Prehistoric? Choose the crocodile and survive until version T0.

Lin Ye sank into the mud, held his breath, and fixed his vertical pupils on the water dragon beast at the very edge.

Time passed slowly, the mist gradually dissipated, and the water dragon seemed to be attracted by the plants on the other side of the puddle. It slowly broke away from its group and approached the ambush circle in the forest.

Three meters, two meters, one meter...

The moment it fully entered the attack range, Lin Ye moved!

The enhanced speed allowed him to leap out of the mud like lightning, and the enhanced bite force in his open mouth instantly exploded, precisely biting the back of the Water Dragon Beast's neck!

"Snap!"

Sharp scales pierced the flesh, and the powerful bite instantly tore through the trachea. The water dragon beast didn't even have time to struggle before it convulsed and collapsed into the mud.

[System Notification: Player Lin Ye has successfully hunted the Water Dragon Beast (Beginner Prey)!]

[Evolutionary Points +20, Survival Score +10!]

[Current evolutionary point: 25! Survival score: 95/100!]

A clean and decisive strike!

The other three water dragons were instantly startled, letting out sharp screechs as they scattered and fled.

Lin Ye didn't try to do too much. He knew very well that dangers such as newts and crocodiles lurked in the depths of the swamp, and that excessive pursuit would only lead to his death.

He lowered his head and devoured the flesh and blood of the water dragon beast. His efficient digestion allowed energy to quickly flow into his body, further replenishing his physical strength. The scales on his body also became more resilient under the nourishment of energy.

Just then, a dangerous aura slowly approached from the side and rear!

[Threat Warning: Medium Threat Target (Pike Crocodile, Sub-Adult), 12 meters away, Hostility 70%!]

The system alarm sounded instantly, and Lin Ye's vertical pupils suddenly contracted.

Pike!

A medium-sized predator from the Triassic period, it was fast, agile, and possessed a certain strangulation ability, making it a more formidable opponent than the labyrinthine salamander!

Lin Ye immediately stopped eating, his body sinking deeper into the mud to completely conceal his presence.

He knew that although the Pike had poor eyesight, it had a keen sense of smell and hearing, and once exposed, it would surely attract a deadly attack.

The footage was simultaneously transmitted to live streaming rooms around the world, and the hearts of viewers in China instantly jumped to their throats.

"A Pygmy Crocodile! It's a Pygmy Crocodile!"

"Oh no! The little crocodile has met its match!"

"Get out of the way! Don't fight head-on!"

Inside the commentary booth, Chen Guoan instantly tensed up and said in a deep voice, "The Piketosuchus is faster and more agile than the Labyrinth Salamander. In his current state, Lin Ye's chances of winning in a head-on confrontation are slim!"

Zhang Lei nodded, his tone anxious: "He must use the terrain to continue lying in wait until Pike the Crocodile leaves!"

But Lin Ye didn't move.

He knew very well that this was his first time challenging a medium-sized predator, and the best opportunity to prove his strength!

Moreover, he observed that directly in front of the Pike Crocodile was the corpse of the water dragon he had just hunted—the scent of the prey would be the best bait.

Lin Ye slowly adjusted his posture, pressing his body against the underside of the water dragon beast's corpse. He used the corpse's aura to conceal himself while simultaneously maximizing the hardness of his primary scale armor, preparing for the upcoming battle.

The Pike Crocodile slowly approached, its massive body moving rapidly in the shallow water. Its flat head scanned the surroundings, its small eyes fixed on the direction of the Water Dragon's corpse.

It was clearly attracted by the food and gradually approached the trap.

Ten meters, eight meters, five meters...

The moment the Pike entered the attack range, Lin Ye suddenly exerted his strength!

Instead of attacking and biting directly like he did with the water dragon, he used his scales to scrape against it!

The sharp scales, like blades, fiercely scraped against the soft flesh of the Pike's belly!

"Sizzle!"

Blood gushed out instantly, and several deep, bone-revealing wounds were slashed across the Pike's abdomen. The intense pain caused it to roar angrily.

But the Pike reacted extremely quickly, immediately turning sideways and whipping its tail, striking Lin Ye hard!

Lin Ye was prepared. He suddenly rolled to the left to avoid the heavy blow from the tail, and at the same time used his enhanced speed to quickly retreat and create distance between himself and the Pike Crocodile.

[System notification: Effective damage has been dealt to the medium-threat target!]

[Survival score +12, current score: 107/100!]

[Evolutionary points +8, current evolutionary points: 33!]

[Global Ranking: 28/203!]

Survival score surpasses 100! Ranking breaks into the top 30!

The Dragon Kingdom's live stream room exploded instantly!

"It's over 100! The rating has surpassed 100!"

"Ranked 28th! Our Dragon Country player has broken into the top 30!"

"He scratched the Pike with his scales! That's amazing!"

Inside the commentary booth, Chen Guoan was so excited he almost stood up: "Perfect tactics! Lin Ye didn't act rashly; he first used an ambush to inflict damage, then used speed to create distance. This is the pinnacle of crocodile combat wisdom!"

Meanwhile, the overseas live streams fell silent once again.

The American commentator's face turned ashen; all his previous taunts now came back to haunt him.

Japanese player Sato and South Korean player Park Jun-ho looked at Lin Ye's name on the global player rankings with faces so dark they could drip water.

They couldn't believe it—a T4 Crocodile could actually defeat a Pyke Crocodile head-on!

The Pike-crocodile's excruciating pain had not yet subsided. It stared intently in the direction of the forest, letting out angry roars, but dared not approach rashly again—it could clearly sense that this seemingly weak crocodile was not to be trifled with.

Finally, after repeated attempts, the Pike let out a reluctant growl, turned and slowly left, disappearing into the fern forest.

Crisis averted!

Lin Ye slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Although there were several cracks on the scales on his body, they were being repaired at a visible speed thanks to the strengthening of his physique and slow self-healing.

He didn't linger; taking advantage of the Pike's departure, he quickly left the shallow water and returned to the relatively safe depths of the mud.

At this moment, the global player panel refreshed again.

[Lin Ye, contestant from China]

Survival rating: 107/100

Global ranking: 28/203

Evolutionary point: 33

From the bottom to the top 30, from a T4 useless crocodile to being able to go head-to-head with a medium-sized predator, Lin Ye completed another comeback with a thrilling hunt.

The Dragon Kingdom rejoiced as its national fortune soared to 18th place globally. Natural disaster warnings were completely lifted, domestic resources, climate, and people's livelihoods were comprehensively improved, and the physical fitness of the entire population steadily increased. The whole country was thriving.

Lin Ye, lying in the mud, slowly looked at the system panel.

33 evolution points were still not enough to exchange for core skills in the shop, but he knew that a new breakthrough was just around the corner.

The hunt at dawn has ended, and new crises and opportunities coexist.

He looked up into the depths of the swamp, where there were larger prey, stronger predators, and more abundant evolutionary points.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Ye's vertical pupils.

From this day forward, he is no longer the mocked T4 Crocodile.

He is the hope of the Dragon Kingdom, a crocodile rising from the prehistoric swamp!

Next goal: Break into the top 20 globally!

Next evolution: Unlock even stronger core skills!