Liang He woke up to the Mojin King Tiger licking her hair. The beautiful locks she had painstakingly rescued from the Canglan Hunting Eagle's beak yesterday were almost completely yanked out by this guy again.
"Hmm?" Opening her eyes groggily, a massive tiger head filled her entire vision, blocking out everything else.
"Cedriel, stop licking! If you keep licking, my hairline is going to recede!" She didn't want a receding hairline that would leave her bald, forcing her to fly back to Blue Star for a hair transplant.
"AWOO?" The big tiger blinked his golden eyes aggrievedly, his tail drooping listlessly to the ground. The Canglan Hunting Eagle off to the side, however, began to flap its wings, letting out sharp SCREECHES as if mocking him.
"ROAR!" Thoroughly annoyed, Cedriel turned and roared at Lanton. Liang He almost thought there was an earthquake.
"Alright, alright, be a good boy and don't get mad. Lanton doesn't mean any harm." Having to break up a fight between these two giant beasts first thing in the morning made Liang He sigh deeply. They said that when children didn't get along, it was mostly because of their parents' incompetence. She couldn't be a failure of a Breeder.
"Lanton, you need to be good too. Wouldn't it be great to be good friends with Cedriel? You guys looked so handsome fighting together yesterday!"
Thinking of yesterday's battle, Liang He suddenly realized she had forgotten to record it. Then again, since there was a Fierce Beast in the frame, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to post it on the Star Network anyway. Since she wanted them to live in harmony, Liang He figured a common enemy would be a good choice. However, given the reserve's capabilities, another Fierce Beast wasn't likely to appear. She had to think of a new method.
"I know! Cedriel, Lanton, let's go hunting together, shall we? I'm so hungry, I'm practically starving to death."
Liang He pretended to be absolutely famished, startling Cedriel and Lanton. They immediately leaned in, gently sniffing her scent to confirm she wasn't in mortal danger.
"Hey, were the Marshal and Commander actually fooled by her?"
"Not exactly. There's a saying on Blue Star: 'Care leads to confusion.' They're just worried about Liang He."
"True, true. I think Cedriel and Commander Lanton are more like the ones raising Liang He. It's like this Blue Star person is their fragile little pet."
Comparing the beasts' massive sizes with Liang He's petite frame, that description wasn't entirely wrong. Either way, Liang He and the two of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Liang He led the tiger and the eagle through the mountain forest. The Canglan Hunting Eagle was mainly responsible for spotting prey, while the Mojin King Tiger acted as the main striking force. As for Liang He, she naturally took on the role of an idler, taking the opportunity to document their majestic moments.
"Not bad, not bad. Photos taken with professional equipment really do look great."
She had previously reported to Huo An about creating a Star Network account, so he specifically had someone buy the best equipment for her. After all, the pictures would be published in the name of the reserve; they couldn't afford to embarrass the Federation.
"Cedriel and Lanton, your teamwork is amazing!"
Liang He praised them non-stop. Even if the beasts couldn't understand her words, their perception of emotions was extremely sharp, and they worked even harder upon hearing her joy. By the time Liang He was satisfied with her photos, Cedriel had delivered the final, fatal blow to their prey, successfully taking it down.
The ordinary animals in the reserve were also classified as protected species. Cedriel and Lanton could eat them, but Liang He could not. After all, they were part of the ecological chain, and Liang He couldn't disrupt that balance.
"Huh? Lanton, did you catch these fish for me?"
Just as Liang He was wondering what dishes were left to eat in the service area, Lanton surprisingly pulled several large fish from the river for her, instantly solving her lunch problem.
"You're so amazing! I love you!" Seeing the large fish, Liang He was overjoyed. She kissed his little head several times, completely flustering the eagle.
"ROAR!" Watching the scheming Lanton steal the spotlight, Cedriel let out a couple of dissatisfied roars. He immediately turned his head, wanting to go to the river to catch a few more fish for Liang He.
"Oh no, Cedriel, your wound hasn't healed yet. You can't touch the water!" Liang He hadn't expected that the two beasts, who had just cooperated so tacitly in the hunt, would start fighting again over her meals. She hurriedly tried to soothe him.
"AWOO..." The big tiger sounded so aggrieved.
"Alright, alright. Once your wound is healed, I'll only eat the prey Cedriel brings back, okay?"
After much coaxing, Liang He finally managed to pacify the big tiger. She exhaustedly wiped the sweat from her forehead; pacifying beasts was both a technical and physical job!
"I'm dying of laughter. Since when is the Commander so good at coaxing young girls? He even played a little mind game!"
"How come we never noticed Commander Lanton was so scheming before? The Marshal is so pitiful; his emotional intelligence just got crushed again."
"It's probably because of their Beast Forms, right? After all, when they are in their beast states, no one can get close to them, so naturally, no one would notice his little schemes."
The central control room had been monitoring Liang He and the others' activities, taking in their every move.
The prey Cedriel and Lanton had caught was massive and difficult to bring back. Liang He simply did some basic processing on the spot, planning to leave only after they finished eating. Meanwhile, Liang He opened her Light Brain and registered a new account on the Star Network.
"What should I call it?"
Liang He was terrible at coming up with names. She thought for a long time, only finally making up her mind when the two beasts had nearly polished off more than half their prey.
"Decided! Fur Raising Officer!"
She acted on it immediately. After confirming the account name, Liang He selected and edited the photos she had taken today, then posted them on the Star Network.
[Recording the first cooperative hunt between the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle. Perfect! (Image)]
After confirming the upload was successful, Cedriel and Lanton were also full. Liang He placed the fish in the back of her hovercraft and headed back with the tiger and the eagle. As for why she didn't just ride back on Lanton, her personal flying mount? Liang He noted that her fragile little heart still needed to take things easy.
"Cedriel, Lanton, look!"
On the way back, Liang He made a deliberate detour to retrieve the bottles she had left out last night to collect morning dew. She shook the bottle, which was more than half full of dew, and curled her lips in satisfaction, showing off her harvest to them.
"SCREECH!" the eagle cried, as if praising her work as excellent!
"AWOO!" the tiger roared, agreeing that it was amazing!
After safely escorting Liang He all the way back to the service area, Cedriel and Lanton exchanged a glance. They turned and dashed back toward the forest, disappearing from sight.
"Interstellar technology is quite advanced, but it's a bit lacking when it comes to food and drink." Liang He had been eating a lot of meat over the past two days and felt a bit greasy. She prepared to use the freshly collected morning dew to brew some tea to cleanse her palate.
"You're probably the only one in the mood to think about food and drink, right?"
Suddenly hearing a voice other than her own, Liang He froze for a moment. Looking up, she saw Xu Yi holding a medical kit. Was he here to deliver medicine?
Xu Yi carefully peeked his head into the treatment room. Only after confirming that the two vicious bosses—who recognized no one but Liang He—were absent did he comfortably find a seat.
"Here, the medicine for Cedriel and Lanton. There are also supplies for you on the hovercraft, and I brought over your luggage from the dorm while I was at it."
Yesterday in the central control room, Huo An had noticed Liang He mentioning that her belongings were still in the dorm, so he specifically instructed Xu Yi to bring them over. After all, Cedriel's injury hadn't healed yet, and with the recent addition of a Canglan Hunting Eagle, it was clear that Liang He wouldn't be returning to the Main Service Area anytime soon.
"Doctor Xu, you're such a good person!" Without needing Xu Yi to say another word, Liang He dashed straight to the hovercraft, already calculating what supplies there were and what delicious meals she could cook up.
Left hanging in place, Xu Yi stared in slight bewilderment at Liang He's wind-like figure, unable to help but sigh in admiration.
"As expected of someone capable of taming fierce beasts—her sense of action is off the charts!"