Chapter 690: Chapter 32: The Defiant Xiaoyuan

"Don’t make a move!"

A sharp voice came from the Whistling Kite.

Judging by the voice, it sounded similar to Ji Xiao, both being very young female voices.

But unlike the lazy and silly tone of Ji Xiao, the Whistling Kite’s voice was that of a clever and quirky person.

Chen Wen didn’t speak, simply continued staring at the Whistling Kite, applying pressure.

Under Chen Wen’s pressure, the Whistling Kite became increasingly terrified.

It hesitated no longer and shouted loudly, "Don’t turn me into that! I’ll do whatever you say!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen didn’t say much.

He just took out a rope and tied up the Whistling Kite.

He couldn’t trust the Whistling Kite so easily; this guy seemed even harder to deal with than the red fox.

After being tied up, the Whistling Kite didn’t say much, just looked at Chen Wen in terror, afraid that this terrifying guy would turn it into the same state as the one on the ground.

Thinking this, the Whistling Kite glanced again at the black-bellied sandgrouse on the ground.

To lure the Whistling Kite into hunting, Chen Wen had cut open the black-bellied sandgrouse along its chest, leaving its innards all over the ground.

Witnessing this scene, the Whistling Kite shivered once more.

Seeing the Whistling Kite’s fear of death, Chen Wen couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.

The smarter and more intelligent an animal, the more it fears death.

This was a rule he had summed up.

With the Whistling Kite tied up, Chen Wen brought the Booted Eagle and the Whistling Kite over to Adam’s side.

After setting up the traps, the two of them walked together towards the shelter.

...

Shelter.

When Chen Wen and the others returned, most of the things in the shelter had already been moved.

Hua Yun and the three others were probably still transporting supplies, as no one was inside the shelter at the moment.

Seeing this, the two of them simply tidied up the remaining items, waiting for the others to return.

Then Chen Wen took out the camel meat sent by Oleg, cut it into strips, cooking part of it for dinner for him and Adam.

The other part was left for the Whistling Kite as food.

"Did you succeed in taming it?"

Adam asked Chen Wen.

Chen Wen shook his head slightly, indicating he hadn’t started yet.

For special animals with intelligence, Chen Wen’s approach was to provide food and shelter, and offer protection.

After the Great Slave Lake expedition, there was an additional offer of life extension.

But this Whistling Kite wasn’t impressed by Chen Wen’s offers.

Along the way, although it kept expressing trust in Chen Wen and willingness to follow his orders,

Chen Wen still hadn’t heard the system’s response.

This Whistling Kite was cunning; it was deliberately posing as submissive.

If Chen Wen trusted it and untied it, the Whistling Kite would definitely escape instantly.

Having learned from the previous experience, if the Whistling Kite escaped, it would surely give its all, leaving no chance for the Booted Eagle to catch up.

Therefore.

Dealing with this Whistling Kite required some special methods.

As the camel meat gradually cooked, Chen Wen and Adam shared it.

The two ate heartily.

The Booted Eagle also got a share for dinner, though the portion was definitely smaller.

In the afternoon, as a reward for the Booted Eagle, Chen Wen had given it quite a lot of camel meat strips.

Watching the two of them and the eagle eat heartily, the Whistling Kite couldn’t help but look over.

It was hungry.

A wild animal’s stomach typically has only two states—hungry and full.

Snatching Chen Wen’s tiger parrot yesterday was just something to fill its stomach for the Whistling Kite.

And after a day of activity, the Whistling Kite was starving by now.

It looked pleadingly at Chen Wen, mustering the courage to shout, "Didn’t you say food and shelter? Where’s my food?"

Upon hearing the call,

Chen Wen and Adam both looked over.

The two of them fiercely chewed the camel meat, their eyes radiating a hint of menace.

This scene immediately intimidated the Whistling Kite.

In fact, Chen Wen and Adam held no ill intentions.

They simply intended to try the roasted camel meat without any seasoning, but the taste was really...

Moreover, Chen Wen had burned a bit, making the camel meat dry and hard.

As a result, their chewing actions appeared quite fierce.

"What’s it saying? Is it hungry?"

Adam asked.

Chen Wen nodded, "Probably. Most birds have a relatively... small digestive system to adapt to flying, allowing them to quickly excrete waste, lighten their body weight and aid flight, but this also means they get hungry quickly, so it should be hungry."

Hearing this, Adam said, "Should we feed it? Or keep it hungry like training a falcon?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen glanced at the Whistling Kite, pondering his previous statement, and said, "Let it be hungry; as long as it doesn’t choose to join us, leave it hungry. This thing won’t die from hunger."

Hearing this, the Whistling Kite couldn’t help but say, "I could die from hunger! I’m nearly starving right now!"

Chen Wen ignored it, while Adam curiously remarked, "Its timing in calling out is... impeccable, like it understands our conversation."

Not only does it understand our conversation, but it can also grasp various human societal concepts.

Chen Wen smiled, saying, "Everything has a spirit. The longer something survives, the more likely you are to encounter some with spirit."

...

The two of them struggled to finish the roasted camel meat.

Waiting for Hua Yun and the others to return.

Just as nightfall approached, Hua Yun and the others returned.

During the day, they had managed to transport most of the materials, tools, and food that Chen Wen had stolen to the initial point.

"Let’s go, bring these things along; today’s task is completed."

Chen Wen stood up and, together with Adam, placed the remaining items onto the camel.

The other three dismantled the shelter and buried the campfire.

After completing the task, the five of them headed towards the initial point.

According to Chen Wen’s plan, they still needed to slaughter a camel here, converting it into fresh meat to carry along.

Additionally, the camel hide and bones that couldn’t be taken would be used to trade food with the natives.

As per Chen Wen’s plan, by the morning of the day after tomorrow, they would formally venture deep into the Great Sand Desert.

...

After relocating to the initial point.

They settled down at the shelter set up by Oleg and his group.

Chen Wen took the night watch by the campfire.

One peaceful night passed.

The next morning, the five of them busied themselves with slaughtering the camel.

However, Chen Wen and the others hardly participated.

The task of slaughtering the camel was expertly handled by Dennis. Holding a hunting knife, he skillfully skinned the camel, extracting its hide intact and removing the innards within about ten minutes.

Watching Dennis’s skilled process, Chen Wen couldn’t help but ask, "Dennis, you seem very familiar with the anatomy of a camel?"

"I have to be."

Dennis continued his task happily, saying, "My father was a hunter. During my middle school years, he often hunted camels under government orders. I used to spend my summer vacations with my father hunting camels for pocket money. My job back then was skinning, so I’m quite proficient at butchering."

Hearing this, Chen Wen understood.

A family of hunters indeed.

"Looks like we’ve found a treasure."

Chen Wen said with a smile, which made Dennis even happier.