Chapter Sixty-Five: So It Was a Young Magpie

According to Lu Chen’s original plan, he intended to evolve to the fourth tier and then immediately leave the valley, migrating with several saltwater crocodiles to the tropical jungles further south. Now, with this new discovery, he hesitated once more.

He wasn’t sure if the mutation was limited to the hot spring valley or if it had already spread across the entire Blue Star. If it was the latter, then this marked the opening act of a new era… The future promised to be far more exciting than he could have imagined.

Suddenly, a sense of urgency welled up within him. His desire to grow stronger became even more pressing. But, residing deep in the mountains, he was isolated from any news about the outside world and had no idea what changes might be unfolding beyond.

Perhaps… it was time to visit the human world again soon? Lu Chen thought it necessary. If his suspicions were correct, he needed to prepare early—getting ahead meant staying ahead.

Resolving himself, Lu Chen cast his gaze at the three saltwater crocodiles beside him, then left the valley.

His luck was good this time; after swimming barely a dozen miles, he caught the scent of prey.

It was a group of water deer foraging nearby.

These creatures, the largest deer species native to tropical and subtropical regions, liked to gather in herds by the water’s edge, feeding mainly on leaves, berries, and tender shoots.

An adult water deer typically weighed around four hundred pounds, but the leader before him was even more imposing—nearly three meters long, weighing over five hundred pounds, its pale brown hide crowned with a nearly one-meter-long three-pronged antler.

Even for Lu Chen now, this beast was massive. Yet he felt no fear.

Water deer, unlike wild boar, were timid by nature. When attacked, they scattered immediately and never attempted to fight back. No matter how large they grew, to Lu Chen, they were nothing more than a pile of delicious meat.

Moreover, his target this time wasn’t the largest leader. He set his sights on a juvenile water deer weighing over a hundred pounds.

After carefully surveying the surroundings, Lu Chen quietly came ashore from the downwind side.

He crept closer, using the tall grass for cover, moving silently and steadily.

As expected, once he got within thirty meters, a vigilant water deer noticed his presence and sounded an alarm.

At that moment, Lu Chen sprang into action!

His limbs thundered forward in wild strides, sprinting toward his prey.

Frightened, the water deer scattered, many leaping into the river and swimming rapidly toward the opposite bank, hoping to escape their pursuer.

These creatures earned the name “water deer” because of their unique skill—swimming.

Unfortunately for them, their calculations were off.

As the ruler of the river mouth, no animal knew swimming better than Lu Chen!

Locking onto his target, he vanished once more.

Half a minute later, in the middle of the river, a swimming water deer seemed to be dragged by an unseen force, suddenly vanishing beneath the surface.

***

“Yow yow… yow yow…”

On the path leading to the hot spring valley, a water deer ran at full speed, its cries echoing with fear.

After covering some distance, it turned, intending to flee down another forest trail, hoping to avoid being intercepted by Lu Chen.

It bounded and changed direction, then resumed its frantic sprint.

Seeing that the prey hadn’t deviated from the intended route, Lu Chen followed at a leisurely pace. After several rounds of strengthening, his heart had adapted to long-distance running.

Thus, the hunter and hunted advanced along the mountain path, eventually entering the hot spring valley.

Lu Chen hadn’t killed the water deer outright—he wanted to leave it for the three saltwater crocodiles as practice, hoping to hone their hunting skills.

Over the past few months, the crocodile trio had gotten used to catching prey with traps. If this continued, Lu Chen feared they might forget their innate predatory abilities.

“Hiss, hiss…”

Seeing the water deer suddenly appear in the valley, the crocodiles gathered excitedly.

They called out to the third crocodile, seeking confirmation.

Once assured, the three immediately launched their hunting tactics.

The largest, Crocodile Chief, lured the prey head-on, while the second and the youngest sister positioned themselves for ambush on either side.

Given the size difference, Lu Chen expected a prolonged struggle.

But the second crocodile lunged and tore a huge chunk of flesh from the deer’s haunch.

Within half a minute, amid the deer’s anguished screams, the chief rushed in and clamped its jaws around the deer’s neck.

A death roll ensued, blood spraying from the neck.

The water deer staggered a few steps forward, then collapsed in a pool of blood, its eyes quickly dimming.

Lu Chen was quite satisfied with this outcome.

At least it proved that, despite months of relative comfort, the saltwater crocodiles hadn’t forgotten their hunting skills.

The water deer’s carcass weighed over a hundred pounds, enough for the four crocodiles to feast.

As the leader, Lu Chen naturally held the right to divide the spoils.

He extended his claws and efficiently separated the body into four portions of varying sizes.

Ordinary crocodiles, when faced with large chunks of food they couldn’t swallow, would bite and slam it against rocks or tree trunks until it broke apart, then gulp it down. If that failed, they’d leave the prey nearby, letting it rot and soften over time.

But these three had learned from Lu Chen. They wielded their claws, slicing the meat into tiny pieces before swallowing.

Unexpectedly, the fledgling bird also hopped over, stretched out its neck, and pecked greedily at the meat, swallowing it with delight.

Under the fourth crocodile’s care, the little bird’s habits seemed to be growing ever more peculiar.

With each passing day, it grew bolder, often venturing outside the crocodiles’ protective circle, leaping alone through the jungle. Even when encountering monkeys, it showed no fear, sometimes even demanding food with open beak.

The monkey troop seemed to understand that the bird was under the crocodiles’ protection and dared not provoke it. Some clever monkeys even brought insects from the underbrush as offerings.

Lu Chen had been busy creating rock paintings recently, paying little attention to the fledgling.

Now, he suddenly realized how familiar its appearance had become: a gray-black pointed beak, white belly feathers, blue-black wing feathers… If it grew a few long black tail feathers, it would be a magpie!

Damn… it really was a magpie chick.

Lu Chen finally understood why it seemed so familiar.

He recalled being bullied by a flock of magpies when he first crossed into this world months ago and felt a sudden urge to swallow the little one for revenge.

He still remembered all too well the taste of the hot droppings hurled into his mouth.

But seeing the fourth crocodile nearby, Lu Chen suppressed the impulse.

The fourth treated the bird as a treasure; it would be unwise to anger the little one.

Just a silly bird, after all. A grown man shouldn’t hold a grudge—let it go…

Wait… magpies belong to the corvid family, renowned as the most intelligent of birds.

Could it be that this little one had also undergone some kind of mutation?