Chapter 28

When Lin Bei saw the cloud leopard's tracks in the forest, the cloud leopard was leisurely following behind a female hyena. Its paws landed on the trees without a sound, and its spots blended perfectly with the trees. Even when staring at it, one might overlook it. Seeing its appearance, Lin Bei found it hard to believe that the creature was actually injured.

A few days ago, Lin Bei did not participate in the battle between the cloud leopard and the lynx. However, from the fact that the cloud leopard was still active while the lynx had disappeared, one could infer that the lynx had either retreated or died. If it had died, there would be nothing more to say. If it had only retreated, the lynx might return after a while, and the cloud leopard would have its hands full again.

The female hyena looked rather foolish. It had just gone from being very hungry to very full, and this contrast had lowered its alertness to the lowest point. Additionally, because its belly was so large, it wobbled as it walked. If Lin Bei were a fierce beast, he would probably have considered it a target for hunting. It was too clumsy.

Seeing the contrast between the two, Lin Bei couldn't help but shake his head. If he weren't here this time, it would be unjust for the female hyena to survive.

Lin Bei moved a bit closer, about two hundred meters away. The cloud leopard, truly a jungle hunter, had a very keen sense. Even at this distance, it sensed something and immediately stopped, turning to look in Lin Bei's direction, somewhat uneasy.

Lin Bei actually knew that many jungle hunters could move stealthily, completely concealing their presence. However, this did not include himself. He did not have this skill, so his powerful aura was like a lamp in the dark, making it easy for wild beasts to detect him, except for the foolish female hyena, who was still unaware.

Lin Bei poked his head out, and the cloud leopard immediately saw him. The cloud leopard stopped.

As one of the more active top predators in the area, the cloud leopard had encountered Lin Bei several times over the past ten days, and they were somewhat familiar with each other. Each time, the cloud leopard had retreated and left. This time was no different. The cloud leopard looked at Lin Bei, then at the female hyena, a very delicious meal. Unfortunately, it needed the strength to enjoy it. The cloud leopard was quite intelligent and turned to go in another direction.

In the past, Lin Bei always thought that fights between animals were very common, and two fierce beasts meeting would result in a life-or-death struggle. However, this was not the case. They would first assess each other's strength, a judgment that wild beasts rarely got wrong. Once both sides understood each other's strength, the stronger one would use a roar or its size to intimidate, and the weaker one would usually retreat. Fighting was a last resort, unless both were very hungry.

The cloud leopard quietly retreated, and Lin Bei looked at the female hyena, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated. It seemed the female hyena was still completely unaware, not noticing the silent confrontation between two top predators. It even went behind a tree to urinate, shaking itself afterward, looking very comfortable.

"Look at this intelligence. This guy's future is really worrying," Lin Bei muttered. Was it because the female hyena's intelligence was low that it had been driven out?

The female hyena, with its questionable intelligence, was enjoying itself, sniffing around and eventually finding a tree hollow nearby, into which it crawled.

Lin Bei waited patiently for a while. The female hyena poked its head out, urinated at the entrance, and then left the tree hollow, returning with some grass.

"Is it switching to a plant-based diet?" Lin Bei was truly surprised. He had never heard of a hyena eating grass.

In fact, Lin Bei was overthinking. The female hyena was using the grass to make a nest. It seemed to feel that the tree hollow was suitable and safe. However, Lin Bei suspected the main reason was that it was close to his dragon pond, so the female hyena decided to settle here. Regardless, Lin Bei thought it was a somewhat smart move.

Hyenas are nomadic, always moving with their food source. They sleep wherever they find a place to lie down after eating, which is the case for many animals. However, the female hyena's current condition was not suitable for constant movement; her offspring were about to be born.

Hyenas generally mate and breed in the fall, with a gestation period of twelve months. It was now fall, and the female hyena needed to prepare for her offspring. Although she was clumsy and foolish, her maternal instincts were still strong.

After busily setting up the tree hollow, the female hyena dragged a few branches to the entrance and then crawled inside, not coming out again. She must have felt safe and fallen asleep.

While the female hyena slept, Lin Bei still had work to do. Humans are strange; if they invest emotionally, that emotion usually continues. For example, now, Lin Bei wanted to help the female hyena give birth to her cubs smoothly. So even though the female hyena was asleep, Lin Bei still had a lot to do.

The area around the dragon pond was now Lin Bei's territory, and almost no fierce beasts would dare to intrude. However, this area was different; the beasts had been driven to this vicinity. Therefore, Lin Bei had to re-establish his territory. He did not have the habit of urinating everywhere, so he had to walk around, using his size to tell the unintelligent beasts that he had claimed this place and they should leave.

A red-banded snake raised its head in front of Lin Bei, its tongue flicking, making a strange hissing sound. Snakes that live in the forest are generally venomous, such as cobras, vipers, and green pit vipers. Although the red-banded snake was bright red, its venom was not very potent. However, this particular red-banded snake had a unique feature: it was over three and a half meters long, a terrifying size for its kind. It was a dominant force in the area, with tigers and leopards ignoring it and smaller animals unable to fight it. Now, with Lin Bei's appearance and his attempt to claim the territory, the red-banded snake was enraged.

Although Lin Bei did not understand snake language, he knew the red-banded snake was warning him. However, looking at the snake's size and then at his own, Lin Bei found it uninteresting. The difference was too great; the snake's fangs probably couldn't even penetrate his scales. He initially wanted to kill it with a single strike but then had a different idea: the snake king.

In reality, the concept of a snake king is a fabrication in novels. Snakes do not have a king; the idea of a snake king summoning thousands of snakes is unscientific. Snakes have underdeveloped brains, with memory levels comparable to those of human infants, and their understanding is extremely low. Therefore, commanding thousands of snakes is not feasible.

However, Lin Bei still wanted to try.

This was an era of cold weapons, and the saying "strength in numbers" was indeed true. The same applied to snakes. Lin Bei now considered himself very powerful, but he was not sure he could defeat a dozen well-equipped soldiers. However, if he had thousands of snakes under his command, combined with the special terrain of the forest, Lin Bei believed that even a million people would not be a match.

Additionally, Lin Bei enjoyed interacting with people, but he could not guarantee that they would not have ulterior motives. The treachery of human hearts can be unimaginable. At such times, having an army of snakes loyal to him would be a significant deterrent. Therefore, Lin Bei decided to give it a try.

How could he turn a group of snakes into his obedient subordinates? After much thought, Lin Bei came up with a method: beating them.

Lin Bei did not understand snake language, and it was debatable whether snakes even had a language. Therefore, communication was impossible, and he had to use force to subdue them, beating them until they submitted. If they still did not submit, they would die. Lin Bei had a liking for humans but not for snakes, so he did not care how many snakes died.

The red-banded snake thus became Lin Bei's test subject. It was a lesson that not only humans but also snakes should not be too arrogant, or their fate would be tragic.

The red-banded snake was naturally no match for Lin Bei, especially since Lin Bei could skillfully use various weapons. He beat the snake with branches, causing it to howl in pain, unable to escape. Soon, it was covered in blood.

"Are you convinced?" Lin Bei said, though it was more in his mind. Whether the red-banded snake heard him or not, he did not care. If it could still raise its head, it was not convinced, so he continued beating it.

Clearly, this violent method of subjugation was too low-level. Lin Bei saw that the red-banded snake, even with its last breath, did not show any signs of submission.

"Then wait until you recover, and we'll try again."

Lin Bei continued his territory-establishing process, leaving the red-banded snake in a bloody mess. It did not know that its future would be even more tragic.