The Evolutionary Path of the Lion

Chapter 30 Psychological Warfare

Chen Fei didn't see it; he heard it.

The old lion, with an injury to its right hind leg, unconsciously shifted its weight to the left when it stood up. The sound of its left paw landing was slightly heavier than that of its right paw—a subtle difference that was clearly audible in the deathly silence. The lion stood up, steadily turning to the east, its head held high, its nose aligned with the direction where its dark brown mane disappeared, its limbs straight—a perfectly standard territorial guarding posture, exactly as depicted in textbooks.

The problem is, that big guy is long gone.

Chen Fei quickly went through the matter in his mind.

Before a full-blown territorial battle begins, adult male lions on the grasslands almost always do the same thing: show themselves but do not attack.

It's not hesitation, it's not cowardice; this is simply their usual tactic.

This kind of declarative display is never intended to start a fight, but rather to intimidate. By letting the defender witness their physical advantage in advance, it plants fear in their mind, so that when a conflict actually occurs, their reaction will always be a fraction of a second slower.

Don't underestimate that half second; in a life-or-death battle on the grasslands, it can be the deciding factor.

The dark brown mane isn't here to seize territory; it's here to drive a nail into everyone's hearts, to let fear ferment prematurely.

What's more, it chose to come at dawn.

This detail holds the key.

Chen Fei mentally reviewed the fighting habits of large felines on the grasslands: in true battles to the death and territorial disputes, dusk to late at night is the preferred time. Low light can conceal body details, scent diffusion is more stable at night, and the cooler temperature can reduce physical exertion.

While it's not uncommon for a frontal assault to occur in the early morning, it's extremely rare. It's mostly used to chase down fleeing opponents, and rarely for a direct takeover of a nest.

The appearance of the dark brown mane in the early morning is purely a psychological tactic, not a signal to start a war.

There won't be a fight today.

With this judgment settled in his mind, Chen Fei's tense muscles slowly relaxed, and he shifted his body from a state of imminent combat readiness to a state of long-term defensive preparedness.

These two states are worlds apart. The combat state is too physically demanding and cannot be sustained for long, while the preparation state can last for a whole day.

He stood up and walked towards the center of the low-lying area.

The lion king remained in a guarded posture, head held high, nose pointing east, right hind leg slightly hunched, not daring to touch the ground. This posture looked imposing enough, but for an old, wounded lion king, it was a complete waste of energy.

Chen Fei walked to the left front of the Lion King, stood still, stared at the edge of the grass on the east side for three seconds, and then slowly sat down.

The act of sitting down, in the lion's signal, has the clearest meaning: the threat is over, there's no need to be tense anymore.

The lion king did not sit down immediately. He endured for another minute before slowly lowering his head, shifting his weight to the right, bending his right hind leg first, and slowly and heavily squatting down.

In that minute, Sel's breathing returned to normal, Mei Mei began to slowly swish her tail again, and the stingy little devil recovered from his cowardly state, licking his right front paw and pretending that the panic he had just experienced had never happened.

Big Head quietly moved half a step towards Chen Fei, crouching behind him on the right. He tried to hide his movements carefully and quietly, but he still managed to move.

Chen Fei didn't look at it, but he remembered this little gesture.

When danger strikes, Big Head's instinct is to move closer to himself, not the Lion King.

This is not a choice made after careful consideration; it is an instinct ingrained in its very being.

Instinct is always more honest than consciousness.

[Host: Chen Fei]

[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]

[Energy Points: 526↑]

The system panel popped up unexpectedly. Chen Fei glanced at it but didn't pay it any mind. The energy points had increased by a few, but it was insignificant and far less important than the current situation.

As the sun rose higher, its bright white light replaced the warm orange hue. The dew on the grass evaporated quickly, and the damp scent of grass filled his nostrils. Chen Fei automatically filtered out this smell, his entire attention fixed on the edge of the grass to the east.

The scent of dark brown bristles lingered, fresh and strong, yet no one dared to approach any closer.

The morning passed slowly in this tense silence.

Sel quietly got up, walked to Chen Fei's side, sat down to his left, and leaned his head slightly towards him, without making a sound, just quietly keeping him company. This small gesture was insignificant, but Chen Fei noticed it precisely.

In the past, Sel always stood to his right, but now he takes the initiative to sit next to him. The positions are not much different, but the meaning is completely different.

During this long period of silence, Da Tou started to stir things up.

It slowly moved its body, shuffling to the edge of a slightly higher mound on the east side of the low-lying area. It placed its front paws on the mound, stuck its head out, and peered eastward, pretending to be conducting reconnaissance. Its ears were perked up straight, pointing east, and its expression was extremely serious, as if it were really keeping a close eye on the enemy.

Chen Fei stared at it for a full four seconds.

In the third second, Big Head sensed the gaze behind it, turned around abruptly, met Chen Fei's eyes, and instantly switched its ears from "reconnaissance mode" to a casual "just in this direction" position. It hurriedly shifted its gaze from the grass on the east side to a dead branch on the edge of the mound, and began to sniff around nonchalantly.

After sniffing for three seconds, it gently pushed the branch down with its front paws, looked down at the fallen branch, and continued to sniff it in a pretentious manner.

That withered branch was dry and barren, with absolutely no scent to be found.

Chun Chun was acting for Chen Fei's benefit.

Chen Fei looked away, too lazy to expose the guy's little trick.

In the afternoon, a heat wave swept in from the depths of the grassland. The wind, carrying the heat, blew across the land, causing the grass in the low-lying areas to sway slightly. The airflow pushed the scent from the east westward. In Chen Fei's nasal cavity, the concentration of the dark brown mane scent remained at a stable level, neither advancing nor diminishing.

It is waiting.

Chen Fei knew perfectly well what was going on.

Dusk is the time it desires.

He quickly planned out the rest of the afternoon in his mind; there were two things he needed to do before dusk:

First, go to the northeast corner to confirm the location of the two stray lions. Don't let their dark brown manes scare them away.

Second, move the lion pride westward. The low-lying area is backed by the riverbank, with its eastern side completely exposed and unprotected, making it far from an ideal defensive terrain.

After thinking it over, Chen Fei stopped hesitating, stood up, and walked west.

After taking five steps, he stopped and tilted his head slightly in the direction of Sel.

Sel immediately understood, propped himself up on his limbs, and steadily followed.

Meimei didn't wait for any signal; she got up almost simultaneously, walked to Sai'er's right side, and adjusted her pace to match Sai'er's perfectly. Chen Fei didn't turn around, but he could accurately sense the direction she was standing in, and the rhythm of each step she took was flawless.

The Lion King stood in the center of the low-lying area, watching Chen Fei walk west, watching Sai'er follow, watching Mei Mei follow, and watching Da Tou drag the reluctant Little Stingy Ghost along—Little Stingy Ghost didn't want to move at all, stubbornly refusing to go where it was. Da Tou simply grabbed it by the scruff of its neck with its mouth, lifted it up, and took a couple of steps. Little Stingy Ghost kicked and struggled desperately, but Da Tou let go. After landing, it puffed up its fur again, glared at Da Tou, and finally resignedly followed with its tail drooping.

The lion king stood still for about ten seconds, watching the entire pride follow Chen Fei, before finally taking his own steps and joining the rear. His pace wasn't fast, but he didn't stop for a moment, truly keeping up.

As evening light began to turn from white to yellow, it warmly blanketed the grassland. The temperature gradually dropped, the heat subsided, and a cool breeze began to blow. Deep in the grassland, the wind began its daily routine, steadily shifting from a southwest wind to a northeast wind.

Wind direction, temperature, and angle of light—these three signals combined were, for Chen Fei, the final alarm bell of the countdown.