Chapter 21 Hunting the Shadow Leopard
"Purr~"
After finishing the last sip of fish soup, Qin Chuan set down his bowl and chopsticks.
Water Flower almost at the same time licked her bowl clean of fish soup, and then looked up at Qin Chuan.
"Next, we need to expand our territory," Qin Chuan spoke softly, "The surrounding area has been searched these past few days, and there are no longer resources available to help you level up."
"To become stronger as quickly as possible, we need to find a new territory."
"You've been living in this area since you were born, do you have any ideas?"
After hearing Qin Chuan's question, Water Flower's face showed a thoughtful expression.
A moment later, her eyes suddenly brightened, but then a hesitant look appeared.
"What's wrong?" Sensing Water Flower's unusual behavior, Qin Chuan asked.
"Woof, woof, woof..." (I do know a place with quite a few fruits that can enhance experience, but...)
As Water Flower told her story, Qin Chuan had an expression that was both unexpected and yet reasonable.
The place Water Flower mentioned was the territory of the Shadow Leopards, and also where they had first met.
According to Water Flower, she didn't actually live in that area, but went there because it had special fruits that could increase experience, and in large quantities.
Instead of finding the fruits, she met Qin Chuan, and both person and beast were chased by a Shadow Leopard, leading to their current situation.
Water Flower's hesitation was obviously because of the Shadow Leopard.
Even though she had reached Lv7, she was still far behind the Growth Rank Lv12 of the Shadow Leopard.
After listening to Water Flower's story, Qin Chuan wore a contemplative look.
He believed that the Shadow Leopard wouldn't fall for the same trick Water Flower used last time, and defeating the Shadow Leopard through normal means would certainly be impossible.
His gaze finally settled on the Time Stop duration.
He had not wasted any Time Stop duration over the past eight days, and by now, he had accumulated nine seconds.
Nine seconds of Time Stop should be more than enough to deal with a Shadow Leopard.
But this needed careful planning.
Previously, Qin Chuan had only used Time Stop for one second, and hadn't done anything with it.
Strictly speaking, this would be his first real use of Time Stop.
How to use the Time Stop duration more effectively, he needed to make a plan in advance.
Qin Chuan casually took out a wooden pen and began to draw and scribble on a wooden frame covered with fine sand.
About an hour passed, and he threw the wooden pen down, "I have a plan!"
"Woof?" (What?)
Water Flower, who had been lying beside Qin Chuan, glanced up quickly.
"The biggest characteristic of the Shadow Leopard is its fast speed," Qin Chuan said confidently, "We'll use the speed of the Shadow Leopard to our advantage to take it down."
Water Flower tilted her head, her face showing confusion.
Obviously, she hadn't grasped Qin Chuan's meaning.
"That's how it is..."
Qin Chuan quickly outlined his plan, while gesturing with his hands in the air.
Water Flower listened, and her eyes grew brighter and her face showed sudden understanding.
After the explanation, Qin Chuan glanced at the time.
[03:53:29/08:00:00][00:00:09]
"We have four hours left, we need to hurry."
"Woof!" (Alright!)
-----------------
"Phew~ We've finally arrived."
Qin Chuan exhaled a breath of relief, setting down the secret weapon that had taken nearly three hours to assemble. At the moment, this secret weapon's surface was covered with crudely woven straw mats, topped with greenery, blending almost seamlessly with the surrounding knee-high vegetation.
"Woof!" (We're approaching the Shadow Leopard's territory.)
Water Flower stared ahead with a serious expression on her small face.
"After today, this will be our domain."
Qin Chuan revealed a wild smile, slightly ferocious.
He glanced at the time.
[07:58:18/08:00:07][00:00:02]
Seven seconds was the minimum time Qin Chuan anticipated needing.
If seven seconds were not enough, he would continue to add a second at a time until he reached his goal.
However, now was not the time to make a move.
He did not have the confidence to survive 102 seconds in the hands of the Shadow Leopard.
[07:59:20/08:00:07][00:00:02]
"Let's go." Qin Chuan gave a low shout, leaving the secret weapon in place, and, carrying a peculiar wooden board on his back, he charged into the Shadow Leopard's territory with Water Flower.
Fifty meters... A hundred meters... Two hundred meters!
[07:59:46/08:00:07][00:00:02]
The moment they delved two hundred meters, Qin Chuan spotted a streak of black in his view.
He immediately ran in another direction, yelling wildly, "Hey big black cat, come and catch me if you can!"
"Roar!!!!"
An astonishing roar came from behind, as the patch of black transformed in an instant into a terrifying black streak, chasing down Qin Chuan.
The Shadow Leopard had recognized this pair of human and creature.
The memory of being toyed with by these two insignificants became vivid; its hatred peaked in an instant.
This time, it was determined to kill these two!
The dark patterns beneath its feet flickered; with each leap, the Shadow Leopard covered a full ten meters, visibly closing the distance to Qin Chuan.
But Qin Chuan showed no signs of panic.
When the Shadow Leopard was only about twenty meters away, only a couple of leaps from pouncing, Qin Chuan leaped, tumbling down the slope hidden in the depths of the grass.
This was the very slope that had caused his previous downfall, leaving him unconscious for several hours.
Now, this slope had become his best battleground against the Shadow Leopard!
Landing on the slope, the wooden board on Qin Chuan's back somehow ended up under his feet, turning into a unique skateboard, with his speed increasing far beyond that of a full sprint.
Driven by hate, the Shadow Leopard pursued without hesitation.
Having lived here a long time, it was no stranger to this slope, but the rugged steepness hindered its chase, forcing it to slow down to avoid losing balance once more.
Speed fluctuating, Qin Chuan, who should have been an easy catch, now seemed unattainable in the eyes of the Shadow Leopard.
Its eyes glinted fiercely as it fixed its gaze on Qin Chuan's retreating figure, waiting for the moment he would slow down at the foot of the slope.
It vowed that upon catching this detestable creature, it would tear him to shreds!
The slope wasn't long; soon, Qin Chuan had slid to the bottom.
Reaching the flat ground, his sliding speed sharply decreased, while the Shadow Leopard's speed surged.
[07:59:58/08:00:07][00:00:02]
Qin Chuan took a quick look at the time, his mind made up.
Without hesitation, he jumped off the skateboard, now moving no faster than his sprint, and twisted around to start a frantic run in another direction.
Caught off guard, the Shadow Leopard quickly recovered and changed direction, relentlessly pursuing.
[07:59:59/08:00:07][00:00:02]
Qin Chuan could feel the ferocious aura from behind, but at the same moment, he also saw the inconspicuous secret weapon hidden among the grass and trees.
Seeing Qin Chuan within reach, the Shadow Leopard let out a fierce roar and pounced with all its might.
[08:00:00/08:00:07][00:00:02]
In the instant when everything around him came to a standstill, Qin Chuan swiftly turned his head, facing the Shadow Leopard that was almost upon him, and took in a sharp breath.