The Evolutionary Path of the Lion

Chapter 11 The Temptation of the Lame

The first feeling I had when I woke up was hunger.

It wasn't the vague hunger I felt; it was a real, visceral hunger, a hunger that made my stomach walls feel like they were contracting inwards.

Chen Fei glanced at the system panel.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 413↑]

Fortunately.

I gained a little more weight while I slept.

Chen Fei raised his head off his front paws, his nostrils slightly open, and scanned the surrounding scents.

Sel's breath was not far to the left, steady, carrying the languid warmth unique to those who have just fallen asleep.

Big Head's breath pressed against his back—or rather, Big Head's entire head was still resting on his back, his snoring as even as a small bellows.

The leopard's scent was still present in the bushes, though fainter than yesterday, indicating that it hadn't made any sudden movements and was quietly licking its wounds.

Threat assessment: None.

Chen Fei gently arched his back, shaking off Da Tou's head.

Big Head suddenly woke up with a start, kicked all four legs at the same time, almost throwing himself off, and then sat blankly on the grass, looking around with a "Where am I? Who am I?" look.

Chen Fei ignored him, got up, stretched, yawned, and shook off the fatigue accumulated last night.

On the western grassland, the bison herd had already begun their daily routine.

Seventeen heads, Chen Fei counted again.

Most of the animals are cows, with a few half-grown calves following their mothers. On the outermost edge, two larger adult cows walk back and forth, acting as sentinels.

The lame one was on the left edge of the group, keeping a distance of nearly three body lengths from the nearest companion.

Chen Fei stared at it for a while.

The situation of lame animals in a herd is actually more complex than imagined.

They weren't driven out; they gradually retreated to the edge on their own.

The reason is simple—a slow-moving individual slows down the reaction speed of the entire group, and once a predator attacks, it will be the first to be left behind.

Over time, the herd will subconsciously keep its distance from it, not by driving it away, but by a collective, silent alienation.

The lame individual is aware of this, so it will not force its way into the center of the group, but will leave itself on the edge, using distance to gain a barely perceptible sense of security.

Whether it's tragic or not, for Chen Fei, this means that his target is more likely to be cut off alone.

He mentally reviewed the hunting plan.

Approach from downwind, use the grass for cover and keep your body low, then sprint at the target within 15 meters and pounce on it, using the heat from your right forepaw to press down on the side of its neck!

In theory, there shouldn't be any problem.

Chen Fei stood up and took two steps toward the grass on the west side.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

He turned around and saw Big Head following closely in his footsteps, with a matter-of-fact expression that said, "I want to go too."

Chen Fei used his tail to swat the big guy's head squarely across the forehead.

Big Head paused for a second, then let out a low groan of extreme grievance, sat down on the spot, turned his head away, and began to gnaw on the grass roots at his feet with an attitude of "I don't care".

Grass roots were clearly not tasty; his expression scrunched up, but he didn't stop eating.

Chen Fei retracted his tail and continued walking forward.

Downwind direction, confirmed.

Grassland cover, confirmed.

He lowered his body, his abdomen almost touching the grass, and moved step by step toward his target.

It's not fast, but it's steady.

The lame bison was still grazing with its head down, unaware of what was happening.

Thirty meters, twenty-five meters, twenty meters...

Just as Chen Fei was about to lower himself by half a body again, the wind direction changed.

It wasn't a strong wind, just a slight sway that carried his aura diagonally forward.

The lame bison suddenly raised its head.

It didn't flee immediately, but instead let out a low snort. Before Chen Fei could react, the sentry cow beside him had already received this signal.

The sentry cow looked up, scanned the area, and spotted Chen Fei, who was keeping his body low to the ground.

Then there's the entire herd.

The bison herd's collective defensive response was much faster than Chen Fei had anticipated.

Almost at the same second, the calves were pushed towards the center of the herd by their mothers.

The adult cows quickly adjusted their positions, protecting the most vulnerable individuals in the inner circle.

The largest cows on the outer ring turned around, facing Chen Fei directly, lowered their heads, and extended their heavy, curved horns forward.

They did not escape.

It is to guard.

Chen Fei stopped 18 meters from the target.

He quickly did the math in his head.

If he were to charge head-on, his current energy levels wouldn't be enough to withstand the onslaught of an adult bison.

An adult cow weighs five or six times his weight. Even with a hot claw, if he pounces on her and gets hit by her horns, he's done for.

The lame target has been moved into the inner circle for protection.

The opportunity is gone.

Chen Fei slowly straightened up, took a few steps back, and stood still again outside the bison herd's line of sight.

The herd of cattle stood still for about half a minute. After confirming that the threat had been removed, the cows on the outer ring gradually relaxed their posture and lowered their heads to graze again.

The lame bison stayed in the inner circle until Chen Fei completely disappeared from its sight before it started moving again.

Chen Fei found a sheltered spot on the grass and sat down to review the situation.

The mistake is very clear.

First, the dynamic changes in wind direction were not fully considered.

The wind on the grassland is not constant. He chose to approach from downwind, but did not leave any room for error in wind direction, which caused him to expose his presence at the most critical stage of approach.

Second, the collective defense mechanisms of bison herds were underestimated.

Although the lame individual is on the edge of the group, it has not truly escaped the group's defense radius. Once the sentinel sounds the alarm, it will be pushed into the inner circle of protection immediately, becoming the most difficult target to reach.

Chen Fei scratched a line in the mud with his claws.

He needs to watch Sel hunt first.

It wasn't because he didn't understand hunting theory—he had watched countless wildlife documentaries in the human world, and the angles, timing, and methods of attack were all clearly explained in theory.

But theory and practice are two different things.

Sel has ten years of hunting experience, and her muscle memory contains countless details accumulated from successes and failures.

Those details are not in the documentary.

Watching her hunt once is more worthwhile than him trying and failing three times on his own.

Chen Fei heard a noise coming from the grass behind him. He turned around and saw that Sel had woken up and was slowly grooming himself by licking his front paws. He was unusually calm about the commotion caused by the bison herd.

He clearly witnessed the whole thing, but didn't intervene.

She was waiting for him to figure things out on his own.

Chen Fei roared at her.

Sel raised his head, looked at him with his golden eyes for a moment, then lowered his head again to continue grooming, his tail swaying gently.

The gist is, "Okay, I understand."

From the bushes, a faint scent of a leopard drifted over on the wind, fainter than in the morning, carrying a unique smell of herbs mixed with the stench of rotting flesh from wounds.

The other person is treating the wound with herbs, a self-rescue method that many solitary animals on the grasslands instinctively adopt when they cannot get help from their companions.

Chen Fei glanced at the direction of the bushes, noted down the information, and didn't react further.

Big Head swaggered over from the other side of the grass, a few blades of grass still stuck to the corner of his mouth. He sat down next to Chen Fei, lowered his head to sniff the dirt on his paws, and let out an inquisitive hum.

Chen Fei ignored him.

Big Head snorted again, rested his head on Chen Fei's back, closed his eyes, and struck a pose as if to say, "Okay, I'll sleep a little longer."

The sun had climbed higher, the dew on the grass had evaporated, and the air began to feel a bit hot and dry.

The bison herd on the west side had long since calmed down, and the lame one had strolled back to the edge, grazing with its head down, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Fei stared at it, his gaze calm.

Failure once is nothing, but the energy points still need to be accounted for slowly.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 418↑]

If you don't get to eat it today, there's always tomorrow.

But there was one thing he had figured out—

Before making his next move, he wanted to see how Sel made his move.