Man and Nature

The large vehicle offered excellent visibility, allowing for a panoramic view of everything happening within a certain area from a relatively elevated position. In Lin Qi's eyes, the grass was swaying constantly in all directions, as if something was hidden within it and moving rapidly.

These are predators of the grasslands, and are currently the main prey species in Nagaril — Leopard Lion.

The Leopard Lion is neither a leopard nor a lion; it is a distinct feline species with markings similar to those of a leopard, and also has a ring of golden fur around its neck (do not confuse it with other animals).

Because of its appearance, people call it the Leopard Lion.

Lions and leopards used to inhabit this grassland, but as the Leopard Lion population grew, the leopards and lions were driven to more remote areas or even elsewhere. Currently, the main carnivorous predators here are Leopard Lion, and Spotted Wolf.

Spotted Wolf are highly territorial and have their own territory. Because they are more resistant to hunger than Spotted Wolf Leopard Lion Leopard Lion and do not have as high requirements for their living environment, they do not migrate with some herbivores.

Moreover, Spotted Wolf are very intelligent; they know that humans are dangerous, and except for the occasional attack on villages when food is scarce, they mostly stay in their own territory.

Only Leopard Lion, who always need a sufficient amount of food to ensure their fighting ability and to raise their Leopard Lion, have to migrate along with their food.

A few minutes later, the bustling grass on the grassland fell completely silent, but the silence gave people a sense of oppression.

The hunters got out of the cart, carrying ropes and nets, and began to slowly walk towards the herd.

It was only then that Lin Qi noticed that the knights were constantly keeping the Hammerhead Cow confined to a certain area, which was also for the purpose of better hunting those predators in the next step.

As time passed, a Hammerhead Cow back was twitching suddenly awoke with alarm, raised its head, and looked around as if it had detected some danger.

But it reacted too slowly. Just then, in the sunlight, a golden figure shot out from the grass like lightning and leaped onto the back of the Hammerhead Cow.

The Leopard Lion, now fully grown and strong, had fur that shimmered with a captivating luster in the sunlight, especially the golden fur around its neck—a scarf that the ladies of Bu Peien would surely desire.

The Leopard Lion's claws were three or four inches long and extremely sharp. They dug into the flesh of the Hammerhead Cow in one go. It tore at the wound on the Hammerhead Cow's back, and the blood stained its golden fur, adding a special kind of beauty.

A second Leopard Lion leaped out of the grass, followed by a third, and then many more.

The entire herd was thrown into chaos in an instant. These Hammerhead Cow, already frightened and injured, were no longer able to unite and form a relatively advantageous force to fight against the predator as they had in the past when faced with danger.

The wounds on their bodies made them think that they had been ridden by predators. This fear made their instincts take over their already underdeveloped little minds, so they naturally could not gather together.

The knights gradually retreated, and then the armored hunters began to move.

It's somewhat comical, yet there's an indescribable heaviness to it.

"We could have used guns and knives, but whole pelts are more expensive, as are live animals, so we need to get some live animals and some whole pelts. I told them not to use weapons!" Hassana's eyes gleamed with a greedy and bloodthirsty light as he picked up an old pair of binoculars and began to enjoy the hunt.

Behind the lens, the hunters on foot had approached the hunting circle, and their first target was a Hammerhead Cow that had already given up resistance.

Beside the Hammerhead Cow lying helplessly on the ground, seven or eight Leopard Lion were crouching. Some of these Leopard Lion had their hands on the Hammerhead Cow's throat, some had their hands on its testicles, and others were tearing at its belly, the most vulnerable part.

Blood, entrails, a strong, pungent smell of blood— the Hammerhead Cow was not yet dead. It could only watch helplessly as its belly was ripped open, its entrails spilling onto the ground, and it could only await its death with resignation.

As the hunters approached, the Leopard Lion, which was feeding, let out a low growl filled with warning.

These are their prey! The two Leopard Lion, who were feeding, began to lower their bodies, their hind legs already gathering strength, ready to launch themselves at any moment. If these bipedal animals did not leave, they would inevitably attack in order to protect their prey.

They just got some things wrong. These humans didn't come to steal their prey; they came for themselves!

Delicious beef poses a life-threatening danger to the Hammerhead Cow, and these beautiful furs pose a great danger to the Leopard Lion! Humans did not back down, and this attitude that transcends species instantly made the Leopard Lion realize that they could not reach an agreement with these humans.

The moment the first Leopard Lion was launched, its target and the people next to it simultaneously raised their nets.

The net was sturdy and accurately caught the Leopard Lion, but the Leopard Lion still crashed into the man.

A man and a Leopard Lion rolled away at the same time, going a long way.

The person who was knocked away had just gotten up and taken a few steps when his expression suddenly changed, and he fell to the ground again.

His nose started bleeding, and he wiped it with his hands, but he couldn't get it clean. No matter how much he wiped away, new blood would flow out. He might be injured, but no one knew how serious his condition was, and no one cared about him.

When he coughed up a mouthful of blood, people stopped looking at him.

Such an injury in a place like this is completely unnecessary to treat, because it is beyond saving! When the Leopard Lion suddenly burst out, it crashed into a person at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, which was actually a car accident.

The leather and iron plates on his body reduced some of the impact, but his ribs still broke, and not only broke, but also pierced his lungs.

Blood quickly filled and submerged his lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to be delivered into the bloodstream through the alveoli. In just a few seconds, the lack of oxygen caused his brain to lose its ability to balance.

He was finished. His lifeless eyes stared at the bright Scorching Sun- drenched sky, but for some reason, even though it was the brightest time of day, his world was growing darker and darker. The departure of one person was a trivial matter to the animals on the grassland and to the society of Nagaril.

The others were still struggling desperately. The Leopard Lion trapped in the net was struggling to break free from the things binding it. It had no nimble fingers, no clever brain, and using brute force would only make it sink deeper into the net.

People pounced on it, held it down, and tried to tie it with a rope.

At this point, the other Leopard Lion, no longer thinking clearly, realized that this was no ordinary group of opponents. They immediately abandoned their fight against the dying Hammerhead Cow and began to deal with the humans.

As one of the Leopard Lion made a "ho ho" sound, more Leopard Lion gathered in this direction.

Hassana sat on the truck with a smile on his lips. He enjoyed watching this, enjoyed seeing the tenacity of humanity in its struggle against nature, it made his blood boil!

But people facing a huge crisis don't think that way. If it weren't for money, if it weren't for the Ten Thousandth chance to change their family status, no one would be willing to come and die!

In their view, this was a suicide mission.

The humans and Leopard Lion were locked in a fierce battle, with two or three people fighting against each Leopard Lion. Because of Hassana's demands, weapons were not allowed to be used to damage the Leopard Lion ' fur; they could only use ropes or nets.

They had no tranquilizer guns, let alone tranquilizers, and even the Hassana were reluctant to handle poisons—just as some countries have strict controls on arms and certain sensitive commodities, in Nagaril, the rulers also established strict management systems for all kinds of toxic substances.

In addition, some natural toxins will damage the color of the fur, so in the end this will be a cruel, terrible, yet exciting hand-to-hand fight.

A hand-to-hand fight between humans and predators at the top of the food chain!

Lin Qi watched for a while and said, "Too slow. Maybe you can let them use weapons."

Hassana turned back and looked at Lin Qi with a half-smile. "Is a damaged pelt the same price as a complete pelt?"

Lin Qi shook his head and stopped talking about it. Actually, they weren't talking about this particular thing, but it was also about this thing.

The fight lasted for more than ten minutes before gradually coming to an end. Some Leopard Lion abandoned their prey and quickly disappeared into the grass. The rest were either strangled or trapped in the nets and unable to escape.

Hassana was very satisfied with his prey, and he didn't care about the wounded people all over the ground. He had paid them, and they had completed the task. They should even be grateful for his generosity.

Next came the cleanup of the battlefield. The knights returned from afar, and they first dismantled the Hammerhead Cow, wrapping the Leopard Lion in the hides to ensure that these fine furs would not be damaged during transport.

Then they began distributing simple items to the wounded, such as strips of cloth and some grass ash.

Lin Qi looked at these people and sighed silently. Most of them probably wouldn't survive, not because their injuries would kill them.

Those bite wounds may look scary, but if treated properly, they won't actually affect a person's life. What really makes it difficult for them to survive is the bacteria in the wound.

The teeth and claws of these Leopard Lion and lions harbor a large number of bacteria and viruses. These things pose no problem for them, but they can be fatal if they enter a human body.

Half an hour later, Hassana's nephew appeared excitedly in front of Lin Qi and Hassana, reporting the good news, "A total of fourteen Leopard Lion, three of which are alive and the rest are dead. Their fur is very well preserved. I have never seen such high-quality fur before!"

Actually, there were five alive at first, but two of them broke their legs while struggling. Lin Qi probably wouldn't want such a disabled Leopard Lion; nobody wants to go to a zoo or anywhere to see a bunch of cripples.

But their fur was still in good condition, so Hassana strangled them.