Infinite Hunter

But Cheng Yijiu thought carefully, every time he was punished, he seemed to become a man-eating beast. And the birds of prey flying in the sky had to become such beasts. Cheng Yijiu shook his head. "Don't let me not even be able to fly by then." He went upstairs, poured himself a glass of rum, and drank the liquor in one gulp.

Cheng Yijiu let out a long sigh, ready to go down and accept his fate. The hunter strode to the door and pushed it open.

Its stern eyes surveyed its surroundings, its massive claws treading on the thick fallen leaves, its steps surprisingly graceful. The tall bird possessed magnificent plumage—a white mantle on its head, raised metallic feathers in front of its eyes and on the crown of its head, and metallic red feathers covering its chin and neck.

The bird's cheeks are yellow and emerald green, its body is black and white, and its tail has white tail feathers that can be spread out. This is an adult male Titan bird standing nearly three meters tall, and it is also the bird of prey that Cheng Yijiu transformed into after accepting the punishment plot.

The huge beak, like a battle axe, had a sharp hook and an equally sharp edge. It was just that his brain was a little slow to process. After experiencing the tiger and the shark, Cheng Yijiu's thoughts finally caught up with the rhythm. Although they were still intermittent, he could finally think to some extent.

This bird of prey was in a deciduous forest. In the Titanosaur's proud strides, one could vaguely see the arrogance of the once-mighty theropod archosaurs, those strongest land beasts that were also famous in the history of Earth's evolution... After 65 million years, archosaurs once again roamed the earth.

"First... figure out... where... is this place?" Cheng Yijiu tried to find something representative to confirm his location. The order called Cranes, to which Titanosaurus belonged, was almost entirely endemic to the New World. They evolved in South America and once entered North America, but ultimately failed to cross the strait into the Old World.

Titanosaurs was the last and largest land-based raptor, and conventionally, it should have been found in North America. Cheng Yijiu estimated its weight at around half a ton based on the depth of its footprints. With that size and weight, only a handful of brown bears could rival it in North America. It could be said that after the end of the Ice Age, it was the most powerful beast in North America.

Who made those saber-toothed cats and broad-cheeked giant bears disappear from the earth? Now, Titan birds are the only ones that rule the world. Cheng Yijiu strolled in the woods. Although he had no ears, there were feathers around his ear holes, forming a small depression, which made his hearing quite good.

But the most terrifying thing is his eyesight. His eyes are very big, and his eyeballs are much larger than those of a brown bear of the same weight. Moreover, his eyesight is excellent, with extremely strong resolution and dynamic vision, and of course full-color vision.

The giant bird had found its prey: a deer, a rather large one. He knew what kind of deer it was; it was, of course, an elk—the second-largest deer in the world. This didn't help him pinpoint his location, as elk have a wide range, common from the Palearctic to the Nearctic, and even found in the Oriental Realm.

He took a few steps toward the red deer, which, perhaps having spotted the giant bird of prey, took off. Cheng Yijiu had no intention of chasing the deer—he had better prey. Yes, he had seen the road. As long as he followed it, he could always tell where he was.

He could then try to rob human stores at night for food, or even attack farms or pets kept by humans. The raptor walked for a while before standing on a high ground in the forest, looking at the road sign and making a clicking sound with its beak—a sound of surprise.

This time's punishment mission was very unreasonable. The Titan birds, which were obviously only found in the New World, were actually thrown here - there were Chinese characters on the road, and Cheng Yijiu could even clearly see that the words on it were 80 kilometers from Beijing... This really made Cheng Yijiu stunned for a long time.

The situation around Beijing is just average, as the population is concentrated in Beijing. Cheng Yijiu feels that this time he might really be a wild bird...

Chapter 7: Attack

Judging by the roads and signage, it's clear that after the 21st century, it's normal to see wild animals in the mountains 80 kilometers outside Beijing. There might even be North China leopards migrating from Shanxi, and perhaps even a few red deer. Remember, before the ban, China was home to many specialized breeding industries.

Once a ban is issued, some farmed animals must be buried, while others must be released back into the wild. For example, if the wild population is ranked second or higher in the national ranking, disposing of it on-site might result in imprisonment, so it's better to release it into the wild elsewhere. Besides, large animals like elk are herbivores. Where would they find grass to eat in the wild? It's better than a tiger that starves to death if it can't learn to hunt, right?

Although some may die in the wild, the ones that survive should be able to adapt. This kind of thing happened frequently in the past, but considering the so-called contamination of wild DNA, it seems to be less recommended recently.

Although Beijing is a large and prosperous city - the second-highest GDP in the country and the city with the highest GDP per capita - there are many poor areas around Beijing. Due to the concentrated population and topography, it is not far from Beijing to enter the wild mountains. Moreover, due to the development of environmental protection over the years, the degree of natural restoration in these mountains is also quite high.

However, if Cheng Yijiu wandered within human sight, it would be difficult for him to escape—unless he could move through the mountains between Shanxi and Hebei, otherwise he would most likely be captured. Furthermore, Titan birds seemed more suited to the grasslands than the mountains outside Beijing.

But where else could he go? Follow the mountains west or north into Xilin Gol? Forget it, just hang out in the mountains of Beijing. As long as he was careful, he should be fine. But as for hunting, he really needed to learn how the Titanosaurs caught their prey.

"Height...long legs...sharp vision. It should be a combination of short bursts and some long-distance running?" Cheng Yijiu pondered this. He thought, "Birds' bipedal gait, like humans, is unstable, making it quite suitable for running." Furthermore, birds' air sac breathing also allows them to run long distances, and they also have good heat dissipation capabilities—even more so if they had non-nucleated red blood cells."

It seemed like they could only start with the more common deer and wild boars in the mountains. Any smaller prey wouldn't be worth it—there were suitable, easy-to-catch prey outside the mountains, but the consequences of catching them would be too severe. Cheng Yijiu felt that given the punishment scenario, it was very likely that he would attack humans—because he wouldn't be able to control this body forever.

That is, his brain would malfunction from time to time.

But now, Cheng Yijiu is no longer the one who was turned into a tiger as punishment. At that time, he didn't even know how to be a tiger, but now he is a good Titan bird... His two legs can jump, and after Cheng Yijiu jumped and landed, his head swung heavily to the slope, and his axe-like beak directly knocked down a fleeing wild boar from the side.

Then he stepped directly on the wild boar that was hit hard by the blunt object with one foot, and held it tightly with his claws. The hook-like beak tore open the wild boar's flesh the next moment... Then his thoughts were distracted again. When Cheng Yijiu came to his senses again, the wild boar had been almost eaten.

The bird had a big appetite. It ate at least 40 kilograms of meat from the over 100-kilogram wild boar, and the remaining remains were abandoned by the giant bird - it still had its old habit of never going back to eat again after eating, and always hunting for the freshest prey.

Simply wandering the mountains and hunting was still quite safe at this distance. However, Cheng Yijiu found himself increasingly close to human activity. This so-called punishment mission was definitely not going to make things easy for him. For example, he could now see the cars coming and going on the road in front of him, as well as the rest stops and gas stations in the distance.

Although the Titan bird was enormous, it would be completely invisible to the average person if they stood on the reverse slope of the hill and just poked their head out. Since the punishment mission had brought him here, he had to consider how to deal with the situation when he lost control. Cheng Yijiu felt that if he took the initiative to attack, he should be able to effectively reduce the risk of losing control - this was a possibility he had explored in past punishment missions.

So what are you waiting for? He's tried it before, and he can see at night, but he usually just finds a place to sleep. This time, he might as well take advantage of the night and rob a human supermarket... Is this much less serious than attacking a person? Actually, no matter if he robs or attacks someone, the consequences will be the same.

However, if possible, Cheng Yijiu still didn't want to start by attacking people.

Even as night fell, the road was still bustling with traffic, only thinning out around one or two in the morning. The attack occurred at 2:50 AM—there were small restaurants and parking lots along the highway. People generally didn't stay there, as they could drive into Beijing in an hour, but stopping for a meal or a late-night snack was common. Of course, there were also small supermarkets here, but they were closed by midnight, and so were the restaurants. It was at that moment that the sound of tearing and shattering was heard.

"Bang!" This was the sound of shelves collapsing, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. The owner of the small supermarket who lived upstairs was immediately awakened and immediately ran downstairs with a stick. "Call the police!" Before walking out, he told his wife to call quickly and "Close the door!"

The boss immediately turned on the light, and then he was dazzled - turning on the light suddenly after getting up was already dizzying, and the thing in front of him seemed to be a bit colorful and jumping around, which really made him dizzy. Finally, it stopped, and the boss could finally see what it was.

"Oh my god!" The headman screamed, his legs weakening, and he sat down on the steps. The weapon in his hand fell to the ground with a thud and rolled down the stairs. The prisoner who was tearing the large bag of feed on the ground raised his head and stared at the headman with a pair of orange eyes.

This person had never seen anything like this before. It looked like a bird, right? An ostrich, perhaps? Even with his frightened mind, he knew an ostrich wouldn't have such a thick neck and such a large head. And the beak had a sharp hook like an axe. Wasn't that an eagle's beak?

Anyway, the chaotic thoughts in my head now turned into one thought with these eyes, "Damn it, I'm going to be eaten now!"

Chapter 8 Discovery

Cheng Yijiu was still able to control himself at this point. He wasn't hungry, at least not hungry enough to lunge at a living creature and devour its brains. However, his predator instincts still made him look up. He saw a bald, middle-aged man in front of him, one who looked completely unappetizing.

The man was sitting on the steps in a rather shameful manner, his hairy legs spread wide open, his shorts barely able to hide the frightened, shrunken cock inside. When Cheng Yijiu smacked his lips, the man let out a ghostly scream, tumbling and crawling upstairs, banging on the door and crying.

Cheng Yijiu quickly tore through the feed bag a few times, took a bite to taste it, and then quickly left - he had another target. The small restaurant next door was his real target. The roller shutter door was no match for the Titan bird's beak and claws, and it was torn into rags in a few seconds. Next, the tempered glass door was directly smashed...

The owner of the small restaurant was also scared out of his wits. He was better than the supermarket owner. Before he could come down and make a fool of himself, he saw the big bird tearing open the freezer, so he immediately shrank back, closed the door and never came out again.

By the time the police car arrived, ten minutes had passed. Cheng Yijiu had already eaten and drunk his fill and fled. The Titan Bird, with its long legs, was incredibly maneuverable. Catching this guy in the dark was out of the question, especially since the police had to first determine what had happened.

The two witnesses were practically paralyzed with fear, and their statements were incoherent when questioned by the police. Fortunately, after much discussion and combining the two witnesses' accounts, the local police were finally able to outline the appearance of the "culprit" - an oversized eagle...

There are no professional investigators from the bureau to conduct on-site investigations right now - they will only call in investigators after a rough confirmation, because we are not sure whether it is a break-in or burglary or something else, and the confirmed case value does not seem to be too high. The combined losses in the two places are more than 10,000?

The guy who broke in was quite brutal, though. At least the damage to the shutter door was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Cheng Yijiu also left behind bird feathers, which were found by on-site investigators. This confirms that a large eagle had broken in and caused the damage.

The problem was, it still felt like a fairy tale. Eagles don't come out at night; the ones that do are called owls. And how could an owl possibly tear a rolling door like that? Not only an owl, but even a golden eagle couldn't do it. The surveillance cameras in both locations were broken, and the police surveillance wasn't clear enough to see clearly—it couldn't be helped, since we're a bit poor here.

In short, some large animal must have done this. The only question is what kind of bird? What kind of animal? The police are leaning towards the possibility that humans broke into the house, prompting some nocturnal bird to enter in search of food—perhaps an eagle owl? After all, eagle owls are found in Beijing.

Cheng Yijiu wandered in the mountains, killed several wild boars and even a deer. There were no ferocious beasts in the mountains that could be his enemy. The North China leopard certainly couldn't do it. If there were still tigers, they might dare to show up in front of him, but they were gone now.

There was no uproar because no one hyped it up, and there were no other similar incidents for more than a week. But it looked like things were about to get out of control again, so Cheng Yijiu had to come again—this time he chose a different location. It was just a farmers' market, and it wasn't very big, so it only attracted a lot of people during market hours.

These places are actually gradually becoming deserted, as those who can leave for Beijing or other places to work have already left. There is no security at night because there is not much left overnight in these places - generally, fresh vegetables and meat are delivered in the early morning, and many stalls are actually empty in the afternoon and evening.

Cheng Yijiu didn't care. At around 11 PM, he smashed open the iron gate and stalked the farmers' market, searching for any edible remains—like unsold meat left in freezers. Just as he was wreaking havoc, the night patrol arrived. They shone their flashlights around—but the lights weren't on right now; who would pay the electricity bill if they were? These stall owners were complaining about the high or low common pool fees, which was incredibly annoying.

After flashing it back and forth, it finally caught sight of Cheng Yijiu. Initially, it only caught the body, and the two security guards—all of them men in their forties or fifties—couldn't quite make out what it was. But before they could figure it out, Cheng Yijiu, the Titan Bird, had already turned and crouched down. Its large head appeared in the flashlight, and its crest feathers fluffed out. Combined with its ferocious appearance, it frightened the two security guards so much that they turned and fled.

Cheng Yijiu's Titan bird cry was remarkably powerful, its long trachea and the resonance of the air sacs within its chest giving it a penetrating sound. The Titan bird's cry frightened the two security guards so much that they fell to the ground, while Cheng Yijiu himself escaped in another direction, around the door.

This time, because it was two security guards, they were terrified but still reasonably aware, and they correctly described Cheng Yijiu's general appearance. It was a long-legged bird of prey with a hooked beak, which reminded the police of a shoebill—a bird that stands quite tall and has a large, hooked beak. The problem was, that's a rare species found in East Africa. Were there any zoos in China, especially Beijing? Probably not. The only zoos in Asia with shoebill storks are in Japan and Singapore.

Fortunately, this time, a surveillance camera captured Cheng Yijiu running, not at the farmers' market, but at the intersection across the street. Cheng Yijiu was captured by the camera at the intersection as he passed through here. So the police really saw a huge walking raptor walking across the corner of the screen, making it seem like they were watching Ultraman.

"What is this? A newly discovered bird? This is a big discovery." There are many highly educated police officers. Some of them said at first glance that this was definitely a bird that had never been discovered before. Some even used a computer connected to the Internet to search for restored photos of the Phorusrhacois and Titanosaurs and showed them to everyone.

"It's big news! Contact the superiors and professors at Peking University immediately!" These days everyone is very environmentally conscious, especially when it comes to this kind of rare - it's super rare, because data says this kind of bird has been extinct for at least 15,000 years, and is only distributed in North and South America. What does it mean to find it in China now?

Chapter 9: Finally the pot fell apart

What does this mean? It means someone is probably playing a prank. The last Titanosaurs died out 15,000 years ago and were never found in the Old World, let alone through the Bering Strait ice age passage. So, this is most likely a prank by someone in a costume.

Is it possible? Absolutely possible—you know, there are always rich people with brain problems these days, and dinosaur costumes can be incredibly realistic. There's a stage play where actors perform in dinosaur costumes, and the dinosaurs are incredibly convincing—just ignore the black actors.

In the darkness of night, wearing black clothes and using this kind of prop can indeed make it look like the real thing - if that's the case, then you need to investigate, because this kind of prop costume is not cheap. It should be said that there are only a few companies in the world that supply it, and the market is not large...

All of this is not something that the police stations in these small places can find out in a short time, and the security guard who witnessed the incident insisted that it was definitely not a prank, and it was definitely not a person in a prop costume scaring people, it was a real bird of prey.

Cheng Yijiu, of course, sensed danger, so while he was awake, he tried to retreat—heading north. Birds have great endurance, especially when they can breathe with air sacs and walk on two legs. The climate here wasn't too hot, allowing him to dissipate heat while running. The prey in the mountains was also quite good, forcing Cheng Yijiu to eat more food at once.

If it were in the south, there wouldn't be much need for such panic—after all, there are fewer animals in the north. Cheng Yijiu still didn't want to attack people, because the impact and consequences would be different if he attacked people—as for attacking the pigs and sheep raised in the countryside, that wasn't a big deal.

When he moved north, it was not always uninhabited areas. He would pass through some villages and towns, and at that time he would steal the farmers' livestock to eat.

The video footage of his previous attack finally arrived on the desk of a professor in the Department of Biology at National Central University. Several professors, including those in the Department of Paleontology, had heard about it and gathered to review it. After technical analysis, it was determined that the footage wasn't a prop or prank, making this a rather interesting event.

"This is definitely a Titanosaur. The crest, the shape of the beak, and the forelimbs... that's for sure. It's a giant Titanosaur. But among all the Titanosaur fossils, this one is also exceptionally large," the paleontology professor declared. However, the existence of Titanosaurs remained unexplained—it was still a mythical creature, long ago extinct, having never been found in the Old World.

It can't just appear out of nowhere after 15,000 years, right? There has to be a cause and effect. The officer mentioned genetic engineering. "Isn't that what Jurassic Park was about? That was about dinosaurs from 65 million years ago. This only took 15,000 years, so it should be easier, right?"

All the professors laughed and said, "It's impossible. That's only in novels and movies. It's basically impossible to do in reality. It's indeed possible to obtain the DNA of a Titan bird from 15,000 years ago, but that doesn't mean it can be cloned." Everyone present was very smart, but they just couldn't explain why a Titan bird appeared here.

It doesn't matter if there's no explanation, as long as you catch it - if there's one, it means there might be a population. Of course, there's an even more ridiculous explanation, which is that it's a space-time invasion.

At this point, Cheng Yijiu was practically losing control. A Titan bird's controllability was slightly better than a shark's, but not as good as a tiger's. So, when Cheng Yijiu spotted villagers going up the mountain to gather herbs while searching for prey, he naturally followed them. Even a giant terrestrial raptor over three meters tall couldn't be seen by humans if it were stealthy.

The interplay of light and darkness made the giant bird, with its similarly interwoven feathers, seem invisible. Cheng Yijiu's footsteps were incredibly gentle, completely unlike a giant raptor weighing over half a ton. The herbalist, carrying a bamboo basket on his back and using a hoe as a crutch, looked around for herbs.

The hungry Titan bird gradually approached the herbalist. Several times, the herbalist felt something and turned around, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. Finally, the middle-aged herbalist seemed to give up and turned to go down the mountain. He had looked around several times before, and he must have sensed something unusual and had a foreboding premonition, so he gave up and prepared to go home.

At that moment, Cheng Yijiu, losing control, leaped out, feathers ruffling—a gesture of intimidation from a raptor, and the next moment, he launched his attack. The attack method of the medium-sized theropod dromaeosaurids, dating back 65 million years, reappeared. The massive terror bird leaped into the air, swung its head, and slammed its beak into the bipedal ape.

It was like a battering ram, and the impact was enough. The next attack was a massive clawed, clawing and stomping attack, primarily to hold it in place. As Cheng Yijiu put it, it "even stomped out the slurry." With a peck from its sharp, hooked beak, the poor herbalist was quickly finished.

What followed was a complete detachment. Cheng Yijiu simply regretted how he had fallen into a state of semi-lost control. However, he had no regrets at all. After all, it was all due to his bestial nature during the punishment mission, and by the way, this person was just too unlucky, simple as that. Cheng Yijiu felt regretful that he might end up in the unlucky situation of being hunted again, just like the first time he became a man-eating tiger.

Compared to the man-eating tiger, this one is a little more troublesome, because the official power of the central country of Tian is much stronger than San'er. Organizing a thousand people to search the mountain is a piece of cake. Cheng Yijiu can only hope that this unlucky guy is discovered late enough and that he can escape far enough away.

While Cheng Yijiu was distracted, the Titan bird was feasting on the human—unfortunately, humans were more boney than fleshy, so it only ate some of the internal organs and tore off a large piece of leg muscle. However, even with just this, its axe-like beak and powerful force had already torn the poor man into pieces, throwing them everywhere.

After eating, the raptor cleaned itself up—just like its ancient ancestors, carnivorous dinosaurs weren't known for their stench; they diligently cleaned themselves, otherwise parasites would breed and kill them. Cheng Yijiu's intelligence once again took over. The bird clicked its beak as a sigh, then, without looking back, continued its journey across the mountains and hills. He might have a week or so to escape before the dead man was discovered and the cause of death determined.

Chapter 10: Wandering

There was nothing that could be done about this. Fortunately, the herbalist had gone into the mountains alone, and according to normal circumstances, he would probably not come out for two or three days. Adding the time it took for his family to report him missing and for someone to come up the mountain to search, it would take at least a week. And even though he had been pulled away, Cheng Yijiu still observed the Titan bird's massive beak like an axe, smashing the skull to pieces and devouring the brain. Cheng Yijiu was even thankful that he had been pulled away, otherwise it would have been too disgusting.

Even an experienced hunter like him felt disgusted. This Titan Bird was indeed evil.

He didn't consider that, given the length of time since the first punishment mission, the tiger had already devoured at least five people, and the second megalodon had already devoured three or four. Meanwhile, the Titan had only lost control and killed one person, which was already a major victory. He now had at least a week to escape, enough time to reach the hilly grasslands suitable for Titans—these creatures originally lived in tallgrass prairies, chasing and hunting primitive horses and other herbivores.

But now Cheng Yijiu just wanted to smile bitterly, but he was a bird and couldn't twist his mouth. Fortunately, he didn't meet anyone else along the way. At least when he lost control, he killed wild boars and deer, and didn't kill anyone else.

The herbalist had been collecting herbs for five days and still hadn't returned. His family went looking for him, but after two days, they had no choice but to call the police. They had no choice but to call the police. Given his mountain habits, the dry food he brought wasn't enough to last him, and he'd be hungry for at least two days. Water wasn't enough either—surface water sources in the mountains are limited. Finding someone in the mountains isn't enough just by people; you need to bring a dog.

So I searched for another day.

The next day, the crushed bamboo basket was finally found. Using the basket as the center, the dog and the men spent half a day finding the remains. Although everyone had already prepared themselves for the loss, finding the remains was still heartbreaking. "Was it a beast?" someone asked, and the experienced person nodded, "Yes, it was." They squatted down to examine the shattered remains. Scavengers in the mountains had dragged the remains into disarray, leaving only a few large bones to be found.

Of course, officers from the local police station also came along. "Can you tell what kind of beast it was? No, what was the cause of death?" he asked. The hunter shook his head. "I don't know. I can't say." Indeed, the cause of death was beyond the ability of the search team. They could only bring the remains back to the station and then send them to the city's medical examiner for an examination to roughly determine the cause of death.

This dragged on for another three days. Cheng Yijiu had already crossed the ridge and was now in front of grassland and hills. However, this was also a tourist area, so it was large enough for him to hide. If he wanted to hunt, he would probably have to find local herders and raid their pens. Compared to hunting wild animals, it was easier to attack domestic animals.

The medical examiner has concluded that the broken bones and other injuries found on the remains were post-mortem. This means, at least based on the current forensic evidence, that scavenging animals likely caused the dismemberment. The cause of death can only be inferred to be an acute illness—the broken leg bones show no signs of fracture, suggesting it wasn't a fall that paralyzed the victim. Another possibility is a wild animal attack, which would require proof of a capable animal in the area—and if that were a possibility, it would have to be a leopard, since the tigers are long gone.

However, some marks didn't seem likely to be caused by a leopard, such as the shattered skull, as if shattered by a heavy weapon. Unfortunately, it was already broken and could no longer be pieced together. Therefore, the situation was better than Cheng Yijiu had expected; the authorities hadn't discovered that the Titanosaur had caused the killing. The suburbs of the capital were currently being searched for the ancient land-based raptor, but unfortunately, nothing had been found. However, this case was ultimately difficult to close; it couldn't be explained by hysteria or an ancient invasion.

After all, all the evidence proved that such an ancient raptor existed. And the news finally broke. This wasn't a major state secret, and the surveillance video leaked. Almost every paleontologist excitedly replayed the short video over and over, exclaiming that Titanosaurs actually existed. Similarly, no one could explain why such a prehistoric creature appeared in this place at this time...

Even within North America, these birds only reach as far as southern Texas, with no chance of reaching Alaska, let alone crossing the land bridge into the Old World. Unexplained, it's fine; knowing they exist is enough. This has led to a surge in speculation—primarily regarding the so-called "unidentified American creatures." These birds are native to North America, and legends of land-based raptors, like Bigfoot, do exist in North America. Even the Thunderbird legend has been attributed to Titanosaurs.

Many people came here to try to find the Titan bird, but fortunately most of them were persuaded to leave by the local police.

Cheng Yijiu strolled across the land, his eyes slyly fixed on the herd of horses ahead. While he was a herder, few kept horses these days. Considering the overall benefits, Cheng Yijiu felt that horses were still the most cost-effective prey. They might not be much faster than him, but if he chased them, they would surely be the first to become exhausted. Titans definitely had the advantage in terms of endurance, and these horses would become prey instantly if they were hit from the side, making them easy to catch.

The problem is that they are owned.

This problem is easy to solve. These horses are not raised in the wild as they were in the past - that wouldn't be a good way to raise them now. Letting them graze on their own? Do you still think this is ancient times? With grassland degradation today, the only result of doing so is that the horses won't gain weight and might even die from grazing all day. Nowadays, they are kept in stalls and then let out for a run. Cheng Yijiu chose to keep them in stalls. Caring for the horses is hard work, but fortunately, these horses are all hardy Mongolian horses, not as delicate as racehorses.

The labor of shoveling poop wasn't entirely necessary; the scattered poop on the grass was fertilizer anyway... Cheng Yijiu would simply leap over the fence when the herders were resting, striding forward to select his target. The horses were in a frenzy inside the fence, constantly charging and ramming into each other, some of them sustaining injuries. Cheng Yijiu didn't kill too many horses—that is, he didn't deliberately try to intimidate them. Instead, he singled out a bruised one, flipped it over, stepped on it, and then proceeded to devour it with his massive jaws.

Chapter 11 Exposed

The weight of the horses was definitely enough for him to eat. While he was eating, Cheng Yijiu could still think intermittently, feeling that he was a bit wronged. Seeing him intrude like this, at least six or seven horses were injured and might have to be killed. This was unsustainable. From now on, he should adopt the method of chasing and hunting. This kind of thinking was difficult. The bird's brain was too small and inefficient. He had to eat almost all the horses before he could finish this thought.

The herders didn't show up. Why was there such a commotion? The Titans first devoured the horses' internal organs, then tore the meat from the bones with their sharp, hooked beaks. Some long bones were even smashed open by their tomahawk-like beaks, and the marrow inside was snatched away and devoured by their tongues. Cheng Yijiu finished his meal and left, disappearing into the night. The herders didn't discover the horses had been eaten by wild animals in the pen until the next day—all the other horses, save for the injured ones, appeared to be fine.

Twenty minutes later, a group of herders arrived upon hearing the news. A wolf couldn't possibly have jumped into the pen and devoured a horse, and that wasn't their habit. The horse before them had been torn to pieces, and the flesh and entrails must have weighed over a hundred pounds. The beast that had done this must have been incredibly ferocious and large. A bear couldn't have been there, and there were probably no leopards here, let alone a tiger. So, what had broken into the pen and killed the horse?

This kind of thing definitely calls for a police report. When they arrive, they can only confirm that it was the work of a wild animal, though they can't quite pinpoint what kind. A younger bystander suddenly wonders if it's the ancient bird discovered in Beijing. Everyone immediately chimes in, suggesting it's a strong possibility. And any tracks left by Titanosaurs would have been completely trampled away by the horses...

After eating, Cheng Yijiu hid in the mountains for two days, only reappearing when he was starving. This time, it was broad daylight, when the horses were out for a walk. These days, herders rode motorcycles as well as horses. Hundreds of horses trotted across the grasslands, with herders controlling their speed and direction from the perimeter. Beyond the horses, dogs followed their owners—though useless against horses, these dogs were still quite useful when herding sheep and cattle.

At that moment, the dog suddenly began barking furiously, baring its teeth and spitting in one direction, its limbs tensely gripping the ground. The herder on horseback was also extremely wary, thinking it was a wolf. But the sudden appearance of this creature in his sight left him perplexed. Could it be a human? It was a large figure standing there. The grasslands are full of legends, including one about a so-called "master," a towering humanoid monster that preys on livestock and even eats humans.

Anyway, the next moment, the old man lunged forward, his long legs sprinting. The herder finally saw clearly that it was an enormous "ostrich," though it looked horribly misshapen—its head was too large, its eyes too fierce, and its beak was scarier than an eagle's. The herder didn't have a gun, or he might have opened fire—but he might not have, because he was terrified, as were his horse and dog.

The startled horse nearly dragged the unfortunate man to death—a foot caught in the pedals, while the dog whimpered and fled. The herd of startled horses immediately scattered, and the motorcyclist on the other side temporarily lost sight of the Titan. He frantically tried to intercept the herd with his motorcycle—and then he was hit from the side, sending both him and his motorcycle tumbling and tumbling. He had just managed to steady himself on the ground, his whole body in excruciating pain, when a massive foot slammed into his head and then pulled away...

Although it was only a brief moment, he could still clearly see the iron-like scales and three clawed toes, and the word "dinosaur" unconsciously appeared in his mind. He turned his head and looked forward, and he saw the back of a figure with black and white feathers chasing the horse in front of him.

Cheng Yijiu's Titan was truly suited to this environment. Its true capabilities were evident when it was chasing a horse. The bird, with its long legs, didn't look like it weighed over 500 kilograms, but rather felt light and airy. His target was an older horse, and the horse couldn't shake off the Titan's speed. The massive bird closed in on the horse at high speed, striking it from above with its massive beak.

This method of killing was incredibly efficient. With a single blow, the horse's neck snapped, its skull split open, and it tumbled to the ground. Cheng Yijiu planted his foot on the lifeless horse, his hooked beak already tearing at the flesh. The sides of his upper beak were as sharp as knives, and with the help of the hooks, he easily tore through the horse's body. He began to pull away, devouring his prey in large mouthfuls.

The herders watched all this unfold, daring not to intervene. They simply tried to retrieve the stray horses and herd them back into the pens. Some, from a distance, whipped out their phones and began filming frantically. Cheng Yijiu, however, didn't seem to mind. He knew he'd be exposed eventually—if he persisted in attacking the locals' livestock... As for whether he'd be shot? It was unlikely—even herders knew these days that any bird of prey was a protected species, and capturing or killing it would result in imprisonment.

What's more, they've never seen such a thing before? They look incredibly ferocious—without guns, they're relying on knives and clubs? Sorry, those present don't want to die yet. Now all they want to do is film it and submit it to the state to see if they can get compensation from the Forestry Bureau—usually there's compensation, like when livestock are eaten by wild tigers and leopards, the government will provide some compensation.

Cheng Yijiu's meal didn't take long. Birds don't have teeth, so like their ancestors, they swallowed everything whole. After devouring the entrails, he tore off strips of horse meat and devoured them all with a snap of his jaws. Fortunately, he was able to detach himself, so Cheng Yijiu only had to wait a moment. Because he was devouring the horse raw, the feeding time was relatively short. Soon, a horse weighing over 400 kilograms was torn into pieces, one-third eaten. The bird fluffed its feathers and departed.