Chapter 59 Sabertooth Tigers and Desert Wolves

Chapter 59 Sabertooth Tigers and Desert Wolves

Wen Ran lay sprawled on the inflatable mattress, eyes closed in repose, his mind already wandering through the marketplace. After browsing to his heart's content, he checked on his small general store.

Since the agave nectar had sold out, he couldn't venture out to collect more—primarily due to the scorching heat. The variety of goods available for sale had dwindled, and with fewer options, only a few items sold each day. Most returning customers came to inquire when the agave nectar would be back in stock.

Wen Ran decided to cancel the previously arranged managed service and oversee the store himself. With nothing else to do, this would save on management fees. After the dry season, once he collected more agave nectar and brewed it again, reinstating the managed service wouldn't be too late.

Once the dry season ended, he would also need to stock his store with other types of food and goods. Relying on too narrow a range of products would make it challenging to become the top merchant in the Beast World.

After all, he aimed to earn 10 million gold coins as quickly as possible to expand his space and begin farming within it. Otherwise, when winter arrived, the cold would make outdoor cultivation impossible. If he had to rely solely on buying food, his gold coins wouldn't last long with so many people in the entire tribe.

Perhaps because the dry season arrived early this year, the predators' internal timing radar was delayed or faulty. In previous years, predators would complete their migration before the dry season began, but this year, they only started their large-scale migration after the dry season had already set in.

Wen Ran, wrapped head to toe in thick fur hides with only his eyes exposed, sat atop Big Black Wolf’s broad back. Alongside Mao Shi and others, they stood at the highest point of the tribe’s shaded area, gazing into the distance where a spectacular large-scale migration was unfolding.

The scorching sun beat down on the golden sand dunes. In the distance, massive herds of beasts left dense clusters of dark spots on the dunes, forming a flowing black river that surged across the desert, kicking up clouds of yellow sand.

The current migrants were a pack of desert wolves. These predators typically lived in groups; they had sleek, agile builds, moved swiftly, and exhibited strong pack cooperation. Their gray-black fur provided excellent camouflage in the desert. If not for their high vantage point, it would have been difficult to spot them.

Moreover, desert wolves were adept at concealing themselves. Even during large-scale migrations, they made far less noise compared to other beast herds. Especially when the alpha led the pack, their paw pads touched the ground almost silently.

Desert wolves ranked among the top three most dangerous predators in the vast desert. They had another notable trait: if one of their pack was killed, the remaining wolves would use their keen sense of smell to memorize the enemy’s scent, seeking revenge later. They could also track their enemies precisely across the expansive desert based on scent alone.

Unless absolutely desperate for food or water, the Sand Cat Tribe never targeted these desert wolves.

Listening to Mao Shi explain these traits, Wen Ran summarized it as: “Avoid provoking these desert wolves if possible—they’re not to be trifled with.” Expressionless, he crushed a hopping, croaking red-spotted toad underfoot, feeling somewhat irritable.

He had been observing the beast tide for several days. During that time, he had seen desert wolf packs, lion herds, leopard packs, elephant herds, snake swarms, camel herds, ant colonies, antelope herds, wasp swarms, rows upon rows of golden scorpions, and flocks of greater flamingos, among others.

Each large-scale herd migration passed by the Sand Cat Tribe. With every passing herd, his food identification radar system would ding incessantly, even providing estimated selling price ranges.

Wen Ran watched with a pained heart as these predators migrated south without looking back—it was like watching a massive crowd of gold coins running away on legs! How he wished he could kill them all and sell them in the marketplace; then he’d have plenty of gold coins!

His eyes red with envy, Wen Ran could do nothing but stare helplessly, growing more anxious by the minute.

He had no idea how much longer the beast tide would last or if there would be any stragglers left for him to hunt.

If he could bag so many prey, earning 10 million gold coins—or even several times that—would be no trouble at all!

Then he could expand his space, turning it into a small farm to grow crops. Otherwise, he worried that food would be insufficient when winter came. If he planted crops in the desert outside, the drastic temperature differences between day and night might cause them to freeze before maturing.

Although he could buy ripening agents from the interstellar market, those were still chemicals—and all medicine had side effects. Unless absolutely necessary, Wen Ran preferred that the Beast World’s crops mature naturally, avoiding food safety issues like those in ancient Earth. Besides, naturally ripened crops tasted better.

Additionally, even with the Magical Spring water that allowed him to grow plants in the desert, the unpredictable climate posed risks. He feared that seedlings he painstakingly nurtured might be destroyed by tornadoes, sandstorms, or other extreme weather, preventing them from growing or bearing fruit—which would be utterly frustrating.

Fortunately, these terrifying herds were too busy hastily migrating south toward water sources to escape the drought, paying no attention to the Sand Cat Tribe beastmen staying put for the dry season. Otherwise, they’d be in grave danger.

It was also possible the herds hadn’t noticed them. After all, every dry season, the Sand Cat Tribe migrated to the zebra tribe’s territory. The predators naturally assumed the Sand Cat Tribe’s caves were now empty—devoid of beastmen, water, or food.

After some thought, Wen Ran concluded that hunting the herds would require proper weapons and tools.

But the weapons and tools commonly used by the Sand Cat Tribe beastmen were quite rudimentary—stone knives, bone knives, stone axes, etc. These tools were not only insufficiently sharp but also heavy and cumbersome.

Against large migrating herds, they were neither powerful nor effective enough—likely unable to even reach the herd’s periphery. Moreover, these were close-combat weapons, which inevitably increased the risk of injury. In case of stampedes or collisions, survival would be nearly impossible.

Wen Ran stroked his chin, pondering. He felt that long-range attacks would be necessary to inflict damage on the predators from a distance, minimizing casualties among the beastmen.

Looking at the weapons he currently had, the most useful was the electric baton. Although it was also a close-range weapon, a direct shock could instantly stun a beast—quick and effective.

Unfortunately, there was only one, and its battery was likely nearly depleted.

The other relatively sharp weapons were the kitchen knife he used for cooking and the battle axe he had given to Lang Zhi. They were sharp, yes, but what good were just two weapons? The two of them couldn’t just charge recklessly into a fierce herd and slaughter wildly—they’d be trampled into paste.

Wen Ran sighed deeply. Hu Di, noticing Wen Ran’s low spirits, instinctively asked the reason without thinking.

Wen Ran also blurted out without thinking, “I’m thinking about how to capture the entire herd in one go.”

Hu Di stared at Wen Ran in shock. “Sage Wen Ran, you’re actually considering targeting the herd?! In previous years, we always hid from migrating herds, afraid we wouldn’t hide in time. But this year, you want to actively attack and hunt the herd—and capture them all in one go?! What a bold idea! We wouldn’t even dare think it! Beast God above, I’ve really achieved something—to hear such words in my lifetime!”

Wen Ran: “...”

Wen Ran looked at him with a complicated expression and said expressionlessly, “Do you think I’m delusional?”

Hu Di quickly shook his head. “No, no! I believe you, Sage Wen Ran! If you think it can be done, then it definitely can! If you think we can capture the entire beast tide, once you figure out a method, just discuss it with acting chief Mao Shi and arrange it. All the male orcs in the Sand Cat Tribe hunting team will follow your orders!”

Wen Ran’s expression improved slightly.

But facing such a massive herd, coupled with the Beast World’s backward productivity, coming up with a method wasn’t that easy.

Meanwhile, Hu Di turned around and thumped his chest vigorously. Beast God above, he’d really accomplished something—daring to speak to Sage Wen Ran and brush him off without batting an eye.

Just then, the distant ground began to tremble slightly. The vibrations grew closer and stronger, as if thousands of troops were charging forth. Dust clouds blotted out the once-bright sky, casting everything into dimness.

It was a herd of fierce tigers—massive in size, with sharp fangs that glinted coldly under the glaring sun. Their eyes were fierce, and low roars rumbled from their throats. Their sharp claws dug deep furrows into the sand with each step. Their numbers were so vast that the horizon was a solid mass of dark figures. They swept forward with thunderous momentum, quickly approaching the migration route beside the Sand Cat Tribe.

Wen Ran stared at these tigers with several-meter-long fangs, his mouth hanging open in a perfect “O.” Holy shit, these were sabertooth tigers! He never expected to see a species from ancient Earth here in the Beast World!

These things must be worth a lot of gold coins—probably more than desert wolves!

Wen Ran’s eyes sparkled with greed. Heaven really was helping him! Rubbing his hands, he thought, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had fallen into his lap—he absolutely couldn’t let these sabertooth tigers leave!

The sabertooth tigers were enormous. Each step on the sand produced crunching sounds, like ice cracking under extreme cold. The noise was so loud Wen Ran feared they might cause the sand to collapse.

Even the gerbils and rabbits living in burrows beneath the yellow sand poked their heads out curiously to see what was happening.

When they saw the massive sabertooth tigers approaching from afar, followed by a pack of desert wolves, they panicked, expressions of terror on their faces, and hurriedly ducked back into their underground burrows, refusing to come out again. High above, eagles and hawks flapped their wings, letting out sharp cries before swiftly flying away.