The Evolutionary Path of the Lion

Chapter 75 The Great Demon in Transformation

He crouched down, pressing his body as low as possible, his belly pressed against the cool soil, his limbs tucked to his sides. From the top of the slope, the depression was completely obscured by dense shrubs, the deep green of the leaves blending seamlessly with the surrounding scenery, so much so that even with the naked eye, it would appear as just an ordinary low-lying area, let alone thermal imaging.

He waited in the depression for about fifteen minutes, until the sun was a little further west, the golden afterglow turned orange-red, and the shadow completely covered the depression, before he slowly stood up and shook off the dirt.

Confirmed.

As long as he hides here the day after tomorrow, when the investigation team sets up cameras on the hilltop, the thermal imaging lens will only capture a cold mound of earth with the same temperature as the surrounding environment, and they will not find anything unusual.

Big Head lay down next to him for fifteen minutes. Halfway down, he let out a long yawn, rested his chin on his front paws, and drooped his heavy eyelids, his eyelashes almost sticking together. He was obviously sleepy.

Chen Fei gently pushed him with his front paws.

Big Head opened his eyes groggily, looked around blankly, found nothing to eat, closed his eyes again, and tucked his head back into his paws.

Chen Fei stood up, raised his paw and patted his head lightly, just to remind him not to fall asleep there, lest he reveal his presence. Big Head grunted, scrambled to his feet, and followed Chen Fei back. After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but turn back to look at the clump of grass where Hidden Hoof was, his eyes full of reluctance.

Chen Fei did not turn around, and steadily returned along the same route.

Night fell quickly, and the orange-red afterglow was swallowed up by the deep blue sky in the blink of an eye. The wind on the grassland gradually cooled down, carrying the dampness of dew.

Back at their resting place, Sel was lying on a sunny earthen slope, his belly still warm from the last bit of heat, dozing with his eyes half-closed. The little rascal rolled around at his feet, his light brown fur covered in dry grass. He took a half-dead branch as prey, pouncing on it with his front paws gripping the branch and his tail taut. After being bounced away by the branch, he rolled over and immediately got up again, his paws clinging to the branch, relentlessly repeating his hunting motions while letting out soft growls.

The stray dog ​​returned from the southeast and stopped at the edge of its landing spot. It gently pawed at the ground, lowered its head slightly, and let out a short growl, which was the agreed-upon signal between them: there was nothing unusual on the east side.

Meimei emerged from the western bushes, her body covered in grass clippings and morning dew. She paused beside Chen Fei, tilting her head to the side and gently brushing her ear against his shoulder, the soft touch a fleeting glimpse of her greeting. Then she turned and walked toward Sail, her tail occasionally brushing the ground, stirring up bits of grass.

Chen Fei lay down in the center of the landing spot, his front paws crossed and his chin resting on them.

A faint metallic scent drifted in from the south, the smell of cracked lips. It was much fainter than yesterday, like a thin veil clinging to the air, still confined to within four meters. It hadn't moved an inch in the past three days; it hadn't crossed the line, but it hadn't left either, as if it were lying in wait, or perhaps testing the waters.

Chen Fei suppressed the metallic smell in his nose and forcibly turned his attention away from the south side.

The split mouth is something that happens after the day after tomorrow.

Now, he needs to focus on preparations until the day after tomorrow.

He mentally reviewed the three outposts on the east side one last time: the breathing point at the bend, used to delay the formation; the grassy area under the acacia tree canopy, his main hiding place; and the depression in the shrubbery, responsible for cutting off their retreat and observing. Each of the three points had its own purpose, did not interfere with the others, and each was precisely tailored to the survey team's movement habits.

He didn't try to change their route; he simply positioned himself in advance where they were bound to stop, laying an invisible net.

The night wind rustled across the grassland, and dewdrops fell on the grass blades, making a very soft "tap" sound.

The little rascal finally managed to bite the dry branch, carrying it for a couple of wobbly steps, its tail held high and its head held proudly, looking every bit the victor.

Sel glanced down at it, made no move, simply rested his chin on his paws again, and squinted his eyes, reflecting the faint starlight in the distance.

Big Head squeezed to the side of the food pile, and while Mei Mei and Sail weren't paying attention, he quietly stretched out his paw and pushed a piece of scrap with some meaty tendons towards himself, his movements light and quick.

Snapped.

Chen Fei's tail swept precisely across, slapping his front paws with a light but unmistakable warning.

Big Head immediately retracted its paws, looked at Chen Fei with a wronged expression, its round eyes full of innocence, and finally obediently lay down in its original position, beginning to stare at the pile of food with the purest innocent eyes, launching a silent psychological offensive.

No one ignored him.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 897↑]

Eat, rest, and four energy points are gained.

We're three points away from nine hundred.

Chen Fei felt the familiar warm current deep in his abdomen, lying there steadily like a warm fire.

almost.

He lowered his eyelids and slowly adjusted his breathing in the night breeze of the grassland, making his breath long and steady, blending with the sounds of the wind and grass around him.

The sky was still dark, with a faint, pale white tinge on the horizon, and a thin layer of morning mist shrouded the grassland, carrying a chilling cold.

Chen Fei had been lying under the canopy of the acacia tree for nearly an hour.

The temperature on the grassland was two degrees lower than the surrounding area. Moisture seeped up from the ground, making the fur on his belly wet, and a chill spread under his skin. But he remained motionless, his chin resting on his front paws, his two ears twitching like two sensitive radars, one pointing to the south, alert to the movements of the snarling; the other pointing to the northwest, capturing any movement from the camp.

The smell of cooking smoke from the campsite was faint in the pre-dawn breeze, mixed with the aroma of food heated by the gas stove, and a hint of the bitterness of coffee. They were eating breakfast and making their final preparations before setting off.

Chen Fei firmly imprinted the scent information from the northwest into his mind and continued to wait patiently.

About half an hour later, clear sounds came from the direction of the camp: light footsteps, the clinking of metal buckles, the swishing of backpack zippers, and the indistinct sounds of people talking in hushed tones. They were packing up their equipment and preparing to set off.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 898↑]

Chen Fei lowered his body even further, almost touching the ground, and even his breathing became thin and long.

The shade of the tree canopy completely enveloped him. Looking from the bend, all he could see were tangled weeds and drooping branches, with no sign of life. He mentally estimated the survey team's pace. At the same rhythm of their previous advance from the north, it would take about forty minutes to get from the camp to the edge of the hunting grounds. After crossing the shallow bend in the ditch, another seventy meters would bring him to where he was now lying.

He has plenty of time to prepare.

As the sky gradually brightened in the east, the morning mist slowly dissipated, casting a soft, dark gold hue over the grassland. A morning breeze swept in from the north, rippling the grass like waves. Chen Fei's mane brushed against his skin with the wind, then quickly bounced back, causing a slight tickle.

He glanced down at his front paws, the dark brown tips gleaming faintly.

The light was still very dim, and almost subconsciously he looked down at the mane on the side of his neck, near the roots of the mane, which was usually invisible, but the angle at which he was lying on the ground this morning allowed his peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of something unusual.

Chen Fei tilted his head slightly, rubbed his nose against the side of his neck, raised his front paws, and gently parted the roots of his dark brown mane with his fingertips.

A few extremely fine hairs are buried in the thick mane, only revealing a faint luster when the morning light shines at an angle.

It's golden!

It wasn't a pale yellow, but a gold that had been tempered by sunlight, as fine as silk, like someone had drawn a line at the root of a hair with the finest brush and then let it grow outward on its own, giving it a strange texture.

Chen Fei stared at the few golden threads for three seconds.

Could it be...?

I want to become a golden lion someday?

His gaze paused for a moment.

I don't know if I'll be able to take human form in the future.

If it could transform into human form, it would truly be a great demon, able to freely enter and leave human society.

He then turned his head back, focusing his gaze on the northwest direction, suppressing the unexpected golden light in his heart.

We'll talk about that later. Right now, there are more important things to do.

The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground, gradually approaching the acacia tree.

Just as the footsteps reached the grass beneath him, a subtle tremor suddenly came from deep within Chen Fei's chest.

It wasn't the scorching heat of a normal heat source, but rather a gentle warmth, like embers before they reignite, slowly spreading upwards from the abdomen, flowing through the blood vessels to the limbs, causing a fine heat to rise under the skin, and even the breath felt hotter.

That's a precursor to a heat flow.

Chen Fei held his breath.

He was familiar with the sensation of the heat; he had used it countless times to cover his limbs, strike stones, and grind the ground to gain strength, each time actively activating it. But this time, he did nothing; he simply lay there quietly, yet the heat began to move on its own.

It slid inwards along his fur, like a sponge absorbing water, pressing the animal smell, sweat, and even the scent emanating from his breath into his skin, little by little. He could feel his body temperature still there, the texture of the fur still there, but he could no longer find a trace of his own scent in the surrounding air. It was as if he had completely merged with the atmosphere of this grassland, or as if he did not exist in this space at all.

Chen Fei carefully sensed this unusual flow and instantly understood.

His presence is fading.

It's not that it's weakened, it's that it's been completely removed from this air, leaving no trace.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 900↑]

The numbers on the panel froze for a second, then jumped slightly.