bookrandom Did you see Chapter 103?
Did you see Chapter 103?
It wasn't his own voice; it was the resonance frequency of the largest male lion he had ever seen, stored in his voice bank.
The low-frequency sense of oppression is only present in adult male lions.
The lioness froze in place for two seconds, then took half a step back.
This half-step is enough.
[Host: Chen Fei]
[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]
[Energy Points: 1044↑]
The integration of the three lion prides was completed on the third day. The alliance framework went from rudimentary to substantial, with its coverage extending nearly eight kilometers northward to include the seepage points in that low-lying area.
The striker with the split jaw retreated two kilometers that day.
They must have sensed something was wrong; the atmosphere of this territory had changed.
One afternoon, Da Tou went out by himself.
Without greeting anyone or making any plans, he just wandered around the vicinity of his lodging. As he wandered, he eventually reached the eastern edge of the territory and spotted three hyenas.
These three weren't the scouts with split mouths. Chen Fei had taught him how to distinguish them; a scattered pack of hyenas didn't have the same sour, foul smell as a large pack. They were just marginalized individuals looking for opportunities before the dry season.
Big Head lay down in the grass, lowered his head, and stared at the three hyenas.
They were scavenging the antelope carcass; the vultures had already gone there, leaving only broken bones and hide. Three hyenas were fighting and biting each other, their shouts deafening.
Big Head started wagging its tail, not to shoo away flies, but because it was too excited to resist.
He thought about it for a moment, or rather, not really thought about it—Big Head's mind was always straightforward—then stood up and walked out of the bushes.
The three hyenas suddenly raised their heads.
Big Head stopped and looked at them.
He is now a well-developed sub-adult male lion, almost as tall as an adult female at the shoulder. His mane is still sparse, light-colored down, but he feels quite imposing.
The hyena closest to him barked first, a sharp, wary bark with an upward inflection.
Big Head's ears twitched, but didn't move.
The three hyenas began circling. This was their old trick: to create chaos and distract the enemy by moving around, so they could find openings on the flanks.
Big Head followed their movements, looking in the direction they went, always facing the direction with the most hyenas.
Chen Fei had taught him this movement technique, or rather, he had watched Chen Fei demonstrate it many times. Da Tou couldn't remember the principle, but he hadn't forgotten the movements, and the effect was the same.
The hyena on the far right tried to flank, but Big Head suddenly turned and charged forward two steps. The hyena immediately jumped back, and Big Head stopped, refocusing on the one in the middle.
The three hyenas howled in a chaotic cacophony.
Suddenly, Big Head lunged forward. Not a few steps, but full speed, charging straight at the hyena in the middle. It was faster than the hyena's reaction time; it dodged to the side, even stumbling. The other two hyenas were stunned by this sudden movement and stumbled back several steps.
Big Head took a couple of breaths and then swung his tail even harder.
The three hyenas regrouped, but their positions were now disordered, and their previous flanking angle was gone. They stood between the wreckage and the large head, howling a few times, their tone changing from a wary shriek to a short, retreating cry.
Big Head took a step forward.
The three hyenas ran away.
It wasn't exactly a rout, it was just resentment, but all they could do was run, shouting back as they ran, their shouts filled with exasperation.
Big Head watched them run away, stood for a while, then lowered his head to sniff the antelope carcasses. There wasn't much left to eat, so he looked up and walked back to where he had been.
After walking about thirty steps, he looked back to make sure the hyenas weren't following. Then he continued walking.
His walking posture was different from when he came. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was definitely different. His back seemed a bit straighter?
[Host: Chen Fei]
[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]
[Energy Points: 1051↑]
In the evening, Chen Fei smelled Da Tou's scent.
He didn't ask where Big Head had gone; the scent emanating from Big Head said it all. There was the smell of three scattered hyenas, and even though they had been in contact for less than twenty minutes, there was no blood, and Big Head wasn't injured.
He lowered his head and continued gnawing on the bone under his paws.
Big Head lay down beside him without saying a word, resting his chin on the ground and squinting at the distance. He pretended to be nonchalant, but his tail kept wagging, betraying his excitement.
Chen Fei glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, finished the last bite of the bone, raised his head, and let out a low growl in the direction of Big Head.
It was short, neither a command nor a compliment. Chen Fei rarely used this tone, and Da Tou was stunned for a second before he realized what it meant.
Big Head's ears perked up instantly, and his tail wagged even more enthusiastically. He turned his head to look at Chen Fei, his excitement barely concealed, no matter how hard he tried to hold it in.
Chen Fei had already looked away and continued licking his paws.
The idea of joint patrols could be attributed to Meimei; she took the initiative first, and Chen Fei followed suit. Who initiated it isn't really important.
The patrol route followed the northern edge of the territory, a route Chen Fei knew very well. He used to either walk it himself or with Wanderer Armor. The route itself wasn't anything special, but what was special was that Mei Mei was half a body length to his left, her pace matching his.
She didn't need Chen Fei to remind her; she knew exactly what to pay attention to.
The patrol was unusually efficient; with two lions walking on the same patch of grass, their sensing range nearly doubled. They didn't exchange many words; they simply walked and swept, thoroughly examining every inch of the northern territory.
By the time the patrol ended, it was getting dark.
Chen Fei stopped on a slightly elevated earthen slope, where he could see the edge of the grassland to the north. The dry season was approaching, and the grass was beginning to turn yellow from the roots. The wind carried a dry, scorching smell.
He lay down.
Meimei paused to his right and lay down, closer than usual, so close that Chen Fei could clearly feel her body temperature.
Both lions were looking north.
The sunset on the grassland is sometimes orange-red, sometimes gray-blue. Today it's gray-blue, the light flat and cold, making the grassland appear even lower and wider.
Meimei flicked her tail and bumped into Chen Fei's hind leg.
She didn't move.
Chen Fei's ears twitched, but his gaze remained fixed on the north. It remained quiet.
The wind blew again, flattening the grass, then bouncing it up again, flattening it again, and bouncing it up again. The sky grew darker, and something was moving in the distance on the northern grasslands. It was a herd of wildebeest, Chen Fei recognized it. The distance was far enough, and the direction was wrong; he didn't need to worry about it.
Meimei's breathing was steady, perfectly in sync with the rhythm of the grassland.
[Host: Chen Fei]
[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]
[Energy Points: 1058↑]
Three days later, in the early morning, something happened.
Two herders were driving a small herd of cattle toward the water source to the north. As they passed a patch of low bushes, the one in front stopped and raised his hand.
The people behind him also stopped and looked in the direction he was pointing.
At the edge of the bushes, a young lion was rising from the grass. It was not small, and its mane was not fully grown, but the way it stood up was as if something had been suddenly straightened out, with its shoulder line, neck line, and back line all perfectly straight.
The sunlight from the east slanted in.
Both herders saw it clearly: at the junction of the lion's head and neck, in the sparse, undeveloped mane, a few strands of fur gleamed in the sunlight. It wasn't ordinary brownish-yellow; it was the color of gold. Just like that, the lion walked deeper into the bushes and disappeared.
The cattle stirred and emitted a low moo.
The two herders stood still, without moving.
After a while, the person behind asked in a low voice in the local language, "Did you see it?"
The person in front didn't answer immediately. They lowered their hand and glanced at the bushes again. There was nothing left, only grass and wind.
"I saw it," he said, his voice a little dry, "the color—"