Bird Battle

That day, Ajin quietly slipped down the mountain.

The parent bird was busy incubating eggs and was on guard, so it didn't notice its half-grown chicks for a moment. Even if it found them now, it would be difficult to chase them, so it could only sigh where it was.

The reason why Ajin ran away was very simple.

It really doesn't want to help hatch the eggs...!

As a sub-adult peacock that is less than one year old, its body size is smaller than that of a real female green peacock. It is a very technical job to use its body to hold all the eggs together and keep them warm.

What's more, incubating eggs is so boring. Having to stay there all the time is really a torture for a little peacock that is in the growth stage.

So, Ajin ran away.

The deep forest was the territory of other peacocks. After thinking about it, it flew down the mountain happily.

Coincidentally, they met a temporary team returning from today's surprise patrol on a narrow mountain path.

The team was shocked:

"Didn't we check before coming here that there were no peacocks nearby? How did it appear?"

"Is there a mother bird hatching nearby?! Everyone be careful!"

"Everyone, don't move, let it go away on its own!"

However, to their surprise, the green peacock in front of them did not run away in fear, but looked at them calmly, and walked towards them with graceful steps.

Hey——!

They didn't know how to react for a moment and could only watch as this friendly little peacock walked to someone's feet and pecked at the shriveled cloth bag in his hand.

Well, there should have been some supplementary food they prepared in here, but on the way back they happened to see that a feeding point was empty, so it is empty now.

The little guy is pecking at the cloth bag. Is he hungry?

"Whoa whoa!"

The fledgling little peacock chirped a few times, waved its wings symbolically, and begged for food without any hesitation.

This attitude, rather than a timid green peacock, is more like the bully goose at the entrance of the village, hmm...

But there is no other way, to protect the animals, we can only pamper them!

Seeing the little peacock's posture, the team members were quite amused. They rummaged through the cloth bag to shake out some food for the peacock to enjoy, while contacting the center of the nature reserve.

"Ah, that's it!"

The team was composed of new personnel transferred from another green peacock reserve. They were not very familiar with the peacocks in the mountains. However, it was different for the local staff. Just by listening to the description, they immediately guessed the identity of the little peacock that was blocking the road and robbing.

"It's okay, just feed him. This guy has a clear understanding of his identity and is not afraid of people at all."

"Just leave as soon as you're done feeding it. Sprinkle a few grains of feed and you can keep it going for a while."

The caller originally responded like this, but when confirming to hang up the call, someone raised a question:

"Is he really alright? He's in the incubation period now. If Jin suddenly runs in front of humans, will he be like the little peacocks that were disturbed in the infrared cameras before?"

...Unexpected angles!

Thinking of the various abnormal little peacocks that had been frequently shown on camera some time ago, everyone immediately put away their joking mentality and began to worry.

Yes, if the group of green peacocks in the deep mountains is disturbed by unknown threats, Ajin’s family will definitely not be able to avoid it.

Now that A Jin suddenly ran to humans, it might not be to beg for food, but to ask for help! In other words, the mother bird might be threatened!

They quickly conveyed this possibility to the team members waiting in the mountains, and said that if the little peacock wanted to take them somewhere, it would be best for them to follow.

Everyone in the team responded enthusiastically.

So they might be able to rescue the trapped green peacock soon?

Good! Just thinking about it makes me energetic!

Under their intense gaze, the little peacock at their feet finally finished eating the broken feed and raised its head to look at them again.

Perhaps it was sure that they didn't have any extra food, so it stopped picking at the cloth bag and instead walked in a certain direction with small steps and very purposeful steps, looking back at them from time to time.

Isn’t this leading the way?!

Everyone in the team immediately turned serious, moved as lightly as possible, and followed the little peacock in front of them silently.

The narrator then begins:

"The culprit who put the family in danger is still at large, but they are unable to punish him. They can only look at the old scars and shed tears, which makes them extremely heartbroken."

"So, he decided to take a risk and use the mysterious power he encountered in his childhood to bring the culprit to justice."

The audience perked up.

[What! Jin Bao made great contributions?! ]

[Huh? Did the little peacock really think so? But it had never even seen other green peacocks in the mountains, and its eggs had not been stolen. Was it really speaking out for this?]

[Why do I feel like Jin Bao was just simply asking for food from someone he met on his way down the mountain (scratching his head)]

[I thought the same thing as before. How could a young peacock that hasn’t even fully grown have any complicated thoughts? ]

Therefore, this is most likely another accidental plot.

But since the narrator mentioned the possibility of bringing the egg thieves to justice, the audience became excited and looked forward to the little peacock leading people to catch the egg thieves.

Looking back again, Ajin was a little confused.

It's not that it's afraid of people, but I don't know why these people walked so carefully, just like the natural enemies of land cats, which really scared the bird.

This made it unconsciously speed up its pace as it went down the mountain, and it even spread its wings and glided a short distance.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Follow me!"

"Why did it take off... Is the situation critical?!"

The team members quickly quickened their pace to catch up.

But as they walked along and saw the familiar scenery around them, their steps gradually slowed down.

They have been on the phone with the nature reserve all the time, reporting the current situation to them in real time so that they can be guided in how to deal with any injured green peacocks they may find.

And because it has been quiet for too long, the person on the other end of the line took the initiative to ask a question -

Communication: "How are you guys progressing now?"

Team: "Uh, I, it seems we need to go down the mountain..."

Both sides were confused, and the team at the first scene could only follow the little peacock, and they had forgotten what they were supposed to do.

In this way, the team of more than a dozen people successfully descended the mountain under the leadership of the little peacock.

"oh--!"

As soon as he got down the mountain, A Jin saw a familiar figure at the foot of the mountain.

I had seen him not long ago and threw pebbles at him. He remembered it and decided to go down the mountain to fight him.

The little peacock raised its head and followed the man.

Communication: "What about now? What about after we get down the mountain?"

Team: "Hiss, it seems to be following someone...?"

Communication: "Maybe it's the breeder down the mountain? Ah Jin was once taken care of by him and is a little closer to him. But, is the breeder also at work during this period... What do you mean he asked for leave? Then who is Ah Jin following?!"

Team: "Let's follow and see."

They followed the little peacock, and the little peacock followed people, and they turned into a remote greenhouse in the south of the village.

“Chichi…”

As soon as he heard the voice, A Jin stopped.

The sounds of bird chicks sound similar to those of chirping birds to human ears, but to birds, the difference is quite obvious.

For example, when Ajin heard it, he immediately discovered that there was a peacock like it in the shed.

So, were the two-legged beasts at that time coming to steal the eggs?

Realizing this belatedly, and with his growing competitive spirit during his growth period, the little peacock's blood boiled, and he suddenly called out "Oh oh" a few times loudly, causing the person in front of him to turn around and rush towards him with his small screen upright.

Aaaaa! Egg thief!

Take my kick!

Everyone:?!

When Lao Zhuang turned his head, he saw a green peacock trotting towards him.

If it were just that, an experienced breeder like him could certainly catch the fish with one hand, weigh its quality and sell it for a good price, feeling that he had good luck today.

But the problem is——

From behind the dilapidated wall, more than a dozen staff members with solemn expressions and red badges on their arms walked out.

Thinking of the nearby breeding farm, Lao Zhuang's face turned pale. It was impossible for him to attack the little peacock in front of this group of people. He could only endure several peckings in vain and almost cried in pain.

But it doesn't matter, as long as these people don't get suspicious, don't doubt...

"Haha, are you guys back from work? Are you going to send this little peacock back to the mountain?" Lao Zhuang tried to smile. He almost felt his scalp tingling as he looked at the little peacock that was lingering around him and refused to leave. But he still tried to act as if nothing had happened and said, "Quick, take this little ancestor away?"

He wanted everyone to focus their attention here, but the opposite happened. Half of the dozen people looked towards the shed nearby.

He racked his brains to finally draw his attention back, but the next second, the little peacock beside him seemed to have finally vented its anger. It was attracted by the calls from the greenhouse and walked towards the greenhouse with a chirping sound.

"..." The captain of the team looked at the peacock's smooth little combo, and then looked at the cold sweat on Lao Zhuang's forehead. He pondered for a moment, then took out his certificate with an expressionless face, "Hello, please take us in to check your farm."

It's over.

Lao Zhuang fell into despair.

Communication: "Sorry, sorry, the signal just now seemed a bit confused. Can you tell me what you are doing now?"

Team: "Counting the green peacock seedlings and green peacock eggs."

Communication: "Pfft! What?!"

Team: "The person we are tracking is a suspect who stole green peacock eggs during the breeding season. He raised green peacocks in his greenhouse and sold them for profit... We have reported the case to the police."

Communication: "Ah? Ah?"

Team: "It's a bit complicated... But anyway, this little peacock is probably really looking for us for help."

But this way of asking for help is a little too clever.

Instead of leading them to the crime scene, they went straight to the crime scene to find out the culprit, and they even saved the effort of investigation.

The people on the other side of the reserve were in a daze, but at least they still remembered the current situation and quickly called a group of professionals to assist.

Soon, the truth came to light.

Lao Zhuang and his family bribed a villager from the patrol team and obtained the specific time and route of the patrol team as well as the location of the infrared cameras in the wild. During the breeding season, they easily bypassed people's surveillance and went deep into the mountains to steal peacock eggs.

After stealing the eggs, they take them back to the greenhouse to hatch them themselves. The peacock seedlings they obtain are either sold directly or raised to a certain age for breeding. They have a variety of ways to make profits.

The hybrid blue-green peacocks that once appeared in the forest came from their farms, and were their attempt to increase the peacock's egg-laying rate.

It’s a pity that the number of green peacocks raised is too small and most of them are from the same nest, so the next generation is prone to genetic diseases. So in the past two years, they began to go directly into the mountains to steal eggs, and they have all been stolen this year.

Everyone: ...

Hard.

The fist hardened.

The others' blood pressure soared just after listening to these stammering statements. They couldn't believe that while they were working diligently to protect the green peacocks, there were people like this who were ruthlessly destroying the rare green peacock eggs in the dark.

ah! !

Are you sick? !

No wonder they always feel that the environment here is very good, but the birth rate of little peacocks always falls short of expectations.

It turns out someone is messing around! Damn it!

The chaos and reforms in the human world are foreseeable, and the little peacock, who had gone down the mountain for a stroll and beat some people up, returned leisurely to the mountain after discovering that there were many people.

It was in a good mood after having its revenge.

So when the parent birds invited it to incubate eggs again, A Jin reluctantly agreed.

But it had only been there for a few seconds—

“Crack.”

An egg cracked.

One more chapter to end