National Survival: I Supported the Dragon Nation by Hunting Dinosaurs

Zhang Li sat cross-legged on the cracked ground.

The rock beneath me was over 70 degrees Celsius. Adaptation to the extreme environment had reduced the burning sensation to a tolerable level, but it wasn't comfortable...

The closer you get to the volcano, the higher the temperature. Seventy degrees Celsius on the surface is just the outer edge; the temperature in the magma channels near the crater can exceed one thousand degrees Celsius. Even a third-tier physique can't withstand it...

Zhang Li brought up the system panel.

"S-Rank Hunting Roulette, for the first time!!!"

A golden roulette wheel unfolds in the field of vision, and four options appear—

[Thermal energy conversion: Directly converting environmental heat energy into ATP reserves within the body. The higher the temperature, the greater the conversion efficiency. In environments above 500℃, the conversion efficiency increases exponentially.]

Note: This ability does not provide any thermal protection; it only converts heat that has already been safely absorbed by the body.

[Gas Immunity: Complete remodeling of respiratory mucosal cells enables 100% biodegradation of all gaseous toxins. Inhaled toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are converted into harmless metabolites within the nasal cavity. Not resistant to liquid or solid toxins.]

[Super Regeneration: Within ten minutes of activation, the body's recovery speed is increased by 500%, capable of regenerating limb-level injuries. However, after the skill ends, a four-hour repair vacuum period begins, during which any wounds will no longer heal.]

[Cyclone Envelopment: Continuously generates a cyclone shield with a diameter of two meters centered on the body surface, isolating external gases and particles from intrusion and capable of withstanding first-order physical impacts.]

Zhang Li scanned the four options three times.

Gas immunity is useful, but adaptation to extreme environments has solved 90% of gas attacks.

Overclocking regeneration is too risky; it's like the other extreme of superhuman physical recovery. Four hours without healing is equivalent to four hours of fragility.

The Cyclone Body ability is a weaker version of Tong Yiming's superpower!

Under a higher-level creature, it's practically useless.

There is only position one.

The description of thermal energy conversion contains a key phrase: "Conversion efficiency increases exponentially in environments above 500°C."

The temperature in the crater exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius.

The biggest limitation to superhuman recovery is never the speed of repair, but the energy supply.

Previously, in the Rift Valley and in the Acid Lake, he relied on Star Essence Liquid to sustain himself, consuming a huge amount of it.

However, if thermal energy conversion occurs, the closer to the core area of ​​the volcano, the more abundant the energy supply, and the faster the repair speed.

Zhang Li turned the dial.

The golden pointer then slid across the dividing line and landed steadily in position one...

[Thermal Energy Conversion] is now in effect.

The warm energy spread from the dantian to the capillary network throughout the body. It wasn't a burning sensation, but rather like countless capillaries opening their mouths at the same time.

The 70-degree Celsius heat from the rock beneath my buttocks began to seep into my body through my skin...

The hunger that had lasted for half a day slowly subsided within thirty seconds.

Zhang Li just sat for two minutes, and the energy he regained was equivalent to eating two pounds of elite dinosaur meat...

The crater is 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Zhang Li turned to face northwest, where the outline of the highest peak of the volcanic cluster was faintly visible beneath the dark yellow clouds.

The dark shadows were still swirling in the clouds. He didn't look at them.

For every 100 meters walked, the ground temperature rises by about three degrees Celsius.

The rocks beneath our feet transitioned from a dry, cracked grayish-white to a dark red, with occasional glimpses of orange-red heat seeping through the cracks...

The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, but adaptation to the extreme environment had suppressed the damage to the point of being almost imperceptible...

What truly captured his attention was the change in physical sensation brought about by the conversion of thermal energy!

With each step you take, one more unit of heat flows into your body.

When the temperature reaches 80 degrees Celsius, the rate of energy replenishment has caught up with normal eating.

Moreover, the skin previously burned by the acid lake is healing at a speed visible to the naked eye...

The repair speed has increased significantly!

It wasn't that thermal energy conversion directly accelerated the repair process, but rather that the super body's recovery power limit was unlocked after a significant energy surplus.

The slow repair speed in the past was not due to a lack of capability, but because we ran out of fuel.

The fuel tank is now full.

The two skills, thermal energy conversion and super body recovery, form two perfect closed loops!

Zhang Li's lips curled up slightly.

The base of the volcanic cone is clearly visible in the distance, with crimson lava slowly flowing down shallow channels. The intense heat causes the air to refract violently, distorting the distant view like a mirage...

400 degrees.

An ordinary person definitely couldn't handle it.

Despite the burning sensation still present in the third-tier body adapted to the extreme environment, the super body's recovery process, fueled by the energy infusion from the thermal conversion, has never been smoother... The burned epidermal cells slough off, and new cells take their place within 0.3 seconds!

Damage and repair have reached a near-perfect dynamic balance.

Zhang Li stopped on the sloping surface of the volcanic cone base and looked up.

The giant shadow was right above.

The distance is less than 300 meters.

A gap was torn open in the clouds by the volcanic heat, and a dim yellow light shone through the gap, allowing Zhang Li to see the creature's full appearance for the first time.

The six membranous wings are arranged radially, and their surface is covered with a dark gray mineral carapace of the same material as the pyramids of the Ark, with translucent edges.

The head has no neck and is directly embedded in the front of the torso. The compound eyes occupy two-thirds of the entire head area, and tens of thousands of small facets refract a cold green light in the dim light.

Six segmented limbs hang from its abdomen, with hook-shaped horny claws at the ends.

The All-Knowing Eye's Crazy Analysis—

[Ark Native Guardian: Unknown species, wingspan 42.3 meters. Estimated weight 18-22 tons. Rank assessment: Unable to assess.]

Zhang Li's three dark gold halos simultaneously accelerated their rotation.

It is not an ordinary creature.

It was something created by the Ark itself...

The giant beast's compound eyes slowly rotated, looking down at the ground from above... Tens of thousands of smaller facets simultaneously locked onto Zhang Li's position...

It stopped circling.

The six giant wings adjusted their angle, and the body began to sink.

Zhang Li took three steps back, trying to increase the distance for observation.

The All-Knowing Eye is operating at full power, with its three dark gold halos spinning at maximum speed.

The behemoth hovered about eighty meters above the ground, its compound eyes locked onto him, but it did not attack directly...

First, two of the giant beast's six abdominal limbs were twitching unnaturally, completely unlike the other four which were hanging steadily.

Secondly, on the dark gray carapace where the wing roots connect to the body, there are geometric patterns similar to those on the pyramids and catalyst pillars, and the patterns are glowing... The brightness is uneven, with several nodes being noticeably darker than the rest.

Third, the behemoth's compound eyes flash once with each wing flap, which is not a normal visual response. It's like...

pain.

Zhang Li did not draw his gun immediately.

"System, S-rank Hunting Roulette, draw!"

A golden roulette wheel unfolds, and four options refresh...

Bioresonance: Releases a bioelectric field of a specific frequency, creating a resonant coupling with the target nervous system. It can directly intervene in the behavior of lower-order organisms.

A two-way emotional transmission channel can be established with organisms of the same level; however, with organisms of higher or unknown levels, their emotional states can only be passively received.

【Magnetic Magnetic Chain: Based on electromagnetic pulses, it condenses surrounding iron-containing minerals to form a solid magnetic chain. The tensile strength of a single chain is about 15 tons, and a maximum of three chains can be maintained at the same time.

The duration depends on the density of iron-bearing minerals in the environment; in areas with low ore content, it is less than thirty seconds.

[Sonic directional blasting: Compresses sound wave energy into a cone-shaped directional shock wave, generating an instantaneous pressure of about 20 tons at the focal point, with a range of 100 meters.]

However, the skull itself experiences the recoil, and the auditory system requires 30 seconds to recover after a single use. Three consecutive uses can lead to permanent hearing damage.

【Void Anchor Point: An invisible anchor point is fixed in space, and an elastic traction is formed between the anchor point and itself. It will bounce back after being knocked away.】

The anchor point cannot be moved after being set and will dissipate after fifteen minutes.

Zhang Li turned the dial.

The pointer spun and finally settled firmly into position one.

[Bioresonance] is now in effect.

A faint electric current surged through both temples, as if something had extended an extremely thin antenna inside the skull.

Zhang Li closed his eyes, and his mental energy radiated along the bioelectric field towards the giant beast eighty meters above.

The moment they made contact, his body stiffened abruptly.

An overwhelming, intense emotion crashed into his senses like a wall...

A dull ache that lasted for an extremely long time appeared in her perception.

The behemoth was not flying autonomously.

The geometric patterns at the base of the wings are connected to its motor nerve center, and each flapping motion is driven by electrical signals emitted by the patterns.

Its brain is trying to stop, but the patterns won't let it stop.

It's tied to the sky!

Zhang Li opened his eyes and looked up at the twenty-ton behemoth.

In a compound eye, tens of thousands of facets simultaneously reflect cool green light.

But the emotion transmitted through bio-resonance is endless exhaustion...

how many years?

How long did this guardian body fly in the sky?

How many times did it flap its wings?

Zhang Li withdrew the bio-resonance, and the cooling countdown began.

He didn't draw his gun. He didn't even assume an attack stance.

The behemoth hovered eighty meters in the air for a full forty seconds, its compound eyes fixed on him...

It then slowly rose, returned to its spiraling trajectory, and began circling the top of the volcano again...

The two twitching limbs were still twitching.

Zhang Li continued climbing up the volcanic slope.

The temperature exceeded 600 degrees Celsius, and the soles of his military boots began to soften. He took off his boots and stepped barefoot onto the rocks...

Upon reaching an altitude of approximately 700 meters, the all-seeing eye spotted a natural crack on the side of the volcanic cone, just wide enough for one person to pass through, extending diagonally downwards into the volcano's interior...

The giant beast's spiraling path lies directly above this crack.

If it's passive patrolling rather than active interception, then its attack triggering conditions should be tied to the Ark system's "intrusion detection"...

In other words, unless it is identified as a threat by the system, it may not attack proactively!

But if he misjudges, and that thing falls from the sky, he won't even have time to react...

Zhang Li stood in front of the entrance to the crevice and looked up at the giant shadow swirling around him.

"The last card."

"S-Rank Hunting Roulette, should I use it a third time or not?"

He closed his eyes and went through the current situation in his mind.

He had figured out the situation of the behemoth... The poor guardian trapped in the sky was not an aggressive type.

Unless the Ark system issues an order to annihilate the enemy, it will most likely not take action...

What's inside the volcano, and what the third source of contamination is, remains unknown...

Save this card for later.

Zhang Li opened his eyes.

The giant shadow swept overhead without stopping, continuing to circle northward.

Zhang Li squeezed into the crevice sideways, his feet landing on the rock wall with a temperature exceeding 800 degrees Celsius. The heat energy conversion was running wildly, filling every cell with energy.

He took three steps down, the sunlight behind him blocked by the rock wall.

The volcano completely engulfed his figure!