Li Zhen had no time to be too surprised. The urgent task was to immediately lead the Lizard Tribe away from here.
The Lizard Tribe obeyed Li Zhen's words without question and immediately followed him in the migration.
“What a pity.”
Li Zhen turned around and gazed at the Lizard Tribe's defensive project, which had only recently been completed. His heart was filled with immense regret.
He and the Lizard Tribe had expended a tremendous amount of manpower and resources on this defensive project. Now, it was essentially being abandoned.
“It seems the System anticipated that this day would come long ago.”
“Therefore, leading the Lizardmen to migrate during the disaster and protecting them—that is my true Mission.” Li Zhen could not help but understand the System's arrangements.
At this moment, Li Zhen flew through the air, while the Lizardmen either walked or rode on the backs of Triceratops, following one by one behind him.
Naturally, the one at the very front was the Lizard Tribe's female leader, Medusa.
They walked for a full three months.
Events had unfolded far beyond Li Zhen's expectations.
Under Camilo's destruction, this Planet was struck by a Huge disaster. Volcanoes erupted everywhere, resembling the World Apocalypse.
Volcanic ash accumulated into a thick layer among the clouds, preventing most Areas from receiving sunlight.
Countless dinosaurs went extinct, and dinosaur skeletons lay everywhere. The sight was desolate.
This was a man-made disaster.
A seventh-level Destroyer already possessed the ability to Destroy the World.
“The surface can no longer be inhabited for the time being. We will flee underground.” Li Zhen led the Lizard Tribe in searching for an underground Cave.
In the third month, Li Zhen discovered a group of Digging Running Dragons.
Digging Running Dragons were approximately two meters long and were dinosaurs skilled at digging tunnels.
Li Zhen led the Lizard Tribe into the Digging Running Dragons' Cave and discovered that it contained another world, being connected to an underground Cave.
“Heaven truly rewards the diligent.” Li Zhen was overjoyed.
The Digging Running Dragons did not attack Li Zhen and the other outsiders. Instead, they fled in panic. They were herbivorous dinosaurs and lacked any aggressiveness.
Out of consideration for the Cave, Li Zhen did not make things difficult for them either.
The tunnels dug by the Digging Running Dragons were still a little too small. The others could enter, but they were too narrow for the Triceratops.
“Leave it to me. We will domesticate the Digging Running Dragons and have them dig tunnels for us.” Medusa took the initiative to step forward and share Li Zhen's troubles.
“All right.”
Thus, Li Zhen and the Lizardmen captured some Digging Running Dragons for domestication.
Herbivorous dinosaurs were not as vicious as carnivorous Tyrannosaurus Rexes.
The domestication was very successful.
They domesticated ten Digging Running Dragons in total. Under Medusa's direction, the ten Digging Running Dragons quickly widened the entrance before the Cave, allowing the Triceratops to enter as well.
Then, under Li Zhen's arrangements, they widened the underground Cave further and dug a separate Cave for every Lizardman.
There was a hall in the middle, with one small Cave after another beside it, resembling individual rooms.
Except for these, there was also a bathroom.
The Triceratops and Digging Running Dragons each occupied a Huge Cave, which served as their nests.
In the days that followed, Li Zhen went out hunting, killed other dinosaurs, and transported their corpses back to feed the Lizard Tribe.
The Triceratops and Digging Running Dragons, however, had to go out and find food for themselves.
Unfortunately, as the harsh conditions Outside worsened, the Environment began to deteriorate further and further.
After another month passed, the Triceratops never returned after going outside. When Li Zhen went out to investigate, he discovered that they had died, killed by other carnivorous dinosaurs that had fled to this vicinity.
Li Zhen killed those carnivorous dinosaurs, avenging the Triceratops.
As Time passed, the situation grew increasingly dire.
The trees and grass gradually withered and died.
Moreover, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels in the air exceeded safe limits, and many dinosaurs were poisoned to death.
Li Zhen flew Outside and saw an apocalyptic scene everywhere.
Even during the day, the sky was gray and hazy. Volcanoes were erupting everywhere, or had already Stoped erupting.
There was only a little green on the ground. Most of the mountains, forests, and greenery had been covered by black volcanic magma.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, Li Zhen could see only a few dinosaurs struggling to survive, having luckily lived through it.
Most of the survivors were relatively small dinosaurs. The larger a dinosaur was, the more oxygen it needed. Now that the oxygen content in the air was steadily decreasing, they died the fastest.
Li Zhen flew over the ocean and discovered that even the sea was in complete disarray.
Clearly, that Camilo had not spared the dinosaurs in the ocean.
Volcanic ash floated everywhere in the seawater.
Everywhere he looked, several active volcanoes had suddenly risen from the sea.
There were many dinosaur corpses in the sea, presumably all dead from a lack of oxygen. After taking a brief look, he discovered the corpses of Plesiosaurs, whale lizards, and plesiosaurs—dinosaurs that lived in the sea.
“Has that Camilo already completed his Mission and left?”
Li Zhen had not seen the other party's figure again for the past few months.
“The Mission really is simple.” He gave a self-mocking smile.
Unlike him, that one had only stayed for a few months.
On the way back, he casually killed a small dinosaur and brought it back for the Lizardmen's dinner.
Time slowly passed in this manner.
A year quickly went by.
During this year, Li Zhen witnessed the birth of many new lives. The other Lizardmen had reproduced at least once, more or less, but Medusa had never given birth.
Medusa had hinted to Li Zhen many times, but he remained unmoved. This made Medusa seem like a Wronged wife. At night, she curled up with her back to Li Zhen as she slept.
Sometimes, when Medusa became angry, she would make a great fuss and cause so much noise that Li Zhen could not sleep.
How annoying.
“The dark, dark sky hangs low
Bright, bright stars follow close
Bug Fly, Bug Fly
Whom are you missing?”
Annoyed by the disturbance, Li Zhen began singing “Bug Fly” to coax Medusa to sleep.
Medusa, hearing music for the first time, was as delighted as if she had discovered a new continent. From then on, every night she clung to Li Zhen and made him sing for her.
……
The Lizardmen's total population had now exceeded one hundred.
This counted as Li Zhen's Merit.
During his idle hours, Li Zhen had taught Medusa addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Furthermore, because of the volcanic eruptions, he found plenty of Sulfur and Invented Gunpowder.
Sulfur was easy to find after volcanic eruptions, but he originally could not find saltpeter. Fortunately, because there was a dedicated bathroom, the feces of so many Lizardmen and dinosaurs had been piled together, finally allowing Li Zhen to find some saltpeter.
The main materials for a bomb were Sulfur, saltpeter, and carbon.
Making the first bomb was extremely difficult. It took dozens of Experiments before he finally succeeded.
“Boom.”
Accompanied by a deafening roar, Li Zhen's first bomb finally passed its test detonation.
“Fantastic!” Medusa, who had witnessed Li Zhen successfully make the bomb from beginning to end, was even happier than he was.
“Remember this. From now on, it will be your secret weapon for protecting yourselves. As long as you have bombs, you will never need to fear dinosaurs again.” Li Zhen rubbed Medusa's head as he instructed her.
“As long as Zhen is here, I am not afraid.” Medusa smiled innocently.
“One day, I will leave.”
“Don't leave.”
Li Zhen did not know when he would leave, so he understood that he should teach them everything he could while he had the chance.
After successfully developing Gunpowder, he Immediately began smelting ore.
There had already been plenty of ore during this period, and the volcanic eruptions had made the mineral resources even richer.
Fortunately, Li Zhen usually watched short videos and knew the general sequence for smelting ore: first, build a furnace; second, select the ore; third, smelt it; fourth, forge it.
The more difficult parts were building the furnace and making charcoal. These were the primary conditions for producing high-temperature flames.
Otherwise, ordinary fire could not melt the various metal ores.
Besides ore, there was another extremely important auxiliary material: limestone, or calcium carbonate. Its primary function was to reduce the impurity content in pig iron.
Unable to find limestone, he used dinosaur bones as a substitute.
At this moment, inside a Cave Outside.
A clay furnace was smelting ore.
“Add more material, add more material.”
“The bellows must keep blowing. They cannot Stop.” Li Zhen directed them from the side.
The iron-smelting process lasted several hours or even an entire day. The bellows could not Stop for even a moment, so the Lizardmen had to take turns operating them. Meanwhile, the Lizardmen on the other side had to keep adding carbon to maintain the flames at a high temperature.
Fortunately, under Li Zhen's direction, everything proceeded in an Orderly manner.
When the sun set, Li Zhen broke open the furnace. He saw red-hot metal slowly flow out like red liquid, entering the mold he had prepared.
It was an Axe mold.
Then came quenching and polishing, and the Axe was finished.
Although it could not compare with modern craftsmanship,
the current Environment was crude and resources were limited, so this was all they could do.
【Mission complete】
Before Li Zhen and Medusa could share their joy, the System sent a Message.
Had this day finally come?
For some reason, he suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
Li Zhen involuntarily turned to look at Medusa. He waved at her with a smile, then Disappeared out of thin air before Medusa and the other Lizardmen.
“Zhen!”
“Li Zhen!” Seeing Li Zhen Disappear, Medusa cried out in panic.
She hurriedly began searching everywhere for Li Zhen.
However, Li Zhen, who had returned, was no longer in this Space-time. How could she possibly find him?
From that day onward, Medusa never ate again. Like an abandoned puppy, she was depressed and silent all day long.
She would caress the Axe Li Zhen had made, reminiscing about him through the object. Sometimes, she would lie in her nest, smell the scent Li Zhen had left behind, and silently shed tears.
“The dark, dark sky hangs low
Bright, bright stars follow close
Bug Fly, Bug Fly
Whom are you missing~” In the darkness, Medusa closed her eyes and softly hummed Bug Fly.
One month after Li Zhen left, Medusa died.
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