Dusk settled slowly from the canopy, like a flannel cloth steeped in ink.
The branches of spruces and firs intertwined into a dark green dome, cutting the sunlight into flecks of shattered gold that fell upon the moss-covered humus. From these verdant carpets, clumps of orange-red fly agaric occasionally sprouted, like punctuation marks from a forgotten fairy tale.
Where deadwood had fallen, natural gullies formed. Shiny-shelled beetles squirmed beneath the bark, and from deeper in the thickets came the crisp snap of dry twigs, broken by fleeing rodents.
After a full day of hard work, Qin Feng's territory had yielded a bountiful harvest.
First were his Food reserves.
Even after spending a full fifty units of Food to recruit new villagers, the territory's remaining reserves were still greater than all the Food gathered the previous day—over eighty units in total.
This was undoubtedly thanks to the eight Fire Foxes.
Their efficiency at catching fish in the river was simply absurd.
They single-handedly covered the entire territory's Food consumption, allowing the villagers to focus on other tasks.
Second was the size of Qin Feng's army.
One unawakened hidden hero, one Ratman Warrior with vast Combat Experience, eight Fire Foxes with extraordinary growth potential, plus nine newly captured Forest Wolves from his latest sweep, and the six Forest Wolves previously taken as prisoners from the Poison Arrow tribe—a total of twenty-five combat units.
In addition,
Qin Feng had also caught a new Zoo Soldier Type today.
[Soldier Name: Shadow (Owl.Demon Beast)]
[Life Value: 40/40]
[Ability: Invisibility]
[Power Assessment: Zero-star (White)]
[Description: A Forest Magical Beast conscripted by a mysterious power. Although its own combat ability is very weak, it has mastered a strange Invisibility Magic, allowing it to appear and disappear like a ghost in the forest. Thus, it is known by the locals as "Shadow."]
As it happened,
Initially, Qin Feng hadn't paid much mind to the Owl Demon Beast named "Shadow."
Seeing it curled up on a low-hanging branch, feigning sleep, with a harmless white name floating above its head, he had assumed it was just an ordinary little forest bird. He immediately drew his bow and aimed, preparing to kill it as casually as one would kick a stray, and then convert it into +1 Food.
Unexpectedly, the little fellow's Sixth Sense was incredibly sharp. The moment the arrowhead locked onto its chest, it snapped its eyes open, beat its wings, and shot toward the sky, its gray-feathered form soaring toward the canopy with a rush of wind.
And the name above its head changed at that very moment, from the white that represented "harmless" to the red that signified "hostile."
But strangely, the Forest Wolf Pack guarding Qin Feng—those "excellent guards" who were normally alert to the slightest disturbance—now seemed completely oblivious to the crimson-named enemy circling overhead.
Even as the gray-feathered Owl's arc through the gaps in the canopy cast a flickering shadow, the Wolf Pack only stared blankly at the ground. Their pricked ears didn't so much as twitch, as if their senses were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Instantly,
Qin Feng realized there was something extraordinary about this little creature.
He decisively adjusted his archery stance, changing his aim from a fatal shot at its brow to its outstretched gray wings. He wanted to capture this clearly unusual Owl Demon Beast alive and see what it was.
Thanks to his Ranger's gifted "Archery Mastery" skill, Qin Feng's arrow flew as fast as lightning along a bizarre trajectory. The arrowhead even left a visible silvery arc as it sliced through the air, almost as if he were a Genius Youth using an aimbot.
With a mere Zero-star (White) power level, Shadow naturally couldn't dodge such an outrageous attack and was pinned to a tree by Qin Feng's arrow.
The little fellow was decisive, though. It instantly chose to "surrender," becoming one of Qin Feng's Riding and Cutting prisoners.
Then,
after about two minutes,
the utterly spineless Little Owl became a Zoo Soldier completely loyal to Qin Feng.
'Invisibility…'
'Truly Heaven-defying…'
'But what should be even more Heaven-defying is my 'Eagle Eye' ability…'
'I didn't even notice this guy was sleeping while in an 'Invisibility' state. I thought it was just some stray dog on the roadside I could kick to death…'
As he marveled at this, Qin Feng recalled the entire incident and suddenly noticed an important detail.
If he deliberately held back during a fight, incapacitating an enemy by crippling rather than killing them, the probability of them kneeling in surrender and becoming a Riding and Cutting prisoner seemed to skyrocket.
The principle was somewhat similar to the "Ruffian Tendencies" mechanic in Riding and Cutting.
When bandit mobs on the map rushed at the player yelling, "I'm gonna roll with you, boss!", if the player chose to ignore them and just cut them down, they would only end up with a few scattered prisoners after the battle.
But if the player chose to accept their surrender, they could absorb the entire band of thieves into their own warband, snowballing their forces.
In short,
if you want the enemy to surrender and become a prisoner, you have to at least give them a chance to say the word "surrender," right?
If you just charge in and cut them down, turning them into a cold, dead corpse that can't even open its mouth to speak, how the hell are they supposed to surrender?
…
"Shadow, are there any other Owls like you in this area?"
Hearing its new master's question, the little fellow shook its fluffy head fiercely. A trace of arrogance flashed in its amber eyes as it indicated that, as a noble Demon Beast, it had a very strong sense of territory. It wouldn't let others of its kind come onto its land to catch its prey.
That would be a crime!
Even worse, a violation of its rights!
I'd fight them to the death!
Seeing this, Qin Feng knew it would be difficult to capture a second Invisibility Owl anytime soon. He turned his head to look at the faint gray shadow on his shoulder and gently tapped its downy chest with his fingertip.
"You've lived here for so long and have such a convenient ability like Invisibility. You must have spied on the daily lives of many forest creatures, right?"
"Do you know the approximate locations of any carnivores' hidden lairs?"
"Like wolves, dogs, bears, snakes, that sort of thing… Or other Demon Beasts similar to you would be fine too!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Shadow, on his shoulder, suddenly flapped its wings. A cunning glint shone in its amber eyes in the twilight.
It poked the quiver at Qin Feng's waist with the tip of its beak, then cocked its head toward the depths of the dense forest. A series of "KLOO-KLOO" sounds came from its throat, its meaning obvious: "Follow me."
Without a word, Qin Feng flung his arm up. "Shadow" took the cue, launching from his shoulder and soaring into the air, its gray feathers tracing a smooth arc through the dappled light of the forest.
Immediately after, he let out a sharp whistle. The dozen or so Forest Wolves behind him instantly formed a wedge formation and surged after the moving gray shadow in the air, charging toward the darker eastern part of the forest.
However,
just as Qin Feng and his party were about halfway to their destination,
a system notification suddenly appeared.
[Warning, your village "Poison Arrow Tribe" is under attack. Please dispatch reinforcements immediately!]
…