Chapter 48 Ape-Turtle Croc
In a past life, William once heard someone he knew mention something.
It was said that a person who had left this city had once encountered a guarding monster at a construction site two months after the apocalypse began. At that time, the guarding monster had already evolved to level five, eliminating many nearby survivor teams and displaying formidable strength. What's more, the guarding monster was accompanied by two helpers of the same species. Although not as powerful, they were also at level four evolution.
These three monsters dominated that area.
Later, a Six-star Powerhouse took care of these three guarding monsters, rumored to have obtained a blueprint and an egg from under one of these monsters.
William's acquaintance wasn't quite sure what kind of guarding monster it was but knew that the blueprint was about a sword-shaped weapon, as shortly after, many in the powerhouse's team began equipping themselves with excellent silver-grade swords, very sharp and effective.
In his previous life, William was a melee professional specializing in swords, so he paid close attention to anything related to swords. When he heard about this incident, he kept it in mind.
Naturally, there were other factors that made him very interested in this matter, such as the fact that the person who dealt with this guarding monster later became the renowned military Nine-star powerhouse, 'The Strongest Blade', Thomas Cox! An idol for all swordsmen.
In this life, after becoming a craftsman and acquiring this white chopping knife, William recalled this incident and became intrigued by the blueprint for the guarding monster.
If he could obtain that blueprint as a craftsman, he could reforge his current sword, enhancing its level and power, significantly boosting his strength.
Moreover, the egg of any monster is a great boon for evolvers, acting as a weaker version of an evolution potion when consumed, enhancing overall physical qualities, and being a precious commodity in the apocalypse.
This time, William wanted to see if this story was true.
The rumored construction site was a bit of a distance from William's home, taking at least an hour to walk there under normal circumstances, but with dangers everywhere now, it would take even longer.
Fortunately, with William now being a One-Star Evolver, his speed was considerably faster than an average person's under safe conditions.
However, by the time he found the construction site, it was nearing noon.
The construction site was a recently started commercial building project, with the building foundations laid, some rising to five or six floors, surrounded by dark green protective nets and scaffolding densely packed around. A scene that should have been bustling if not the apocalypse.
But now, it was eerily quiet.
This was the strange part. Typically, workers at an active construction site would reside there, with warehouses for storage and security personnel hardly ever leaving. Yet, there had been noticeably fewer zombies in this area since the apocalypse.
After observing for a while, William hadn't spotted a single one.
It seemed something had claimed this construction site as its territory, either consuming or driving away the zombies within.
To consider ordinary zombies as food or to be able to disperse them, the entity must be at least a Second-Level evolved creature.
He stealthily infiltrated the site, climbing up the nearest unfinished building, reaching the highest floor via the scaffolding, then cautiously moving to a window on the opposite side, peering down below.
From this vantage point, the deserted construction site lay below, visible in its entirety.
Scanning around, when his gaze fell upon the southeast corner, William squinted his eyes, instinctively slowing his breathing.
He had spotted the target!
Ape-Turtle Croc!
After the apocalypse began, in addition to the mutations occurring in existing creatures on Earth, such as humans and animals, there were also extraterrestrial arrivals known as monsters by survivors.
Following the apocalypse, various Lands of Death emerged on Earth, typically where these monsters resided.
However, there were exceptions, with some monsters venturing out from the Land of Death to roam the outside world.
Additionally, valuable items like blueprints, equipment, potions, and more would appear in certain locations, guarded by monsters known as guarding monsters.
These monsters usually lived and reproduced near what they were guarding, establishing fixed territories.
As they belonged to the same branch as the monsters within the death zones, these guarding monsters were excellent training targets in later eras, especially for teams looking to enter death zones for missions or hunting, as battles with guarding monsters provided valuable combat experience.
Furthermore, killing these guarding monsters could yield valuable rewards.
Before his rebirth, the number of these guarding monsters had dwindled, with the weaker ones already eliminated, leaving only the powerful ones capable of surviving outside the death zones, even deterring eight or Nine-Star Powerhouses from provoking them.
The Ape-Turtle Croc was one type of guarding monster.
This name was naturally given by human survivors, limited by their knowledge, often combining visual and imaginative elements familiar to Earthlings when naming these creatures.
The Ape-Turtle Croc resembled a creature with a head similar to a monkey, a shell on its back, and a crocodile tail, known for its exceptional defense, immense strength, and powerful bite force.
Within the entire family of extraterrestrial monsters, the Ape-Turtle Croc had a characteristic that survivors often discussed: its impressive reproductive capability.
Perhaps due to energy conservation or the world's need to maintain the integrity of the food chain, the stronger an individual, whether a monster or a mutated Earth plant or animal, the lower its reproductive capacity. This rule even somewhat affected humans, although less prominently than in other species.
There were exceptions, like the Ape-Turtle Croc, which was known for its decent reproductive ability. According to human observations, these monsters typically reproduced once every one to two years, laying two to three eggs each time, with a survival rate of over eighty percent. This resulted in the frequent sightings of Ape-Turtle Crocs in many death zones, often living in groups of several or even dozens.
Of course, even among Ape-Turtle Crocs, those evolving to the ninth level were extremely rare, with encounters usually involving those below the sixth level.
The one William saw now was a Second-Level Ape-Turtle Croc.
In his previous life, William had slain these creatures before, understanding their strengths and weaknesses. After assessing the situation, William sadly realized that, with his current strength, he still lacked the ability to deal with this second-level monster.
Monsters of the same level were considerably stronger than native evolved life forms on Earth. William struggled against a Second-Level Blood Tongue Lizard, so hunting an Ape-Turtle Croc with his current abilities would be akin to seeking death.
Moreover, from the rumors he had heard in his previous life, this Ape-Turtle Croc had allies!
After another brief observation, William retreated from the abandoned building.
Though the enemy was formidable, he had no intention of giving up, but before taking action, he needed to make some preparations.
