At the horizon, Machinery City was just like a black turtle, slowly moving horizontally in Lin Ke's line of sight.
Lin Ke had an incredibly solemn look on his face.
Even in all the scenarios that he had imagined, never would he have thought that Machinery City would pass by the canal's upper reach at this time.
Although they could only see the gigantic Machinery City from a distance of 20 kilometers away, Lin Ke could already imagine the patrolling soldiers behind it as it migrated.
It was just that no matter how Lin Ke searched through his memories, he simply couldn't remember any record of this particular migration of Machinery City in the Wasteland Annals.
Moving from the lower reaches all the way to the upper reaches… Going by this, they are intending on heading to the estuary!
"Boss, how about… How about we take a detour?" pleaded Forbes in a trembling voice next to him. With Machinery City right in front, making the rash decision to go to the Grand Canal now was no different from committing suicide.
Lin Ke shook his head and replied, "We can only continue forward now. We must wait for Machinery City to leave before we go over to get some water. Our water supply is not enough to sustain us if we make a detour."
With Machinery City passing by Goria Grand Canal, crossing the canal later would undoubtedly become harder.
To be on the safe side, Lin Ke decided to synthesize another pet.
He looked around him, hoping to find an animal that he could synthesize in the surroundings. However, as far as the eye could see, the Gobi was devoid of anything. Even at the very most, only three living things were in the surroundings—him, Forbes, and Treasure Hunter Rat.
"Let's continue moving forward first. We'll be safe as long as we don't get within Machinery City's five-kilometers-wide warning range."
"Boss, why do you know so much?" Forbes sighed emotionally. Boss had all this information at his fingertips all the time, whether it was regarding the Wastelands Gang or the Machinery Holy Cult.
"You may invite a fatal disaster if you know too much! Do you still want to know?"
Forbes immediately shut up and held his hands over his ears. "Boss, I beg you, please don't say anything else! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to know!"
Lin Ke and Forbes continued to move forward.
Although Machinery City looked as if it was moving very slowly, this was from a visual angle of 20 kilometers away. In actuality, it was moving at a very high speed. The Machinery Holy Cult certainly had an extraordinary level of skill in the aspects of machine construction and dealing with metals to get a city of steel—with a five-kilometer diameter—to speed along the Gobi at 120 kilometers per hour.
Lin Ke observed his surroundings as he walked. He still wanted to synthesize another pet so that he could minimize the risks involved in breaking through the Grand Canal. However, what entered his sight was only the Desolate Gobi. Even looking for a living thing that was still alive was already very difficult, much less one suitable to become a pet.
The only things in abundance were ghastly white animal skeletons half-covered in sand blown over by the Gobi winds.
"Boss, look at the sky!" said Forbes as he pointed to the sky.
Lin Ke raised his head. Under the scorching sun, he saw three moving black dots circling above them continuously.
With his eyes narrowed, Lin Ke tried to identify them. Right away, a jolt went through him, and he became high-spirited.
Vultures! No wonder many more skeletons suddenly appeared in the Gobi after we got nearer to the Grand Canal… Lin Ke's mind ran at high speed. Vultures just so happen to be Level 2 organisms, so they meet the condition for pet synthesis.
Lin Ke raised his head again and took another look. The vultures were circling right above them. The vultures had evidently already set their sights on them, treating them as their prey.
The only problem now—how were they going to get the vultures to come down from the sky?
Lin Ke thought for a brief moment and said, "Forbes, I'm thinking of tricking the vultures into coming down. Put on a show with me."
"Huh? How am I supposed to act? I've never acted before?"
"It's very simple; just give me an energy bar. After that, you can leave after you watch me collapse. Then, walk two to three kilometers in front and look for somewhere that's cool and has shade. Just sit there and wait for me; that'll do."
Lin Ke's eyes swept across the area, and he found a not-too-big rock in front. He pointed at it and said, "Go over there and stay there later. No matter what happens here, don't come back. If you can do that, we will have a greater chance of crossing the Grand Canal safely."
The moment Forbes heard that he could help Lin Ke out, he nodded like a little chick pecking at rice and agreed without even caring about what his task was.
Lin Ke tore open the energy bar's packaging and held it in his mouth. Then, he said in a muffled voice to Forbes, "Yo cang gow now!"
Forbes had only just left when Lin Ke collapsed onto the desert with a plop.
Forbes turned his head back and looked behind him. He subconsciously wanted to run back, but he was stopped by Lin Ke, who said, "What did you promise me just now? Hurry and go in front; just wait for me there."
Upon seeing that his Boss was alright, Forbes finally left, looking back every once in a while.
Lin Ke's plan was very simple—playing possum.
Playing possum might sound pretty easy, but it wasn't such an easy task when one was up against a careful and cautious vulture.
Vultures usually wouldn't take the initiative to attack. It was only when they thought that their prey was on their last breath and on the verge of death that they would dare to fly over. Then, like an undertaker, they would quietly wait for their prey to breathe their last before coming forward to enjoy a delicious meal.
Lin Ke laid on the Gobi and sunbathed lazily.
Playing dead wasn't difficult. What was difficult was staying motionless for a long period of time.
Lin Ke wanted an energy bar because he was already fully prepared to 'outwear' the vultures.
I'll close my eyes and rest for a while. Inform me if there's anything up, instructed Lin Ke to Treasure Hunter Rat telepathically.
Forbes reached his designated destination after walking for a while. He followed his Boss's instructions, sat there, and waited.
In the sky, the vultures were still circling. They made no move to fly down.
Forbes crossed his legs and waited for a very long time. He waited for so long that Machinery City had already vanished from the horizon. The three vultures in the sky had lowered the altitude at which they circled, but there was still a long way to go before they would land on the ground.
The sun rose higher and higher, becoming more and more scorching.
Forbes yawned, his upper and lower eyelids fighting each other in a disappointing move.
Lin Ke laid on the ground with the Glock pistol in his hand. His body was already beginning to turn numb.
By right, Lin Ke and Forbes could now attempt to cross Goria Grand Canal since Machinery City had already left. However, Lin Ke's personality had become even steadier as compared to the past after transmigrating to the game world.
In the past, he could come back to life after he died in the game, but he was an NPC now. Should he die, he really wouldn't have any more chances left.
Thus, everything had to be carried out with utmost caution!
Although Lin Ke's eyes were shut, he could still access the system interface.
It was 11 a.m. when he had laid down, and it was now 2 p.m already.
Lin Ke had played dead in the Gobi for a whole three hours. His face burned in pain from the sun's roasting.
During these three hours, Lin Ke had taken a nap. After he woke up, he seriously thought about the vulture synthesis and read the synthesis explanation word for word, sentence for sentence. Lastly, he simulated all the possible situations that might occur in his mind.
With the exception of the most crucial component, everything else was ready.
Lin Ke could already hear the flapping of the vultures' wings. He only needed to wait patiently now.
Another hour passed. The vultures finally let down their guard, and with their wings flapping, landed a short distance away from Lin Ke. They began to approach him slowly.
Lin Ke's 'outwear the vultures' plan was about to succeed.
All three vultures had already landed. They walked toward and approached Lin Ke from different directions.
When Lin Ke heard that the vultures had already gotten within a meter of him, he held his breath, concentrated, and telepathically communicated with Treasure Hunter Rat. Little Treasure, countdown from ten seconds and attack!
Treasure Hunter Rat also lowered its heartbeat to the minimum. It laid prostrate underneath Lin Ke's flax clothing, waiting to attack the vultures the moment its master issued his orders.
Lin Ke did a silent mental countdown.
When the last number passed, Treasure Hunter Rat sprung out of the flax clothing with a whoosh like a fired arrow and pounced onto the nearest vulture.
At the same time, Lin Ke also flipped around and got up, forcibly relying on his willpower to overcome his 'stiff' state.
The vultures received such a huge fright when they saw this that they flapped their wings to take off into the sky. However, Treasure Hunter Rat had already pounced onto one of them and was biting stubbornly on the muscle connecting the wings to the body, interfering with its flight.
The other two vultures let out squawks of extreme astoundment and flew away. The last one flapped its wings as hard as it could but could only struggle in mid-air.
Lin Ke rushed forward with his quick reflexes and tackled the vulture to the ground, pressing both his knees hard against its wings.
The next second, Lin Ke stowed his pistol and brandished the Sharp Dagger. The dagger pierced right through the vulture's wings, pinning the vulture to the ground like a nail.
When Forbes—who was hiding at the rock in the distance—saw his Boss getting up, he slung the backpack onto his back at once and hurried over at the speed of a 100-meter dash.
Lin Ke didn't dare to delay. The vulture underneath him was half a meter long. When its wings were spread open, it reached approximately 1.2 meters wide. After receiving the system notification that he had temporarily subdued it, he took the opportunity to carry out synthesis immediately.
Level 2 Vulture (Adult) + Gravel (100 grams) = ? (90% success rate)
[Synthesis consumes 20 Health Points. Synthesize? Yes/No]
Lin Ke's eyes lit up. The success rate this time was very high, though the HP consumption had also doubled.
Since there was no conflict between the living organism and the material, Lin Ke didn't plan on carrying out Plan B either. Instead, he directly chose to synthesize them!
Twenty HP? So be it. It is a ferocious beast that can fly, after all. It is even such a big size. It is understandable that it will consume more HP.
The gravel that he had casually grabbed with his left hand was gradually absorbed. Sticky blood threads came out of his other hand that was holding the vulture down and quickly enveloped the struggling vulture. The blood cocoon that formed this time was very big, easily as big as when one held their arms in an encircling position.
Along with it was also an increase in incubation period. This time, it was as long as five minutes.
Lin Ke laid unmoving at the side and panted heavily. This 'outwear the vultures' plan really wasn't something meant to be done by a human.
In this instant, he could only feel a constant stinging pain on his cheeks as though a million needles were jabbing him.
Due to a long period of inactivity, the blood flow in his body had also become very slow and carried a sensation that felt like he was being electrocuted.
In the sky, the two startled vultures squawked in protest and dispersed after circling for a moment.
Forbes panted heavily as he ran over from afar. When he saw that Boss's cheeks had been roasted red, and his lips were so chapped that quite a bit of dead skin had become visible, he opened his backpack without a second word and fished out the water bottle. "Boss! Hurry, have some water!"
Lin Ke took the water bottle from him and poured the water into his mouth bit by bit, moistening his dry lips.
The sweet, clear water flowed bit by bit into his throat as if it were a water channel that had finally encountered rain after a long drought and radiated with the glow of life once more.
The water entered his gut, and an indescribable wave of strength instantly flowed into every part of his body.
It was only in this instant that Lin Ke felt like he was half-alive again, and he began to pant heavily.
Forbes used his big body to block out the sun and created a cool, shaded area for Lin Ke to hide from the sun. Then, he looked at the huge blood cocoon. He couldn't help but ask, "Boss, will it work this time?"
Lin Ke nodded. There was a 90% success rate this time. Also, with how he had been under the blazing sun for four to five hours, he was going to have a mental breakdown if it didn't succeed!
Lin Ke slowly turned his head and cast a glance in the direction of true north. Machinery City had already left a long time ago.
After four to five hours, the Machinery Holy Cult soldiers nearby the Grand Canal must already be more or less gone, too.
Five minutes passed very quickly.
Changes gradually began to show in the blood cocoon. A sharp yellow beak jabbed a hole into the blood cocoon and sliced it open like a knife.
Right on the heels of it, a valiant and heroic head extended from inside the blood cocoon and turned about to examine the new world.
[Monster synthesis is complete. Obtained Sand Condor (White)!]
[Monster Stats]
Name: Sand Condor (Adult)
Quality: White
Race: Accipitridae
Stats: Sand Elemental Affinity
Level: 2
Initial Skill: Engulfing Sand Lv1 (The sand elemental affinity distinctive of the Sand Condor gives its wings extraordinary abilities. When the Sand Condor flaps its wings to sense sand elements, it creates a whirlwind of sand measuring a diameter of five meters. It can blur the enemy's line of sight and reduce their movement speed. Lasts 15 seconds. Limited to two uses a day.)
Initial Skill 2: Eagle-Eyed Lv1 (The Sand Condor possesses superior motion perception, allowing it to detect traces of all moving living things within a radius of 5,000 meters. It's just that…)
Appraisal: As everyone knows, a vulture is a condor!
Lin Ke broke into a grin, causing the prickling pain on his cheeks to intensify. However, he was incredibly delighted inside and was very happy despite his pain.
The pet's name this time was honestly rather surprising.
Lin Ke initially thought that it would be named something along the lines of 'Desert Vulture,' but when the system notification appeared… Excuse him, but he didn't manage to hold it
He was laughing uproariously, but he had tears at the corners of his eyes from the pain.
As expected, when it came to naming, the system was the most well-read and profound after all.
Lin Ke initially thought that all pets started out in the infancy stage after synthesis and that their level would also be changed to Level 1. However, the Sand Condor had shattered his initial conjecture. It was already in the adult stage the moment it was born; it had also retained its original level.
It was only now that Lin Ke finally realized just how powerful this Synthesis function of his was.
Should he be lucky enough to catch high-level creatures in the future, not only would they be strengthened after synthesis, but they would also retain their original level. Wouldn't that mean that his future pets could directly enter high-intensity battles and save him the trouble of nurturing them?
This thing is practically a divine weapon! As long as I have enough HP, I can synthesize pets of the same level. A strengthened pet of the same level is already incredibly powerful, but if I can form a team of pets like that… Just the thought of that scene alone…
Lin Ke's eyes shone brightly. He had already Photoshopped the scene of Paul The Great Emperor's valiant and heroic form engaged in a fierce battle in outer space into himself.
Lin Ke took a very close look at Sand Condor's description this time.
With regards to Sand Condor's first skill, Engulfing Sand, it was completely a support-type skill. It also had a very clear function to the skill's wide range; it could be said to be a necessity during escapes and ambushes.
The second skill, Eagle-Eyed, was a passive skill. Lin Ke understood the first half of the description—it was akin to a wide-range radar in mid-air. As long as the object was alive and moving, Sand Condor would be able to detect it clearly.
However!
The last line of 'It's just that…' made Lin Ke somewhat nervous.
He could still remember how Gerbil's description had only contained a line of 'problems may surface in the future,' yet it had given Lin Ke the painful experience of 'bringing up a son for someone else.' Now, Sand Condor's skill description actually even contained an ellipsis, which seriously made him rather nervous.
Although he didn't know what it was, it was definitely nothing good!
Lin Ke looked through the Monster Stats a few times. In the end, he muttered to himself, "Although there are some dodgy aspects, at least it won't leave me this time, right?"
When Lin Ke exited the system interface, he noticed that Sand Condor was standing on the ground motionlessly, as though it were a real sand
In contrast, Forbes—who was standing at the side—was chuckling in a silly manner.
"Forbes, what are you laughing at?"
"Hehe, I saw Boss laugh just now, which means that there won't be any more problems when we cross the Grand Canal this time! So, I'm very happy, too!"
Lin Ke let out a snort of laughter and replied, "You're pretty smart." Then, he raised his arm. Sand Condor flew onto his arm the very next second.
It was actually pretty heavy!
"Sand Condor, go along Goria Grand Canal now and do some scouting. I want to know the situation along the Grand Canal!" Lin Ke lifted his arm after he spoke.
Sand Condor flapped its wings and flew into the sky after a brief moment.
This time, in order to avoid accidents when they crossed the river, Lin Ke decided to give Sand Condor's Eagle-Eyed a try first. He also had it survey the situation around the Grand Canal in advance along the way.
He would act again after he received a detailed report on the enemy's movements.
Five minutes later…
"What the f*ck!" Lin Ke was astounded.