its flight stability and flew crookedly.

Where did you finally lead Jumpy?

The little armored carapace twitched its elytra in response to Lin Lin's question, then lay there motionless.

It's exhausted and desperately needs a rest.

Lin Lin helped Ye Zi to a shady spot to sit down, handed Xiao Jia to her, and then turned to look at the two cats.

"Date, you stay here to protect Yoko. I have to go find Jump."

"No problem, meow! Leave it to me, meow!"

Yezao patted his chest and casually drew the Thunder Wolf Dragon Cat Sword.

"That meow, that meow?"

"Just stay by my side, meow, and keep watch around. Don't cause any trouble for the boss, meow!"

Niaru: ...

It wanted to say that it wouldn't cause any trouble, but when it realized that it hadn't even received basic hunting cat training, it opened its mouth, then lowered its head and uttered an "Oh."

Lin Lin packed most of the dates into his prop bag, glanced one last time at the weak Ye Zi, and after seeing her nod at him, he didn't hesitate and rushed out like the wind.

Although he didn't know how much rationality Jump could retain after being infected with the Mad Dragon Disease, nor whether the Extinguishing Fruit could suppress the already flaring Mad Dragon Disease, Lin Lin knew that he had to try his best!
In his mad dragon attack, Jumpy rampaged recklessly, leaving no trace whatsoever. Relying on his familiarity with Jumpy and with the directions pointed out by Little Armor, Lin Lin made almost no stops along the way.

Almost there, almost there...

Clutching the Bond Stone in his hand, Lin Lin ran wildly, sensing that Jump should be nearby.

"Whoosh-"

A strong gust of wind swept in, and Lin Lin instinctively lunged to the side, rolling over to get back to his feet.

Looking back, he saw a few pebbles hurtling towards where he had just been standing, propelled by tremendous force. However, with the protection of his heavy armor, Lin Lin estimated that even if he didn't dodge, the two pebbles would at most make him stagger.

"Ji Ga!"

A roar came, the voice both familiar and strange. Lin Lin looked in the direction of the sound and found a dragon beast more than ten meters long standing by a small river. It was covered in emerald green armor, its claws were pacing the ground restlessly, its eyes were bloodshot, and black energy was emanating from its body as it breathed—who else could it be but Tiao Tiao?
Seeing Tiao Tiao's familiar yet unfamiliar appearance, Lin Lin's heart tightened, and he lifted his foot to approach.

However, his action seemed to have touched a nerve in the mad dragon-turned-jumping creature. It roared and tried to leap up and attack, but stopped at the last moment.

Lin Lin's heart tightened, and he dared not make any more big moves. The two of them stood still and looked at each other.

Lin Lin gripped the Bond Stone in his hand and tentatively called out:

"Jump?"

Stimulated by the sound, Jump Jump's eyes flashed with a scarlet light, and its long tail thrashed restlessly, sweeping away the rocks behind it. This reaction made Lin Lin's heart sink slightly.

He tried to listen to and sense Tiao Tiao's thoughts, but all he could feel was a chaotic black tide, and the once familiar voices were completely submerged under the tide.

How could this be?

Even the mad dragon that had transformed into a male fire dragon, after falling ill, was still able to perceive some intermittent thoughts, aside from its frenzied desire to attack!
Lin Lin slowly reached into his prop bag, took out a Dispel Fruit, and stared at Tiao Tiao's mouth, his mind racing with thoughts.

Given Jumpy's current size, if I don't bring it back to its senses, I simply can't force it to eat. I must first bring back a sliver of its reason!
"Come on, Jump Jump, eat this, and you won't feel so bad!"

Lin Lin kept calling out to Tiao Tiao in a gentle voice, while the Bond Stone in his hand emitted a faint blue light, connecting the bonds between them.

As the light emanating from the Bound Stone grew, the chaotic black tide that Lin Lin perceived became even more turbulent, transforming into a colossal wave that swept towards him, almost completely engulfing him.

Lin Lin's body stiffened slightly, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his eyes quickly turned bloodshot. The suffocating feeling under the sweeping waves almost made him unable to breathe.

However, Lin Lin did not give up. Instead, he gripped the Bond Stone even tighter, and the pure light emanating from it became even stronger, making the spiritual link between the two even closer.

Until a certain moment, Lin Lin felt that he had completely lost all sense of the outside world.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself alone in an endless, dark ocean. Thick, heavy black seawater squeezed his body, pouring into his nostrils and mouth. The salty, fishy steam slapped against his face, making him think that this might be the smell of the Mad Dragon virus. The rumbling sound of the waves rushed into his ears, but because of the seawater that had entered his ear canals, it sounded like a muffled echo from another world.

This is……

Looking up at the overcast sky, Lin Lin had a vague guess in his mind. Perhaps this was Tiao Tiao's current mental world; the strong resonance caused by their bond had brought him here!
The intense pressure and impact forced Lin Lin to expel all the little air left in his lungs. Wave after wave of surging waves crashed against him, repeatedly pushing his head down toward the seabed, not wanting him to breathe even a drop of air.

Swimming upwards with all his might, he poked his head above the water and looked around before the next wave crashed over him. He found nothing but the ever-growing black tide.

Jump, where are you?

Lin Lin struggled to swim in the black water, waving his limbs. He had a feeling that if he could find Tiao Tiao, he might be able to successfully awaken its consciousness!
The black water was viscous, and Lin Lin's swimming skills weren't particularly high. He felt increasingly tired. Although he was supposed to be in a mental world, his feelings were no different from those in reality. Raising his arms became more and more difficult.

No, if this continues, I'm afraid I'll drown in this black tide before I even find Jumpy's location!

We have to think of another way!
The wind howled and the waves surged, all of which felt so real. However, Lin Lin knew that this was not a real place. He had only entered Jump Jump's mental space by using the Bond Stone and activating his own abilities to the fullest extent.

Lin Lin raised his hand to wipe the dark seawater off his face and suddenly paused. Since this was not a real space, but only a manifestation of spiritual consciousness, then this seawater could not be real seawater either.

This is a manifestation of the effects of the mad dragon virus!
Jumpy's consciousness had been almost completely submerged; it had just been unable to perceive its own thoughts at all, so...

Lin Lin suddenly looked down at the pitch-black sea beneath his feet, took a deep breath, and then plunged downwards.

This is merely a spiritual world; it doesn't need oxygen at all!
Repeating this phrase to himself, Lin Lin descended while opening his eyes and scanning the almost completely dark abyss.

Lin Lin didn't know how long he had been diving. His body was almost numb, and the seawater around him was squeezing him so tightly that it was almost crushing him into a meat patty. The indescribable pain was almost driving him to collapse. But when he thought of Tiao Tiao waiting for him, a new force arose in his exhausted body, propelling him to continue diving.

Finally, when he stretched out his hand, what he touched was no longer the inky seawater, but a crystal that looked like glass.

Lin Lin was slightly taken aback, and suddenly realized that this was the end!

However, at the bottom of this dark sea, instead of the expected foul-smelling deep-sea mud, there were beautiful crystals with a glassy texture.

Lin Lin stared at the crystal for a moment and discovered that it was actually flashing with light, forming a picture. In the picture, a yellow Velociraptor was approaching, with a piece of fresh meat in its mouth, and was offering it to the mirror.

Could this be Jump Jump's memories?

Lin Lin swam around the seabed and found that the closer he got to a certain direction, the denser the crystals that revealed memories became. So he swam vigorously in that direction.

The memory crystals that appeared around them gradually transformed from scattered fragments into a smooth, flat wall of crystals.

In the star-studded desert, a cluster of firelight crackled and danced. A hunter and an elu sat there, turning the roasting meat over the fire. Then the scene zoomed in quickly, and the hunter stood up nervously, only to find that the newcomer had merely stolen a piece of meat. He sat back down, both angry and amused...

In the vast sea of ​​sand, a sandboat speeds through the scene. The camera flashes past the surrounding scenery, then quickly lowers its gaze, staring at the wooden planks on the boat for a long time before finally going black. Only the howling wind and the slightly helpless exchange between a person and a cat remain...

A sound like a steam whistle rang out, and the towering beast dragon lowered its head, charging forward like a rumbling bulldozer. In sight, a figure stood firm, neither dodging nor flinching, holding a shield to block the earth dragon's charge, colliding head-on with it. Although the small body was pushed back continuously, it miraculously managed to stop its charge...

The water flowed gently as the hunter lifted a small fish from the bucket, a gentle smile on his face, and placed it into the mouth of the little purple dragon in his arms. The scene quickly zoomed in on the hunter, who shook his head helplessly, picked out the largest fish from the bucket, and stuffed it into the lower part of the frame…

At the tranquil village harbor, a young hunter, fully equipped, was about to board a large ship. The camera tried to follow, but the hunter stopped the camera with a smile, pointed to the azure ocean, and shook his head slightly. Then, a gentle-smiling dragonwoman appeared in the scene, said a few words to the hunter, and turned to gently stroke the subject of the image...

In the peaceful farm, a young hunter and an equally young female hunter sat on a tree stump, chatting happily. Suddenly, a fiery red shadow jumped out of the frame, letting out a childish howl as it climbed up and completely blocked the view. The person in the picture impatiently nudged it away with their mouth and was about to continue looking at the hunters when the fiery red shadow pounced on them again...

Beneath the boundless dark clouds, the raging wind and torrential rain almost completely obscured the view. The camera anxiously looked up at the sky, but could only see a small, fiery red dot flitting about, dodging several enormous tornadoes that pierced the heavens and earth. Then the camera turned behind them, and a golden bolt of lightning followed closely behind...

……

Many, many images flashed and intertwined, and the same young hunter appeared in almost the vast majority of them. Moreover, the closer one got to the largest oval crystal in the center, the more frequently the young hunter appeared.

Lin Lin floated silently before the oval crystal, his gaze passing through the flashing images on it, and saw the figure curled up inside.

It was very different from the Jumper he knew, yet also very similar.

That wasn't a yellow Velocidrome King, but a yellow Velocidrome, just like when I first encountered it in the desert, thin and small.

Lin Lin slowly placed his hand on the crystal, and despite being underwater, he spoke aloud:
"I'm here, Jump Jump."

"The memories of the past are wonderful, but we still have many more wonderful memories to create together. We can't let a mere mad dragon virus drown us out. It's time to wake up..."

……

Lin Lin opened his eyes in a daze. The sun was shining brightly, and the breeze was still gentle. A light insect that had flown from his left had just flown to his right. It was as if everything he had just experienced was just a dream. In reality, perhaps only a few seconds, or even a moment, had passed.

Looking up again at the yellow Velociraptor King opposite, its eyes were still bloodshot, the blackish-purple smoke emanating from its breath was still there, and even its restless claws pounding the ground were still there.

However, Lin Lin revealed a smile, because something was different: he could hear Tiao Tiao's thoughts again!
He wiped the sweat from his brow and waved the "dismissal fruit" in his hand at Tiaotiao:

"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot. Come and eat this. It'll make you feel much better."

"For the time being, we'll rely on this to get through this period. Once the antidote for the Mad Dragon virus is developed, everything will be fine."

"Gah! Awooo!"

(End of this chapter)