Recaps

After fifty-two people died in the reagent experiment, Lou Quan nearly killed Bai Huan before stopping himself, while Lou Yu fell ill from grief. Tao Qiu and the cubs welcomed the approaching spring, but the chapter ended with Tao Qiu waking to hear wailing outside.

• Researchers grieved the fifty-two deaths caused by the experiment, and Lou Quan sat alone with the final report.
• Lou Quan attacked Bai Huan and nearly strangled him, but let him go because he had promised his mother not to kill him.
• Lou Yu became feverish and listless, then ate after Chen Lin reminded him he would need to recover to visit Snow Bird.
• Tao Qiu celebrated New Year's Eve with the cubs, and they talked about accepting the snowman's eventual melting as spring approached.
• Tao Qiu woke during the night to hear wailing, and the cubs woke and heard it too.

Tao Qiu and his cubs mourned the Fox Clan’s old patriarch, and Tao Qiu comforted Red Fox as he grieved. When spring brought mutant monsters toward the human base, Tao Qiu defended his territory and worried about Lou Yu’s safety.

• Tao Qiu told the cubs that the Fox Clan’s old patriarch had died, and they comforted one another by imagining a grave where they could all lie together.
• Red Fox told Tao Qiu that he and White Fox had killed the old patriarch at his request, and Tao Qiu reassured him that they should not blame themselves.
• Red Fox traded for winter crops and left feeling comforted by Tao Qiu’s words.
• As spring arrived and mutant monsters began moving toward the human base, Tao Qiu killed several leading mutant crows that approached his territory.
• Tao Qiu watched the route to the human base and worried about Lou Yu while the cubs recognized that he was thinking about him.

Tao Qiu’s cubs wondered why he had not brought Lou Yu to live with them, while Lou Yu struggled to defend Yong'an Base from escalating mutant attacks. When the Lou Family demanded an explanation for his unusual ability growth in exchange for weapons, Lou Yu offered his blood and training notes instead.

• Second Cub and Third Cub discussed inviting Lou Yu to live with them, but Eldest Cub realized Lou Yu did not know the cubs existed.
• Tao Qiu had not invited Lou Yu to stay because he knew Lou Yu would refuse to abandon his teammates and the human base.
• Lou Yu and his teammates rescued survivors and fought mutant monsters as attacks overwhelmed Yong'an Base.
• Lou Quan told Lou Yu that the Lou Family was withholding weapons unless he revealed how his ability had stabilized and grown stronger.
• Lou Yu refused to let the Central Base capture him and proposed offering a vial of his blood and notes on his training in exchange for weapons.

Lou Quan secured an exchange involving Lou Yu’s blood and training insights, then became overwhelmed with rebuilding Yong'an Base after the mutated-monster tide. Lou Yu recovered from a severe injury in the hospital, where his teammates learned he had a partner but failed to discover who it was before he was discharged.

• Lou Quan arranged the exchange with the other side, then worried they would keep demanding more from Lou Yu while Yong'an Base remained in a precarious position.
• After the monster tide receded, Lou Quan struggled with reconstruction work and learned from his adjutant that Lou Yu had been hospitalized for half a month after a mutated plant pierced his abdomen.
• Lou Yu had saved a soldier by tackling him out of the plant’s attack, and his strong self-healing ability helped him survive the severe wound.
• Lou Yu worried that the injury would leave a scar and told John that Tao Qiu would be heartbroken if he got hurt, prompting John to spread news that the captain had a wife.
• Lou Yu’s teammates searched for his partner, but Chen Lin’s hint led them to suspect the person came from another base, and they eventually gave up without finding out.
• Lou Yu was discharged from the hospital to recover at home.

Lou Yu visited Zhao Tao, the only other awakened ability user at Yong'an Base, after the young soldier began losing control of his temper and confusing himself with the fox whose genes granted his ability. Lou Yu explained that Zhao Tao’s survival and stability depended on his will, then encouraged him to keep training and promised they would fight together.

• Old Doctor Li told Lou Yu that Zhao Tao had become irritable, attacked researchers, and dreamed he was a fox.
• Lou Yu explained that mutated monster genes could influence ability users, but their will and human genes could help keep those traits in check.
• Lou Yu met Zhao Tao, who described his unstable fox-like transformations, vivid dreams, and difficulty distinguishing himself from a fox.
• Zhao Tao admitted he knew Lou Yu could not explain how to stabilize an ability and had only wanted encouragement.
• Lou Yu told Zhao Tao he believed his ability would stabilize and promised they would protect the base together.

Lou Yu comforted Zhao Tao and learned that Zhao Tao had been hiding his fear of dying, then wrestled with whether to tell Tao Qiu that his crops might help stabilize Zhao Tao’s ability. Tao Qiu and the cubs worried that Lou Yu had died in the base, while the cubs debated whether Lou Yu was Tao Qiu’s mate or friend.

• Lou Yu reassured Zhao Tao, who admitted he had concealed his anxiety, and advised him to accept and control his mutated monster genes.
• Lou Yu told Old Doctor Li and the researchers about Zhao Tao’s hidden distress, then wondered whether Tao Qiu’s crops could help him without exposing Tao Qiu to danger.
• Tao Qiu cried over Lou Yu’s long absence, while the cubs secretly worried about their father and blamed the absent human for making him sad.
• Little Snake advised the cubs that if they missed someone, they should visit rather than wait, but warned that a dangerous journey could be fatal.
• Black Rabbit explained that same-sex partners could be mates, leading the cubs to wonder whether Tao Qiu and Lou Yu were mates and fear Lou Yu might have died.

After more than half a year apart, Tao Qiu finally found Lou Yu waiting outside the valley and confronted him about his silence. Lou Yu explained his fear and everything that had happened, and the chapter ended with Tao Qiu asking whether he still wanted crops for Zhao Tao.

• Tao Qiu grew more despondent while waiting for Lou Yu, and the cubs tried to comfort him without revealing that they knew the truth.
• In early June, Tao Qiu heard what might have been a car and flew out of the valley, while the cubs discovered photographs tucked inside his book and Third Cub recognized the purple ring around the person’s eyes.
• Tao Qiu spotted Lou Yu’s car, rushed inside, and tore Lou Yu’s clothes to check his injuries before breaking down in tears at his scars.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu embraced, and Tao Qiu demanded an explanation for the long separation.
• Lou Yu told Tao Qiu about the reagent, the awakening experiment, the mutant monsters, his hospitalization, Zhao Tao, and his fear of returning.
• Tao Qiu asked whether Lou Yu wanted crops for Zhao Tao, and Lou Yu admitted he did but said Tao Qiu’s safety mattered more.

Tao Qiu questioned Lou Yu about whether he liked children and could support them, then the two reunited lovers flirted and kissed in the car. Meanwhile, the three cubs studied photographs of Tao Qiu and Lou Yu being intimate and began to wonder about their relationship.

• Tao Qiu asked Lou Yu whether he liked children, regretted not having any, and could be a good father.
• Lou Yu said he loved children, described his ability to care for them, and joked that he could support up to six.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu teased each other about having children before kissing in the car.
• The three cubs examined photos of Tao Qiu and Lou Yu kissing and embracing.

The cubs found a photo of Tao Qiu kissing Lou Yu and secretly concluded that Lou Yu was their other daddy, though they decided to pretend they knew nothing. After Lou Yu left with tomatoes hidden in a mud-stinking car, Tao Qiu began preparing the cubs to meet him by telling them his name and praising him.

• The cubs examined a photo of Tao Qiu and Lou Yu kissing and guessed that Lou Yu was their other daddy, but worried he might not like them.
• The cubs agreed to pretend they had not seen the photo so Tao Qiu would not have to choose between them and Lou Yu.
• Tao Qiu gave Lou Yu four tomatoes and disguised their scent by exposing his car to foul-smelling mud before Lou Yu drove back to the human base.
• Tao Qiu returned to the cave, found the cubs asleep, and put the photo back inside the book without waking them.
• That evening, Tao Qiu told the cubs the human's name was Lou Yu and praised him as kind, reliable, and good to him.

Tao Qiu repeatedly praised Lou Yu to the cubs, who guessed he wanted them to acknowledge Lou Yu and decided to pretend they liked him for Tao Qiu’s sake. Lou Yu delivered tomatoes to Zhao Tao, learned the base’s crops had been damaged, and reunited affectionately with Tao Qiu, who brought them lunch.

• Tao Qiu praised Lou Yu for several days, and the cubs realized he seemed to want them to accept Lou Yu as their other father.
• The cubs decided to act as though they liked Lou Yu so Tao Qiu would be happy, while privately seeing him as a rival for their dad’s affection.
• Lou Yu gave Zhao Tao two tomatoes in secret and watched him eat them, then learned that damage to the planting area and contaminated seeds would reduce the base’s harvest.
• Tao Qiu left the cubs with Black Rabbit and brought food, crops, and a phone to meet Lou Yu.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu greeted each other with kisses, then Tao Qiu served the lunch he had prepared.

Lou Yu and Tao Qiu collected materials from Red Fox, then Tao Qiu showed Lou Yu photos and videos of three cubs in his valley. Lou Yu mistook them for Tao Qiu’s children with another bird, but Tao Qiu suggested they might be their children, leaving Lou Yu studying their features.

• Lou Yu ate the meal Tao Qiu had prepared, and Tao Qiu told him that the old fox had died over the winter.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu visited Red Fox, collected the requested materials, and saw the foxes’ grave for the old chieftain.
• After they returned to the car, Tao Qiu gave Lou Yu phones and power banks as a surprise and told him to view the photos and videos.
• Lou Yu saw videos of three cubs calling Tao Qiu Daddy and assumed Tao Qiu had children with another bird.
• Tao Qiu told Lou Yu the cubs might be theirs, and Lou Yu examined their hair, eyes, and features.

Lou Yu and Tao Qiu resolved their misunderstanding about the three children, and Lou Yu learned that he was their father. They agreed to take their introduction to the children slowly, while Tao Qiu urged Lou Yu to prioritize his safety when visiting.

• Lou Yu realized the children were his and Tao Qiu’s, apologized for suspecting Tao Qiu, and admitted he had put Tao Qiu above himself in their relationship.
• Tao Qiu told Lou Yu that they were equals and asked him to value himself as much as he valued Tao Qiu.
• Tao Qiu explained how he had discovered his pregnancy, raised the children, and named Tao Mo, Tao Xue, and Tao Yuan; Lou Yu said he did not blame him.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu looked through photos and discussed the children’s interests, with Lou Yu eager to bring them clothes and toys.
• Lou Yu suggested taking extra missions to visit Tao Qiu, but Tao Qiu asked him to put his safety first and promised that he and the children would wait for him.

Lou Yu visited Tao Qiu and learned more about the cubs, then returned to the base with supplies and prey while Tao Qiu brought home extra provisions for the family. At the research institute, Lou Yu secretly gave Zhao Tao a container of wild berries and hinted that he had brought them from outside.

• Lou Yu thanked Tao Qiu for raising the cubs and promised to take on his responsibilities as their father.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu hunted mutated monsters, delivered the kills near the base, and parted reluctantly before Lou Yu rejoined his teammates.
• Tao Qiu returned to the valley with extra supplies, and the cubs opened the packages and praised Lou Yu while privately still treating him as a rival for Tao Qiu's affection.
• Lou Yu visited Zhao Tao at the research institute and gave him more than thirty wild berries, telling him not to ask questions and to eat them quickly.

Lou Yu gave Zhao Tao more fruit and encouraged him to train, then sold half his team’s mutated monster meat to military logistics and the rest at a discount while keeping his good news secret. Meanwhile, Tao Qiu traded crops with Red Fox’s tribe and received a pumpkin chosen by the fox cubs as a gift.

• Lou Yu gave Zhao Tao fruit, asked him to keep its source secret, and urged him to train his ability.
• Lou Yu agreed to sell half the team’s prey to military logistics and discounted the rest, prompting customers to buy it eagerly.
• Lou Yu gave a customer extra meat to celebrate his good news, but told his curious teammates it was a secret.
• Tao Qiu watched a family drama with the cubs before taking harvested crops to Red Fox’s tribe.
• Red Fox gave Tao Qiu a round pumpkin that the fox cubs had chosen as a gift.

Tao Qiu and the cubs opened Red Fox’s pumpkin gift, planted its seeds, and discovered that the pumpkins he grew were both delicious and potent. The new crop spread through the valley, and Red Fox was astonished to learn that Tao Qiu had transformed the Fox Clan’s gift into another valuable crop.

• Tao Qiu let the cubs try to open the pumpkin, then played a soccer game with them that ended in a narrow victory for Team Cub.
• Tao Qiu cracked the pumpkin open, collected its seeds, and planted one in the cave, where he used his ability to grow four pumpkins.
• Tao Qiu cooked young and mature pumpkins and made pumpkin cakes, which the cubs enjoyed.
• Tao Qiu planted more pumpkins in the valley and traded samples to Green Python, Little Snake, and Black Rabbit, who liked them and each took one home.
• Red Fox discovered that Tao Qiu had grown the gifted pumpkin into a delicious crop with good effects, and Tao Qiu gave the Fox Clan extra crops in return.

Lou Yu bought toys and clothes for Tao Qiu and the children while keeping his relationship with them private. At the research institute, he learned that Zhao Tao’s ability had begun to stabilize and go dormant, suggesting Zhao Tao might survive and become a successful ability user.

• Lou Yu asked Xiao Cong about popular toys and learned that building blocks were a favorite among children.
• Lou Yu bought toys, clothes, shoes, and matching outfits for Tao Qiu and the three children.
• Lou Yu returned with the gifts, but declined to explain their purpose when Chen Lin asked.
• Lou Yu visited Old Doctor Li to ask about Zhao Tao’s ability and learned that Zhao Tao’s physical condition and ability control had improved rapidly.
• Old Doctor Li reported that Zhao Tao’s ability had stopped rampaging through his body and gone dormant, indicating his human genes might suppress the mutated monster genes.

Zhao Tao’s ability stabilized after he combined Lou Yu’s fruit with the doctors’ training program, and he eagerly thanked Lou Yu while promising to keep working hard. Lou Yu then drove to Tao Qiu’s territory with supplies, where Black Rabbit watched him warily, while Tao Qiu and the cubs waited for his arrival.

• The doctor told Lou Yu that Zhao Tao’s ability had stabilized, likely through the combination of the training programs and another unknown factor.
• Zhao Tao called Lou Yu his big brother, thanked him for the fruit, and promised to train diligently and keep its effects secret.
• Lou Quan rewarded the research team and Zhao Tao, while Lou Yu continued shopping for Tao Qiu and the cubs before heading out to collect materials.
• Black Rabbit watched Lou Yu pass through his territory and wondered whether the human threatened Snow Bird and the cubs, but he let him go.
• Tao Qiu told the cubs that Lou Yu would bring presents, and they guessed what he might bring while privately suspecting he was trying to win their father’s affection.
• Tao Qiu flew out to meet Lou Yu as the cubs lamented that their father was blinded by love.

Lou Yu reunited with Tao Qiu and told him Zhao Tao had gained an ability from the crops, then they looked through recordings of the cubs and prepared to bring them Lou Yu’s gifts. Tao Qiu gave the cubs their presents, and they excitedly tried on clothes and explored their toys.

• Lou Yu welcomed Tao Qiu, told him the crops had worked on Zhao Tao, and asked him to find out why Black Rabbit disliked him.
• Lou Yu and Tao Qiu watched videos of the cubs and discussed how much they had grown and the gifts Lou Yu had bought for them.
• Tao Qiu brought the supplies to the cave and told the cubs that Lou Yu had sent them presents.
• The cubs recognized their name labels, opened their clothes, and happily tried on their new outfits.
• The cubs admired their toy weapons and asked Tao Qiu about using building blocks to make a bird, a cave, a table, and a basket.

Tao Qiu gave the cubs Lou Yu’s generous gifts and brought their handmade gifts back to Lou Yu, who was deeply moved by their affection. After the couple visited the foxes and said goodbye, Tao Qiu and the cubs washed the new clothes together.

• Tao Qiu showed the cubs Lou Yu’s toys, accessories, necessities, and snacks, and the cubs thanked Lou Yu for choosing gifts they liked.
• The cubs gave Tao Qiu baskets of crops and handmade keepsakes for Lou Yu, and Tao Qiu took the keepsakes and one crop from each basket to protect their secret.
• Lou Yu guessed the bag held return gifts, watched a video of the cubs in their new clothes, and cried as he ate tomatoes and heard how much the cubs treasured their presents.
• Tao Qiu and Lou Yu visited the foxes, collected materials, and hugged and kissed before parting.
• The next morning, Tao Qiu helped the cubs wash Lou Yu’s clothes, and the soaked cubs ended up needing another swimming lesson.

Tao Qiu defended his trust in Lou Yu while Lou Yu faced a looming grain shortage and the Central Base's demand to exchange him for aid. During their last visit before winter, Tao Qiu comforted Lou Yu and authorized him to reveal the crops if doing so would protect him.

• Black Rabbit warned Tao Qiu that mutated monsters knew about Lou Yu's ability and questioned his trust in humans, but Tao Qiu insisted Lou Yu would not harm him or the chicks.
• Lou Yu learned that another reduced grain harvest threatened the base's winter supplies and refused his teammates' suggestion to stockpile grain.
• Lou Quan reported that the Central Base demanded Lou Yu in exchange for grain, leaving only limited assistance from the Yongkang Base.
• Lou Yu visited Tao Qiu with winter supplies and clothing for the little ones, and Tao Qiu let him sleep on his shoulder after noticing his exhaustion.
• Tao Qiu fed Lou Yu crops, helped him transport large prey, and told him to use the crops as a bargaining chip if necessary to protect himself.
• Lou Yu promised to meet Tao Qiu alive the following year, kept twice his usual share of meat, and sold the rest to the military logistics department and residents.

Tao Qiu comforted Xiao Cong after neighbors blamed his mother for keeping quiet about the poor grain harvest, while Lou Yu’s teammates speculated about his future family. At home, Tao Qiu shared dinner and affection with the cubs, then showed them photos of Lou Yu and asked whether they recognized him.

• Lou Quan’s purchase limits and the poor harvest fueled rumors that the next year’s grain would fail, prompting people to buy overpriced black-market grain despite the authorities’ denials.
• Xiao Cong told Lou Yu that neighbors had blamed his mother for not revealing the harvest news, and Lou Yu reassured him that she had done nothing wrong.
• Lou Yu’s teammates teased Chen Lin after he hinted that the captain might soon have a partner and children.
• Tao Qiu and the cubs ate dinner, cleaned up, walked around the cave, and exchanged kisses before bed.
• Tao Qiu showed the cubs photos of Lou Yu, and Eldest Cub pretended not to recognize him when Tao Qiu asked who he was.

A rapidly growing white spider devastated the mountain forest before luring a gathering of mutated monsters into a standoff. When Tao Qiu arrived, the spider sensed his scent and prepared to attack, leaving him facing a dangerous new threat.

• Tao Qiu and the three cubs stayed in their cave through a week of snow, while a white spider grew rapidly by eating grubs and destroying trees.
• Black Rabbit warned Tao Qiu that a mutated monster had gone mad, and Tao Qiu flew out after telling the cubs to stay safe.
• Tao Qiu reached Green Python's territory and saw Green Python, Red Fox, and many other mutated monsters confronting a giant white spider.
• The spider released a powerful pressure that terrified the weaker monsters, then fixed on Tao Qiu and said it wanted to eat him.

Tao Qiu and the other mutated monsters confronted a giant spider whose abnormal growth threatened their territories and whose instincts drove it to eat Tao Qiu. Their coordinated attack began, but the spider’s silk disabled Black Rabbit and caught Green Python, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Green Python told Tao Qiu that the spider had rapidly grown by eating tree-dwelling insects and had destroyed several territories.
• The spider fixated on Tao Qiu and could not communicate, so the mutated monsters decided they had to kill it.
• Tao Qiu offered to draw the spider away, and the group attacked after it chased him toward the fallen trees.
• Green Python knocked the spider down, and Red Fox restrained it, but its hard shell resisted his attempts to crush it.
• The spider shot silk over Black Rabbit’s head and paws, then escaped Red Fox’s grip and evaded Green Python’s next strike.
• The spider fired repeated silk shots at Green Python, eventually sticking her to a large tree.

Tao Qiu tried to exhaust the spider’s silk before attacking, but it trapped and badly wounded him, then grew even larger after eating his flesh. The spider’s madness flared up, and Black Rabbit, Red Fox, Green Python, and Tao Qiu realized they had to flee.

• The spider trapped Green Python and the other pursuing monsters in webbing, then turned its attacks on Tao Qiu.
• Tao Qiu lured the spider into using its silk until it stopped, then dived toward its eyes, but the spider caught him in a web and bit into his chest and abdomen.
• Black Rabbit charged in and kicked the spider through several trees while Tao Qiu escaped into the air, bleeding and blinded by webbing.
• The spider grew larger again, threw off the trees, and showed signs of the madness Green Python and Red Fox recognized from their elders.
• Black Rabbit warned Tao Qiu to fly higher, while Red Fox shouted for everyone to run as the spider turned its violent gaze toward them.

Tao Qiu and the mutant monsters fought the giant spider as a blizzard forced him down, and the spider suddenly exploded after Black Rabbit, Green Python, and Red Fox attacked it. Tao Qiu returned to the valley badly injured, while the chapter ended with agonized cries coming from a Shen Family research institute at the Central Base.

• The mutant monsters returned to help Tao Qiu when they realized the spider might kill them all if it grew stronger.
• Green Python and Red Fox restrained the spider while Black Rabbit slammed into its back, cracking its shell.
• As the spider thrashed and Tao Qiu was forced down by the wind, the spider suddenly stopped, suffered intense pain, and exploded.
• Green Python led the injured mutant monsters away from the approaching blizzard, and Tao Qiu carried a severed spider limb back to the valley.
• Tao Qiu collapsed at the cave, reassured the crying cubs, and fell asleep beside the fire with his wound reopened.
• At the Central Base, agonized wails rang through a Shen Family research institute where people carried out extrajudicial punishment.