A Fire-Spitting Little Bird

On the seventh day of relentless rain, Chen Yuan felt that something about the world had changed.

The Camphor Tree in the yard had grown taller and taller, its branches lush and leafy. As the gale swept past, it resembled a swaying green ocean.

The weeds along the roads and in the fields had gone wild, easily surpassing a meter in height. Even the outsides of the houses were covered in moss, while vines and the like wrapped around parts of the buildings. Rich green spread throughout Xuanhe Village.

"Awoo! Awoo!"

The sudden barking yanked Chen Yuan from his thoughts. Looking down, he saw a Chinese Rural Dog covered in brown fur, its tail wagging from side to side.

"And you." Chen Yuan's expression turned strange as he looked at the dog before him.

This Chinese Rural Dog had been born only half a month ago, yet it had grown at an astonishing rate during this week of torrential rain. Its looks had improved at a mind-boggling pace, and its body had expanded several times over. It was already nearly the size of an ordinary adult dog.

Such an astonishing growth rate clearly defied biological common sense, but when Chen Yuan thought of the plants growing wildly outside, it somehow seemed perfectly normal.

If everyone was abnormal, then it was normal.

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

The dog's barking grew more urgent, its eyes filled with eagerness and longing as it looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan smiled helplessly and unscrewed the bottle of Cola on his desk.

"Awoo!"

The dog lay on the ground, craning its head up with all its strength and opening its mouth. Drool streamed down as its tail wagged back and forth.

The Cola flowed down, its sharp scent rushing into the air. The dog hurriedly gulped it down, the excitement in its eyes growing stronger as its tail began wagging faster and faster.

"You like Cola that much? Then I'll call you Cola from now on." Chen Yuan tightened the cap on the half-full bottle and smiled at the dog.

Cola paid no attention to what Chen Yuan had said. Instead, it stared longingly at the half bottle of Cola, its craving plain to see.

Chen Yuan set the bottle back on the desk and frightened the Cola lying on the floor. "If you drink too much Cola, you won't be able to have puppies."

As if it understood him, Cola immediately shrank its neck and stiffly looked away, making sure its gaze no longer fell on the Cola bottle.

Chen Yuan smiled, but suddenly looked up at the window and muttered, "Huh?"

"The rain stopped?"

He stood and pushed open the window. Gentle sunlight rushed into the room as if competing to be first.

Chen Yuan raised his head and saw rays of sunlight piercing through the heavy clouds, spilling softly over the earth.

He froze for a moment before a bright smile appeared on his face. "That wasn't easy. It's finally sunny."

The sudden torrential rain had swept across every corner of the globe, severely affecting countless countries and cities and leaving billions of people suffering from the disaster.

Fortunately, after a week of unceasing rain, the clouds had finally parted.

Chen Yuan pushed open the gates of the wildlife rescue station and stood at the entrance, breathing in the damp, fresh air after the rain as sunlight fell over him.

Cola behind him impatiently darted out the gates, running about gleefully and chasing its own shadow.

"Little Chen, come take a look!"

Just then, a dark-skinned Middle-Aged Man hurried over, his expression anxious.

Chen Yuan turned around and calmly asked, "Uncle Wang, what happened?"

Uncle Wang stopped before Chen Yuan, panting heavily as he spoke in a rushed tone. "Come take a look. There's a little bird in my field that can breathe fire."

A fire-spitting little bird?

Chen Yuan was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to say something, he recalled the recent changes and fell silent.

"Oh, just come take a look first." Uncle Wang grabbed Chen Yuan's hand and pulled him toward the eastern side of the village.

"Don't rush. Let me bring a cage."

Cola trotted along behind them.

After graduating from college, Chen Yuan, who had majored in veterinary medicine, returned to his hometown of Xuanhe Village. He passed the Forestry Bureau's public service recruitment exam and began working at the wildlife rescue station.

Xuanhe Village was located in the Southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, where wildlife resources were abundant and forest coverage was extremely high.

As a worker at the wildlife rescue station, Chen Yuan's daily job was to treat injured animals discovered by forest rangers and villagers.

They stepped through puddles and pushed through meter-high grass. The sunlight breaking through the clouds became increasingly dazzling as Chen Yuan followed Uncle Wang to a field before long.

Quite a few people had already gathered in front of the field. As Chen Yuan drew closer, their discussions reached his ears.

"What the hell do you think that thing is?"

"I've lived for over fifty years, and this is the first time I've seen a little bird that can breathe fire."

"Damn, there have been so many strange things happening lately."

When the crowd saw Chen Yuan, they made way for him, allowing him to see the small orange-yellow figure lying on the ground.

It was a bird covered in orange-yellow feathers. It was small, with long, narrow, pointed wings and a long, slender tail. The tip of its upper beak curved downward, its edges lined with sharp tooth-like projections. A crimson feather shaft curled upward from its tail like a cluster of burning flames.

Its deep blue eyes were even more striking, like an azure sea with surging waves concealed beneath its calm surface.

Chen Yuan stood there in a daze.

This little bird's appearance clearly leaned toward the falcon family, yet its specific features did not match any falcon Chen Yuan remembered.

This was an unfamiliar bird species that had never appeared before!

What was more, the little bird spat clusters of flame from its mouth, scattering faint sparks across the ground.

Its destructive power was not particularly strong, but the phenomenon clearly defied common sense.

Whenever the fire-spitting little bird spewed flames, a faint five-pointed star symbol appeared on its forehead.

Thinking of all the changes around him, Chen Yuan became increasingly convinced that something earth-shaking had happened to this world.

Chen Yuan did his best to calm himself and examined it carefully. Only then did he notice reddish blood vessels showing through the little bird's wings as they moved weakly up and down.

Chen Yuan's experienced eyes lit up. He immediately saw the fire-spitting little bird's condition—it had injured wings and could not fly.

"What's going on with this fire-spitting little bird?" Seeing Chen Yuan stare at it without speaking, Uncle Wang grew somewhat anxious.

Chen Yuan answered slowly, "Its wings are injured. I'll take it back and treat it first."

"Oh, I see." Uncle Wang nodded in realization, then lowered his voice. He hesitated before asking, "Do you think it's because of this rainstorm...?"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Uncle Wang, that's something the higher-ups need to worry about."

With that, Chen Yuan stepped forward and stood directly in front of the fire-spitting little bird.

A huge shadow enveloped the little bird, but it showed no fear. It struggled to lift its head, laboriously spread its wings, and let out a tender hiss. "Chirp!"

As an experienced rescuer, Chen Yuan was not intimidated by the fire-spitting little bird at all. Once he confirmed that the small flames posed no threat to him, he suddenly reached out, grabbed the little bird by the back of its neck, and lifted it forcefully.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"

The fire-spitting little bird looked grief-stricken and furious as it cried out in fierce resistance. Fine sweat seeped from its forehead, but its struggles were weak.

The bystanders clapped and cheered, while Chen Yuan, holding the fire-spitting little bird, wore a strange expression.

Extraordinary Creature detected. Extraordinary Codex activated.

First collection of Flame Cloud Falcon. Origin Points +1.

Species: Flame Cloud Falcon

Attribute: Fire

Level: 1 (Tier 1)

Favorability: -10

Skill: Flame Surge (Beginner 0.1/3)+

Quality: Ordinary

Requirements to advance to Elite quality: Insufficient Origin Points (1/5)