The elephant herd's so-called base was an underground fortress.

A group of animals crossed a stream and stopped in front of a huge fir tree at the edge of the forest. The leader of the elephants raised its long trunk and let out a unique low moo. The huge fir tree trembled violently, and with the thick soil and the tangled roots in the soil, it quietly fell to one side, revealing the mechanical door hidden beneath.

Scattered bits of soil seeped through tiny holes in the door, and as the elephant leader stepped down, the door swung open, instantly illuminating the dark underground.

Compared to the height of an elephant, the height of the underground base is not exaggerated. Du Lushui can reach the ceiling by standing up and stretching out her arms.

The base's floors and walls appear to be made of metal, but in reality, the massive elephants walk on them without making a sound, their footsteps barely audible.

The winding corridor finally came to an end after passing through a specially protected underground river.

Looking at the brand-new environment, Cheng Shuang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow! It's so spacious!"

Below the tall and wide staircase is an extremely spacious and flat open space, which at first glance looks a bit like a human altar, but there are no awe-inspiring totems or other religious symbols, just a simple round and large area.

Besides the staircase beneath their feet, there are other staircases around the open space leading to unknown directions.

Cheng Shuang noticed that two pairs of elephant-beast partners were constantly patrolling the open space. When they saw the elephant leader, they immediately stopped and greeted each other.

"Is everything alright?" the elephant leader asked.

"Everything is normal."

Cheng Shuang noticed that the orc who answered subconsciously looked up at the sky, and she followed suit. She saw that the dome was not solid, but rather like a skylight, allowing a clear view of the outside environment—large, thick clouds and sparse low trees, as if hanging far away in the sky.

Du Lushui whispered to her, "This should serve the purpose of a watchtower." However, while ordinary watchtowers are positioned high up, the one at the elephant herd base is the opposite.

The orcs caught up from behind. Although the journey was long, they were in good physical condition and their speed was not much different from that of the elephant herd, which could cover several meters in a single step. After greeting the patrolling elephants, the elephant herd and the orcs passed through the observation hall together and headed towards the stairs on the opposite side, slowly climbing up.

One of the patrolling elephants suddenly shook its ears, feeling puzzled, and said to its orc companion, "Am I seeing things? What do I see on the leader's head?!"

"They look like two orc cubs."

"Sigh, there are too many cubs forced to wander the streets now. We should save as many as we can!"

Cheng Shuang and Du Lushui never expected that not only did the patrolling elephants treat them as cubs, but even the elephant leader brought them into the orphan nursery in the base.

It was filled with a sweet milky aroma and the different sounds of cubs whimpering.

The outermost room contains infants lying in mechanical cradles, the middle room contains school-aged children, and the last room, viewed from afar, should contain toddlers.

The elephant leader stopped in the classroom and swung its trunk, which immediately caught the attention of the female beastman in class. She walked over, swishing her thin cat tail, and her gaze immediately fixed on Cheng Shuang's face. Her round cat face immediately showed a look of surprise and inquiry.

"A human pet?" She winked at the leader she was teasing. "Nuoan, you've finally gotten the human pet you've always dreamed of since you were a child. I should congratulate you!"

The elephant leader seemed embarrassed and took a half step back, his voice low and powerful, "It's not mine, I met it on the road."

"Aren't human pets extinct?" The female cat's body was humanized, and she gracefully bowed as if to indicate to the leader.

As soon as the elephant leader lowered its head, Cheng Shuang and Du Lushui couldn't sit still any longer. They slid down from the top of the elephant's trunk and stopped right in front of the female cat.

After Du Lushui got up, she pulled Cheng Shuang back a step silently. Despite being a female beastman, she was 2.56 meters tall, which was no different from a giant to Cheng Shuang.

Her cat-like eyes swept over Du Lushui, then looked straight at Cheng Shuang. She suddenly smiled, "This little pet is still a cub, I'll take it. You can arrange the other one yourself!"

Upon hearing this, the elephant chief finally breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought I had made a mistake!"

"What did you misremember?" The female cat beckoned to Cheng Shuang. Her fluffy, pink paw pads were an irresistible temptation for any cat lover, and the little girl was no exception.

But she still retained some rationality, and firmly shook her head, "I didn't come here to study, I came here to find Tiger!"

"Looking for a tiger?" The female cat, who was about to hear the elephant leader's explanation, tilted her head, her face serious. "A human pet looking for a tiger? Aren't you most afraid of carnivores and cold-blooded animals?"

Du Lushui immediately understood. The chief had brought them here so that someone knowledgeable could verify their identities before making any arrangements.

"She's the owner of a pet store and used to live in the South Community." Cheng Shuang's eyes lit up immediately. Judging from the cat's female appearance, she must be over a hundred years old, which is why she could understand the temperament of pets.

The elephant leader nodded, "Yes, they've come looking for the tiger!" When the war broke out, it was still a cub. Over the years, many of its childhood memories have become blurry, but it still remembers how precious pets are, having always wanted to have one.

Unfortunately, after the gene virus spread, it mutated, first weakening animals and then killing them. Not only carnivores were affected, but also some herbivores and a small number of omnivores were persecuted. If it hadn't been for the fusion of human and pet genes, it's hard to say whether the animals would have gone down the path of mass extinction.

The entire world situation has changed as a result.

The most numerous omnivores and cold-blooded animals began to fight for power and profit, with gunfire flying everywhere. They regarded herbivores that were not infected by the genetic virus and new species that had transformed into beastmen as low-level beasts. Not only did they drive them away and enslave them, they also restored the carnivorous system and turned their own kind into their meals.

Back then, only one tiger survived the genetic virus, and even managed to save many carnivores amidst the chaos, though only about a hundred.

Based on the number of carnivores they once had, their fighting strength was merely that of a small squad, no match for the concentrated attacks and sweeps of omnivores and cold-blooded animals. Moreover, the news that the tiger possessed a miraculous cure had already made it a thorn in the side of all the animals, since obtaining the cure was equivalent to obtaining the code to crack the genetic virus.

So in the end, the tiger led the way away from the war and chose to live in seclusion.

This happened more than 80 years ago.

For some reason, the female cat suddenly thought of the tiger, and she tentatively asked, "Do you know what that tiger's name is?"

Cheng Shuang choked, then shook her head blankly.

The female cat muttered with a hint of disappointment, "That's true, how could a pet possibly know its owner's information?"

Cheng Shuang knew, of course, but she saw too much urgency and complexity in the female cat's eyes, so she didn't tell her.

The name of the person named Da Lao Fu is Lie Hu. His computer account password is composed of the letters of his name.