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He had already decided to make a deal with the man and use whatever he got in exchange to improve life for himself and the cubs. He would not give up because of that concern.

As for when to tell the man and the cubs about each other, Tao Qiu was not ready yet. He decided to observe the man for a while longer first.

The man might be a good partner, but he would not necessarily be a good father. And what if he could not accept the bird cubs?

As for the bird cubs, since he did not intend to have them acknowledge the man for now, why tell them beforehand? If they could not acknowledge each other in the end, it would only make them sad.

Eldest Cub did not question whether the person Daddy mentioned was truly reliable. He said, "Chirp, chirp."

—It's good that there's someone you trust. I trust your decision, Daddy.

The bird cubs all trusted Daddy unconditionally.

"Thank you, Momo. Daddy will also take a good look at him. I won't be fooled."

Tao Qiu bent down and stroked Eldest Cub's head. Eldest Cub was a little shy, but even happier.

"There shouldn't be anything else in the bag, right?" Tao Qiu crouched down again and searched through it.

There were compartments both on the outside and inside of the backpack. Tao Qiu checked the outside first, but all the compartments were empty.

Tao Qiu had not expected to find anything in the inner compartments either. He thought the man would have left everything in plain sight, but when he reached in and rummaged around, he actually felt something.

"A windproof lighter?" Tao Qiu ran his fingers over the silver, matte metal casing, flipped open the lid with his thumb, and gently struck the wheel.

A pungent smell spread, and a purple-and-yellow flame appeared in Tao Qiu's eyes.

This was the last gift in the backpack.

"Click." Tao Qiu pressed the lid shut, extinguishing the flame.

Only then did the three bird cubs on the stone table react, chirping as they asked what it was.

This was the first time they had seen an open flame since they were born.

Tao Qiu fiddled with the lighter, the light in his eyes brighter than the flame had been.

He did not know whether the lighter had already been in the bag or the man had put it in with the other things. But neither possibility mattered. What mattered was that he was very pleased with the gift.

Tao Qiu looked at the cubs, who were waiting eagerly for an answer. "This is called a lighter. It's used to start fires. I'll show you."

He went to the nest, pulled out a few strands of dry grass, and rolled them into a ball. Then he sat down at the stone table and placed the ball of grass and the lighter in front of the cubs.

He repeated what he had done before, flipping open the lid and striking a flame.

The flame touched the dry grass, and smoke drifted up as the grass burned, giving off scorching heat.

The cubs instinctively backed away, and Tao Qiu put the burning grass on the stone table.

Before long, the grass had turned to ash. The cubs had watched the entire process without looking away for an instant, their round eyes wide.

Second Cub said in bewilderment, "Chirp, chirp..."

—The dry grass is gone...

It was an obvious statement, but it aptly expressed how the cubs felt at that moment.

They were so shocked they did not know how to describe what they were thinking.

Tao Qiu said, "This is fire. It brings hope and civilization, but it can also destroy hope and civilization."

That was too profound for the cubs, so Tao Qiu gave a more concrete explanation.

"Fire can light dry grass and firewood. With it, we won't have to fear the cold in winter. It can also cook food, making it safer to eat. But if a fire grows too big for people to control, it will bring disaster."

Tao Qiu plucked out one of his down feathers and lit it with the lighter.

The feather quickly turned to ash as well.

"If my whole body caught fire and the flames weren't put out in time, I would turn to ash, just like the dry grass and the feather."

The example was all too close to reality. The moment the cubs imagined Daddy turning into a pile of ash, a chill ran down their spines, and they felt as though their hearts were about to stop.

Third Cub said urgently, "Chirp, chirp! Chirp!"

—Fire is dangerous! Throw it away!

Second Cub looked scared too. "Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp!"

—Throw it away, throw it away! I don't want Daddy to turn to ash!

Eldest Cub also stared fixedly at the lighter, his whole body tense, as if it might explode at any moment.

"Relax. Daddy was only talking about the worst possibility. As long as we use fire properly and take precautions, it can bring us many benefits."

Tao Qiu reached out and rubbed all three cubs, then kissed them.

His reassurance finally eased the cubs' worried hearts.

Tao Qiu lit some dry grass again, then splashed water on it when it was half burned. The flames went out instantly.

"See? Water overcomes fire. Fire isn't without weaknesses."

Second Cub's eyes sparkled. "Chirp, chirp!"

—Water is amazing!

Third Cub thought for a moment, then chirped out a question.

—Fire is hot, and the sun is hot too. After a bath, the sun dries the water on our bodies. Can fire dry water too?

Tao Qiu said in pleasant surprise, "Yuanyuan, you're so clever! You've already thought that far. To put it simply, the sun is a ball of fire very, very far away from us. Fire can do most of the things the sun can."

Eldest Cub summed it up. "Chirp, chirp."

—Whichever there's more of, fire or water, is stronger.

Tao Qiu said, "Generally speaking, yes."

Second Cub eagerly spoke up too. "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp?"

—Daddy just said fire can be used to make food as well as keep us warm. How do you do that?

"Xuexue, that's just the right question." Tao Qiu smiled as he twirled the lighter, his voice eager. "There are many ways to cook food with fire. The dried meat you just ate was dried in the sun and then steamed. In a little while, Daddy will show you a few methods we can use with what we have right now."

At the mention of new ways to prepare food, the cubs could not help swallowing.

Who could resist good food? Little birds certainly could not.

"I'll go prepare the ingredients first. Be good and wait for me at home."

With that, Tao Qiu took off his clothes, folded them, and put them back in the backpack. Then he left the cave and flew toward the nearest forest.

The bird cubs followed him to the cave entrance and squatted in a row, gazing in the direction he had gone, hoping he would come back soon.

By the time Lou Yu and the others returned to the base, it was almost dark.

But after passing the inspection at the gate, they did not go home. They immediately took the samples they had collected to the research institute.

Although there were no mutated monsters in the base and everyone there was human, people were the most dangerous when there were no external threats.

After handing over the samples and confirming everything was in order, the whole team went to a small restaurant near their homes for dinner.

To reward their stomachs for the hardships of the past several days, they ordered quite a few dishes and ate until their bellies were round before returning home.

After resting at home for a while, Lou Yu picked up a pen and began writing a report, giving a complete account of the mission and the relevant information about the places they had passed through and the mission area.

For example, whether the number of mutated monsters in a particular place had changed, whether the existing mutated monsters were still alive, whether they had grown stronger or weaker, and whether any new powerful mutated monsters had appeared.

Of course, he left out the part where they went to find Snow Bird.

The report was not mandatory, but Lou Yu was also something of a member of the base's military. The military was responsible for exploring new areas outside the base and providing guidance for humans going out on missions, and it also made regular return visits to check on those areas.

Lou Yu was simply doing what he could to contribute more to the base.

He had often done this work at the Central Base and had his own template in mind, so it did not take him long to finish.

Lou Yu put away the paper and pen and stood up, rubbing his wrist. He wanted to get a glass of water.

As he passed through the living room, he saw Chen Lin and the other three huddled together, whispering about something.

Lou Yu walked over, and when they saw him, they hurriedly stopped talking.

Well, now Lou Yu knew who they had been discussing.

"What are you talking about? Sounds lively," Lou Yu asked with a smile.

Huo Lan put on a fake smile. "Nothing much. We were just saying how worn out we got on this trip, and how we're going to sleep in tomorrow. We'll also have Chen Lin make us something good to eat so we can build our strength back up."

Lou Yu raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

All four nodded together. "Yep."

Lou Yu had a rough idea of what they had actually been talking about, but seeing that they did not want to tell the truth, he did not press them and continued on to the kitchen.

As soon as he left, the four of them put their heads together again, the air thick with gossip.

Huo Lan raised an eyebrow. "Chen Lin and I just checked the supplies from this trip. The things that are missing were probably all given to Snow Bird by the captain."

Chen Lin looked serious. "It's weird, isn't it? Giving him dried meat, sugar, and salt is understandable, since they're food. But books, a lighter, a medicine box, and even clothes? Can Snow Bird use any of those?"

Liu Qi'an said, "I actually wanted to ask in the car, but I thought the captain would just brush me off. Besides, I was still a little dazed from being scared by Snow Bird, so I didn't ask."

John looked thoughtful. "The captain went out of his way to write a report and left the inventory to us. That means he isn't afraid of us finding out, or of us asking him about it."

"The captain definitely won't tell us the truth," Huo Lan said with certainty. "But I believe the captain isn't acting without reason. He must have his reasons for doing this. Anyway, it won't do us any harm, so let's pretend we don't know and not tell anyone else."

John nodded. "Of course. The captain has helped us so much. We should keep his secret for him."

Liu Qi'an said, "Even if the captain has gone crazy, I'll accept it."

"I'm more inclined to think the captain has another purpose," Chen Lin said, rubbing his chin. "Don't you think Snow Bird is extraordinarily intelligent?"

Huo Lan frowned. "You mean the captain is testing Snow Bird?"

John pondered. "It's possible."

Liu Qi'an listened to their analysis, blinked his big eyes, and scratched his head. Suddenly, an idea struck him.