Huang Quan lay on the ground, face pale. If they delayed any longer, he might end up seriously injured. Young Lady's two hunting knives were both embedded in the giant ape, buried to the hilt. The short knife was nailed into the red fur on its neck, while the long knife was stabbed into its chest.

Young Lady and Edgar Gray helped Eleanor Clark up, while Harold Gray went to inspect the giant ape's corpse.

He pulled out the two hunting knives, examined the blood on the blades, then licked the tip, a look of shock and confusion flashing across his face. He handed the knives back to Young Lady, saying, "You struck right at the vital points."

Alice Clark took the hunting knives, wiped the fresh blood clean, and sheathed them. She glanced at the giant ape's corpse, then looked at Eleanor Clark and asked, "Did you kill it?"

Eleanor Clark's face was pale as he replied calmly, "Just lucky."

Chapter Four: Lost Civilization

Harold Gray nodded. "You really were lucky. The baboon demon lunged, and these two knives just happened to run into it themselves, right into its vital spots."

Edgar Gray frowned, a bit puzzled. The two stabs were simply too precise. Alice Clark's hunting knives weren't long enough—even the longer one couldn't pierce through the baboon demon's thick chest to reach its heart.

There was a depression on the baboon demon's breastbone, the only place where the bone was thin enough for a knife tip to barely reach the heart, and even then, it would only pierce it a little. This was the most hidden weak point on the baboon demon, known only to the most experienced hunters.

And it wasn't just that stab—the one into the red fur on the neck was also significant. It seemed that both vital points were struck at the same time, instantly disabling the baboon demon.

Even Edgar Gray didn't know about the neck's weak spot. Of course, even knowing it now was of little use; the baboon demon moved like the wind and was incredibly strong. Encountering one was almost certain death—what were the odds of just happening to strike its vital point?

Harold Gray said, "Don't just stand there! It's a rare chance to take down a baboon demon—get to work!"

Edgar Gray snapped out of it, drew his hunting knife, and began butchering the prey with Harold Gray.

A fierce beast like the baboon demon was valuable from head to toe. With this catch, the whole camp could live well for a while. And they'd be safe for now—other predators wouldn't come near with the baboon demon's scent around.

Alice Clark was exhausted, her limbs still weak, so she didn't help with the butchering. Instead, she sat down beside Eleanor Clark to rest, watching him and thinking, "Was it really just luck?"

Eleanor Clark sat quietly, his face calm, seemingly oblivious to Young Lady's gaze.

But while he appeared calm, in his mind he was repeatedly comparing the baboon demon to a small monkey.

During the Empire era, that little monkey was a common species on the home planet. It ate fruit and grains, was only half a meter long, timid and cowardly, and was called the baboon monkey.

The baboon monkey was unremarkable and not very dangerous, but it was highly adaptable, moved like lightning, and was extremely alert to danger. Because of this, the Imperial army often brought trained baboon monkeys as natural sentries when venturing into unknown star systems.

Gradually, as the Empire expanded, this species spread throughout the star systems.

The baboon demon was much larger than the baboon monkey, weighing hundreds of times more, and its fur was far more protective. But if you ignored the size, in appearance—except for the ring of red fur around its neck—the baboon demon and the baboon monkey looked almost identical. More importantly, their vital points were exactly the same.

Could the baboon demons here really be related to the Empire's baboon monkeys?

Eleanor Clark looked at the unusually tall blades of grass and the unbelievably huge ancient trees around him, deep in thought.

After half a day, Harold Gray and Edgar Gray finally finished processing the prey.

What puzzled Eleanor Clark was that Harold Gray chopped off the entire head of the baboon demon and slung it over his shoulder. The head was huge and heavy—carrying it meant he couldn't take much else.

Judging by the three's clothing, their tribe was likely still in a semi-primitive, semi-handcrafted state. By that logic, the most important things for the tribe's survival would be safety and food.

The baboon demon's meat and blood should be excellent sources of nutrition, but Harold Gray and Edgar Gray took very little of it.

Most of Harold Gray's carrying capacity was used for the baboon demon's head, while Edgar Gray collected the heart, liver, and even part of a lung and other organs, only cutting a few pieces of meat from the torso and half a hind leg. They ignored the valuable hide entirely.

From Eleanor Clark's perspective, the heart was just ordinary muscle, not much better than chest or leg meat. Many exotic creatures' livers were often highly poisonous; even if not, it wasn't worth the risk.

The same went for the other organs—he couldn't see their use, yet Edgar Gray insisted on taking them. Strangely, the very useful hide was left behind.

Most of the baboon demon's body was untouched, and Harold Gray looked regretful. He glanced at Alice Clark, saw Young Lady helping Eleanor Clark up, and said nothing. After all, their success was thanks to Eleanor Clark's lucky strike, so even Harold Gray couldn't complain.

Once the butchering was done, Young Lady had fully recovered, which made Eleanor Clark regard her with even more respect.

Such a level of recovery was quite remarkable, and was one of the most valued qualities in the Dragon Rider Battle Camp. In wild hunts, recovery ability often determined life or death.