Luo Feng darted back into his nest, his heart hammering violently against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat of pure survival instinct. He then turned his head slowly and peered out cautiously from the entrance, his eyes wide with a potent mixture of fear and intense curiosity, scanning the scene outside for any further danger.
The massive shadow had slammed into the grass opposite his hiding place, followed by a dull, heavy bang, a sound profoundly like a heavy hammer striking the wet earth with immense force. The impact thudded deep in Luo Feng's chest, a physical vibration that left his entire body trembling with a primal, instinctual fear he could not control. The sheer force of it vibrated through the very ground beneath him, a testament to the power that had just landed.
What was that terrible thing?
His heart pounded wildly within his small frame as he stared fixedly at the torn and flattened patch of grass where the shadow had fallen. A moment later, the form resolved itself as a massive black bird rose from the clearing, its powerful wings beating the air with heavy, deliberate strokes that pushed against the world.
An eagle? Is that what that is?
Shock rippled through him, a sensation both cold and sharp, freezing him for a second in place.
The bird's feathers were a dark, mottled brown, its body nearly a full meter tall from its wickedly sharp talons to the top of its formidable head. Its hooked beak gleamed like polished iron even in the diffuse jungle light, and its sharp, golden eyes scanned and locked onto everything around it with a terrifying, predatory precision that missed nothing.
There was absolutely no doubt in his mind. This was a raptor, a true apex predator of the skies, a creature of death from above.
Originally, Luo Feng had felt a sense of relief that there seemed to be no other powerful carnivores in this immediate part of the jungle. Even others of his own kind were relatively rare here. But now, it was painfully clear he had been completely wrong, his initial assessment naive and dangerously optimistic.
This area already had an overlord, and it was the eagle standing before him, a silent and deadly master of this entire domain.
Eagle. The word from his past life surfaced. A complete and efficient carnivore. It hunts rodents, reptiles, hares, and other birds. Larger ones even prey on small goats and deer. The knowledge surfaced in his mind, cold and clinical, and utterly terrifying.
The one in front of him wasn't one of the largest kinds, but it was more than deadly enough for a small lizard like Luo Feng. It was a perfect, evolved killing machine.
The thought of becoming prey to this predator one day sent involuntary shivers through him. The eagle's eyesight alone was terrifyingly powerful. It could supposedly spot tiny animals moving in the grass from a kilometer high in the sky. There was nowhere to hide.
The only reason Luo Feng had survived this encounter was pure, dumb luck. He had been hovering near his nest, a mere few inches from safety, and his current size was insignificant compared to the fat gray rabbit the eagle had chosen as its preferred target.
But he still needed to hunt, to venture into the open to find food. If this raptor ever caught him exposed, away from shelter, it wouldn't hesitate to snatch him up as a quick and easy snack. The risk was now a constant, looming part of his existence.
Wooosh!!!
The eagle spread its immense wings to their full span, and the grass thrashed wildly beneath the gust it generated. With powerful effort, it rose into the air, its iron hard talons clutching a fat gray rabbit that hung limply, already lifeless, dripping fresh blood onto the ground below.
Luo Feng's heart sank further into a cold pit. A deep, cold heaviness pressed over him, a weight of understanding about his true, vulnerable place in this brutal world.
He had known, intellectually, that becoming an animal meant gaining countless natural enemies. But seeing one so close, so overwhelmingly powerful and efficient, shattered his earlier resolve and confidence. His most basic instincts screamed nothing but pure fear and despair.
Sure enough, being human wasn't so bad after all. The thought was clear now.
A bitter smile tugged at his mind. Back then, school had seemed so boring, so confining. He had even daydreamed about becoming an animal, flying freely like a bird, roaming without care or responsibility.
But reality was nothing like that childish fantasy. Life here was nothing but endless survival, constant danger, and crushing pressure. There was no room for fantasy or daydreams, only the stark, immediate reality of eat or be eaten.
I need to grow, and I need to do it fast. The thought was a desperate, determined prayer.
If he could evolve to the top of the food chain, none of this would matter anymore. With a body ten meters long, or even dozens of meters, what creature would dare provoke him? He would be beyond such petty, everyday threats.
At that point, I'd be the one others fear. The thought was a small flame of determination trying to ignite within the cold dread that had settled in his stomach.
Eeey! Eeeeey!
A sharp, panicked cry broke his swirling thoughts. Luo Feng blinked and turned his head toward the sound, his focus shifting from the memory of the departed eagle.
On his left, wedged tightly in the narrow crack of a moss covered stone, a lizard writhed in obvious, desperate panic.
His eyes widened in instant recognition. It was the same tree lizard that had tried to seize his territory earlier!
The sight was almost comical, a moment of dark humor in the grim reality of the jungle. The heavy dread the eagle had brought into his heart faded just a little at the absurd sight. This fool had likely panicked during its escape from the eagle and slipped headfirst into the stone fissure, trapping itself quite effectively.
The tree lizard thrashed violently against the rock, its lower body and tail stuck fast between the unyielding stones, unable to free itself.
Luo Feng's tongue flicked out automatically, tasting the air, sensing its palpable fear. He began to crawl toward it, a new purpose overriding his own recent terror. This was an opportunity.
This rival had dared to try and take his nest, his only sanctuary. Naturally, he couldn't let it go now. And besides, the Ultimate Evolution System had said it would provide ten points of bio energy. It was an opportunity delivered by fate itself, a gift in the wake of danger.
He had originally wanted to test his new venom on this very lizard. But looking at it now, helpless and utterly pinned in the stone, there was no need for such sophisticated measures. The situation required simpler, more direct action.
As Luo Feng approached, the trapped lizard struggled even harder against its rocky prison, its panic intensifying. Its scales brightened in a final, desperate display of false bravado, and its throat emitted sharp, continuous screeches, trying to intimidate the approaching threat.
Luo Feng wasn't fooled. He saw the sheer helplessness beneath the bluster. It was trapped and afraid.
He lunged forward with a speed that surprised even himself, sinking his sharp jaws into the base of its neck. Using both his teeth and his front claws for leverage, he pulled hard, dragging the panicked lizard out of the confining crack with a firm tug.
The creature fought desperately for a few seconds, a final burst of energy, but its soft abdomen scraped heavily against the rough stone, leaving it bloody and torn. Within moments, its struggles weakened noticeably, and then ended entirely, its body going completely limp in his grasp.
Luo Feng blinked in slight surprise. He had expected a tougher, longer fight, but it had died surprisingly quickly. The fall or the eagle's frightening attack must have already injured it badly before it even became stuck.
Still, this saved him the effort and any potential risk. He would take the win.
Starting from the head, he began to swallow the lizard whole, his jaws unhinging to accommodate the sizable meal. His belly swelled visibly with each inch consumed, slowing his movements considerably as he turned and dragged himself and his heavy stomach back toward his nearby nest. Thankfully, his den was very close by. Out in the open like this, digesting such a large meal, he would have been dangerously exposed to any other passing predator that might scent the blood.
Once safely inside the familiar darkness of his burrow, Luo Feng lay down, his stomach bulging with the substantial prey, and began the slow, energy intensive process of digestion. The nutrients would soon fuel his growth and his next evolution.
After a meal like that, hunting again today was completely out of the question. He would rest, digest peacefully, and grow stronger.