Hunting

The next day, after breakfast, Lou Yu appeared to be driving alone out of the base gate in a truck, but Tao Qiu and the children were actually hiding in the back seat.

Those who didn't know the situation assumed he had gone out to look for the Snow Bird again. If he were with Tao Qiu and the child, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Previously, to deal with the spies from the Central Base, he pretended to be rejected by Snow Bird. People still vividly remembered that he had lost Snow Bird's favor, so they thought he was going to make peace this time. It would be abnormal for him to bring his partner and child with him.

After all, everyone knows that the Snow Bird only Lou Yu, a human. Wouldn't other people be more likely to anger the Snow Bird?

Besides, going out in such cold weather is bad for children, and the wild is dangerous. Even superhumans aren't omnipotent; what if something goes wrong?

These are all things that an unsuspecting passerby might consider, but the main reason Tao Qiu and Lou Yu did this was because they didn't want to be discovered by the Lou Family.

He went out with his partner and three children, and came back with a whole cartload of prey? What if they suspect Tao Qiu and the children?

Lou Yu and his group headed west this time.

As mentioned before, some teams sell their observations along the way to the military as intelligence when they go on missions. The military also regularly explores the wilderness and confirms the distribution of mutated monsters to create "maps" which are then made available free of charge to those who need to go out.

Lou Yu found a new intelligence map and saw a herd of mutated goats west of the base's safe zone. He also noted that the meat of low-level mutated goats was edible for humans.

Fortunately, the goats' habitat is some distance from the base, so there's no need to worry about them being seen by passersby.

Lou Yu also kept an eye on the area behind the car along the way, making sure no one was there before he felt comfortable following them.

When they arrived at the destination, the car couldn't drive up the mountain, so they had to find their own way to get up.

Tao Qiu and her children took off their thick clothes in the car, and after getting out, they transformed back into tall Snow Bird.

Tao Qiu carried Lou Yu and flew up the mountain, with his three cubs following closely behind.

The temperature on the mountain was much lower than at the foot of the mountain; the branches were covered in frost, and the stream near the bank was frozen.

Tao Qiu and his group found a herd of wild goats grazing on dry grass in a valley filled with pebbles. The goats, both big and small, looked quite plump, and would surely be very nutritious whether stewed or used in hot pot.

Judging from their size, these are all goats with relatively low mutation levels.

Tao Qiu didn't rush up immediately. Instead, she landed Lou Yu on a nearby hillside and put him down first.

The cold wind howled, and Tao Qiu squatted down, sheltering Lou Yu in her soft feathers to keep him warm.

The three goat cubs were observing the terrain around the goat herd, trying to figure out their possible escape routes and the quickest and easiest way to catch them.

One of the purposes of this trip was to train the cubs' actual hunting skills, so Tao Qiu didn't plan to go into battle right away, but instead let the cubs practice first.

"Lambs and ewes can be caught, but not too many. The main focus should be on hunting rams."

Lambs are the continuation of the herd, and ewes should be kept to reproduce; we cannot exhaust the resources of the herd.

The three boys nodded and quickly spotted a plump and strong goat.

Goat hair is thick, and it has large, sharp horns, making it quite difficult to hunt.

Lou Yu instructed, "Be careful, don't push yourself. If you really can't manage, go catch other sheep, or ask our two dads for help."

Previously, Tao Qiu was afraid that Lou Yu would encounter unexpected events on his way back to the base, so he never let him use his special abilities to accompany him on the hunt. Now the situation is different, and he wants to give it a try.

The kids obediently agreed.

This time, the captain was led by the Eldest Cub. They took off and flew towards the valley floor, starting to bleat while still in mid-air. Their purpose was to scare the goats into disarray so they could be defeated one by one.

These goats were of low mutation level and not very intelligent. They had no intention of rebelling as a group. Upon hearing the call of the Snow Bird and sensing the aura of a high-level mutated monster, they bleated and ran into the forest on the mountain.

They didn't resist, but as they fled, they instinctively shielded their young in the middle.

However, because of the rush, not every animal could keep up with the pace of raising its young, and gradually a few animals were left alone.

Fortunately, the chicks weren't targeting them yet, so they ignored them and flew directly towards the male goat they had their eye on.

The Second Cub stepped forward, flapping its wings and brandishing its claws to harass the male goat and isolate it from the flock. The eldest and Third Cub Eldest Cub attacked from behind, and the three chicks surrounded the goat, leaving it with no way to escape.

When the sheep saw that one of their kind was being targeted, they didn't stop to help; instead, they ran even faster.

The male goat used its horns to butt the Second Cub blocking its path, but the Second Cub, though large, was very Second Cub and dodged its attack. The Third Cub Eldest Cub pounced from the side as the male goat jumped, nearly knocking it off the hillside.

"Baa--" The goat retreated in fear and wariness, letting out a hoarse bleat, trying to scare away the three baby birds, but to no avail.

The three goats took turns trying to pounce on it, and the goat frantically dodged, nearly slipping several times.

The Eldest Cub turned its head to look at the flock of sheep that was about to run into the forest, and said to its two younger sisters, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--Okay, let's push it down. Go ahead, we still need to catch other goats.

The Second Cub and Third Cub chirped and increased the frequency of their flapping, and the goat retreated faster and faster.

Finally, it accidentally stepped on the soft mud and rolled down, and unfortunately crashed into a rock, breaking off a piece of its horn.

Before the goat could even get up, three baby birds pecked at its throat, ending its life.

Afterwards, the three offspring did the same thing, killing two more male goats in a similar manner.

These goats were not particularly aggressive; the three of them expended some energy but were not injured.

By this time, the herd of goats had already run into the forest. However, because there were still ferocious mutated monsters deep in the forest, they did not go deep. Instead, they hid at the edge of the forest, trying to block the Snow Bird from hunting by using the tall trees.

But what the goats never expected was that the Snow Bird they encountered were different from the mutated bird monsters they were familiar with before. Even if they entered the forest, they could not escape the fate of being hunted.

As soon as the three kids finished fighting, Tao Qiu flew over with Lou Yu.

Tao Qiu shrunk his size and entered the forest with Lou Yu. Soon after, the terrified cries of sheep could be heard.

Then the three children waiting at the edge of the forest saw sheep carcasses, some bloody, some black and still smoking, tumbling out and piling up at the bottom of the valley.

Twenty minutes later, Tao Qiu and Lou Yu emerged from the forest. Tao Qiu's snow-white feathers were stained with blood, while Lou Yu was clean, though his breathing was somewhat rapid due to the exertion of his special abilities.

"That's enough. We can go back now," Lou Yu said, looking at the mountain of goats piled up below.

They reached the bottom of the valley, Tao Qiu said, "We can't finish transporting it all in one trip; it'll probably take three or four round trips. The three kids and you, Little Fishy, will take turns staying here to keep an eye on things, making sure other mutated monsters don't manage to pick them up."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Qiuqiu and the kids." Lou Yu knew he couldn't fly, so this was the best arrangement.

It was cold, and they all wanted to go home early. Without further ado, the first round was to have Tao Qiu and the Second Cub Eldest Cub transport the goods, Lou Yu and the Third Cub stayed behind.

It takes Tao Qiu and his group about fifteen minutes to make a round trip, while Lou Yu and the bird-shaped chicks guard the sheep pile.

But the smell of blood from the sheep eventually attracted uninvited guests. When Second Cub and Tao Qiu stayed behind in the third round, two intermediate-level mutated tigers poked their heads out from behind a large tree at the edge of the forest.

The tiger coveted the goat, but it coveted Lou Yu even more; the scent emanating from him was more alluring to the mutated monster than the goat itself.

The two tigers took two steps forward, revealing half of their bodies, their eyes filled with drool, and saliva dripping from their mouths.

Lou Yu and his son were somewhat prepared for this situation and were on guard, but not panicked.

"Screech--" The Second Cub stood in front of Lou Yu, spread its wings to increase its size and intimidation, and let out a stern cry.

Lou Yu raised his hand, and a ball of light flashing with purple lightning appeared in his palm, illuminating his cold and murderous eyes with unparalleled clarity.

The two tigers, having lived deep in the mountains for so long, were completely unaware of the rumors circulating among the many mutated monsters about the emergence of superhumans among humans. Seeing the humans they considered food emanating such a powerful and terrifying killing intent, they were momentarily stunned.

They had seen human firearms before. If Lou Yu had only been carrying a gun, the two tigers wouldn't have been afraid, because they were thick-skinned and wouldn't have died even if they had been hit by two bullets.

They made sure they could bite off Lou Yu's head before he could fire enough bullets to kill them.

As for the Snow Bird, although her mutation level was higher than theirs, she was still a cub, and the two tigers didn't take her seriously.

But the situation was beyond their expectations. It was their first time encountering a superhuman, and they were unsure of his strength level. Therefore, they stopped in their tracks and did not dare to move forward.

The two sides were locked in a standoff, and as time ticked by, Tao Qiu and her two children were expected to return soon.

The two tigers had caught the scent left by Tao Qiu. Their original plan was to eat Lou Yu and then leave; as long as they ran fast, the Snow Bird wouldn't be able to catch them.

But unexpectedly, this human turned out to be a tough opponent, and they couldn't take it down as quickly as they had planned.

The two tigers exchanged a glance and made up their minds to take the risk.

That human smells so good!

Almost instantly, as if on cue, the two mutated tigers pounced.

They are at higher elevations, while humans and Snow Bird are at lower elevations; this gives them a geographical advantage.

Lou Yu and Second Cub kept their eyes fixed on the two of them, and when the two made eye contact, they sensed their intention to attack.

As the two tigers pounced, Lou Yu swung out a ball of light at each of them, one on each side. Regardless of whether he hit them or not, as soon as the balls left his hands, Second Cub grabbed his arm, pulled him backward, and flew up.