Chapter 21.2

Wei Li, driving the last bus, blurted out, “Damn, the director wasn’t lying to us!”

In the lush forest clearing, Mu Ling sat atop a large rock, scattering tiny carrot pieces. Surrounding her were dozens of rabbits with long ears and pale golden fur, creating a scene so picturesque it seemed straight out of a fairy tale.

The tourists gasped in amazement and quickly whipped out their light-brain cameras to capture the moment.

Seeing the crowd approach, Mu Ling waved and spoke into her microphone, “Feel free to take pictures, but don’t get too close, or you’ll scare the bunnies away. There’s a red bucket under the front seats of the shuttle with carrot pieces for feeding, but remember, keep your distance!”

In no time, the tourists eagerly disembarked—some feeding the rabbits, others snapping photos—filling the forest with laughter and cheer.

After about twenty minutes, Mu Ling ushered the group back onto the buses.

“Next up is the monkey forest. The little monkeys love bananas, and there are some in that same red bucket. Just don’t snack on them yourselves—those are for feeding the monkeys!”

The tourists burst into laughter as the cars continued their journey. A little while later, Mu Ling asked Xiang Bie to slow down. She grabbed a handful of bananas and stepped off again.

A shortcut across the slope led directly to the monkey forest, where Mu Ling needed to prepare the area; otherwise, the visitors might not spot any monkeys.

Mu Ling’s approach to guiding was straightforward—more instinct than technique.

As Mu Ling trudged through the forest, breathing heavily toward the monkey area, something unsettling unfolded deeper in the jungle by the waterfall. Two hyenas with yellow-purple mottled fur crouched by the stream, drinking greedily. Water droplets splashed onto their coats. After slaking their thirst, they shook their fur, revealing grotesque features—one had a gaping hole in its face with a fleshy, tumor-like eye inside. The other had an enormous, round nose, dotted with honeycomb-like indentations resembling an insect’s nest.

The two predators moved downstream and soon spotted two small brown deer grazing nearby. Their eyes gleamed with pure greed. Lowering their bodies, the hyenas prepared to pounce—but just then, a black crocodile with saw-like teeth and iron-hard skin lunged from the stream, snapping at one hyena’s leg.

The hyenas, with their keen canine hearing, had already anticipated the danger. They dodged swiftly, retreating several steps and baring their teeth at the crocodile from a safe distance.

The crocodile’s cold, sinister eyes fixed on the hyenas. But the chance to strike had passed—it was too slow to outmatch the agile hyenas, who circled it mockingly.

Meanwhile, the startled deer bolted away. The hyenas immediately abandoned their mockery of the crocodile, swiftly moving to block one deer’s escape route.

Panicked, the deer dashed into the stream, hoping to leap across, but a hyena was already on its heels. With a vicious bite to its hind leg, the deer let out a heart-wrenching scream, tumbling into the water as the stream turned crimson.

The piercing cry echoed through the forest, catching the attention of a black panther prowling nearby. It paused, its massive body heaving slightly, green eyes gleaming dangerously as it scanned the surroundings. Moments later, it locked onto the sound’s origin and sprang into action.

Back in the monkey forest, Mu Ling frowned as she glanced toward the distant woods. “What was that sound?” she muttered anxiously. A small monkey nestled in her arms, still peeling a banana. She set it down on a nearby rock and walked purposefully toward the forest.

“Was that an animal’s cry? Are animals fighting? That’s not good—those animals were expensive!”

Her unease deepening, she quickened her pace.

The little monkey looked at the banana in its hand, then gazed after Mu Ling, seeming a bit bewildered.

Suddenly, the monkey’s mother leapt down from a tree. The young one chirped twice before jumping into its mother’s arms. With the infant clinging to her, the mother monkey grabbed a branch, agilely swinging from tree to tree, following Mu Ling with ease.

Mu Ling didn’t slow down, and soon other monkeys joined in, as if it were some exciting game.

She emerged from the monkey forest, coming upon a small stream. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to head downstream—only for the mother monkey to screech, urging her to go upstream instead.

Mu Ling raised an eyebrow. “You want me to go upstream?”

After a brief pause, she nodded decisively. “Alright, sister, I’ll follow your lead.”

As Mu Ling left the monkey forest, the monkey troop stopped following. The little one finally managed to peel its banana and contentedly nibbled on it. The mother monkey, however, watched Mu Ling’s retreating figure, twitching her nose to smell the blood scent carried by the wind from upstream.

Upstream, the injured deer thrashed wildly in the water. The black crocodile lunged at the hyenas, who, fearing the crocodile, temporarily retreated to prowl along the shore.

The deer, crippled by its injury, struggled to stay upright in the water. Terrified by the crocodile’s approach, it panicked even more, its struggles causing it to lose strength faster. Yet, instead of attacking, the crocodile fixated its gaze on the two hyenas, waiting.

The situation reached a stalemate.

Until…

From the dense undergrowth nearby, the sleek black panther crouched low, watching the scene unfold in silence.

Sensing danger, the hyenas grew restless. They snarled at the crocodile, which remained unmoved.

Finally, one hyena made its move. Ignoring the crocodile’s warning glare, it bit down on the deer’s leg and began dragging it ashore.

The deer cried out again, writhing in agony as the hyena’s sharp teeth sank deeper into its flesh.

The crocodile lunged once more, but the deer’s body blocked its path, causing it to miss. The deer was dragged onto the bloodstained stones by the riverbank. Frustrated, the crocodile churned the water, but to no avail.

Just then, the black panther sprang from the shadows. Its body was pure black without a single stray hair, exuding raw power and menace. Like the most experienced and patient hunter, it struck with unerring precision.

The hyenas sensed the attack and tried to dodge—but it was too late. The panther’s jaws clamped down on the neck of the hyena dragging the deer, pinning it to the ground with its powerful forepaws. With a vicious shake, it slammed the hyena to the ground.

The other hyena rushed to help, attempting to attack the panther from behind—

Bang!

A sharp gunshot echoed across the stream.

The second hyena’s body was hit, collapsing instantly before it hit the ground.

The panther still gripped the first hyena in its jaws, its eyes a reddish green, glaring coldly toward the source of the shot.

The black crocodile had already submerged into the streambed, trying to camouflage itself as a rock while peeking cautiously from the water.

As the panther and crocodile remained on high alert, Mu Ling lowered her tranquilizer gun and quickly approached, her expression grim.

When she reached the stream’s edge, the panther had already released the hyena’s lifeless body. Blood stained its jaws as it licked its teeth, retreating a few steps while staring ominously at Mu Ling.

Mu Ling glanced at the panther, the hyenas, the injured deer, and finally at the poorly concealed crocodile lurking beneath the water.

Pursing her lips, Mu Ling spoke, “You, Swift Fire Panther, Lightning.”

She pointed at the panther, then at the crocodile. “And you, Iron-skin crocodile, Guardian.”

“One S-class retired land war beast, one B-class retired aquatic war beast,” she muttered, recalling the animal profiles she had studied.

Looking at the mutated hyenas, Mu Ling’s frustration boiled over. With a swift kick, she sent the dead hyena’s body flying.

The panther blinked, retreating further behind a large tree, while the crocodile sank deeper into the streambed.

Mu Ling checked on the injured deer. “It’s still alive, but it got bitten by a mutant beast. I’m not sure if the wound will get infected, especially since they haven’t had vaccinations in a long time.”

Groaning, she grabbed her walkie-talkie. “Brother Xiang, can you hear me?”

Xiang Bie’s voice crackled over the line. “Mm-hmm.”

“Stop the car immediately. Have the tourists in your shuttle move to the buses behind. Then have Brother Wei turn around and take everyone down the mountain. Today’s tour ends now. If the visitors have any complaints, I’ll apologize when I get back. You, bring the first aid kit and come find me. I’m by the ravine behind the monkey forest. Here…” Mu Ling looked at the two hyenas again, her face dark with anger, “Mutant beasts have appeared.”

There was a pause on the other end of the walkie-talkie, then Xiang Bie’s voice came through, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Mu Ling rubbed her forehead. “It’s just that the trial opening has definitely failed. Oh, and Lightning and Guardian are here too. They probably tracked the mutant beasts by scent. When I arrived, Lightning had just killed one mutant beast. I can’t tell if Guardian got involved. Should I tranquilize them both and bring them back for a check-up in case they’re infected too?”

Xiang Bie frowned, “You’re with Lightning and Guardian without protective gear?”

Mu Ling replied, “I have a tranquilizer gun. They’re not faster than me.”

Looking at the hyena she had taken down, her anger flared again, “To be honest, I feel like shooting everyone right now. I think I’m going crazy.”

Xiang Bie: “…”

Xiang Bie could tell that Mu Ling was at her breaking point. The failure of the trial opening had clearly hit her hard, causing her first reaction to mutant beasts and war beasts to be anger rather than fear.

Xiang Bie tried to calm her down, “Stay calm. If they’re not harming you, leave them be for now. I’m coming right away. Be careful.”