Sure enough, when they reached the outskirts of the western pastures, the water level was still just as high. According to the feedback from the school of fish in her mental link, the bottom was at least five or six meters below the surface.
Finally, upon reaching the nearest dairy farm, they found its buildings and fences had been shattered into debris floating on the water. Forget about dairy cows; there wasn’t so much as a single cow hair in sight.
So, the group continued their journey, riding on the giant crab. After searching three farms, they finally spotted dairy cows at the fourth one, a farm on the farthest outskirts of Argent.
The first thing they saw, however, were several cow carcasses floating on the water. As they rode the giant crab closer, Flora Bloom took a careful look at a few of them. The marks on their bodies were clearly deep, bloody holes.
Moreover, every cow carcass floating on the water was in the same state. One was even missing its lower half, which looked like it had been completely devoured—not even its internal organs remained.
"Based on the state of these carcasses, there must be a predator nearby!" Lex Cross’s demeanor sharpened, making him seem like an alert leopard poised to strike. He was ready to launch an attack at the slightest disturbance to protect those around him.
"Look over there! Flora, inside that floating hay shed—are those white shapes dairy cows?"
Following Cynthia Grant’s finger, everyone saw them: several emaciated dairy cows, huddled together, soaked to the bone and shivering violently from the cold.
Winter had already arrived. Unlike Morhaven with its favorable geography, Argent’s temperatures plummeted as soon as winter began. With the apocalypse amplifying the effects, it was only about five or six degrees.
"Let’s go over!"
The giant crab swam toward the hay shed with the group in tow. When they arrived, they saw five dairy cows huddled motionlessly together inside for warmth. Fearing the cows were already dead, Flora Bloom stepped onto the floating shed and approached them.
The five cows were nothing but skin and bones. When they saw a human approach, they actually tried to move closer to Flora Bloom. Too weak to stand, one of them stretched out its neck and gave her arm a lick.
Flora Bloom brought them into her space. Inside, there was not only spiritual water but also wheat, vegetables, and fruit—more than enough for the cows to eat their fill.
After collecting the five cows, just as Flora Bloom was about to get back on the crab, she happened to notice a pile of hay in the corner of the shed.
The hay pile wasn’t large and was shaped like an open bird’s nest. It was so well-hidden that no one had noticed it before. Flora Bloom gestured for the others to come over as she walked toward it.
A closer look revealed two eggs.
The two eggs were about the size of a chicken’s, white and without any spots. They lay silently in the center of the hay, their color almost dazzling.
Suddenly, a piercing cry echoed from the sky, sharp enough to split the clouds. ’If we weren’t on the water,’ Flora Bloom thought, ’a sound like that would attract every zombie for miles around.’
Just then, the giant crab—which had only recently acknowledged her as its master—was suddenly gripped by a chilling fear. Its mental link with Flora Bloom was flooded with an overwhelming urge to escape.
Flora Bloom peeked out and looked up. ’Holy crap,’ she thought, ’it’s a raptor.’
"It’s a gyrfalcon."
Lex Cross rushed into the hay shed to shield Flora Bloom, making sure the gyrfalcon in the sky couldn’t launch a surprise attack on her.
"A gyrfalcon?" Flora Bloom asked with a frown. "Don’t they mostly live in the northeast? What’s one doing here?"
"It’s the apocalypse now. It’s not that strange for creatures to stop following the laws of nature," Five said. He stood guard over Cynthia Grant, tracking the gyrfalcon’s flight path and constantly shifting his position around her like a mother hen protecting her chick.
"Small but agile, and extremely fast—it’s definitely a gyrfalcon. And look at those talons, pure white like jade. That makes it a ’Jade Talon,’ the rarest and most precious variety," Robin Grant observed. He was well past the legal retirement age. And while he might still occasionally diagnose and prescribe medicine for a few important figures, he no longer concerned himself with general medical matters.
Walking his dog and playing with pet birds were his usual pastimes. He and a few old cronies his age loved to talk about dogs chasing rabbits and hawks chasing chickens, so he knew a thing or two about raptors like the gyrfalcon.
Flora Bloom’s head was starting to ache.
Her past experiences with eggs had never been pleasant. And now, the mother falcon had clearly returned to her nest. These eggs undoubtedly belonged to her.