National Survival: I Supported the Dragon Nation by Hunting Dinosaurs

The air was filled with the smell of rotten eggs.

Within a radius of 100 meters, Zhang Li's all-knowing eye perceived not a single dinosaur.

"That's interesting."

Although dinosaurs did not have large brains, their survival instincts were ingrained in their DNA.

In this prehistoric era of intense crustal movement, every large-scale volcanic eruption was often accompanied by the smell of sulfides.

For them, this taste represents suffocation and death.

"By sheer chance, we've added a layer of 'biohazard protection' to the shelter."

"I need to go out for a bit," Zhang Li said to Huang Xiaoying.

"I'll go with you," Huang Xiaoying said through gritted teeth.

"And then if we encounter danger, I'll have to carry you away?"

Zhang Li turned around. "This is our base, and also the gathering place for future Dragon Kingdom players. You should stay here to support your teammates!"

Huang Xiaoying's stubbornness gradually turned into helplessness.

She knew Zhang Li was right.

"Here's some leftover roasted meat and water, in case we encounter any danger we can't handle..."

Zhang Li pointed to a hidden crevice above the cave entrance, "Hide inside and don't make a sound."

"Be careful." Huang Xiaoying took a deep breath and sat back down.

Zhang Li waved his hand, and his figure disappeared into the jungle.

Zhang Li tightened his backpack strap, but his heart was not as relaxed as it appeared.

"In the past, if one person was full, the whole family wouldn't go hungry. Now there are more mouths to feed, and there may be even more in the future."

He silently considered to himself, "It would be good to have more people working together."

He roughly determined the direction of the salt lake.

He had previously explored the outskirts in search of salt.

At that time, he was very cautious, afraid of losing his way.

But now, with the coordinates of the rendezvous point in his mind, he wants to explore even deeper this time, and if he's lucky, he might find the presence of saltpeter.

About half an hour later...

My vision suddenly opened up.

The once lush, verdant vegetation abruptly ceased, replaced by a scattered patch of crystalline ground.

A wave of heat hit us.

The enormous prehistoric salt lake, reflecting the dazzling light of the midday sun, resembles a shattered mirror embedded in the earth.

It was the hottest time of day.

Zhang Li narrowed his eyes, his all-knowing eye activated.

[Large biological community detected 480 meters ahead]

[Triceratops (adult) group: Cretaceous herbivorous dinosaurs with thick, keratinous skin; the three sharp horns on their heads were used for attack.]

[Status: Drinking Water/Alert]

Those were a group of moving tanks.

A dozen or so Triceratops were gathered around the salt lake.

"Land tanks..."

Zhang Li mentally complained.

Want to hunt them down?

If I had a Barrett, I might be able to try for a headshot.

Triceratops had a very strong sense of territory.

At this distance, there should be no danger as long as no one provokes us.

Zhang Li lay prone behind the earthen slope, his senses penetrating beyond the dragons and locking onto a distant crevice in the rocks.

Vast quantities of sulfur! And of extremely high purity!

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Kingdom's live stream room, the barrage of comments was refreshing like crazy.

"Holy crap, this Triceratops looks way more ferocious than the skeletons in the museum!"

"Are we about to taste the flavor of a Triceratops today?"

"My goodness! A new dinosaur every day!"

"He didn't go to the dragon."

Professor Xu interrupted the netizens, pointing to the corner of the screen, "Look there, the yellow rock layer."

"Sulfur?" Xiao Sa reacted quickly.

"Yes, not just sulfur," Professor Chen said after a long silence.

"The geological layers near these volcanic craters are complex, often containing nitrate deposits. If you're lucky, you might find saltpeter..."

On the screen, Zhang Li had already bypassed the dragons and reached the bottom of that rock layer.

With a dagger, large chunks of sulfur crystals were propelled into the storage space.

He was intently filling the scraped sulfur powder into a ceramic jar.

"The purity is acceptable; it can be used after a little purification."

Next, is the main event.

Natural nitrate minerals are mainly composed of potassium nitrate and typically only form in extremely dry or humus-rich environments.

Although this salt lake is large, finding high-purity nitrate ore is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Let's try our luck.

Zhang Li stood up and continued walking deeper into the salt lake.

The further you go in, the higher the temperature gets.

The ground beneath my feet began to warm up.

"Geothermal activity is very frequent..."

Zhang Li frowned.

The data from the All-Knowing Eye is constantly fluctuating.

Ambient temperature: 45℃...48℃...

"The earth's crust here is very thin."

Zhang Li stopped, squatted down, and touched the scorching ground. "There's something underneath."

Inside the studio, Professor Chen, watching this scene, quickly explained, "This is clearly geothermal activity. This salt lake is essentially situated on a dormant or slightly active volcano."

Academician Ma took over the conversation.

"However, there is no need to panic too much. During the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs lived, although plate tectonics was intense, the number of active volcanoes was actually lower than in modern times."

"Why?" Xiao Sa chimed in at the right moment.

"Because the continental plates were still in the early stages of the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, the interior of the plates was relatively intact and thick, and had not formed the fragmented 'Ring of the Pacific' as it is today."

Academician Ma pointed to the map and said, "So these inland hotspots, although dangerous, also mean extremely rich mineral resources."

In the video, Zhang Li is clearly aware of this as well.

To his surprise, the perception of the All-Knowing Eye became blurred after it went deeper underground.

But he could vaguely sense that life was buried in the soil beneath his feet.

The signals were dense and numerous.

"dig!"

Zhang Li pulled out his entrenching tool and began shoveling into the mud.

After digging about thirty centimeters, the tip of the shovel touched a hard object.

He brushed aside the soil, revealing a gray, oval-shaped object, like a piece of dried, hardened mud, its surface secreting some kind of dried, hardened mucus.

Zhang Li raised an eyebrow and tapped the knife lightly with the hilt.

"Click."

The mud shell shattered, revealing a slippery, strange fish with four whisker-like fins. Although it was stiff and motionless, its gills were still rising and falling very slowly.

[Prehistoric lungfish (dormant state): A living fossil that can burrow into the soil during dry periods, secrete mucus to form a cocoon, and remain dormant for several years without dying.]

[Review: An excellent source of protein and fat.]

"Good stuff." Zhang Li's lips curled into a slight smile.

Under the scan of the all-seeing eye, hundreds and thousands of such "mud cocoons" were found buried beneath this scalding mudflat.

"This fish...is sleeping in the soil?" Xiao Sa's eyes widened.

"This is a lungfish," Academician Ma began explaining.

"They have two respiratory systems. When the water dries up, they breathe air through their swim bladders, and they can also secrete mucus to wrap themselves up and hibernate!"

Zhang Li didn't stand on ceremony and started shoveling goods.

Just as he was throwing the eighth lungfish into the space, his movements suddenly stopped.

The ground beneath his feet was shaking.

It wasn't the deafening roar of an earthquake, but rather a rhythmic vibration!

Thump—thump—