Chapter 28: The Little Lion Who Picked Up a Bargain

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Chapter 28: The Lion Cub Who Scored a Lucky Find

Chu Ye decided it was better to be cautious; he didn't want to invite big trouble just because he had a craving for this honey badger cub. If he were to lose a fight against this cub, his own life would surely be over. Driven by human-like prudence, he chose to let the cub go for now, planning to challenge it again once he had grown larger.

The honey badger cub finished its spicy strip and prepared to leave. Chu Ye could only watch it go with longing eyes. But then, a miraculous thing happened. After walking just a few steps, the honey badger cub rolled over and lay motionless on the ground.

"Damn, what's going on? Is it just taking a nap after its meal?" Chu Ye stared at the cub lying on the grass not far away, feeling utterly confused.

He waited in the bushes for a while, thinking that animals rarely sleep for long. The cub was probably just taking a quick snooze and would be up again soon. However, to his bewilderment, he waited for another ten minutes or so, and the honey badger remained motionless.

Chu Ye grew curious. "Damn, this little badger is sleeping soundly. It hasn't woken up for ages." He felt truly perplexed.

"I might as well go over and check. It’s asleep anyway!" With that thought, he cautiously emerged from the bushes and approached the cub. He saw it lying on the grass, eyes shut, in a deep slumber. It didn't even notice him approaching.

"How can this little guy sleep so soundly?" Chu Ye wondered, boldly reaching out a paw to nudge the cub. He wasn't too afraid; he figured that even if he couldn't beat the honey badger in a fight, he was certainly faster. Even if it woke up suddenly, it wouldn't be able to catch him.

He poked the cub, but it didn't stir at all—it was as if it were dead.

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"Damn, what happened? Is this cub dead?" As he thought this, he gave it a harder push, but it still didn't budge.

"Oh, I see. This honey badger must have been knocked unconscious by the venom of that snake. It probably needs an hour or so to wake up."

Seeing the state of the cub, Chu Ye suddenly recalled some knowledge he had acquired about honey badgers in his previous life. He knew that while they hunted venomous snakes, they could also be knocked out by the venom. They would simply fall asleep for an hour or so, wake up, and be perfectly fine afterward. They wouldn't even remember the incident and would continue hunting snakes just the same.

"Damn it, if this cub is unconscious from snake venom, can't I just kill it and eat it?"

A perfect way to fill his belly suddenly occurred to him. Wasn't this a feast right in front of him? Although the cub weighed only about three or four kilograms, it was a substantial meal for a small lion cub. Chu Ye hadn't had much milk in the past two days, and with the lionesses unable to catch any prey, his stomach was growling loudly.

Without further hesitation, Chu Ye bit down hard on the honey badger's neck.

The cub had been in a deep sleep, but as its breath was cut off, it jolted awake. It tried to struggle, but Chu Ye pressed his weight down firmly, pinning it to the ground. He knew he had to finish this in one go. Honey badgers had incredibly tough, loose skin; if he couldn't keep it pinned and it managed to stand up, it could turn around and bite him back. That would be dangerous, and he absolutely could not let that happen.

The honey badger never imagined that after eating a spicy strip, it would become prey itself. It struggled desperately, trying to scramble to its feet, but it was useless—Chu Ye’s entire body weight was pinning it down. The honey badger weighed only three or four kilograms, while Chu Ye weighed over ten. In terms of size, he was significantly heavier.

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Chu Ye clamped his jaws tightly onto the cub's neck, giving it no chance to struggle free. Deprived of oxygen, the honey badger eventually stopped moving. It was only a half-grown cub after all, and lacking the strength to fight back while pinned, it quickly suffocated to death.

Chu Ye held his grip for another ten minutes, only letting go when he was certain it was no longer moving. The honey badger was dead. It probably never dreamed it would die in the jaws of a lion cub—it had surely brought shame to the "honey badger" family name.

Chu Ye felt exhausted after the kill; he hadn't eaten well for two days, and his strength was limited. He rested on the spot for a while.

"Should I eat this myself, or drag it back to share with the other cubs?" Out of a sense of camaraderie, he considered taking it back. But he quickly dismissed the thought. The cub only weighed three or four kilograms total, and that included the bones. Once cleaned, there would be barely two or three kilograms of meat.

It wasn't even enough to fill his own stomach, let alone share it among the other eight cubs. Besides, the three adult lions hadn't eaten in days either. If he brought it back, the other cubs probably wouldn't get a bite, and the adults would take it all. Especially Gike, the male lion; if he saw the prize, he would snatch it away immediately. As the pride leader, Gike had priority and a habit of stealing food.

After weighing his options, Chu Ye decided it was best to eat it himself. It was the dry season, and he had to look out for his own survival first; he couldn't afford to worry about the others.