Chapter 3: Mutated Mammoths (Part 2)

The next morning, after having breakfast, everyone set off. Qinan Shan had already located the mammoths’ lair the previous day, so they headed straight into the depths of the forest.
Guo Shieru lay on the back of Eagle Demon and said, “To the west is that mutated lynx. We don’t know what’s to the east, so if we can’t defeat the mammoths, we’ll run east.”
Luo Jie sat on Qinan Shan’s back and said, “Shieru, isn’t this too dangerous? We don’t know what kind of mutated beasts are in the east.”
Guo Shieru laughed and said, “Master, it’s not dangerous. Any fierce wild beast has its territory. If we enter it, we’ll be attacked. We just need to take advantage of this to escape. Otherwise… if we lose, it’ll be hard to shake off the mammoths’ pursuit. This is a necessary backup plan.”
Luo Jie nodded. Then Tan Laoxi whispered, “Xiao Luo… hehe, Xiao Jing… hey, Xiao Luo Jing… damn it, why don’t you answer?”
Luo Jing said calmly, “If you keep making noise, I’ll throw you out!”
Tan Laoxi pleaded, “Sigh, Luo Jing, Lord Luo, please help me… hehe, it was my fault earlier. Come over, come over…”
Luo Jing said, “Trouble!” He quickly moved over and proceeded side by side with Qinan Shan and Eagle Demon. Tan Laoxi said, “Shieru, listen to me…”
Guo Shieru looked curiously at the annoyed Luo Jing and asked, “Uncle Luo Jing, did he annoy you?”
Luo Jing replied irritably, “This guy has a mouth full of nonsense. Next time, let someone else carry him!”
Guo Shieru said in admiration, “Uncle Tan, Uncle Luo Jing is the gentlest person I’ve ever met. You actually managed to anger him. Shieru is really impressed!”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “What’s there to impress about? He’s famous in West Symbol City as a nuisance to everyone.”
Luo Jie was surprised, “Ah? He has such a reputation?”
Tan Laoxi said nonchalantly, “It’s because they’re bored. Hmph, jealous of me, a master level warrior. A bunch of idiots.”
Everyone was speechless.
Tan Laoxi said, “Shieru, listen to me… During the battle later, can I use other wild beasts instead of the Snow Symbol Wolf? Look, the mammoths are so big that even if we use the Snow Symbol Wolf, it won’t be very useful. Hehe.” It was rare for him not to use vulgar language.
Guo Shieru sighed inwardly. This guy wasn’t only vulgar but also extremely selfish. He readily agreed, “Sure!”
Tan Laoxi said, “Ah? Ah! Thank you, Shieru. Hehe, thank you!”

Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan both showed a slight smile. Was Guo Shier easy to provoke? Sure enough, Guo Shier continued, “Uncle Tan, you don’t need to exert any effort… And you won’t get a share of the loot either.”
Tan Lao Xi was instantly stunned. He shouted, “Shier, this isn’t fair!”
Guo Shier said, “It’s very fair!”
Realizing he couldn’t defeat this kid, Tan Lao Xi said with a grim face, “Alright, alright. Then how can I get a share of the loot?”
Guo Shier replied calmly, “Follow orders and do your best. By the end, no one will take your share. If you try to cheat, no one here is stupid—you won’t get anything! It won’t be up to me then, but up to everyone! Do you think people will approve of you not putting in effort?”
Tan Lao Xi finally understood that his tactics were completely useless against Guo Shier—neither cheating nor threatening, not even being shameless would work. He said, “Sigh, kids these days… they don’t even respect the elders… Xiao Luo Jing, let’s go over there.” He was so angry that Luo Jing almost threw him out.
Guo Shier said, “Master, let’s stop a bit east of the mammoth’s den. Grandpa Nan Shan will lead the way.”
It took a little over an hour for everyone to reach the east side of the mammoth’s den, an area covered in dense forests.
Guo Shier said, “Let’s set up a few small traps.”
Upon hearing this, Tan Lao Xi jumped up again and said, “Damn it, I said earlier we should set up traps…”
Luo Jie snapped, “Lao Xi, if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll throw you out!”
Fearing the old man’s anger, Tan Lao Xi dared not say another word. Guo Shier said, “Dig dozens of straight cylindrical pits, sized according to the mammoths’ feet—just a little bigger. Place them a bit closely together and insert steel spears inside, sticking them out more than half a meter. One spear per trap is enough.”
With that, everyone understood. Guo Shier didn’t intend to use the traps to kill the mammoths but rather to injure their feet and slow them down.
Everyone started working together, even Tan Lao Xi had to dig pits as well.
Guo Shier calculated the layout and spacing. They dug hundreds of large pits continuously. Fortunately, there were several masters here, especially great martial artists, who could dig a one-meter-diameter and one-meter-deep pit in just a few minutes.

Guo Shier said, “If we retreat, we’ll have to pass through this trap zone. Everyone must be careful not to fall into the traps we’ve set ourselves.” He added, “Also, Uncle Tan, use the Snow Talisman Wolf to lure the mammoth so that it passes through the trap zone. If we can even injure one of its legs, our efforts won’t be in vain.”

Tan Laoxi didn’t dare say anything more. He knew that if he kept talking nonsense, even if Guo Shier ignored it, Luo Jie would likely drive him away. He nodded in agreement without trying to bargain at all. Luo Jie and the others became curious—had this guy been subdued by Guo Shier?

Once everything was ready, Guo Shier said, “Master, let’s head to the mammoth’s lair.”

It was a large valley with hardly any tall trees or grass, the ground firmly compressed by the mutated mammoths. In the center of the valley was a huge pond, where the mutated mammoths were stirring the mud and splashing it on themselves, looking quite relaxed.

White bones were scattered around the pond, along with the carcass of a large wild ox.

Guo Shier and the others sneaked closer and could see the pond clearly. The mutated mammoth emerged from the pond, used its long trunk to grab one of the ox’s legs, pulled hard, and tore it off before chewing it.

Guo Shier stared in astonishment, thinking, “Damn! Since when do mammoths eat meat? This giant doesn’t even discriminate between meat and plants? What’s going on? Could it be that the mutated talisman beasts… have even changed their diet?” His mind was filled with questions.

Luo Jie whispered, “Shier, how do we attack?”

Guo Shier was also a bit uneasy. After thinking for a while, he said, “Master, let’s observe more.”

Luo Jie couldn’t help but laugh and asked softly, “What? Lack of confidence?”

Guo Shier nodded. “Yes, Master. I can’t find its weakness for now.”

The mutated mammoth was different from the ones he had seen in pictures from his past life. In his past life, he had unearthed ancient mammoths from ice layers, which were quite different from this living mutated mammoth. In terms of size, the mutated mammoth was larger, its mud-covered fur a mix of black and golden strands. Its two tusks were curled and raised high, giving it a majestic appearance. On its long trunk, glowing talisman patterns could be seen clearly. Especially its eyes—its pupils were dark red, giving it a somewhat brutal look.

It was said that mammoths were herd-oriented herbivores, but this mutated mammoth wasn’t only solitary but also ate both meat and plants.

In any case, this mutated mammoth clearly wasn’t easy to deal with; to overcome it, they had to find its weakness. Guo Shier had little time and needed to make a decision quickly. Sweat streamed down from his forehead along his temples as he observed the mutated mammoth closely. The giant was still happily eating bison, and with each movement, it made a dull noise. Guo Shier whispered, “Master, I can’t find its weakness. What should we do?”
Qi Nanshan replied from the side, “I can’t find its weakness either… It’s a terrifying mutated talisman beast.”
Luo Jie hesitated. He didn’t want to attack head-on, as that would be too risky. If they could find the mutated mammoth’s weakness, they could deal it a heavy blow at once, giving them a better chance in subsequent attacks.
Guo Shier softly said one word: “Wait!” He already had a plan. They would wait and see if there was any opportunity. If not, they could retreat first and think of other ways, rather than taking risks.
After waiting for half an hour, the mutated mammoth finished eating the bison, went back to the pond to fiddle around for a while, then came to the shore and slowly knelt down. Soon, a snoring sound came from it—it had fallen asleep.
An opportunity!
Guo Shier was overjoyed. He whispered, “Master, this is a rare chance! We’ll act together. Grandpa Nanshan, prepare to carry Master. Uncle Eagle Demon, as soon as I shout, take me and run!”
“By the way, Grandpa Nanshan, can you guys use talisman javelins to hit the mutated mammoth?”
Qi Nanshan estimated and said, “With a high throw… it should be possible, though accuracy varies from person to person.”
Unsure, Guo Shier asked again, “Uncle Eagle Demon, what do you think? Can it reach that far?” It was over 300 meters away. From the perspective of his past life, javelins definitely couldn’t reach such a distance. But the talisman warriors here were extraordinary—both in strength and combat skills, far surpassing those in his past life.
Eagle Demon calculated carefully and said, “It can reach that distance, but not necessarily hit accurately.”
Guo Shier said, “That’s enough!”
Luo Jie said, “Shier, you take care of it.”
Guo Shier took out a talisman pouch and said, “I have specially made talisman javelins with pure steel tips. Hehe, they’re quite unique. I had them made in Qin Guang City, with talisman patterns added by me.”

Seeing the talisman javelin he took out, even Luo Jie couldn’t help but show a surprised expression. It was a large talisman javelin nearly three meters long, with a tip that was one meter long and shaped like a triangular spike, featuring three deep blood grooves. The wooden handle at the back was made of highly resilient ironwood, covered in numerous talismanic patterns. Luo Jie examined it carefully, his focus on the tip of the javelin—those patterns were added to enhance its penetrating power. He couldn’t help but praise, “Pretty good!”
Guo Shier said, “It’s a shame so few were made… only seven in total. Grandpa Nan Shan, here are three for you. Uncle Xiaofeng, Uncle Yingmo, Uncle Luo, and Uncle Luojing, one each.”
Qi Nan Shan picked up a talisman javelin, weighed it in his hand, and said, “This kind of talisman javelin is the first time I’ve seen it. It’s quite unique. Shier, what do these grooves mean?”
Guo Shier replied, “Those are blood grooves. Once it’s inserted into the body, blood will flow out along them…”
Everyone couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—this design was too terrifying.