Chapter Forty-Two: Inspecting the Territory

Fruit can only be considered a snack; after sharing it with several young saltwater crocodiles, Lu Chen still felt his stomach empty. He searched the nearby waters for suitable food but found nothing, so he finally set his sights on the river upstream.

There were bull sharks at the estuary, so to obtain more high-quality meat, he had to change direction. The cave was located on the periphery of the reserve; what lay before him was the true depths of the mountains. After much consideration, Lu Chen decided to head further upstream. This was also his first formal patrol of his territory since evolving to Tier 2. He had gone upstream several times before, but only for a dozen miles or so, merely scratching the surface.

As for what prey or predators might exist along the riverbanks upstream, he had no idea. This time, he intended to get a clear understanding of all the circumstances... and he was prepared for any dangers that might arise.

But he was not afraid.

He could climb trees and dive into rivers—this was his real advantage. Even if he encountered a large predator, he could easily escape using those two abilities, unlike when he faced bull sharks in the ocean and could only defend passively.

Lu Chen investigated carefully, crawling along the animal trails in the grass near the riverbank every hundred meters or so. He used his developed sense of smell to detect the scents of animals nearby.

Every animal had its unique scent, like a human ID number. As a saltwater crocodile with a human soul, Lu Chen could distinguish and categorize the subtle differences between these smells.

For example, the musky, gamey odor belonged to wild goats or roe deer; wild boars left behind a pungent, muddy stench; most predators passing nearby would leave a strong scent of blood, and their tracks and claw marks were easy to identify...

After swimming several miles upstream, Lu Chen caught a very familiar scent at the water's edge.

A clouded leopard... still alive?

He had not seen that thieving leopard for more than half a month and assumed it had already perished in the jungle. After all, the creature had been badly injured when it fled, its abdomen nearly pierced by a bamboo arrow.

In the wild, such wounds were almost a death sentence.

Yet, unexpectedly, its vitality was as tenacious as the monkey "Golden Dot," and it had managed to survive.

Perhaps traumatized by the traps, it no longer dared to frequent the crocodile's cave and had found another place to settle.

Wait—just as Lu Chen was about to leave, he leaned his head closer to the ground.

On the wet mud was a series of distinct "plum blossom" tracks, stretching into the grass and disappearing.

These were left by the clouded leopard passing by.

Lu Chen could clearly see that one line of tracks was noticeably deeper than the others.

So, although the creature had survived its escape, it was not unscathed! The right hind leg must have been injured and had yet to recover.

Should he ambush it?

After a moment's thought, Lu Chen dismissed this tempting idea.

The clouded leopard was different from the Burmese python; though its speed had slowed after the injury, it had not lost its environmental advantage, so there was little chance of an easy kill.

Moreover, he was unsure when the creature would next come to the river to drink—he couldn't possibly wait forever.

Besides the traces of predators, there were also plenty of snakes along the riverbank.

So far, Lu Chen had rarely hunted snakes for food.

The reason was simple: he knew little about venomous snakes. Aside from a few famous species like the banded krait, the silver krait, the black-browed pit viper, and the bamboo pit viper, most he could not identify.

So when he saw those brightly colored creatures, Lu Chen generally kept his distance.

Although a saltwater crocodile's scales could likely withstand a snake's fangs, unless absolutely necessary, he was reluctant to waste time on them.

A snake sixty or seventy centimeters long could provide at most two energy points, equivalent to a water bird.

The effort and risk were disproportionate to the reward, so there was no need to take the risk.

Unconsciously, Lu Chen swam along the winding river for more than thirty miles.

He had now truly entered the depths of the mountains.

The grass on both riverbanks grew ever denser, subtropical giant trees rose everywhere, and the number and variety of animals had clearly increased.

Wait... humans?!

Lu Chen caught the scent of humans on a small path by the riverbank.

This surprised him; there were people living deep within the reserve, and not just one.

He deduced that they lived nearby because the scent was strong in the grass, clearly indicating frequent appearances at the river.

Could they be forest rangers?

Lu Chen became curious and decided to follow the scent deeper into the forest, hoping to find something useful from them—perhaps materials for traps in the future.

After crawling a little further, Lu Chen stopped again.

On the animal trail through the grass, he saw a pile of dried leaves scattered and a wooden stick protruding about thirty centimeters above the ground.

There was also the scent of humans here.

Perhaps he was mistaken; these were not forest rangers.

To confirm his suspicion, Lu Chen picked up a long, rotten branch nearby and used his mouth to sweep it across the pile of dead leaves.

Something triggered—a translucent cord snapped up.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh... several sharpened wooden stakes shot out, deeply embedding themselves in the mud.

It was indeed a hidden hunting trap, mainly for catching small prey.

Outdoor survival enthusiasts or poachers... guessing in his mind, Lu Chen crawled another two or three hundred meters forward.

He was much more cautious now and soon discovered two more traps.

After crossing a patch of forest, the scent grew stronger, tinged with a faint smell of blood.

Clearly, the two humans were hiding just ahead.

The dense shrubbery blocked his view, so Lu Chen couldn't see what was happening on the other side.

He glanced around at the environment and silently climbed a large oak tree, peering through the lush green leaves toward the opposite side of the thicket.

There was a natural cave, its entrance hidden and surrounded by green vines.

If one did not approach, it would be impossible to discover.

The vines blocked his view of any humans, but the cave echoed with chatter.

They spoke in dialect, with heavy accents, so Lu Chen couldn't understand much and chose to remain hidden in the tree, continuing his observation.

It wasn't long before someone emerged from the cave. The man was unkempt, his eyes filled with cunning malice—just his appearance betrayed his sinister nature.

After exiting, he looked around cautiously, then squatted in the bushes to relieve himself, covering the waste with earth afterward.

This man was definitely trouble.

At such close range, Lu Chen could sense an even stronger aura of blood from him. It was just like when he first encountered the push-pull box at the bottom of Lake Liu—deeply unsettling, triggering instinctive discomfort and disgust.

As for the identity of the two humans, Lu Chen already had a vague suspicion, so he did not continue observing.

He was now a saltwater crocodile—many things were far beyond his capability.

He could only remember the location for now and see if there would be an opportunity later.

For now, filling his belly was more urgent; he needed to find something to eat first.