"Let's take it down!"
Several more people stepped forward, armed with clubs and sticks.
Qin Ziwen recalled what Home had told him about obtaining cards: one method was exploring high-risk areas, the other was eliminating powerful life forms in the current region.
He wasn't sure if this crocodile counted as a powerful life form in the current area.
Based on its size, if unarmed in the river, even twenty adult men wouldn't be its match.
But on land, the crocodile's agility and stamina were both compromised.
"Let's go."
Qin Ziwen stepped forward holding the clothes-drying rod spear with the fruit knife tied to it, his younger brother following behind him gripping a wooden stick.
A quick scan revealed at least a dozen men had stepped forward.
Bearded Brother said, "In a moment, I'll throw this curtain over the crocodile. Once it's covered, it'll definitely struggle. Then we'll find a way to wrap it up in the curtain."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have an idea."
Bearded Brother looked over at him.
Qin Ziwen shared his suggestion, "If we just throw it over directly, the curtain is too smooth. If the crocodile turns and runs, the curtain won't easily entangle it. I think it would be better to tear some holes in the curtain. That way, when it tries to escape or struggle, its head and limbs are more likely to get caught in the holes, just like a fishing net - the more it struggles, the tighter it gets tangled."
After hearing this, Bearded Brother's eyes lit up, "Not bad! That sounds much more reliable."
Qin Ziwen said, "I have curtains at home too. I'll go get mine."
Bearded Brother waved his hand, "No need for that trouble, we'll use mine. The salesperson bragged about their curtain quality, said it was even cat and dog scratch resistant. Perfect time to test it out."
With that, the brother directly pulled out a boning knife and stabbed it into the curtain in his hand. The movement was so fast and precise it made Qin Ziwen's eyelids twitch.
Soon the curtain was punctured with holes of various sizes, but how to make the crocodile accurately get its head through a hole became another problem.
Qin Ziwu suggested, "How about we use sticks to push its head into the holes?"
Huang Tao said, "That might work, but who's going to do the pushing?"
The group exchanged uncertain looks.
The crocodile lay there, its limbs thicker than a human's waist, eyes slightly narrowed. Though motionless, no one actually treated it as just a statue.
Their sticks or clothes-drying rods were at most two meters long - this distance offered no sense of security against a five-meter-long crocodile.
The property management young man in white security uniform said, "How about we just throw it? If it lands perfectly, great. If not... we'll just get another curtain."
Everyone agreed with this plan.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, let me do it."
Qin Ziwen's eyes sharpened, "Stand in the back."
Qin Ziwu immediately obediently stood in place.
Old Deng put down his box containing fishing rods, had his wife hold it, then rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
His wife worried, "You're going?"
Old Deng laughed heartily, "Even the young brothers dare to go, should I just watch from behind? Perfect timing - I've never eaten fish this big. Wait for me to get some crocodile meat for you and our daughter."
Old Deng asked Old Liu beside him, "Coming along?"
Old Liu cautiously shook his head, "Forget it, you guys handle it."
Qin Ziwu, who had been watching his brother, felt two pokes in his back. Turning around, the girl behind him teased, "Your brother looks so serious. Are you afraid of him?"
Qin Ziwu recognized her as Brother Deng's daughter and said disdainfully, "Like you're not afraid of your dad."
"Pfft, I'm not afraid of my dad at all."
"I'm afraid... afraid something might happen to my brother."
After saying this, Qin Ziwu turned back, watching his brother's back, gripping his stick tightly, ready to rush forward at any moment.
The girl blinked, looking at Qin Ziwu's back, wanting to continue chatting with him, but her mother directly patted her shoulder: "You and your big mouth. Your dad and the others are handling serious business, keep quiet."
"Oh..."
Old Liu's son took the opportunity to come over: "Yingying, I think going after the crocodile is really dangerous."
The girl wrinkled her delicate nose, "You shut up."
"Brother Deng, you're joining too?"
Qin Ziwen looked surprised at Old Deng beside him. Old Deng raised an eyebrow, "Looking down on me? I served in the military too, you know."
Six people each grabbed a corner of the curtain, stood on the steps, and advanced two steps forward.
As they got closer to the crocodile, Qin Ziwen heard the breathing around him growing heavier.
Forget about others, even his own hands felt somewhat weak.
Those who haven't been barrier-free close to large predators can't understand this feeling.
The crocodile's tail suddenly twitched.
"Thud."
The young man in security uniform on the far left suddenly went weak in the legs, almost falling to sit on the ground, only preventing collapse by supporting himself with his left hand on the ground.
The sudden movement immediately attracted the crocodile's attention.
The crocodile opened its cold eyes, its vertical pupils devoid of any emotion as it turned its head, staring fixedly at the six humans daring to approach.
The crowd watching from the steps behind erupted in commotion.
"Thump thump thump."
The crocodile suddenly moved.
Its thick limbs burst with extreme speed, charging toward the fallen security guard.
"Throw it now!"
Bearded Brother shouted loudly.
Everyone threw their curtain corners, but because one corner was held by the fallen security guard, it couldn't be thrown far.
The charging crocodile happened to crash headfirst into the curtain, its head and most of its body covered by the fabric.
But its speed didn't slow at all as it directly crashed into the security guard.
The security guard's thigh was pinned under its claw, letting out terrified screams, "Help, help!"
Bearded Brother grabbed the security guard's collar from behind, trying to pull him back.
But the crocodile sensed the prey under its foot trying to escape and instinctively hooked its claws in.
Others' clubs and sticks rained down like hail, beating on the crocodile's back.
"Ah!!!"
In the distance, the watching crowd gasped, "That crocodile's cry sounds so miserable!"
"You heard wrong, that's the security guard screaming."
The crocodile's claws were sharp like hooks, deeply embedded in the security guard's thigh.
After being attacked, the crocodile emitted an enraged low roar, like a roaring engine.
Its thick tail swept back and forth constantly, scraping against the ground with swishing sounds.
Qin Ziwen gripped the clothes-drying rod with both hands and thrust toward the side of the crocodile's head under the curtain!
He was aiming for the eye, but struck a hard area instead, like tough leather, difficult to penetrate.
Immediately, tremendous force came from the other end of the clothes-drying rod, pushing him back repeatedly.
The crocodile charged toward Qin Ziwen's direction.
From behind came Qin Ziwu's furious shout, "Move aside!"
A black figure leaped diagonally from behind, swinging the long stick in a semicircle.
"Crack!"
The walnut-thick wooden stick snapped loudly in two.
But the charging crocodile also stopped in its tracks.
That solid blow had directly stunned it.
"Get it!" A burly man opposite them wielding a firefighting axe charged out from the crocodile's diagonal rear, the axe heavily chopping onto the curtain covering the crocodile.
"Roooar~"
The crocodile under the curtain let out a pained howl, its tail behind becoming a blur.
"Thump!"
A dull sound, like a heavy hammer hitting a burlap sack.
The burly man holding the firefighting axe couldn't even react before his entire body was sent flying backward without warning!
He flew out a full three to four meters before crashing heavily to the ground like a lump of mud, his lower leg twisted unnaturally. Anyone could see his leg was clearly broken.
The scene instantly fell deathly silent.
The previously heated atmosphere had been doused with cold water.