Plot chapter (the protagonist barely appears)

"Is it possible that because we humans appear so small compared to mutated monsters, and Snow Bird are so friendly towards humans, the captain is just a pitiful little human in the Snow Bird's eyes? To express its affection for the Snow Bird, it often gives him junk, which the Snow Bird doesn't need but still enjoys."

"Just like how we treat children, if a child brings you a pretty leaf and sweetly says it's for you, you'll soften, even if the leaf has no real value. You'll accept it and give the child something more in return, hoping to make them happy."

"I think my deduction was very accurate; Snow Bird just treats the captain like a child."

Huo Lan and the others didn't know the Snow Bird's human identity, so after hearing Liu Qi'an's words, they all felt that there was some truth to them.

John: "No wonder he saved the captain and escorted us back to base. If you saw a kid you liked injured and lying on your doorstep, you couldn't help but take him home and care for him, right?"

Huo Lan: "The Snow Bird is very intelligent? That's probably what it's thinking."

Chen Lin remained silent, only stealing glances at Lou Yu of the corner of his eye.

Lou Yu's expression was neither good nor bad, but judging from his tone, he seemed to agree with Liu Qi'an's point of view, "I hadn't thought of that. You're so smart, Xiao An."

Liu Qi'an couldn't help but proudly put his hands on his hips. "It's alright, after all, my IQ is always on point."

The others were trying not to laugh.

With Liu Qi'an doing his utmost to muddy the waters, the questions of why Lou Yu was able to gain Snow Bird's repeated favor, and whether Snow Bird would use those human creations, seem to have a reasonable explanation.

The news that Lou Yu received a gift from Snow Bird a second time will definitely spread throughout the entire base. When others ask, just use this as an excuse.

Liu Qi'an successfully covered up the truth for Lou Yu, so logically he should thank Liu Qi'an. But for some reason, he felt uneasy listening to Liu Qi'an's explanation.

What child? Does Snow Bird see him as a future partner? They've already... you know... done it.

So Lou Yu towards Liu Qi'an was downgraded to, "When we had beef noodles for dinner, I gave him most of my share of beef."

He originally intended to give it all away.

But Liu Qi'an, that honest boy, was still grinning from ear to ear.

In the following days, when Lou Yu encountered Lou Quan and several PhDs from the research institute, unsurprisingly, they also asked him what had happened between him and Snow Bird, and why Snow Bird favored him so much.

Previously, when researchers at the base discovered that Snow Bird did not eat people and even showed some goodwill towards humans, they attempted to make contact with them.

The Snow Bird is one of the dominant species in this region. Even if you can't tame it, just being friends with it can bring many tangible benefits.

Humans have long had the idea of domesticating mutated monsters to fight other mutated monsters, just as their ancestors domesticated wild animals.

Unfortunately, cannibalism seems to be ingrained in the genes of these mutated monsters. Even if they are artificially raised from egg to hatchling, they will still attack the humans who raised them once they grow up, without exception.

The Snow Bird was the most benign mutated monster they had ever seen in all these years.

Snow Bird don't harm humans, but they also don't get close to them. Every time humans try to approach Snow Bird, they are ruthlessly driven away.

Those humans who want to harm the Snow Bird? The Snow Bird won't show any mercy, they'll kill them all.

So, is Lou Yu's situation the first of its kind in many years?

If this situation can be replicated, not only could their wish to befriend the Snow Bird be fulfilled, but taming other mutated monsters might also be just around the corner.

Last year, when Lou Yu received a gift from the Snow Bird for the first time, they thought it was a coincidence, since the Snow Bird had also guided lost humans before. Later, they arranged for the group that had been guided to contact the Snow Bird, but the Snow Bird remained indifferent, acting as if it didn't know them at all.

So although they were surprised that the Snow Bird had delivered prey to Lou Yu, they didn't pay much attention to it.

But since it was delivered twice, it couldn't be a coincidence. Moreover, Lou Yu admitted that Snow Bird's attitude towards him was quite friendly.

The researchers were all smiles, eagerly taking out their notebooks to jot down tips for gaining the Snow Bird's favor. But Lou Yu said, "The Snow Bird is only nice to me out of pity."

Researchers: "Huh?"

Lou Yu fabricated a story by borrowing Liu Qi'an's words, or rather, his analysis was quite logical and well-reasoned.

"Previously, in order to lure away the mutated wolves, I accidentally wandered into the Snow Bird's territory. Seeing that I was badly injured and pitiful, he took me back to his cave. I was lucky to survive and was rescued by my teammates. As for why the Snow Bird only gave me prey and not others..."

He paused mid-sentence, and the researchers looked at him expectantly. "Continue, continue."

Lou Yu smiled slightly, "Because I have a unique personal charm."

The researchers choked up.

One of them twitched his eye and tried to cover for Lou Yu: "The unique personal charm that Captain Lou was referring to, is what you just said, that made Snow Bird feel sorry for you, right?"

"Pretty much." Lou Yu still smiled, not feeling ashamed at all as he said this. "Besides being pitiful, I'm also very sensible. I'm not afraid of the Snow Bird, and I'm willing to get close to him. I even give him some little human-made gadgets. I guess in the Snow Bird's eyes, I'm just a pitiful but obedient and clever little human."

Hunting isn't difficult for Snow Bird. He likes me, pities me, so naturally he wants to give me prey.

"However, these are just our guesses. Neither you nor I know what Snow Bird is really thinking. You can try to replicate our path, but whether you can succeed, I can't guarantee."

Chapter 43: Plot Chapter (Low Main Character Content)

The researcher asked, "Could you, Captain Lou, introduce us to the Snow Bird? After all, the Snow Bird is closest to you."

Lou Yu liked that last sentence, but he still said, "What if Snow Bird thinks I'm pushing my luck and abandons me too?"

The researchers agreed, thinking it made sense. If they lost even Lou Yu, their only bridge, they'd be doomed.

"Alright, then we'll just have to figure it out ourselves."

In the researchers' view, although Lou Yu's remarks seemed a bit arrogant, he did indeed tell them all the methods.

Lou Yu is still the same gentle and polite team leader.

They expressed their gratitude and saw Lou Yu off.

However, Lou Quan held a conservative attitude towards Lou Yu's claims, neither completely believing nor completely disbelieving them.

Those researchers said they wanted to try to replicate Lou Yu's experience to see if they could gain Snow Bird's pity. Lou Quan let them do as they pleased, only telling them not to go too far, otherwise they would offend Snow Bird and their lives would be in danger.

Tao Qiu was unaware that a bunch of poor, severely injured humans were about to appear in his territory, waiting for his rescue. After washing the three-piece bedding set, clothes, and shoes, he happily put them on.

Because he has a strong constitution, even though the weather was still quite cold in early spring, he still only wore a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and slippers.

Her long hair was also tied into a high ponytail with a hair tie.

In his previous life, this outfit would have made him a perfect homebody, and he couldn't have been more comfortable.

After planting in the morning, Tao Qiu would take her children to bask in the sun on the platform at the cave entrance in the warm afternoon, and read to them as well.

Today I read a work set after the great catastrophe. The synopsis mainly tells the story of a family born in peacetime, and their life experiences from the beginning of the catastrophe to the establishment of the base over a long period of time.

Total word count (cover page?): 400,000 words.

The opening introduces the main family, who live in the central plains region. The elderly are cared for, the adults are at work, and the children are in school—a very ordinary and common family.

The story is told from the perspective of the head of the family, that is, the child's father.

When news of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other disasters came from abroad and within their own country, the protagonist's family was somewhat moved, but mostly indifferent. Firstly, disasters happen every day in the world, and secondly, these disasters were far away from them and had little impact on their lives.

However, when their workplace and their child's school organized donations to the disaster area, they also contributed.

Gradually, news reports began to emerge that mutated plants and animals had appeared in the disaster area, and that these animals were extremely aggressive, causing countless casualties, with the situation worsening the closer one got to the disaster area.

Doomsday theories and other such ideas began to spread widely online, and videos of mutated plants and animals harming humans were constantly being uploaded despite repeated bans. Some people even risked their lives for money and went to disaster areas.

Live streaming

At this time, the area where the protagonist's family lived was still operating normally. Relevant departments also called on everyone to view the recent rumors rationally and not to let illegal rumors affect your and your family's lives.

Later on, rumors and the truth became indistinguishable.

Some say that some island nations have disappeared from the map; some say that only one in ten people survive in earthquake-prone and volcanic areas; and others say that the sea has long since submerged coastal cities and is now advancing inland.

The protagonist's family couldn't sit still anymore, because they had lost contact with some of their relatives and friends living on the edge of the disaster area. Various major disasters had also impacted the economy, and the most obvious impact on ordinary people was the instability of prices, which fluctuated, but rose more often than they fell.

Finally, the protagonist's family also faced their own disaster.

Despite the relentless summer downpours and the fact that their city boasts a nationally renowned and comprehensive drainage system, blockages and flooding still occurred.

Businesses are shutting down, and schools are suspending classes.

Heavy rain disrupted travel and the delivery of supplies. The continuous downpours caused the neighbor's child upstairs to develop a high fever, and the protagonist's family kindly delivered medicine to him.

The protagonist's family had prepared some supplies in advance, but they still ate very frugally at every meal, fearing that if the rain continued, they would go hungry.

A local resident went out to buy something in the rain, but after stepping into a waist-deep area of water, their figure suddenly disappeared. The scene was captured by a security camera at a roadside shop and posted online.