Chapter 103 – Male Bull
Xia Lu Nong was stunned.
He knew many animals practiced infanticide, but seeing normally docile cows killing their own calves was a shocking contrast.
After killing the weak calf, the lead cow tore off its skin and began to eat its flesh.
Due to the cow’s blunt teeth, it could only tear off strips of meat bit by bit, which made the scene even more gruesome.
Xia Lu Nong watched from a distance, feeling his scalp tingle.
More cows came up and started to tear into the calf as well.
Before long, the calf was completely devoured.
The lead cow turned its attention to search for other calves.
Following the lead cow’s gaze, Xia Lu Nong spotted several calves hiding in the corner.
With a quick glance, he estimated there were about fifty or sixty calves, with around ten that were especially weak and barely able to stand.
As the lead cow approached, the frail calves were filled with terror. They widened their large eyes and staggered backward, bleating in fear.
Their already large eyes looked even bigger, making them appear somewhat eerie.
Despite being their enemy, Xia Lu Nong couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Sitting on his brother’s back, he whispered, “Do you think the mutated cows are eating meat to regain their strength? Should we attack before they recover?”
“Roar—” The giant wolf let out a low growl, signaling the giant tiger ahead.
Upon hearing this, the giant tiger stopped hiding and sprang into action, leaping into the middle of the herd.
Like a tiger among cattle.
Already frightened, the mutated cows panicked even more and immediately abandoned their lair to flee.
The lead cow led the charge, followed by the rest of the mutated cows, big and small.
They herded the stronger calves to the center for protection, leaving the weak ones behind.
The giant tiger pounced, killing two mutated cows with a single swipe.
The dying cows thrashed in their final moments, buying time for the remaining cows to escape through a collapsed opening.
In the lair, only seventeen frail calves remained, likely born not too long ago.
The giant tiger looked back, showing no intention of slaughtering them.
The giant tiger and giant wolf checked the area and, seeing no danger, both transformed back into their human forms.
Xia Lu Nong pulled out clothes from his backpack and handed them to his brother and Yan Xi Nian, still feeling shaken. “These mutated cows are too vicious. Do you think they’ll come back?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “I don’t know. Let’s have Kong Zhi keep watch.”
He then called up to the sky, “Kong Zhi, keep an eye on the area and let us know if anything happens.”
The golden eagle screeched in response, “Screech—”
After Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu dressed, Ba Niu and Xiao Tang arrived with the truck.
The truck couldn’t enter the abandoned yard, so they had to park outside.
Ba Niu and Xiao Tang cautiously stayed close to the vehicle, venturing out only to take a quick glance into the yard from the entrance.
Ba Niu called out in a loud voice, “Captain Yan, how’s it looking inside?”
“The danger has been eliminated,” Yan Xi Nian replied. “We captured seventeen calves.”
“That many?” Ba Niu’s face turned red with excitement. “These calves will be an incredible source of labor once they grow up!”
Xia Lu Nong, watching the terrified calves trembling and retreating on their frail legs, thought to himself, That’s not guaranteed—they’ll have to survive first before becoming useful.
Xia Huo Qu looked up at Ba Niu and said, “Bring over some ropes. We’ll tie up the calves and lead them out.”
“Got it!” Ba Niu responded eagerly, running back to the truck to grab the ropes.
The calves had been herded into a corner by Xia Lu Nong and his brother, huddling together in fear and shaking. Xia Lu Nong reached out and petted the calves’ heads. Their fur was soft and warm to the touch, and it softened Xia Lu Nong’s heart.
When Ba Niu ran inside, the stench of cow dung, hay, and blood nearly knocked him off his feet. He turned his head and spat, “Ugh! Even toilets don’t smell this bad!”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Hurry up and tie these cows up so we can lead them out.”
“Got it!”
Ba Niu, tall and broad, looked massive standing among the calves, making them appear even more frail. He couldn’t help but joke, “Those cows that attacked us were so fierce. How could they give birth to such weak calves? Were these calves picked up or something?”
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu quickly tied ropes around the calves’ necks. Hearing Ba Niu’s comment, Yan Xi Nian replied, “Why don’t you go pick one up and see for yourself?”
“We just did, didn’t we?” Ba Niu laughed. “Speaking of which, did you notice that all the cows that attacked us were female? And these calves—seems like they’re all male, right?”
Ba Niu double-checked the calves’ genitalia and confirmed that all seventeen calves were indeed male.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian, both highly observant, had already noticed this.
They had also observed that the mutations in the male calves differed from those in the females. Some male calves had grown extra hooves, some had extra tails, and others had more eyes, but none of them had developed horns. On the other hand, almost all the female calves had grown a thick, sturdy horn, which would likely become a deadly weapon when they matured.
Yan Xi Nian commented, “This herd in the campus must be dairy cows. Their gigantism and mutations are probably related to milk production.”
Xia Lu Nong chimed in, “I saw in a movie once—these are probably Ongole cattle. Their milk has a very high fat content, and they’re a famous dairy breed. They just look a lot like our local yellow cattle.”
Yan Xi Nian nodded, “That’s why they looked so familiar to me. I figured they were dairy cows. You’re quite knowledgeable, Xia Lu Nong.”
Xia Lu Nong, embarrassed, waved his hand. He glanced at the frail calves and said, “That explains it. The ones that can grow giant are the females, as they’re crucial for the herd’s survival. These useless and weak male calves are probably culled.”
Even before the great catastrophe, people would often slaughter or sell male dairy calves for meat. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, with scarce resources, weak male calves became competitors in the herd, and it wasn’t surprising that they were culled.
Xia Lu Nong sighed softly to himself. The life of a cow is tough.
As they herded the calves toward the truck, Xia Hua Jiao, a plant creature, was unexpectedly standing by the truck, its roots gripping the truck’s underside while it peeked around curiously, watching them.
Xia Lu Nong waved at it, “Xia Hua Jiao, come down here and stay with me. Let these calves stay in the truck bed.”
“Whoosh—” Xia Hua Jiao’s tree crown shook as it tried to maintain its balance, carefully jumping down from the truck. The moment its roots touched the ground, they sank into the earth like water, stabilizing it.
Xia Lu Nong moved to help it, but Xia Hua Jiao dodged him, extending a branch to swat at the calves.
Everyone nearby jumped in surprise.
The branch hit the calves with a loud “smack,” causing several of them to cry out as they stumbled back on their fragile legs, only to be restrained by the ropes around their necks. Unable to retreat, they could only stand there and take it.
Xia Hua Jiao prepared to strike again, but Xia Lu Nong quickly grabbed the branch, saying, “Enough. These cows aren’t your enemies; don’t bully them. They’re pretty pitiful too. I’ll explain it to you later.”
Xia Hua Jiao seemed unconvinced, its crown shaking and making a “whoosh whoosh” sound.
But those cows bullied me!
“The ones that bullied you also bullied these calves,” Xia Lu Nong said as he gently infused some of his powers into it. “Stop causing trouble. We’re in a hurry.”
Once Xia Lu Nong calmed Xia Hua Jiao down, his brother and Yan Xi Nian had already loaded all the calves onto the truck.
Xia Lu Nong looked around and said, “There are still two giant cows inside. There’s no way this truck can carry everything. We’ll need the other trucks to come and help.”
It would be a shame to waste so much beef.
Yan Xi Nian said, “Have Kong Zhi come down. You two fly out to find them, and once you’ve located them, signal them to come over.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed, “Alright, let’s cook first. Brother Xi Nian, you should take a break. Your lips are already chapped from exhaustion.”
“Okay, I’ll leave it to you. Let’s just cook some boiled beef,” Yan Xi Nian said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. “Huo Qu, you and the others handle it. I’ll rest for a bit.”
Xia Huo Qu made some honey water first, giving everyone a cup, before heading inside to drag out the cows.
Ba Niu, ever quick to help, followed him.
Both of them were strong, and despite the giant cows weighing over a thousand pounds each, they managed to drag them out with little effort.
Xia Lu Nong wanted to help, but his brother stopped him. “You and Kong Zhi go find the others first.”
Xia Lu Nong immediately said, “I’ll transform into my beast form and go. Kong Zhi has been flying all day and is too exhausted.”
“Alright, let him come down first.”
Kong Zhi had been keeping an eye on them the whole time, and the moment Xia Lu Nong signaled him, he swooped down from the sky.
Xia Lu Nong first made a bowl of honey water for Kong Zhi. “Kong Zhi, Brother Xi Nian asked us to find a few more vehicles. I’ll shift into beast form, and you can fly me over?”
“Caw—” the golden eagle called lazily.
After feeding him the water, Xia Lu Nong quickly rinsed the bowl and placed it in a basket in the truck bed. “Alright, I’m shifting now.”
“Caw.”
Shifting into his beast form was easy for Xia Lu Nong; there was no need to take off any clothes. He simply shifted on the spot and then emerged from the pile of clothes.
Yan Xi Nian stuffed Xia Lu Nong’s clothes into a backpack and hung it around Kong Zhi’s neck. “Go quickly and come back soon.”
“Meow!”
The golden eagle grabbed Xia the cat by the scruff of his neck, took a few running steps, and soared into the sky.
Xia the cat curled his paws obediently in Kong Zhi’s beak, looking down at the ground below.
The golden eagle flew high and had a broad view. After circling in the sky for a while, they spotted the other vehicles.
Found them!
Thanks for the chapter!