Chapter 69: Threat from the Sky

After finishing breakfast, Xu Yi headed down to the riverbank.

He intended to continue harvesting thatch grass to finish the roof of the treehouse as quickly as possible. The more complete the treehouse became, the more secure their safety would be. Otherwise, certain animals could still launch attacks on Xu Yi and Su Keke from the roof.

There were quite a few fierce beasts capable of climbing trees.

They needed to guard against threats from the ground as well as the sky.

Additionally, harvesting thatch grass might lead to other discoveries, such as lemongrass or imperata cylindrica roots. These were items Xu Yi currently had a pressing need for.

Lemongrass could not only repel mosquitoes but also serve as a seasoning ingredient. Imperata cylindrica roots could be brewed into tea, which tasted sweet and helped reduce body heat.

After cutting for a short while, Xu Yi stumbled upon a bird's nest. Unfortunately, it was an empty nest with no eggs inside. Still, this was a good sign; it indicated that birds built nests in these areas, raising the possibility of finding bird eggs.

Ideally, he hoped to find a pheasant's nest, as their eggs were slightly larger. Of course, what Xu Yi really had his eyes on were the pheasants themselves, which would be much more delicious.

At best, he might encounter a red junglefowl, the ancestor of domestic chickens. That way, they would have chicken meat to eat.

However, whether red junglefowls existed in this world remained to be seen. After all, it was commonly said that the ancestors of chickens were dinosaurs, and this place was actively inhabited by dinosaurs.

An entire morning passed, and Xu Yi harvested over a dozen bundles of thatch grass. However, he made no other discoveries. He hadn't even spotted many bird nests, let alone any eggs to pick up. He did manage to collect a portion of lemongrass and imperata cylindrica.

Just as he was getting ready to return to the camp to prepare lunch, Xu Yi suddenly heard a sound echoing from the sky.

Without hesitation, he dashed straight into the forest.

Activity in the sky was never a good sign. The jungle offered a semblance of safety.

[Why did Number 1 suddenly sprint into the forest, and why is he keeping his eyes on the sky?]

[He probably heard some noise up in the sky. It's a pity the following drone isn't versatile enough; if it could fly above the river channel, we'd know what's going on.]

[The visibility along the river channel is limited anyway. If there's really something there, we should be able to see it shortly, right?]

[Holy crap, the sky—what is that in the sky?]

"Where is Keke? Is she inside the treehouse?" Xu Yi asked anxiously.

[Yes, she's inside. She's being very obedient.]

Seeing the response in the live stream chat, Xu Yi let out a sigh of relief and then raised his gaze toward the sky.

Pterosaurs. Massive pterosaurs were flying overhead, passing right above the river.

"Following drone, fly up and take a look." Wanting to gather some information from the viewers, Xu Yi motioned for the camera drone to ascend above the riverbank.

True to command, the following drone surged upward, flying over the river channel.

Suddenly, the field of view widened drastically.

[It's a pitch-black swarm. Are there a hundred of these pterosaurs?]

[Their wingspan must exceed eight meters easily. They're absolute giants! It's so shocking. I never thought I'd see hundreds of pterosaurs chasing and playing in the sky.]

[This is way more thrilling than watching a movie! Good thing Number 1 and the others are in the jungle, otherwise, wouldn't they have been torn to shreds by these pterosaurs?]

[It feels so surreal, totally dreamlike. With such danger around, how are they supposed to survive?]

[Do you think it's a coincidence that most challengers appeared in the jungle region? It's meant to protect them. After all, the dinosaurs active in the jungle are small ones; the large ones simply can't squeeze through.]

The drone filmed for less than a minute before returning to hover in front of Xu Yi.

Reading the barrage of comments, Xu Yi instantly grasped the situation. Over a hundred pterosaurs had flown over the canopy of this jungle, and they didn't look like they were leaving anytime soon.

Consequently, Xu Yi certainly couldn't continue harvesting thatch grass right now. Retreating to the camp was the much safer option.

Furthermore, the appearance of the pterosaurs reinforced another decision in Xu Yi's mind: the leafy crown portions of the trees serving as the pillars for the treehouse must never be chopped off.

If he cut them away, the treehouse would be exposed to the line of sight of pterosaurs, making it highly susceptible to aerial attacks.

Whether large or small, Xu Yi was simply no match for pterosaurs right now. After all, his weaponry was far too limited.

Dealing with pterosaurs required heavy weaponry like catapults and giant crossbows—equipment that at least demanded the coordinated combat strength of an ancient army.

Xu Yi was currently all by himself, along with six-year-old Keke; no matter how capable he was, there was no way he could handle pterosaurs. Bows and arrows might inflict fatal wounds on a pterosaur, but he didn't even possess a proper hunting bow at the moment. Taking down a pterosaur would undoubtedly demand a heavy-draw war bow.

As soon as Xu Yi returned to the camp, he heard Su Keke ask, "Daddy, what animal was making that loud noise just now? Was it very close to us?"

"Some pterosaurs flew right over our heads. But since we're in the forest, we're still very safe. They can't fly in here."

Su Keke paused for a moment, then immediately asked, "Are they the kind of dinosaurs from cartoons?"

Xu Yi explained directly, "They are real-life dinosaurs, and they're very powerful. But we don't need to worry; this is a dense forest, and they can't fly through the trees."

"Daddy, can we tame a dinosaur and ride it to fly up into the sky?"

Hearing Su Keke's question, Xu Yi froze. Cartoons certainly featured plots like that. However, reality was a different story. Unless a pterosaur was raised from a hatchling by a human, the chances of that happening were practically zero.

Even though Xu Yi possessed a system, it hadn't granted him the ability to tame dinosaurs.

[Hahaha, Keke is too adorable. She completely stumped Number 1 with that question.]

[She's just a child. Do you expect her to understand dinosaurs and realize how dangerous they are?]

[The people who make cartoons could never imagine someone actually ending up in a world where dinosaurs truly exist.]

"Keke, reality isn't like cartoons. Cartoons are fictional. Even herbivorous dinosaurs are impossible for us to tame."

Xu Yi felt it necessary to emphasize this point to Su Keke. The world they currently inhabited was ruled by these prehistoric behemoths.

If humans had massive arsenals of modern weaponry, dealing with dinosaurs might be manageable. But stranded in the "Stone Age," they genuinely had no way to fight and defeat dinosaurs.

Unless the creature was tiny, roughly the size of a tiger, they might have a slight chance. He wondered whether a tiger or a dinosaur would be stronger if they were matched in size.

Perhaps one day, he would actually find out the answer to that question.

Su Keke nodded with a look of half-understanding. In her mind, as long as she stayed by Xu Yi's side, she was completely safe. No animal, no matter how fierce, could ever be stronger than her daddy.

"Are you hungry?" Xu Yi decided it was best to change the subject.

As long as they remained hidden within the jungle, pterosaurs shouldn't pose much of a threat to Xu Yi and Su Keke.