Deep in the Qiling Mountains, Wen Wen sat by a crackling fire, roasting a pig’s leg.
The knee joint was shattered—it was from one of the animal carcasses he’d collected in Yuteng Village. Though originally meant to feed monsters, the meat itself was perfectly fine. Why let it go to waste when he could enjoy it himself?
He’d brought a whole assortment of seasonings from the containment center’s kitchen, so the only real challenge here was starting the fire.
The pigskin crackled to a golden crisp, the glaze glistening temptingly. A light poke with his dagger sent rich, fatty juices dripping onto the flames, sizzling loudly.
Grinning, Wen Wen sliced off a steaming chunk of perfectly marbled meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with relish.
He didn’t fear burns, so he could savor the meat at its peak.
Hanging from a nearby tree, suspended by two black chains around her waist, was a petite girl in white robes, barely over four feet tall.
Fluffy, elongated ears twitched atop her head, and a cotton-ball-like white tail flicked behind her.
A rabbit yokai.
Her crimson eyes were glued to the roasted meat in Wen Wen’s hands, her throat bobbing as she swallowed repeatedly. But Wen Wen had no intention of sharing.
He *loved* hogging good food.
*"I’m just a poor little bunny… Kind sir, won’t you let me go?"*
The rabbit yokai pleaded, wiping her face with her sleeve—though whether it was drool or tears was unclear.
*"Tch. Save the waterworks. That hunter you ate was way more pitiful than you,"* Wen Wen retorted without an ounce of sympathy.
This act was pure deception. When he’d found her, she’d been gnawing on the corpse of a human hunter who’d strayed into the Qiling Mountains. The fatal wounds? All hers.
*"I was hungry!"* the rabbit yokai whined, pouting. *"Everyone here’s so mean! It’s hard to find food…"*
*"Cut the act. It won’t work on me."*
Wen Wen flicked a pebble with precision honed by the centaur’s ability, landing it squarely in her mouth.
Then he pointed at a dried-up lump of unidentified animal dung nearby. *"Keep talking, and I’ll feed you *that* next."*
The rabbit yokai immediately clamped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with fright.
Though weak in combat, she had one peculiar trait: the ability to evoke an overwhelming protective instinct in others, making them reluctant to harm her.
But Wen Wen was immune.
Protective instincts? He barely had those on a good day. The fact that he *wasn’t* actively scheming against people already counted as restraint. The moment that unnatural sympathy surfaced, he’d squashed it like a bug.
The only reason he hadn’t tossed her into the containment center yet was because she made excellent bait. Maybe something tastier would take the hook.
Wandering alone through the wilderness had lost its novelty fast.
He resumed devouring the perfectly roasted pig leg.
*Damn, this is good.* As a detective—no, scratch that—as a long-time bachelor, cooking was a skill he’d mastered out of necessity.
After polishing off the entire leg, Wen Wen’s eyebrow twitched. Something was approaching.
Sure enough, a melodious cry soon echoed from the sky.
*"Ying~ ying~ ying!"*
A golden eagle, its feathers edged with shimmering gold, swooped down, razor-sharp talons aimed straight at the dangling rabbit yokai.
Wen Wen’s eyes lit up. *Gotcha.*
The eagle seized the rabbit yokai and soared upward—only to jerk mid-flight, its momentum abruptly halted.
It glanced down and realized the chains around the rabbit’s waist were still clenched in Wen Wen’s grip.
Attempting to haul him up too, the eagle quickly discovered two things: Wen Wen was *impossibly* heavy, and the chains could extend indefinitely.
It was like a kite, and Wen Wen was the one holding the string.
Realizing escape was impossible, the eagle let out another *"ying!"* and dove, its talons—capable of shredding metal—now aimed at Wen Wen.
*If I can’t take one prey, I’ll just take both.*
Wen Wen smirked. This dumb bird had no idea what it was in for.
While it had been struggling with the rabbit, one of the chains had already coiled around its leg.
The eagle’s talons slashed toward Wen Wen, but he sidestepped effortlessly, then whistled in appreciation.
*"Now *that’s* a majestic bird."*
Standing over ten feet tall with a wingspan nearing thirty feet, its feathers were a rich tawny brown, the tips gleaming like pure gold under the sunlight.
Big size meant big reach. The eagle’s relentless strikes forced Wen Wen into a frantic dance of evasion—at first.
But he quickly adapted to fighting airborne foes, his movements growing fluid and precise.
The eagle displayed no supernatural abilities. In raw power, it was on the weaker end of Disaster-class, even inferior to the former "Tyrant Rooster Duo."
But flight compensated for many weaknesses.
After several failed attacks, the eagle perched atop a towering tree, glaring down at Wen Wen.
*"Ying ying ying! Human, you do not belong here."*
(No, the *"ying"* wasn’t cute chirping—it was just how this bird sounded. Many majestic birds had underwhelming calls. Bald eagles, for instance, sounded like squeaky toys.)
*"A human supernatural entering these lands uninvited breaches the covenant."*
*"Human? Nah."*
Wen Wen closed his eyes. When they reopened, they burned crimson, fangs glinting as they elongated.
To avoid unnecessary complications, Wen Wen shed his humanity.
*"A bloodkin… The Qiling Mountains are no place for your kind either."*
The eagle’s aggression dimmed slightly. Non-humans didn’t trigger its hostility as much.
Bloodkin were troublesome prey—chewy, bland, and prone to causing indigestion.
Worst of all, they didn’t even *digest* properly.
(The last time it watched a female Ying-Ying Eagle regurgitate a pile of semi-intact vampire flesh, it had immediately broken up with her…)
*"Wuwu… Ying-Ying Eagles are *scary*! Let me go, please?"*
During the scuffle, the rabbit yokai had wriggled free of the eagle’s grasp, though one chain still bound her firmly.
Wen Wen tilted his head. *"What did you call it?"*
*"Ying-Ying Eagle!"* the rabbit yokai said matter-of-factly.
*"Damn right! This lord *is* the Ying-Ying Eagle!"* The bird puffed out its chest, wings akimbo, radiating pride.
*"Ever since the Tyrant Rooster Duo mysteriously vanished, the Ying-Ying Eagle took their place as the Qiling Mountains’ newest bully. So many little monsters have suffered!"*
The rabbit yokai slandered the eagle with gusto, hoping Wen Wen and the bird would mutually annihilate, leaving her to reap the rewards.
But Wen Wen wasn’t about to indulge her.
The Disaster Glove materialized. A single punch to her skull later, she vanished into the containment center.
Then he pointed at the eagle.
*"You’re next."*