Chapter 94: The Little Lion’s First Independent Hunt

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: The Little Lion’s First Independent Hunt

Since the failed joint raid on the reserve with the Rebel Army, the Fierce Beast Army had been almost completely annihilated.

After losing the stronghold he had managed for years and having all his carefully groomed spies exposed, Valken had completely vanished from the public eye. Now, it was likely that only internal members of the Rebel Army could contact him.

"According to our investigation, he fled to another planet and merged with the local Rebel Army branch. He is currently being marginalized."

Considering the magnitude of his failure, Valken was lucky he hadn’t been expelled from the Rebel Army or outright killed.

"Find a way to contact him. Figure out his recent movements."

Knowing Valken, Elias knew he wouldn’t go down without a fight or just accept his fate. The most probable reason the Rebel Army’s higher-ups had spared him was tied to Liang He.

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Liang He, who was increasingly becoming the focus of multiple factions, was currently alone with the Platinum Giant Lion, heading to the forest restaurant.

"Are you saying Cyril has to hunt for himself?"

The open-air forest restaurant was incredibly expansive. Numerous chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep had been released inside and were bounding about lively, completely unaware that they were destined to be meals for the predators.

"Yes, this is a rule on Greenfield Star," the staff member explained. "Unless an animal requires special care, we don’t suppress their natural instincts or let them get used to having everything handed to them."

Since all animals would eventually be released back into the wild, being overly pampered by humans would likely sentence them to death the moment they returned to nature.

Liang He had to admit that the staff made a lot of sense. She could only shrug at the Platinum Giant Lion, then pat his head and stroke his mane, mentally preparing him to hunt for himself.

"Cyril, what we get to eat today all depends on how capable you are!"

To encourage the Platinum Giant Lion, Liang He decided to share thick and thin with him.

If he successfully brought back prey, all would be well. But if he returned empty-pawed, Liang He would simply have to go hungry right alongside him.

"ROAR!"

Filled with confidence from her encouragement, the Platinum Giant Lion strutted into the hunting grounds with his chest puffed out. The Mojin King Tiger and the others had taken him hunting before, and he thought it seemed pretty easy. Today, he absolutely had to show off his skills to his two-legger!

However, overconfidence often led to crashing and burning.

In the past, the Platinum Giant Lion had always been carried by the heavyweights. He had just trailed behind them, picking up ready-made kills, at most offering a symbolic swipe of his claws. He had absolutely zero independent hunting experience.

"Your lion seems... not very good at hunting?"

The staff member watched as the Platinum Giant Lion recklessly charged into the flock of chickens and ducks, wildly snapping and swiping. Feathers flew everywhere, but in the end, he was left looking ridiculous with nothing but a mouthful of fluff. The staff member almost burst out laughing.

Sensing that their dinner was in severe jeopardy, Liang He rubbed her temples in exasperation. Still, she didn’t rush to direct him, wanting him to try a bit more on his own.

"Whose lion is this? He doesn’t even know the basics of hunting!"

"He’s a ferocious predator, yet he can’t even handle ordinary chickens and ducks. He’s been completely ruined by his Breeder!"

"Tsk, tsk. What an absolute waste of potential. If I were raising this lion, he definitely wouldn’t be like this."

Perhaps attracted by the commotion the Platinum Giant Lion was making, quite a few people had gathered around. Listening to their chatter, it seemed most of them were affiliated with Breeders.

The staff member carefully peeked at Liang He’s expression, afraid she might get upset or take her anger out on the lion.

"I actually think this lion is being raised very well. Look at his mane; it’s definitely carefully groomed every day."

As they spoke, another person walked up to the quarantine fence of the hunting grounds, looking inside at the still-struggling Platinum Giant Lion.

He failed time and time again, yet he kept trying. Even though he was being run in circles by tiny chickens and ducks, the Platinum Giant Lion showed no intention of giving up. Instead, he slowly accumulated experience from his failures, and his hunting movements gradually grew more professional.

"Look closely. This is probably the little guy’s first time hunting alone, but he’s already learning from the experience. That proves his natural instincts haven’t been suppressed."

The crowd followed his gaze. Upon closer observation, they found that it was true. The Platinum Giant Lion had gone from his initial messy, frantic flailing to now locking eyes onto a target and suddenly lunging.

"Ah! He caught one!"

Watching the chicken gradually lose its strength to struggle after its throat was crushed by the Platinum Giant Lion’s bite, the crowd broke into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Standing off to the side, Liang He smiled with gratifying relief.

Others might not know, but Liang He clearly understood that the Platinum Giant Lion was recalling the movements from when he had hunted with the Mojin King Tiger and the rest. He had slowly applied and mastered those techniques, catching his prey only through relentless effort.

"ROAR!"

Having finally secured his prey, the overjoyed Platinum Giant Lion charged straight toward Liang He. He completely ignored the other people present, causing them to scatter in terror. Terrified that a moment’s hesitation would turn them into the predator’s next meal, they completely forgot how they had just been mocking him for his lack of hunting skills.

"Cyril, come here."

Startled by the crowd’s extreme reaction, the Platinum Giant Lion froze in place. Thinking he had done something wrong again, he stared pitifully at Liang He, dropping the chicken from his mouth onto the ground.

It wasn’t until Liang He called out to him that her gentle voice soothed his anxious heart. He picked up his prey once more and obediently trotted over to her.

"Cyril, you’re amazing!"

"ROAR~"

Hearing Liang He’s praise, the Platinum Giant Lion was bursting with pride. He hurriedly opened his mouth and nudged the chicken toward her, having no intention of keeping any for himself.

Even though he had worked so hard just to catch a single chicken, the Platinum Giant Lion didn’t hesitate to feed it to his Breeder. Such a thing was practically unheard of. The entire crowd was utterly stunned.

At the same time, it dawned on them that they had just been badmouthing the Platinum Giant Lion right in front of his own Breeder. The atmosphere instantly turned silent and overwhelmingly awkward.

"Ahem. Hello there. Are you the one raising this Platinum Giant Lion?"

Seeing the stiff atmosphere, the man who had spoken up for the lion earlier took the initiative to greet Liang He.

Liang He looked up at him and gave a slight nod.

"Yes."

Now that all their attention was drawn to Liang He, everyone slowly realized that she looked a bit familiar.

"Is his name Cyril?"

He had heard her call him that when she was praising him earlier.

"Yes. Cyril has always been raised in the Empire, so he doesn’t have a lot of hunting experience."

Liang He was explaining this to defend the Platinum Giant Lion. She refused to let her own fluffy companion be misunderstood or wronged.

However, her response only made the bystanders fall into an even deeper silence.

Cyril. The Empire.

If they weren’t mistaken... could this Platinum Giant Lion they had just been badmouthing be the Empire’s most treasured Crown Prince?!

"Y-you... Are you the Fur Raising Officer?!"

Someone finally made the connection. No wonder she looked so familiar; they had all seen her on the Star Network!

Faced with their inexplicable excitement, Liang He tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes, I’m Liang He."

With her confirmation, the crowd grew both thrilled and incredibly embarrassed. They carefully peeked at the Platinum Giant Lion, praying that the Crown Prince hadn’t understood their earlier insults.

In addition, a small portion of the Breeders present who knew about the existence of Evolutionary Beastmen cast glances of awe and admiration at Liang He.

"So you are Miss Liang He? I am so sorry. We’ll arrange dinner for you and Cyril right away. You can wait in the restaurant."

The staff member had overheard their conversation and hurriedly looked at her with an apologetic expression. The manager had instructed him ages ago that Liang He and the Platinum Giant Lion were exceptions and did not need to follow the self-hunting rule.

"Thank you. But I think Cyril would prefer to eat what he caught himself."

After politely declining, Liang He whispered something into the Platinum Giant Lion’s ear. She then stood up and waved her hand forward.

"Cyril, kill it!"