Monster Hunter: I can hear the monsters' thoughts

Chapter 323 The Sun Shrouds in Eclipse, Two Beating Hearts

Lanlong's gaze was fixed on Lin Lin in front of it. In its perception, the threatening feeling emanating from this person, which carried an extremely ancient aura, was rapidly growing stronger.

Yet Lanlong felt a strange sense of unease. Although it clearly felt that Lin Lin was the source of the strongest aura, its instincts told it that the source of the threat was not the person in front of it, but an ancient being that was connected to the person in front of it in some mysterious way.

Lanlong stared at the tiny human before him, pondering how the being that gave it an extreme sense of danger would react if he were to kill it now.

Before it could come to a conclusion, it suddenly looked up, and the thick curtain of rain that had covered the sky disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing the pure sky.

Alarm bells rang in Lanlong's mind. Controlling wind and rain was its innate instinct, but at this moment, no matter how hard it tried to gather the dark clouds, the changes in the sky above remained unchanged.

The changes in the surrounding environment were so drastic that Lin Lin subconsciously raised his head and looked at the dazzling sun, which had lost its cloud cover and was once again shining its light on the earth. He couldn't help but squint.

But the changes didn't stop there. The moment the sun reappeared in the sky, a dark shadow climbed up the scorching sun and slowly expanded, gradually swallowing up the sun's brilliance. The sky, which had just brightened, gradually darkened again.

This is... a solar eclipse? And judging by the appearance, it seems to be a total solar eclipse?!

Looking at the solar eclipse in the sky, Lin Lin had a strange feeling that something in the sky was echoing him. However, what he couldn't see was that as the eclipse occurred, the bright red light in his eyes became even more intense.

The instinct for survival roared wildly, and an unprecedented fear climbed into Lanlong's heart. At the moment the eclipse appeared, it abandoned all its majesty and pride, just like Jin Leigong, who had once fled in disarray in front of it. It turned around and began to speed away, frantically trying to get away from this dangerous place.

The commotion caused by Lanlong's turn and escape was so great that it instantly drew Lin Lin's attention back. He stopped paying attention to the solar eclipse in the sky and subconsciously started walking in Lanlong's direction.

He didn't care about anything else right now; he just wanted Lanlong dead!
However, Lanlong was skilled at flying, and now it was flying at full speed and turning to escape. Lin Lin had only taken two steps when Lanlong had already distanced itself from him by tens of meters, and this distance was still increasing rapidly.

Lin Lin stopped again. Lan Long was moving too fast. Unless he could reunite with Da Kong and unleash their bond, it would be impossible for him to catch up.

He clenched his fist tightly, then slowly relaxed it after a moment, and then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Lanlong left, and the oppressive aura of the ancient dragon dissipated. His intelligence, which had been suppressed by his emotional outburst, regained its dominance. Only then did Lin Lin realize that he was just a little Karami who was not even a five-star. What could he do if he chased after him?
He took a few deep breaths and looked up at the sky again.

He had just clearly sensed the fear in Lanlong's heart. However, Lanlong was already among the top of the Unrestricted-level monsters. Even though he had not yet mastered the power of lightning and only possessed feng shui skills, he was still considered a powerful figure among the Unrestricted-level monsters, capable of instilling fear in such a monster...

Perhaps the only solution is to avoid it?
Lin Lin couldn't quite describe his feelings when he looked up at the sky again, but he knew that when he saw the sun still shining and the black border stopped expanding when it had reached about three-quarters of its length, he breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no total solar eclipse, and no forbidden creatures flew down from the sky. No unusual events occurred, and everything was as peaceful as countless peaceful days had passed, except for the devastation surrounding Lingfeng.

Lin Lin stared at the sun in the sky, watching the black shadow that blocked the blazing sun gradually fade away until it disappeared completely. He watched until tears filled his eyes before he lowered his head again and rubbed his eyes hard.

After looking up again to confirm that nothing was amiss, Lin Lin strode towards the boulder where he had previously hidden.

"How is Master?"

He rushed to Kevin, who was lying on the ground with his eyes closed and barely breathing. He carefully examined Kevin's injuries while asking Rachel, who was standing nearby, for advice.

Rachel glanced at the cloudless blue sky again before looking back at Lin Lin, remaining silent for a moment.

"He's alright, his injuries are only slightly more serious than when he repelled the Flame Dragon last time."

Rickles walked over and punched Lin Lin on the shoulder hard:
"His armor was already at its maximum protective level, and with the shield and axe blocking the hit, it wasn't a direct hit and it wasn't a fatal wound."

"Alright, don't worry, kid. Our first aid was excellent. He won't die, he'll just have to stay in bed for a while longer."

Rachel sighed, looked at Lin Lin's expression, and patted him on the shoulder:

"This is not your fault, so don't blame yourself too much."

"That's an ancient dragon. Fighting against such beings, death and injury are commonplace. When we were promoted to high-ranking hunters, we were already prepared for that."

"Besides, he's still alive. Successfully repelling Lanlong is already a pretty good result. Don't dwell on it too much."

After saying that, Rachel looked up at the bright sun in the sky and pinched the bridge of her nose:
"Alright, the battle is over, but we still have a lot to do! Let's not let the wounded lie here in the sun; let's take him back to the temporary camp first..."

"Sigh, there aren't any cat carts in this crappy place. Maybe I should carry him back..."

Lin Lin looked left and right, and finally his gaze fell on the heavy ballista, and his eyes lit up.

That place should have been the location of the airship wreckage, but after such a great battle with Lanlong, the airship fragments had long been scattered everywhere by the gale.

Fortunately, Lin Lin found several relatively large and flat wooden planks, which could be used to assemble a stretcher.

……

Rachel and Rickles carried Kevin back to the temporary camp. Lin Lin was about to follow when he suddenly heard a clear, crisp voice.

"Brother Lin Lin!"

Lin Lin turned around at the sound and saw a spirited young woman standing in the sunlight waving at him.

Lin Lin glanced back at Rachel. The huntress glanced at the two of them and immediately understood. She then lightly kicked Lin Lin in the butt.

"Hey brat, what are you standing there for? Worried that we two high-ranking hunters won't take good care of your master? Get lost!"

"Ow!"

Lin Lin rubbed his bottom a couple of times in pain, then trotted over to Ye Zi.

Having survived the ordeal, Lin Lin looked at the disheveled and dirty girl in front of him, but he felt that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Just seeing her lively and energetic appearance filled him with joy.

"Yoko..." When Lin Lin reached within about a meter of Yoko, he suddenly stopped, as if... he had accidentally gotten too close...

He immediately seemed a little flustered, unsure of how to react, so he could only pretend to scratch his head and chuckle awkwardly to ease the embarrassment.

However, his awkward situation was immediately shattered.

Ye Zi took a step forward, opened her arms and hugged Lin Lin tightly, pressing her face against his breastplate, which was almost covered in mud and sand, and murmured repeatedly.

"That's great, Brother Lin Lin...that's great..."

Lin Lin froze for a moment, his mind blank as if struck by lightning. Several seconds later, he finally realized, "What... am I being hugged?"

Why? Was it just because Yoko was too happy? Or were the customs of Yanhuo Village different from her own?
Could it be that this girl... likes me?

It's possible, but what if it isn't? Wouldn't it be incredibly foolish to misunderstand? Three great illusions in life!
But what if it really is true?
Lin Lin's hands, which had been trembling for a moment, froze, then he slowly lowered them, awkwardly wrapping his arms around the waist of the girl in his arms. His whole body was tense, and his heart was pounding like a drum. He didn't seem as nervous as he was when facing Lan Long earlier.

Meanwhile, in his arms, Ye Zi, who was tightly holding Lin Lin, was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

Upon discovering that Lanlong had left, the storm had subsided, and the sunlight was shining through, she was overwhelmed with immense joy and relief. When she saw the person she had been longing for standing safely in front of her, she instinctively and impulsively hugged him.

After the initial excitement, Yoko became uncontrollably nervous and apprehensive.

Oh no, I got carried away and hugged him like that. What if Brother Lin Lin dislikes me?
What if Brother Lin Lin doesn't like me?
What if I get pushed away and Lin Lin coldly tells me, "You've crossed the line. We're just friends"?
Or perhaps, to protect her self-esteem, Brother Lin doesn't show any reaction on the surface, but secretly despises her for having improper thoughts about him.

Tonics, those kinds of tonics!

At least for the sake of maintaining a harmonious relationship on the surface, should I pretend to let go of his hand casually, then punch him in the chest like a good buddy, and say something like "You scared me to death, kid" as if nothing happened?

As her heart pounded rapidly, Ye Zi felt her cheeks burning hot. Just as she was trying to loosen her arms, which felt like they weighed a ton, she suddenly felt a slight coolness on her waist, as if some metallic object had touched her.

Her gaze swept slightly downwards and she saw the pair of arm guards shimmering with faint lightning, which were loosely wrapped around her waist, as if they wanted to touch her but then withdrew for fear of offending her.

Ye Zi subconsciously took a deep breath, suppressing the joy rising in her heart at Lin Lin's reaction. She tightened her grip on him and rubbed her cheek against his chest.

Unfortunately, there's still a layer of Thunder Wolf Dragon armor on the outside, which feels cold and hard against the skin, not comfortable at all. I wonder how blissful it would be to rest my head on Lin Lin's muscular body...

However, Ye Zi didn't go too far. She hugged him for a short while before letting go, taking a step back, tilting her head slightly, and gazing at his face.

"Brother Lin Lin, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Lin Lin's Adam's apple bobbed as his brain raced, trying to brainstorm what he should say.

A thousand words swirled in his mind, and Lin Lin opened his mouth, "Mmm."

Seemingly feeling that this was inappropriate, he paused for a moment and then added, "You too."

'Hehe, Brother Lin looks so silly right now...'

The thought flashed through Ye Zi's mind, but after biting her tongue hard, she came back to her senses. No, no, there were still important things to do!
"Oh, right, Brother Lin, there's something else. Come with me for a moment!"

As she spoke, Ye Zi seemingly took Lin Lin's hand naturally and led him in a rush towards a certain direction.

Lin Lin's mind was still a mess after being hugged, and now that the other person was holding his hand so naturally, his mind became even more confused.

They held hands!
Could it be that she really likes me? But why does it seem like she hasn't noticed at all?
Is this right?
Yes, yes, oh, no, no...

Right, is that right?

Lin Lin's mind was in complete chaos as Ye Zi led him to the foot of a cliff. It wasn't until he saw the pale golden figure lying quietly on a platform woven from various vines that his chaotic thoughts were finally extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

"After I found it had been knocked down, I chased after it and used all the life powder I had on me on it..."

As Ye Zi spoke, she cautiously glanced at Lin Lin's expression, a hint of worry showing on her face.

"Brother Lin Lin, you and it..."

Lin Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "Strictly speaking, we only met for the first time during the battle that just ended."

To say how deep their feelings were, that's definitely not the case. Jin Leigong wasn't like Da Kong and Tiao Tiao, who had been by each other's side for a long time and had poured a lot of feelings into it.

But seeing that quiet, motionless, dim golden body, Lin Lin still felt quite sad.

He first noticed the existence of the Golden Thunder Lord from the thoughts of the overlord Thunder Wolf Dragon, but he wasn't sure at the time. It wasn't until they fought side by side against the Storm Dragon that he finally realized that the Golden Thunder Lord before him was the leader who dared to bare his fangs at the gods for the sake of his race, the hero of the Thunder Wolf Dragon. Even repeated defeats could not extinguish its fighting spirit, and even in death, it would tear a piece of flesh from its enemy...

Although Jin Leigong was just a monster, it was a monster worthy of Lin Lin's admiration. From it, Lin Lin vaguely saw the shadows of many people.

"A hero should have a heroic ending..."

Lin Lin stepped forward, stood in front of Jin Leigong's head, and gently touched it.

"Although the process was tortuous, the result was just as you hoped: the Storm Dragons have been driven away, and your people can return..."

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)