Friends who have played "Ark: Survival Evolved" know that to collect all the crafting blueprints, you must complete the game on the highest difficulty.
And to complete the highest difficulty, you must optimize your team's composition.
A Yutyrannus to buff attack power, a Daeodon as a healer to ensure sustainability, plus a Rex or Megatherium as damage dealers that can both tank and hit hard... You need a sufficient number of them, and they must be second or third generation creatures bred by yourself, with stats far superior to wild ones. Otherwise, it's truly difficult to defeat the final boss on the highest difficulty mode.
He had never been an UP (uploader) or a strategy expert; he was just an ordinary player. When Shi Xiaolei completed the highest difficulty back then, he wasn't as fully prepared.
Although he had prepared the corresponding setup according to online guides, he hadn't spent a lot of time breeding dinosaurs, so his lineup for fighting the final boss didn't have an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength.
Therefore, after defeating the final boss, most of his pets had died, with only a few lucky ones remaining.
The albino Rex nicknamed 'Big White' was one of them. Besides it, there was also a Yutyrannus named 'Golden Voice,' two Daeodons named 'Pig One and Pig Two,' and two Megatheriums numbered eleven and sixteen.
Compared to the combat dinosaurs that participated in the final battle, none of the utility dinosaurs used for gathering resources were lost.
Mammoths skilled at collecting wood, Doedicuruses for stone, Ankylo for metal, Thylacoleos for fiber, Triceratops for berries, Beelzebufos for cement, and so on. There were also Argentavis for travel, Basilosaurus, Plesiosaurs, and Mosasaurus for escorting during underwater operations, as well as Brontosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus serving as mobile bases... All the creatures he had tamed during the game were kept in cryopods, every single one of them still alive and well.
The game had become reality, and there was no way to extend the working time of the cryo-fridges by logging off. Worried that if he left for too long, the power supply to the cryo-fridges might suddenly cut off, causing these pets sealed in the cryopods to die, Shi Xiaolei took out the cryopods and first released all the land-based pets.
Touching this one, then that one, petting them all one by one, Shi Xiaolei led them out of the 'yard' and, just like in the game, gave them the command to roam freely with a whistle.
The fresh green grass and delicious berries by the nearby shallows attracted the attention of the herbivorous dinosaurs, while the carnivorous dinosaurs rushed towards the wild herbivores, beginning a new round of hunting.
After watching for a while, confirming that the pets wouldn't attack each other and that nearby companions would come to help if a pet was attacked, Shi Xiaolei put aside his worries and nodded with satisfaction.
Looking into his backpack again, there were still a few Quetzalcoatlus, Argentavis, and some aquatic pets yet to be released.
After some thought, Shi Xiaolei took out the cryopod containing the Argentavis, pressed the switch, and threw it out.
"Caw~~~!" With a cry, the Argentavis, the best-looking of his pets, appeared before him. Like the other pets released earlier, this one also came straight to Shi Xiaolei, affectionately nuzzling its head against him a few times.
"Haha, good boy~, good boy~."
He stroked the giant eagle's head, pulled out a piece of roasted thigh meat, and fed it to the eagle, named 'Battle Chicken.'
Perhaps it was too happy, or perhaps it had become more vibrant and lively after the game turned into reality, but the giant eagle excitedly spread its wings and 'gently' flapped them a few times.
He hadn't felt it while playing the game, but now he truly experienced it... The giant eagle's wings were more powerful than the large industrial fans used in factory workshops, and the strong wind blowing towards him almost made Shi Xiaolei choke.
Even the not-so-large Argentavis could create such a commotion, so what about a Quetzalcoatlus?
With a bit of curiosity, Shi Xiaolei also released the Quetzalcoatlus that was sealed in the cryopod.
"Uh~." To his surprise, as soon as the Quetzalcoatlus came out, it stumbled unnaturally.
Well, as an aerial combat platform, Shi Xiaolei had built a platform saddle on the back of the Quetzalcoatlus, and even constructed a house on the saddle, stuffing it with a lot of supplies.
In the game, being overweight wouldn't crush it; it would just be unable to fly or move. But now... feeling a little sorry for the Quetzalcoatlus, Shi Xiaolei quickly took a few steps forward, placed his hand on its body, and removed the platform saddle from its back.
Although the small house built on the saddle fell apart, seeing the Quetzalcoatlus regain its vitality after being relieved of the burden, Shi Xiaolei felt it was quite worth it.
He mounted the Argentavis, whistled, and flew high into the sky with the Quetzalcoatlus.
After circling for a short while, and once the thrill and novelty had subsided a bit, Shi Xiaolei gave the Quetzalcoatlus, which had been following him, a 'free roam' command, just as he had done with the land-based dinosaurs.
Hovering in the air, he watched the massive creature turn around and fly towards another wild Quetzalcoatlus in the distance. A faint smile appeared on Shi Xiaolei's lips.
He pulled the reins, steered the giant eagle in another direction, and Shi Xiaolei flew towards his next destination.
To be fair, after materializing, the giant eagle's flying speed was much faster than in the game. However, because the 'map' had also expanded many times over, it still took Shi Xiaolei nearly half an hour to fly all the way to the seaside.
Well, the main reason was that he no longer had the crystal on his wrist, losing the in-game map navigation ability. To avoid getting lost, he could only control the giant eagle to fly along the river. If he had flown in a straight line, it might have only taken fifteen minutes.
Anyway, he finally reached the seaside.
Recalling the game's settings, Shi Xiaolei jumped off the giant eagle and, with some curiosity, scooped up a handful of seawater, bringing it to his mouth to taste.
And wouldn't you know, it wasn't salty at all.
While answering his question, it also left Shi Xiaolei a little disappointed—the water before him was all fresh water, meaning that aquatic species like Mosasaurus, Plesiosaurs, Ichthyosaurs, and Megalodons that appeared in the game were all freshwater creatures modified through genetic engineering. He had originally thought of bringing two aquatic dinosaurs back to the Marvel Universe and releasing them in the ocean near New York, so that he could take Conna to play with them on weekends. But now it seemed questionable whether those creatures could adapt to Earth's oceans... 'Forget it, once I've thoroughly researched it and found a way to bring people in, I'll bring Conna over to play.' He shook his head vigorously, casting his regrets aside, and took out the last few 'Pokeballs,' pressing the switch on each one and throwing them into the sea.
Mosasaurus, Plesiosaurus, Spinosaurus, Basilosaurus—several giant beasts poked their heads out of the water, looking up adoringly at Shi Xiaolei circling in the sky.
Feeling the emotions of these massive creatures, Shi Xiaolei laughed loudly and stood up from the eagle's back.
The next second, he shouted 'Yee-haw,' joyfully leaped off the eagle's back, cut a vertical line through the air, and plunged into the sea with a splash.