Chapter Sixty-One: Unlocking the Breeding Skill

"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss." The little crocodile sister hurriedly crawled in front of the fledgling, blocking its way and emitting threatening calls.

What does this mean? It's not for me to eat? Once again, Lu Chen was confused, unable to fathom what the fourth crocodile could possibly be up to.

But then he saw the crocodile dash away in a rush, only to return with several small fish in its mouth.

"Hiss, hiss..." It beat the ground a few times with its claws, calling out incessantly to Lu Chen.

So it's planning to raise a little bird for fun? Having witnessed the fourth crocodile raising the golden monkey before, Lu Chen finally understood.

He was certain now—this creature's brain was structured quite differently from that of an ordinary saltwater crocodile. First it kept a monkey, now it wanted to raise a fledgling... had it unlocked some sort of animal husbandry skill?

For all the fourth crocodile's bizarre antics, Lu Chen had always harbored a tolerant heart.

Still, feeding the bird a whole fish would probably choke it to death.

He hadn't intended to interfere, preferring to let the fourth crocodile amuse itself—if the bird died, it would make a decent meal.

But the little bird kept opening its beak and chirping incessantly, making quite a racket.

Forget it... might as well save its life, it's a living thing after all.

With nothing better to do, he could at least find some amusement in it.

From his previous life, he knew that as long as a fledgling was fed, it was quite easy to keep alive.

Fortunately, the valley soil was damp and teeming with insects.

With a casual swipe of his sharp claws, Lu Chen unearthed more than a dozen woodlice.

Woodlice—also known as pill bugs or sow bugs—thrived in moist soil and decaying leaves. Their bodies were gray-black, never longer than half a centimeter, and their chitinous shells were soft and brittle.

Easily digestible for a young bird.

Watching the scattering bugs, Lu Chen brought his claw down, killing four or five at once.

Then, using the tip of his claw, he picked one up and gently placed it by the fledgling’s beak.

The entire process was performed with utmost care, afraid that a single misstep might crack the little creature's skull.

As for bacteria inside the woodlice, Lu Chen didn't concern himself with such matters.

If the fledgling survived, it meant it had a strong life force. If not, it wasn’t his fault.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss..." Watching the little one eat, the fourth crocodile called out excitedly. To it, this seemed like a new and fascinating toy.

***

With the wind, Lu Chen caught the fresh scent of humans from afar.

So, they’d been discovered after all…

He had estimated that, deep in the mountains, that abandoned encampment wouldn’t be found for quite some time. But it had only been a week before other humans arrived, and they, too, were accompanied by patrol dogs.

Learning from last time, Lu Chen approached from downwind, silent as a shadow.

He was confident he’d left no trace behind, but he couldn't help wanting a closer look, just to be sure.

Leaping into a tall tree, he concealed his body among the leaves, stretching out his head to watch from a distance.

Four men and two women in outdoor jackets were investigating the area near the camp, taking photographs. An elderly man with graying hair appeared to be their leader.

The man crouched down, pointing at tracks on the ground. “Look at these animal prints, very clear. The two front ones have narrow gaps between the toes, and the prints are pointed at the tips—classic signs of gray wolves. And though the tracks seem chaotic, each set is actually in a straight line—‘dogs travel in packs, wolves in a line.’ The conclusion is obvious: these poachers must have hunted quite a few wolves and ended up provoking the pack, which attacked them at night while they camped…”

“They deserved it—serves them right. They even dared to go after golden eagles and clouded leopards. Each offense could land them more than a decade in prison…” a young man beside him said angrily. He added, “In recent months, animal populations in zones A92 and A93 have dropped sharply. Could it be related to these poachers?”

They were all staff members of the reserve, primarily responsible for monitoring and collecting data on the wildlife of the Tiannan Mountains.

Half a month ago, while retrieving infrared cameras from within the reserve for data analysis, they discovered that wildlife populations in two areas had plummeted.

Strangely, the cameras had not recorded any evidence of large carnivores.

To uncover the truth, the staff had entered the mountains, eventually spotting a chaotic, abandoned camp and human remains gnawed down to the bone via drone surveillance.

Judging by the traces left behind, it was clear the deceased were poachers.

“It’s possible,” the elderly man nodded.

Yet he found it odd that there were no wolf remains.

Hearing that the humans had not suspected him, Lu Chen finally relaxed.

As for what would happen next, he paid no further attention and had no intention of revealing himself.

Regarding the decline in wildlife that the young man mentioned, Lu Chen could be quite sure... it was almost certainly due to him.

He now weighed over two hundred pounds and could easily eat thirty pounds of food in a single sitting. That meant at least two wild piglets a day, or animals of similar size.

Even Lu Chen himself had noticed that prey in the nearby forests was becoming increasingly scarce. To fill his belly, he had to hunt further and further afield, sometimes swimming more than a hundred miles along the river.

He had also encountered the infrared cameras set up in the forest a few times while hunting.

But whenever he caught a whiff of humans nearby, he memorized the location and steered clear.

So far, he had managed to avoid being captured on camera.

And from the humans’ conversations, he could confirm they were unaware of the presence of any saltwater crocodiles.

Still, Lu Chen knew well that if you often walk by the river, your feet are bound to get wet—he would be discovered eventually.

He had already made up his mind: if he was discovered, he would immediately lead the three other saltwater crocodiles southward. For their species, the south was true paradise, with vast stretches of tropical rainforest and much more abundant food.

Lu Chen was now in a period of rapid growth. In another month, his weight would likely surpass four hundred pounds. Even in the rainforest, he would be able to defend himself.

Of course, if possible, Lu Chen hoped to remain in this reserve a bit longer—ideally, to become a Tier 4 saltwater crocodile before heading further south.

The system’s panel showed his energy points had just passed twenty thousand, still a long way from the next upgrade. At this rate, it would take at least two more months.

Leaving the human encampment, Lu Chen continued upstream along the river. After more than ten miles, he came upon a large lake.

It was his first time here.

Soon, Lu Chen grew excited.

In the grass by the shore, he could smell the presence of many wild animals.

And not far away, a group of large, snow-white creatures glided slowly across the water.

Swans?

After carefully studying their faces, Lu Chen was sure he was not mistaken.

Ever since turning into a saltwater crocodile, he’d never tasted swan meat.

He found himself longing for it.

Soon, he picked out his targets.

At the edge of the reed bed ahead, there were two plump waterfowl.

Both were swans.