"Why is this being handed over to me? Isn't that against the rules?"
Lu Mingming didn't rashly accept it. The staff member couldn't wait. While glancing furtively at the room door, as if afraid of being discovered, he tried to push Lu Mingming out.
"Wait a moment, let me place the crystal first."
As they were all from the same planet, Xu Jiajia didn't suspect much.
Before everyone else had arrived, Lu Mingming found an excuse to leave and headed towards the riverside where surveillance cameras were scarce.
She carefully opened her backpack, and suddenly met a pair of cold, rose-colored eyes.
In the dim backpack, the young cub was nestled in a pile of snacks, surrounded by various tempting aromas.
It had shed its transparent outer membrane at some point, and its whole body was wet as if it had been soaked in water. Lu Mingming nervously touched it, only to find it dry. Its skin was so tender it seemed like it would leave a mark if pinched.
However, the cub's lower body was still hidden within the eggshell.
"Oh my goodness, why are you here? Didn't I leave you at the hotel?"
The cub looked much healthier than before. But it didn't answer Lu Mingming's question.
Lu Mingming felt a bit desperate. "Can anyone tell me who put you in here? In this desolate place, where am I supposed to find food for a baby?!"
The little one blinked its beautiful eyes without any other reaction.
Lu Mingming sighed and gently stroked its soft black hair.
"Stay in your sister's bag for a while. Once it's safe, I'll let you out. Sigh, I don't even know what to feed you..."
The cub hadn't appeared in its beast-human form since birth, and Lu Mingming couldn't identify its species, making it rather tricky.
The cub seemed to understand her words. Its pinkish fingers pointed to itself, and it made a grimacing expression. It wasn't fierce at all; rather, with two cute sharp teeth exposed to the air, it looked even more adorable.
"...Is it meat?"
The cub remained silent, but Lu Mingming sensed a hint of longing in its eyes.
"...Alright, sister will hunt for you later."
If she wasn't killed by the prey first.
Lu Mingming tore open a box of double-skin milk and placed it in the cub's soft hands. When she accidentally touched it, she found the cub was ice-cold all over.
If the cub hadn't seemed perfectly fine, Lu Mingming would have thought it was close to death.
"Eat this. Sister will go explore the forest with them."
The cub remained silent. Lu Mingming reluctantly put on her backpack and returned to the meeting point.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Hua Xia said, "We'll head north along the river to find a safe place for our camp."
No one objected. They all led their cubs and began to move. Only Lu Mingming was seen carrying her backpack in the cameras.
The broadcast across the entire alliance was underway, and the comments flooded in.
[Damn, they're heading north and will encounter the Dragon Clan. They say the Dragon Clan are a very unique race. Won't they be at a disadvantage?]
[Instead of worrying about the small streamers from Xingfu Star, you should worry about the bears on the Dragon Clan's side being dealt with. They're fighting so miserably, tsk tsk.]
[Maybe Lu Mingming can make something delicious when she gets there. Brothers and sisters will have something good to eat again.]
Unfortunately, the hosts deep in the forest couldn't see the live stream screen and were blindly walking north.
The view was filled with lush, tall trees. Spiderwebs covered the thick banana leaves, and colorful crawling creatures roamed everywhere.
As they moved further north, the canopy of leaves grew denser, blocking out the sun, and even the sounds of insects became sparser.
Suddenly, a tragic, piercing roar echoed from the distance, like a desperate cry before death. Soon after, intermittent voices could be heard.
Everyone present shivered, and the cubs cowered behind their adults in fear.
Oscar shivered, no longer daring to move forward. His old teammates stood frozen, as if petrified.
"Someone is talking, so it must be safe. Don't be afraid."
Cheng Shiqin swallowed, and led the Xingfu Star team forward.
Lu Mingming placed her hand on her backpack and clenched it tightly.
The group weaved through the forest, and in no time, they arrived near the source of the sound.
Cheng Shiqin bravely pushed aside the layers of bushes blocking his path. Several tall, fierce beast-humans were barbarically cutting through the flesh of a dead animal with their knives. Despite repeatedly washing with water by the stream, the thick, nauseating smell of blood could not be masked.
The cubs, upon seeing this, turned their heads away and gagged.
Lu Mingming's face was pale as she patted her chest.
Sensing the unusual commotion, the group of beast-humans turned to face the Xingfu Star team.
Each of them had peculiar appearances, comparable to the mythical beasts described in the Shan Hai Jing. They had human bodies and beast heads, with sharp teeth and claws, their faces smeared with large splotches of blood, resembling nightmarish specters.
"Who's there?"
The voice was hoarse and shrill, more frightening than any ghost.
"H-help!!!"
Oscar was so terrified he lost half his soul and stumbled backward, falling onto his rear.
Lu Mingming gripped the straps of her backpack. Hearing their words, she forced herself to remain calm and replied, "We are a team from the south, looking for a place to rest. We apologize if we have offended you; we can leave now."
The comments expressed admiration for Lu Mingming's courage. Facing these beast-humans who looked like demons, even those watching on screen felt their legs go weak.
To their surprise, those people turned out to be quite reasonable. One by one, they sheathed their knives, so as not to frighten the cubs.
Seeing that the Xingfu Star team consisted mostly of frail individuals, with only the tall, dark-skinned one being reliable.
The leading beast-human slowly reverted to human form, becoming a calm middle-aged man.
"You can rest here if you wish. If you must go... I advise you not to go that way. We've already encountered the second group of ferocious beasts. This competition venue is not as simple as they said."
Upon hearing this, the audience in the stadium let out a collective gasp.
Gudefen, on the stage, remained composed, showing no panic despite the contestants exposing their lies.
After all, these people weren't sent here for a vacation. Not unleashing even fiercer beasts was already showing them some consideration.
With that thought, he let out a cold laugh and tapped the ground with his scepter. The entire stadium instantly fell silent.
Receiving the result he desired, Gudefen flashed a smile.
On the screen, the real-time monitoring continued.
"Can we stay for one day? I have excellent cooking skills."
The man was amused by this statement.
Who among the contestants participating in the main planet competition did not possess excellent cooking skills?
However, the man did not refuse. He said,
"If you're truly good at it, we might consider cooperating."
Lu Mingming nodded, placed her bag in a shady spot, and rolled up her sleeves, preparing.
With so much meat, it would be perfect for grilling.