CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 23: A DEMON’S ’MEAT’?

After hunting without wearing the exoskeleton, Yan Luo suddenly realized that the exoskeleton was a constraint for him.

To be precise, the current level of exoskeleton armor he was using was a constraint for him!

The exoskeleton is quite heavy. Although it provided Yan Luo with strong defensive power after wearing it, it also restricted his agility.

After removing the exoskeleton, Yan Luo’s dynamic vision and nerve reaction could fully come into play, making him more adept at dealing with demons.

Even though he is still not a match for deadly-level demons now, if he encounters a deadly-level demon, whether wearing the exoskeleton or not, his chances of losing will be greater.

However, his chances of surviving under the hands of a deadly-level demon are greater now.

Inside the armored vehicle, Yan Luo’s weapons and equipment were neatly placed on shelves, and within the space used as a trunk, there was an experiment table.

Sasa sat in front of the experiment table, dissecting the already anesthetized demon on the table, carefully observing if there were any changes in the internal structure of the demon.

Generally, when the external environment undergoes dramatic changes, demons themselves also undergo some changes, as they are essentially composed of magic power and are extremely susceptible to external influences.

The Crimson Abyss has undergone such massive changes, the demons living here should undergo some changes.

However, after dissecting this ordinary-level demon, Sasa found that there wasn’t much difference compared to several recent samples in the research institute’s database.

This is definitely problematic, but where the problem lies still requires careful study and research.

Sasa deftly cut the ordinary-level demon under her knife, and then the magic power formed a cyclone on the experiment table, condensing into an object.

They were two canine teeth, without much value.

After cleaning the experiment table, Sasa asked Yan Luo to catch another demon.

No need for ordinary-level, even harmless-level is fine.

Yan Luo strapped on his backpack and departed directly.

Sasa stayed alone inside the armored vehicle, but Yan Luo had already set up in advance that if the armored vehicle encountered an attack, it would automatically start and drive towards his location.

The armored vehicle can locate signals within a ten-kilometer range, as long as Yan Luo keeps the helmet’s signal receiver on, it can pinpoint his location.

Yan Luo originally intended to grab a harmless-level demon to settle the matter, but unexpectedly, after walking dozens of meters, he discovered traces left by what appeared to be a dangerous-level demon.

"Bird-like, small-bodied, with relatively sharp claws..."

Demons that meet these conditions are abundant, but by narrowing the target range to "dangerous-level," and "Dark Forest" within, Yan Luo immediately locked onto the specific species of the target.

Yan Luo took out a grappling hook gun, shot towards a branch above, and the grappling hook clawed onto the branch, with the winch rotating to pull him up.

Swift Claw Falcon, because of its sharp and fast-growing claws, it needs to use the trunk of the Strong Tree to grind its claws to prevent them from growing too long.

Even dangerous-level Swift Claw Falcons do not exceed 60 centimeters in length, making them a type of small demon.

Inside the Abyss, there is no ecological chain, only the naked jungle law—the strong eat the weak and then become stronger, which is the survival law for demons.

However, due to its small size, Swift Claw Falcon prefers to prey on bird-like, insect-like, and arthropod-like demons.

Yan Luo just saw claw marks of Swift Claw Falcon under the tree. Based on the Swift Claw Falcon’s habits, they like to grind their claws near the nest, so it can be judged that there should be a Swift Claw Falcon’s nest nearby.

Standing on the branch, Yan Luo looked around, his ears gently twitching, even the wind brushing through the branches and leaves didn’t escape his senses.

In this chaotic array of sounds, Yan Luo keenly caught a sound that was distinctly different from the environmental background noise.

Pulling the shotgun’s foregrip, Yan Luo held his breath, turning the muzzle towards the direction from which the unusual sound came.

Su Limu, a tree species capable of bearing fruit that is bitter yet rich in nutrients, named after its discoverer Su Li, is easily infested by insect-type demons.

Yan Luo’s current position couldn’t see what the other side of Su Limu looked like, but he could basically confirm that there was a tree hole there.

Compared to the Strong Tree, the structure of Su Limu is more fragile, and the trunk is relatively slender, so a single bullet can easily pierce through its trunk.

Bang!

The muzzle burst forth flames, propelling the bullet from the chamber, and the area Yan Luo aimed at abruptly exploded, sending countless fragments flying.

Flap flap!

Amid a flurry of furious wing beats, a small-sized falcon pierced through the rising dust and hovered in the air, chirping angrily, seemingly cursing.

Soon, the falcon noticed Yan Luo, flapped its wings, and swiftly attacked him.

As the name suggests, the Swift Claw Falcon’s speed is incredibly fast; the distance of over ten meters is covered in a blink.

Despite its small size, the Swift Claw Falcon possesses a heart of a fierce warrior.

According to demonologists, out of ten attacks launched by Swift Claw Falcons against a target, eight would be direct frontal assaults.

A streak of white lifted from below, Yan Luo slashed with a hand axe into the Swift Claw Falcon’s left wing, then leaped from the branch, bringing the Swift Claw Falcon to the ground.

The axe blade lodged in the Swift Claw Falcon’s wing; Yan Luo’s tall stature and long arms made it impossible for the Swift Claw Falcon to reach him, so it had to be brought to ground by Yan Luo.

Yan Luo swung the axe wide, smashing the Swift Claw Falcon onto the ground, hacking off its left wing with force, then quickly let go and jumped back to avoid the Swift Claw Falcon’s clawing attack.

Had he not moved away, the Swift Claw Falcon’s claws would have punctured his wrist, and given the sharpness of those claws, it could easily dig several bloody holes on his wrist.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The Swift Claw Falcon was left with only one wing and struggled desperately, flapping the right wing, fluttering on the ground trying to take flight again.

However, with only one wing, it simply couldn’t provide lift to the body.

Moreover, the claws being too sharp meant that whenever it stood up, the sharp claws pierced into the soil, making the Swift Claw Falcon’s movements extremely sluggish.

Yan Luo stood by observing, not making any rash moves, waiting until the Swift Claw Falcon’s fluttering weakened before rushing forward, pinning it to the ground.

He pulled out a rope from his waist pouch, first binding the Swift Claw Falcon’s talons tightly, then securing its body.

This ensured it completely lost its ability to resist.

Yan Luo injected a coagulating injection into the Swift Claw Falcon to prevent excessive blood loss leading to death.

Picking up the fallen severed wing, Yan Luo retraced his path back to the armored vehicle.

Sasa stayed inside the armored vehicle, unable to do anything and could only read pre-downloaded e-books.

Hearing the sound of the car door opening, Sasa immediately looked up to see Yan Luo opening the trunk door and climbing inside.

The armored vehicle was currently in a state of optical camouflage, so it could only be found by Yan Luo, other unauthorized Hunters passing by wouldn’t detect a vehicle here.

Yan Luo placed the Swift Claw Falcon on the experiment table, and the severed wing was placed alongside.

Sasa donned a new pair of disposable gloves, took a close look, and exclaimed in amazement, "A dangerous-level Swift Claw Falcon? You actually caught this creature!"

On the way back, the Swift Claw Falcon was too noisy, so Yan Luo simply bound its beak.

Therefore, the Swift Claw Falcon could only lie quietly on the experiment table, glaring at Yan Luo with its eyes.

Sasa was conducting hands-on research on a dangerous-level demon for the first time, not only for herself but also for her senior siblings who had never handled dangerous-level demons. Dissecting a dangerous-level demon was a privilege reserved for professors.

She took out an anesthetic syringe, administered a fifth of the dose to the Swift Claw Falcon, and soon it fell asleep.

Sasa excitedly untied its ropes and turned on the experiment table’s camera.

"Second dissection experiment, the target is a dangerous-level Swift Claw Falcon, with its left wing broken due to capture, and an impact from a coagulating agent inside..."

Yan Luo sat aside, quietly sorting through his equipment, occasionally looking up to see Sasa’s mouth curving with an excited smile, which made him even more silent.

Just then, Sasa muttered to herself, "I said, how could there be no changes at all..."

Sasa suddenly turned to Yan Luo and said, "Yan Luo, do you know? I found undigested demon meat in the stomach of this Swift Claw Falcon!"

Yan Luo froze for two seconds, just about to say "finding undigested meat in the stomach isn’t quite rare," but suddenly felt a huge mental shock, stunned on the spot.

In the stomach of the demon... demon meat?

Where did demons get meat?