Players of "ARK: Survival Evolved" know that to collect all the crafting blueprints, you must complete the game at the highest difficulty level.
To beat the highest difficulty, you need a well-balanced team.
Yutyrannus provides attack buffs, Daeodon serves as a healer to ensure sustained combat, plus some tough fighters like T-Rex or Megatherium as damage dealers.
You need enough of them, and they must be self-bred second or third generation creatures with attributes far exceeding wild specimens.
Otherwise, it's truly difficult to defeat the final boss in the highest difficulty mode.
Shi Xiaolei was never a content creator or strategy expert, just an ordinary player.
When he eventually conquered the highest difficulty, he wasn't fully prepared.
Although he followed online guides and assembled the appropriate setup, he hadn't invested the considerable time needed to cultivate his dinosaurs.
So the lineup he used against the final boss didn't have overwhelming advantages.
As a result, after defeating the final boss, most of his pets were decimated, with only a few lucky survivors remaining.
The albino T-Rex nicknamed "Big White" was one, along with a Yutyrannus called "Golden Voice" two Daeodons named "Pig One" and "Pig Two" and two Megatheriums numbered eleven and sixteen.
Compared to the battle dinosaurs who participated in the final confrontation, none of the utility dinosaurs used for resource gathering were lost.
The mammoths skilled at collecting wood, Doedicurus for stone, Ankylosaurus for metal, Therizinosaurus for fiber, Triceratops for berries, Beelzebufo for cement, and others—plus the Argentavis used for traveling, Basilosaurus, Plesiosaurs, and Mosasaurus for water escorts, and Quetzals and Pteranodons as battle platforms—all those he had captured while playing the game were preserved in cryopods, each one alive and well.
The game had become reality, and he could no longer extend the cryopods operation time by logging out.
Worried that if he left for too long, the cryopods power supply might suddenly be interrupted, causing all the pets sealed inside to perish, Shi Xiaolei took out the cryopods and first released all the land-dwelling pets.
After petting each one in turn, Shi Xiaolei led them out of the "yard" and, just as he had done in the game, issued a "free roam" command with a whistle.
The lush grass and delicious berries at the nearby shallows attracted the herbivorous dinosaurs, while the carnivorous ones headed toward wild herbivores, beginning a new round of hunting.
After watching for a while and confirming that the pets wouldn't attack each other and moreover, that nearby companions would come to help if one was attacked, Shi Xiaolei put aside his worries and nodded with satisfaction.
Looking at his inventory again, he still had several Pteranodons, Argentavis, and a few aquatic pets that hadn't been released.
After some thought, Shi Xiaolei took out the cryopod containing an Argentavis, pressed the switch, and tossed it out.
"Screee~~~!" With an eagle cry, the most presentable of his pets, the Argentavis, appeared before him.
Like the other pets released earlier, it immediately approached Shi Xiaolei, affectionately rubbing its head against him several times.
"Haha, good boy~, good boy~."
Patting the eagle head, he took out a piece of cooked leg meat and fed it to the giant eagle nicknamed "Battle Chicken".
Perhaps from excitement, or perhaps because the transformation from game to reality had made it more animated and lively, the giant eagle spread its wings enthusiastically and "gently" flapped them a few times.
While playing the game, he couldn't feel it, but now he experienced it firsthand, the eagle wings were more powerful than industrial fans, and the gust of wind nearly choked Shi Xiaolei.
If even the relatively small Argentavis could create such a disturbance, what about a Quetzal?
With some curiosity, Shi Xiaolei also released the Quetzal that had been confined in a cryopod.
"Ugh~."
To his surprise, as soon as the Quetzal emerged, it staggered awkwardly.
Well, as an aerial battle platform, Shi Xiaolei had previously installed a platform saddle on the Quetzal and built a house on it, stuffing it with plenty of supplies.
In the game, exceeding weight capacity wouldn't crush a creature, it would just prevent it from flying or moving. But now...
Feeling somewhat sorry for the Quetzal, Shi Xiaolei quickly stepped forward, placed his hand on it, and removed the platform saddle from its back.
Although the small house built on the saddle fell apart, seeing the Quetzal regain its vitality after being relieved of the weight made Shi Xiaolei feel it was worth it.
Mounting the Argentavis, he blew a whistle, and took off into the sky with the Quetzal following.
After flying around for a short while, once the excitement and novelty had somewhat subsided, Shi Xiaolei issued a "free roam" command to the Quetzal that had been following alongside, just as he had done with the land dinosaurs earlier.
Hovering in the air, he watched as the large creature turned and flew toward another wild Quetzal in the distance, and a faint smile appeared on Shi Xiaolei lips.
Pulling on the reins, Shi Xiaolei directed the eagle to turn and flew toward his next destination.
To be fair, after materializing, the Argentavis flew much faster than in the game.
However, because the "map" had also expanded many times over, Shi Xiaolei still spent nearly half an hour flying to the seaside.
Well, mainly because without the crystal on his wrist, he had lost the map navigation ability from the game, so to avoid getting lost, he could only control the eagle to fly along the river.
Had he flown in a straight line, perhaps fifteen minutes would have been enough.
In any case, he reached the seaside.
Recalling the game settings, Shi Xiaolei jumped off the eagle, curiously scooped up a handful of seawater, and brought it to his lips for a taste.
Indeed, it wasn't salty at all.
While answering his question, this also disappointed Shi Xiaolei—the water before him was fresh, meaning that the Mosasaurus, Plesiosaurs, Ichthyosaurs, Megalodon, and other aquatic species from the game were freshwater creatures modified through genetic engineering.
He had originally thought about taking a couple of aquatic dinosaurs back to the Marvel universe and releasing them in the ocean near New York, so that he could bring Kanna to play with them on weekends.
But now, it seemed uncertain whether those creatures could adapt to Earth oceans...
'Forget it, once I figure things out and find a way to bring people here, I'll bring Kanna over to play.'
Shi Xiaolei vigorously shook his head, pushing his disappointment aside, and took out the last few "Poké Balls" pressing the switches one by one and tossing them toward the water surface.
Mosasaurus, Plesiosaur, Spinosaurus, Basilosaurus—several massive beasts surfaced from underwater, looking up affectionately at Shi Xiaolei circling in the sky.
Sensing the emotions of these enormous creatures, Shi Xiaolei laughed loudly and stood up on the eagle's back.
The next second, shouting "Yahoo!" joyfully, he jumped from the eagle back, cutting a vertical line through the air before splashing into the sea with a loud plunk.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)