Three miles southeast of where Lan Grace was, three natives of the Waste Star—dressed in dun‑yellow, with rough, parched, grey‑black skin—huddled together trembling, hearts pounding with fear.
Five minutes earlier, they had thought their luck was in.
From the desert trial to the jungle, their road had been hard, but they had not run into foes too much for them; not being eliminated was fortune enough.
In the jungle, their luck seemed even better!
Their nutrient solution had long since run out, but they were from the Waste Star. They had eaten rotting leaves from the trash—how much more edible were the fresh plants everywhere here?
These leaves were already far better than the spoiled ones in the trash.
When President Ferrero announced the Five‑coloured Birds, a portal had opened not far away—and a strutting bird stepped out.
Zhu You, a Waste Star native, lunged without hesitation the instant it appeared!
Beside him, another Waste Star native with decent strength charged too.
The small, long‑braided Waste Star girl looked fragile, but when she moved she was not a whit worse than the other two. In a blink, the three had the bird surrounded.
They had thought to bag the bird at once and make the iron ring on its ankle theirs.
But as Zhu You closed, the bird spread its wings—and the gale from that single beat blew him off his feet and sent him flying!
The other two fared little better. They had been slightly farther and caught less of the blast—but they still staggered back.
Zhu You crashed to the ground. Before he could gather his wits, the small bird streaked at him like lightning—its sharp beak stabbing straight for his face!
Zhu You reflexively arched back, barely avoiding the strike to his eyes.
He dodged the face—only for the talons raking across his chest to shred cloth and skin. Flesh gaped; blood poured.
Three of his ribs snapped under those claws!
"Aaaah—!" His scream carried far.
With a single exchange, Zhu You lay on the ground, unable to rise.
So savage—startled, the other two Waste Star natives abandoned all thought of capture. Survival came first!
Luckily, Zhu You had been the one to rush in first.
The other two, seeing how things stood, backed off fast. The Five‑coloured Bird disliked taking the initiative—so it did not pursue, and they barely escaped.
Scenes like this played out across the jungle wherever a bird appeared.
Before long, most who had thought to catch a Five‑coloured Bird and grab its ring gave up the idea.
The birds were too fierce! Ordinary people simply couldn't handle them.
Only a handful chose to fight to the end.
Ji Chenfeng, scion of a battle regiment and a double‑S in physique and mental power, had slain star‑beasts on the battlefield. How much more a creature bred by the Alliance's Institute of Biological Research?
He had thought he could finish the two Five‑coloured Birds before him, then move on at once to hunt more and collect rings.
Although a single numbered ring was enough to earn double points for this stage, Ji Chenfeng simply wanted more—without knowing why. The more he obtained, the greater the glow in his heart.
Besides, this was an entrance exam with competition. With more rings, his score for this checkpoint would be higher.
In a one‑against‑two, his dagger only grazed a wing to take a few feathers before the bird twisted away—its lithe body and blistering speed easily avoiding the rest.
The other bird sensed the hostility he radiated, spread its wings, skimmed low—and pounced.
He caught the sharp beak on his dagger—but the next instant, clang‑clang! The alloy‑forged blade that cut iron like mud was snapped clean by the bird's beak!
Ji Chenfeng started—then the first bird dived him too.
Instinct told the pair exactly how dangerous the human before them was.
If they could not bring him down, they risked being killed instead.
In the crisis, the two even forgot they could flee.
With their speed and ability to fly, if they set their minds to running, even Ji Chenfeng might not catch them.
…
Elsewhere, after pounding along in pursuit for only a short distance, Lan Grace lost the bird in her sight—
She was panting hard. With a B‑grade physique, she was still that far behind… a big rooster!
Truly, the times had advanced, technology had marched on—so even a rooster's sprint speed had "advanced," leaving her in the dust!
She could not accept that a prime ingredient had practically arrived at her lips—only to sprint off on its long legs…
Seeing Lan Grace stop, Zhao Qingyan breathed out, relieved.
Zhao didn't know why the bird had shown not the least aggression at Lan Grace—only ran. But that result was best of all—at least Lan hadn't taken the slightest hurt.
Lan knew nothing of Zhao's thoughts. In her mind, if she didn't catch a rooster to‑day, she would not rest!
Everything Zhao had told her about how dangerous the birds were had been tossed out of her head.
In her ingrained view, however dangerous a cock might be, however aggressive, in the end it still became an ingredient—lying docile beneath her knife.
Catching her breath, Lan Grace said to Zhao Qingyan, "Come on! Let's keep looking for a roos—Five‑coloured Bird!"
"…"
Zhao had very much wanted to talk her down from butting heads with a Five‑coloured Bird. But looking at that iron resolve, she swallowed her persuasion.
Forget it. With me here, even if we do meet one, I won't let Lan Grace get hurt. Let her be.
Besides, Zhao Qingyan was genuinely curious. If a Five‑coloured Bird that could inspire such obsession in Lan Grace were turned into food—what would it taste like?