Chapter 66 (Continued)

It's probably not a marmot, as marmots hibernate, and they can't be lured away by these methods.

It can only be an omnivorous or carnivorous animal that remains active even in winter.

Could it really be a fox?

They sat in front of their computer screens waiting.

Shi Wen got a little bored Shi Wen, so he went and made himself two cups of coffee.

The Wolf King and his companions were clearly much more patient, remaining motionless in the same spot.

Shi Wen rested his head on Yan Kexing's shoulder, staring listlessly at the computer screen, half asleep.

Yan Kexing consulted the materials while recording the Hu Zai's behavior.

After waiting for more than two hours, Shi Wen as Shi Wen was yawning, he suddenly saw a furry head poking out of the hole.

He was halfway through a yawn when he exclaimed in surprise, "A raccoon?!"

The small animal peeking out of the hole had a patch of black fur around its eyes, round ears, and a black nose, and looked remarkably similar to the raccoons that Shi Wen had seen online.

Yan Kexing said, "It shouldn't be; China is not a habitat for raccoons."

Shi Wen couldn't help but exclaim, "But it really does look alike!"

"It might be a weasel." Yan Kexing showed Shi Wen a picture on his phone. "That kind of small animal."

Upon Shi Wen that the weasel's face really did resemble that of a raccoon, especially its facial features, which was quite remarkable.

Just then, the small animals inside the cave stretched out their long necks.

Its face is small, but it has a thick, long neck; looking at it this way, it really doesn't resemble a raccoon.

The weasel was very alert. It poked its head out and looked around. Its round ears twitched slightly. After looking around for a while, it pulled its head back in.

After several attempts, it finally tried eating the food at the entrance of the burrow.

However, it didn't stray far from the cave entrance; instead, it stretched out its long front claws to reach it.

It ate while hiding in the hole. After eating for more than ten minutes, it seemed unable to resist the temptation of the meat and slowly crawled forward.

Just then, the Wolf King and one of the Hu Zai pounced out from behind it. It was so frightened that it hurriedly ran forward, trying to avoid the attack.

Unexpectedly, as soon as it moved forward, Heiwa and another Hu Zai pounced on it, pinning it down and biting off its neck.

This cooperative hunt was absolutely brilliant; from the moment the weasel left the cave entrance to its demise in the tiger's jaws, the entire process took less than ten seconds.

Shi Wen stared in disbelief at the screen. "It's certain that we no longer need to train the Hu Zai to hunt. They're so good!"

Yan Kexing: "You could tell from their hunt of the Grey-backed Falcon last time that their hunting skills are indeed impressive."

In the video, the Wolf King, Hu Zai, and dogs have already begun to share their captured prey.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Shi Wen turned her head and asked, "Are weasels protected animals?"

"Level two, but the numbers are alright," Yan Kexing said. "As long as humans don't hunt them on a large scale, occasional hunting won't affect their numbers."

Weasels are not large, even though they accumulate a lot of fat in their bodies during winter.

Shi Wen could sense that the Wolf King and his companions hunted more for play and a treat than to make it their main food source.

Dogs, in particular, have blunter claws and less sharp teeth, giving them no advantage in hunting. They are not the primary hunters and are generally not interested in hunting; they mainly come out to play.

Shi Wen considering whether I should train the dogs later and not let them go outside again.

As for the Hu Zai and the Wolf King, it wouldn't hurt for them to practice hunting more.

Shi Wen shared his thoughts with Yan Kexing.

Yan Kexing thought for a moment and said, "Heiwa and the others are able to perform their working dog duties very well. Having hobbies and leisure activities is not a bad thing. They alone won't cause too much harm to wild animals."

Shi Wen, "Then we need to make sure they're all vaccinated, otherwise they'll easily infect other livestock."

Yan Kexing: "They usually live on the pasture, so they are easily exposed to sources of pollution. Whether they are hunted or not shouldn't matter much. However, they definitely need to be vaccinated. I'll check later what vaccines they've had and if there's anything else they need."

"Okay, I'll go find the records." Shi Wen stared at the screen. "The cows and sheep at home are about to give birth, I'll ask Sikewell to come and take a look."

Shi Wen was talking to Yan Kexing, the little guys had already divided up and eaten their prey.

Just Shi Wen thought they would go home, he saw them run to a nearby ditch, gulping down water and then spitting it out.

They're washing their mouths!

They've even learned to wash their mouths and destroy evidence.

Shi Wen in disbelief, "Am I seeing things? These guys are really sentient?!"

Yan Kexing looked at the screen. "They must have been caught stealing food before, and now they've learned their lesson."

Shi Wen muttered, "No wonder I couldn't find anything when I checked the Fu Wa's mouths yesterday."

On the screen, the two Hu Zai drank water and then jumped into the river with a "plop" and started swimming.

I wonder how they can stand such cold water?

The two Hu Zai swam happily in the river, while Heiwa and the others ran on the ground. They played by the river for a while before turning around and heading back to the pasture.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing watched the whole thing.

Shi Wen, "I've really learned something today. They're so much smarter than we imagined. I now understand the necessity of protecting wild animals. This world is indeed not just humankind's home."

Yan Kexing remarked from the side, "Not all animals are that intelligent; you've raised them quite well."

Shi Wen and said, "Maybe it's because when I was raising them, I chose the smartest ones."

Having raised animals for so long, Shi Wen observed them carefully and found that most of them, especially the pigs, cattle, and sheep he raises, are similar to fish; they only have instincts and no emotions.

Only the Cong Zai, Hu Zai, Wolf King, and dogs—these little creatures whom Shi Wen carefully raised—have feelings.

Shi Wen felt that it was also possible that when he was selecting livestock, he deliberately chose those that lacked spirituality, which was why things were in this state now.