Once he swallowed the black spotted frog, Luo Feng could not help showing a satisfied look, a brief flicker of contentment crossing his reptilian features. The taste, though foreign to his human memories, was now a familiar and welcome sensation.
This frog was already mature and provided him with two precious bio energy points. Only ten minutes after coming out from his resting place and he already had such a harvest. It was a good sign, an auspicious beginning to his hunting session. The energy coursed through him, a tangible promise of growth and evolution.
In this way, with continued success, maybe he could capture enough prey to start his third evolution today. The thought was exhilarating, a driving force behind his relentless pursuit.
Great. I hope I can get three more adult frogs today.
Luo Feng thought excitedly as his body continued its silent crawl around the massive trees, his eyes sweeping the area in a meticulous search pattern for any small animals he could prey upon. His head moved in slow, deliberate arcs, his forked tongue flicking out periodically to taste the air, collecting chemical information about his surroundings.
Maybe his initial luck had reached its temporary limit, because along the way he saw several other frogs, but they all detected his presence just in time and jumped past him in a flurry of panicked motion. He never even had a chance to strike, to unleash the speed he knew he possessed. He also spotted a small, quick gecko sunning itself on a rock, but it immediately bolted into a crevice the moment it saw him, its escape instantaneous.
In addition, he noticed a few flies and other tiny insects drifting lazily in front of him, moving in erratic patterns. Since they could not provide any meaningful bio energy, he ignored them completely and let them go about their short lives, unworthy of his attention and effort.
More than half an hour passed without a single successful capture, but Luo Feng was not in a particular hurry. After becoming a lizard, his fundamental temperament had shifted dramatically. He was no longer the cheerful and impatient self of his former human life. He had grown colder, more detached, and far more calculating, his patience now seemingly infinite.
Finally, after more than an hour of silent, painstaking search, he discovered a lone frog resting near a clear, gently flowing stream. The water bubbled softly over smooth stones, a constant, soothing sound in the otherwise quiet forest.
Target locked. Green frog, amphibious, provides two bio energy points.
When Luo Feng saw the frog crouched quietly on a vibrant patch of green moss, perfectly still, he felt a surge of excitement. But he quickly suppressed it, forcing a calm over his mind, and muffled his movements to the utmost to avoid alerting the sensitive prey. Any vibration, any sound, could send it leaping to safety.
The frog was mature, about four or five centimeters long, a decent meal. Its slick skin blended perfectly with the damp moss, making it nearly invisible to the untrained eye unless observed with careful attention. Luo Feng had needed his enhanced infrared vision to spot its heat signature in the first place, a slight warmth against the cooler greenery.
Slowly, with the patience of a stone, he crawled forward. His belly brushed the cool earth, his legs moving with a fluid, minimal motion. Since the frog was facing the opposite direction, toward the stream, and he moved with painstaking care, the frog remained completely unaware of his approach, lost in its own world.
After nearly a full minute of this glacial advance, Luo Feng was only twenty centimeters away. The distance was perfect, well within his striking range.
His muscles coiled beneath his scales, tensing like springs. Then, in an instant, he shot forward like a dart released from a blowpipe, his jaws opening wide to their full extent. He clamped down on the frog in one precise, lightning fast bite. Only then did the frog realize its mortal danger, thrashing violently in a desperate, futile attempt to escape his grasp.
But its body was already hooked firmly by Luo Feng's sharp, needle like teeth. Breaking free was impossible, the grip was absolute.
Panic and pain filled the frog's small body, and it released a shrill, desperate hum that vibrated against his palate. Luo Feng ignored the sound and the sensation. His grip was unyielding, his teeth sinking deeper as he held on without mercy. The frog's struggles weakened steadily, its energy fading, until, at last, its heartbeat fluttered and stopped.
Once certain it was dead, Luo Feng slowly, methodically, swallowed the frog whole, feeling the familiar stretch of his jaw and the passage of the meal down his throat. His stomach bulged slightly with the new mass, and he shifted his body slightly, savoring the taste for a brief moment before focusing again.
I really have changed, he thought, a distant part of his mind acknowledging the transformation. When I was human, I could never imagine eating raw food, let alone swallowing a frog whole. Maybe becoming a lizard has reshaped more than just my body. It has even changed my mind, my very instincts.
Taking a steadying breath of the humid air, Luo Feng pushed aside such philosophical thoughts. They were a luxury. What I should be thinking about is how to upgrade, how to grow stronger. Only then can I start worrying about how to gain enough reputation value before I die. Survival was the only priority.
He paused and set himself a clear, immediate goal. For now, I should aim to become an apex predator, so that no animal on this planet can threaten me. It was a grand ambition, but it started with each small hunt.
Another successful hunt filled him with fresh encouragement. He was growing more confident that he could capture enough prey to evolve again before the day was over.
Without lingering near the stream, he dragged his slightly swollen belly onward, his eyes already scanning for more food, his senses tuned to the forest's signs.
In the following stretch of time, his hunting luck seemed almost blessed by some unseen force. He caught and swallowed two plump earthworms writhing in the damp soil, two more unsuspecting black spotted frogs, and the previously captured green frog. Altogether, they provided him with seven valuable bio energy points.
The mature green frog and the two black spotted frogs had already been digested by his efficient system, granting him four confirmed points. As the digestion completed, his belly flattened again, leaving room for more prey, a feeling of emptiness returning.
Glancing at the sky through the gaps in the canopy, Luo Feng saw that it was already late afternoon. The light was taking on a golden, slanted quality. There were still a few hours left before darkness fell completely. He had enough time to hunt at least a few more animals if he remained focused.
Well. That looks like a golden frog over there.
His eyes shone with renewed interest. Right in front of him, lying motionless in the dense bushes with its belly bulging from a recent insect meal, was a golden frog that seemed to be busy digesting, its throat pulsing slowly.
This golden frog is fully grown. If I swallow it, I will have enough points to upgrade.
Excitement bubbled in his chest, a warm anticipation, and he began to crawl slowly toward it, his body low to the ground. The distance was not short, perhaps two meters, but Luo Feng was endlessly patient. The closer he got, the slower and quieter his movements became, each muscle under precise control.
Just as he was nearing the perfect striking distance, a sudden black shadow burst from the right side of the bushes with terrifying speed. With one brutal, efficient strike, it slammed the golden frog flat to the ground with a paw and then turned its piercing gaze directly toward Luo Feng, its eyes locking onto him.
The sudden, violent movement shocked him, a jolt of pure adrenaline. His body froze for a split second, his instincts screaming at him to run, to hide. Fear welled up in his chest, cold and sharp, as he finally recognized the shape emerging from the foliage.
A wild cat.
The shadow crouched before him was indeed a wild cat, one of the most common natural enemies of reptiles like him in this forest.
Wild cats lived on rodents, insects, small amphibians, and birds. And now its sharp, unblinking eyes were fixed intently on him, seeing not a hunter, but prey.
Ring. Target locked. Wild cat. Feline. Carnivorous. Provides 150 bio energy points.
Luo Feng's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He cursed inwardly, a flood of panic threatening to surface. What kind of nonsense was that? Provide 150 bio energy points? He would be incredibly lucky if he wasn't eaten on the spot. The number was a mockery of his current danger.
The creature was slightly larger than an ordinary house cat, nearly forty centimeters long from nose to tail tip, but far leaner, more muscular, and undoubtedly more dangerous. Its eyes gleamed with a predatory sharpness that made the scales on Luo Feng's back feel tight.
The wild cat was still chewing on the golden frog's head, blood dripping from its whiskered jaws, yet its intense gaze never left him, a clear sign of its divided attention and confidence.
Damn. This beast really sees me as its next meal. The thought was chillingly clear.
A dangerous, hungry light shone in those feline eyes, and Luo Feng's mind raced, discarding one plan after another in milliseconds.
What to do. What to do.
His brain spun furiously, searching for an escape, a tactic. The situation was critically dangerous, but he forced himself not to panic, to cling to logic. He needed a plan, however desperate.
I have venom, he thought, a sudden spark of hope. If I bite it, maybe…
But even as he considered the idea, doubt gnawed at him. The cat was agile, much faster than him, its reflexes legendary. There was no guarantee he could even land a bite. And even if he did, his venom was weak at this level; it would take time to act. If he was already dead and half eaten by the time it worked, what would be the point? It was no consolation.
No. I cannot fight it head on. The conclusion was inescapable.
As this grim realization settled in his mind, the wild cat lowered its body slightly into a crouch, its muscles rippling visibly beneath its taut fur. And then, in the blink of an eye, it moved.