Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 389 (Patreon)

Chapter 389: Escape from the Giant Mouth

There are many ancient river valleys, gorges, palace ruins, and ancient city ruins beneath the desert.

There are numerous factors that form quicksand, usually maintaining a delicate balance. When that balance is disrupted, quicksand pits are formed.

According to popular tales from the three major oasis nations, there are several fortunate gold prospectors who, after accidentally falling into quicksand, were not buried alive but were instead delivered to highly coveted ruins or treasure-laden tombs.

In one’s life, there’s always that one lucky moment.

However, when the bottom of the quicksand pit is the giant mouth of an abyssal creature, it’s best not to rely on luck. The abyssal giant mouth is one of the most dangerous creatures in the desert, hidden deep within the sands for years, immobile like a mountain, only opening its giant mouth to capture prey. Once a person falls in, death is certain unless rescued.

Every time the abyssal giant mouth opens its mouth and creates a large pit, it doesn't take long for the wind to blow sand in, covering the pit and forming a new hidden trap.

Thus, no one has ever seen the full appearance of the abyssal giant mouth. Those who narrowly escaped have only witnessed its horned beetle-like sharp teeth that can easily slice any creature dragged by the quicksand in half.

Because the desert sand is ever-flowing, with sand dunes of various types formed by strong winds, it often changes unpredictably. A dune might rise in the morning and flatten by evening.

Thus, even though the abyssal giant mouth is a stationary predator waiting for its prey, it’s impossible for people walking in the desert to determine its lurking position, not even the armored bulls.

About thirty armored bulls fell into the abyssal giant mouth. In an urgent situation, some escaped, some died, and considering the current rescue efforts, saving ten would be quite an achievement.

In this situation, Luo’s action of rushing down the abyssal giant mouth on a wooden board shocked everyone involved in the rescue above the pit.

The wooden board moves swiftly on quicksand, and the exposed sharp teeth of the abyssal giant mouth, numbering over a hundred, are scattered randomly. A single mistake would mean being sliced in half.

Such a rescue action would not only fail to save people but would likely result in sacrificing oneself.

“Come help!”

A young man shouted, the rope in his hand being pulled by Luo. Seeing Luo’s determination, he feared he couldn't hold on and be dragged down, so he quickly called for others to help.

Hearing his call, three or four burly men nearby rushed over to grab the rope together, pulling like a tug-of-war.

In the quicksand pit, Ali and his group looked at Luo sliding down on the wooden board with a look of astonishment.

“Are you an idiot!”

Yaya tightly clutched a large wrench in her hand, as if it gave her more sense of security.

She thought Luo was there to cause trouble, wasting the strength of three or four people. Just as she was about to curse, her expression froze.

She saw Luo holding the rope with one hand, raising it above his head to avoid being cut by the over one-meter-high sharp teeth. Luo’s feet seemed to be glued to the board, moving fluidly with his upper body, changing direction with each swing, skillfully navigating through the interlaced sharp teeth.

While controlling the board with his feet, Luo quickly scanned all the people trapped in the quicksand pit, including Geru, totaling twenty-two people, four of whom were unfortunately sliced in half by the sharp teeth.

Memorizing everyone’s positions instantly, his thoughts exploded, weaving the most reasonable route, considering even how many could be saved from the quicksand pit.

With the plan in mind, Luo immediately changed direction, narrowly avoiding a sharp tooth, causing those trapped to break into a cold sweat.

“Compared to the reef rapids zone at Mafando Port, this quicksand is no pressure at all.”

Luo thought silently, swiftly passing the first person to be rescued. As he did, he grabbed the collar and exerted force, throwing the person out of the fifty-meter-diameter quicksand pit. Since the outside was soft sand, Luo didn’t need to control his strength, just threw directly.

He had trained hard on the speedboats at Mafando for a while and had safely navigated through the reef rapids zone multiple times, from the inner port to the outer port. His timing and judgment were as smooth as controlling his own arm.

Now, after a year of rigorous training with Bisky, his body coordination had improved even more. Sliding on the quicksand board, avoiding sharp teeth and rescuing people simultaneously was a small matter to him.

“Is this even possible?”

“Must be a monster. My legs would go soft if it were me.”

“I heard there’s a sport called surfing on the sea outside, it looks like this!”

Watching Luo skillfully dodge the sharp teeth and throw one trapped companion after another out, everyone stared at him with a strange look.

Soon, Luo had thrown out fifteen people, including Ali and Yaya, and finally faced the calm-looking Geru. The others had already been pulled up by the rope.

Geru stood on the back of an armored bull, eyes fixed on the nen aura from Luo’s feet, indicating he knew nen. But in previous interactions, Luo had allowed his life energy to flow away, pretending not to be a nen user.

Generally, without a need to disguise, nen users would always maintain "Ten," even while sleeping, as "Ten" is a technique that needs constant practice. Moreover, maintaining "Ten" is believed to preserve youth or lifespan.

Thus, nen users who hold this belief would always maintain "Ten" once mastered, never easily retracting it.

Geru could easily escape but didn't leave immediately, pondering how to save someone on the way out. Unable to find a good solution, she saw Luo arrive.

A kind-hearted guy?

Geru watched Luo effortlessly rescue fifteen people and noticed him using nen.

When Luo reached her, he let go of the rope, jumping from the sliding board to the back of the bull, ready to take her directly out of the quicksand.

“I can manage myself.”

Geru deliberately glanced at Luo’s feet, catching his attention.

Noting her intentional movement, Luo didn’t mind, saying, “You go up first.”

Geru unhesitatingly exerted force, jumping high like a rocket out of the quicksand pit.

Her kick sank the already quicksand-engulfed armored bull, and the quicksand swallowed Luo's calves.

Seeing this, Luo also exerted force, leaping to the pit's edge.

As he landed safely, the Falcon Corps members immediately surrounded him, thanking him excitedly, eyes full of respect.

Golo has a culture of revering strength, and they always respect those with abilities.

“Tam, you’re amazing!” Ali, who narrowly escaped death, excitedly patted Luo’s shoulder.

“Let’s leave here quickly,” Luo said.

Having gone into the quicksand once, he converted fifteen pages, and there were nearly ninety slots left in the group awaiting his conversion. However, it wasn't guaranteed they could all be converted. If someone was in danger, he would save them if he could, adding another page to the book.

Hearing Luo, Ali nodded, immediately giving orders, organizing the team to leave, and preparing to tally the losses.

Though the Falcon Corps wasn't a well-trained army, their execution was strong. Under Ali’s command, they quickly organized and moved away from the abyssal giant mouth’s territory.

The people were saved, but thirty armored bulls were swallowed by the abyssal giant mouth.

As the Falcon Corps retreated a kilometer away, someone spotted a group of about ten armored bulls on the periphery, circling like wolves eyeing their prey.

“It’s the sand thieves, nine of them.”

Someone checked with binoculars and reported.

Ali coldly said, “These nine beasts are here to watch us. Surely others have gone back to gather a team. Everyone, be quick. Head to the rocky area. It’s more advantageous for us there.”

Sand thieves are loathed by the people of the three major oasis nations, and encountering them was expected.

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