Chapter 252: Be Careful Not to Get Caught and Stewed Into Snake Soup!

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Be Careful Not to Get Caught and Stewed Into Snake Soup!

Returning to her room with indescribable feelings, Liang He collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

Cedriel and Lanton had disappeared somewhere and didn’t follow her back.

Sensing her sadness, Little Black slipped out of the bathroom, skillfully climbed onto the bed, and gently curled himself around her wrist.

"Little Black? You’re back."

Feeling the cool, soft touch against her skin, Liang He raised her hand and stroked the increasingly large little horns on Little Black’s head. She began to pour out her troubles.

"As humans, we enjoy all kinds of resources, yet now we are asking animals to sacrifice themselves just to protect this sea..."

Although Grandma Tiger Whale was only acting as a pack mule, the very existence of the Mysterious Sea Area represented danger. Liang He didn’t dare to imagine how devastated the Tiger Whale Clan would be if Grandma Tiger Whale actually paid with her life for this.

Having his little horns stroked, Elias felt a strange, tingling numbness spread from head to tail, making him feel both uncomfortable and captivated. He didn’t know how to comfort Liang He, because in his world, this was not an issue worth caring about. Let alone these animals, even humans and Beastmen were completely expendable in the eyes of certain higher-ups.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Liang He gently poked Little Black’s tail. She noticed that ever since she became able to communicate with animals without barriers, she rarely heard Little Black’s voice anymore.

Hearing the slight grievance in Liang He’s voice, Elias almost lost his composure and wanted to speak out in response. However, considering the chain reaction of consequences, he held back. As long as he kept his mouth shut, Liang He wouldn’t know what he was thinking. This was his way of keeping his secret.

Elias hooked the tip of his tail around Liang He’s restless finger and rubbed his little head against her fingertip as a form of comfort.

"Alright... if you don’t want to talk to me, I can’t force you."

Liang He hadn’t actually expected to get a solution from Little Black; she was just feeling down and wanted to vent. When faced with problems, the only person who could truly solve them was oneself.

"Little Black, I’m going out for a bit. Be a good boy and don’t run around, you hear me? Be careful not to get caught and stewed into snake soup!"

Liang He had suddenly remembered something and leaped up from the bed, almost flinging Elias away in the process. Only after she found her footing did he groggily shake his head. Before he could even recover, Liang He placed him back onto the bed, delivering her playful threat.

Watching Liang He quickly leave the room, a hint of a smile flashed in Elias’s pitch-black eyes. He thought about how she had actually learned to scare people... or rather, snakes. It was truly adorable.

Elias curled up in the corner of the bed, hiding himself under the pillow. Reminiscing about his daily life with Liang He, he contentedly closed his eyes. It wasn’t until Liang He returned to the room with the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle that he lazily half-opened his eyes and poked his little black head out from the gap beneath the pillow.

"I can finally get a good night’s sleep."

Liang He half-leaned on the sofa, while the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle familiarly lay down beside her. However, this heartwarming scene was somewhat of an eyesore to Elias. He thought how wonderful it would be if they were both gone, leaving only him by Liang He’s side.

"Cedriel, Lanton, wipe your paws yourselves before getting into bed. I’m going to wash up first."

The Sea Ship was quite clean, unlike the wilderness. Therefore, Liang He didn’t need to wipe their paws for them; they just had to rub the dust off onto a towel themselves. After Lanton finished catching fish today, Liang He had already given his talons an extra wash, so there was no need to worry about him staining the bedsheets with a fishy smell.

"AWOO!"

"SCREECH!"

Knowing that Liang He was exhausted today, Cedriel and Lanton obediently agreed to her instructions and began their self-service paw-wiping routine. By the time they finished and got onto the bed, ready to warm up the covers for Liang He, Little Black was nowhere to be seen.

Lanton always felt that there was something not quite right about the mysterious Little Black, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

"Don’t you think there’s something wrong with Little Black?" Lanton whispered in Eagle language to Cedriel. He kept his voice low, afraid that Liang He or Little Black might hear him; after all, he was gossiping behind someone’s back.

Faced with Lanton’s suspicions, Cedriel merely let out a lazy yawn. "You just overthink things. He’s been by Liang He’s side for so long, and he hasn’t done anything out of line, right?"

From Cedriel’s perspective, Little Black rarely even vied for favor. He was often curled up in some unknown corner hibernating and wasn’t a threat at all. It wasn’t that Cedriel was too naive or underestimated the enemy; it was just that, in his view, Liang He treated them all very well. Why would Little Black do anything to wrong her?

"Little Black deliberately latched onto Liang He in the beginning. How can you be sure he didn’t approach her on purpose?" Lanton argued. As the First Commander, he was indeed more skilled in strategy than Cedriel, and he was naturally far more calculating. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been crowned with the title of Green Tea Eagle during his Evolutionary Stage.

"Liang He possesses a special attraction for Evolutionary Beastmen. Don’t tell me you can’t tell that the Little Black Snake is also a Beastman? Isn’t this completely normal?" Although a Beastman couldn’t determine whether another was in the Evolutionary Stage, Cedriel was certain that Little Black was also a Beastman. Based on his daily observations, Little Black, who frequently hibernated, fit the characteristics of an Evolutionary Beastman quite well.

Lanton remained noncommittal to Cedriel’s words. "Regardless, I still think we should be vigilant. You must have noticed it too—the Rebel Army has been keeping their eyes on Liang He."

From his standpoint, he needed to consider Liang He’s safety, which was also something Cedriel cared deeply about.

"Alright, you have a point. How about I take charge of the ground, and you cover the air?" Cedriel offered. He was the Federation Marshal, after all. He might not fully understand Lanton’s paranoia, but he was willing to listen to advice. Besides, if he had been a pigheaded fool, he probably wouldn’t have secured his high position. Winning a war required more than just brute force; it also required brains.

"Deal."

Just as the two finished their discussion, Liang He finished her shower and walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas. Exhausted from the day’s events, she didn’t even check if they had actually wiped their paws before falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

"Alright! Everyone, put on your diving gear, enter the submarines, and begin the coordinated training with the Killer Whale!"

Early the next morning, Liang He heard the disciplined voices of Leila and the others training on the deck.

To ensure they were fully prepared and to maximize the safety of those diving into the Mysterious Sea Area, Leila and the team had scheduled the operation for tomorrow.

"Today’s mission is to adapt to operating alongside the Killer Whale. This is to prevent any panic that might lead to accidentally injuring it once we enter the Mysterious Sea Area."

At Liang He’s repeated insistence, everyone was extremely grateful for the Killer Whale’s assistance. They had also promised to do their utmost to avoid harming the Killer Whale during the exploration and to ensure it returned safely. Grandma Tiger Whale could likely sense the humans’ friendliness as well, as she was highly cooperative with their training.

"Understood!"

"SQUEAK!"

The exploration team and Grandma Tiger Whale responded to Leila’s command simultaneously. At that moment, the picture of humans and animals harmoniously protecting nature was etched into everyone’s minds.