Star Hunter.

Chapter 272 Are cats vulnerable animals? It's all a lie.

Amadeo wasn't actually that hungry, but it was worried that the two of them would fight after they went out. It was fine if they both got injured, since those two guys had strong regenerative abilities. The most important thing was that it couldn't expose itself. It still didn't know who sent the message or if there were any traps, so it couldn't be too reckless.

As the sky gradually brightened, the entire mountainside appeared gray, with some plants growing there in a somber hue, and a few white plants, though not many.

Beside the gray woods, Ruble was tearing apart a Claw Beast. It didn't have to be like this, but Ruble was in a bad mood, so this newly caught prey became the target of his anger.

From the hillside, several dark dots can be seen moving about on the ground in the distance, and these dots are rapidly decreasing. Those dark dots are black-clawed beasts, common on this planet, and the reason for their decrease is simple: a cat is using them to fill its stomach.

The gray cat and the gray earth are not conspicuous, as if it were a natural camouflage, so they are not noticeable from a distance.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to see what's happening over there without tools, but Ruble and Amadeo aren't human. Their vision is exceptionally good, and they can see everything clearly without missing a single detail, even without any tools.

It was such a small cat, yet when the black-clawed beasts pounced, its mouth suddenly widened, swallowing one whole. Then, the second... the third...

These clawed beasts were intelligent; they knew this seemingly inconspicuous animal was not to be trifled with, so they began to flee. The gray cat pursued relentlessly, and with its agility, very few clawed beasts could escape.

"No wonder Dahl was bitten to tears by that cat. If that cat really ate its fill, Dahl's little crocodile would probably become its every meal. But just how big is that cat's stomach?" Amadeo, who was slowly crawling over, looked at the gray cat and said to Rub.

  

Amadeo could tell from the gray cat's movements as it captured the clawed beasts that the gray cat was quite powerful. Leaving aside its speed, its hunting speed alone was something he couldn't match. It swallowed them whole without even biting; it wasn't like Bona's giant snake, and besides, this cat swallowed them whole, alive. Even among the beasts in the First Affiliated Hospital, this would rank among the top.

Ruble crunched on the clawed beast's bones, his voice trembling with impatience. "Who knows?! Eating so fast and so much, aren't you afraid of getting stuffed!" he said impatiently.

As soon as Ruble finished speaking, the gray cat stopped chasing the Claw Beasts, and the remaining few Claw Beasts took advantage of the opportunity to make their escape.

"What's wrong with it?" Amadeo saw the gray cat suddenly stop moving and then squat in the distance, seemingly doing something. Only its ears twitched occasionally, while its hooked tail swung quite vigorously, as if it had discovered something new.

When Ruble heard Amadeo say this, he stopped eating and looked over.

The gray cat remained crouched for a while. Then it opened its mouth and, lo and behold—spit out a black clawed beast that it had just swallowed.

Amadeo, Ruble: "..."

How disgusting!

The black clawed beast had barely swallowed it, and when it was regurgitated, a layer of it had already been digested. Even the claws themselves had dissolved considerably, becoming shorter and limp, far from their former sharpness. The partially digested beast looked like metabolic waste, its original fierce and bloodthirsty appearance gone.

"That cat probably has a habit of ruminating, doesn't it?" Amadeo said.

Ruble turned his head away. "Disgusting! Felines are indeed animals full of quirks." He knew that there were a few "big cats" in the first ward who liked to maim their prey before eating it, but this cat in front of him was even more perverted, actually ruminating!

Because of the gray cat's rather disgusting behavior, Ruble lost his appetite and kicked the remaining uneaten clawed beasts into the woods, where some small animals were waiting to scavenge the scraps.

The half of the Clawed Beast that was kicked away was quickly surrounded by some small rodents that broke out of the ground, and soon there wasn't even a bone left.

"Hey, something's wrong with that cat. Is it food poisoning?!" Amadeo said, wagging his tail and poking Ruble, who was lying nearby with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing "food poisoning," Ruble perked up. He had just eaten half a Claw Beast, so it shouldn't be poisonous. He could smell poisonous meat, though of course, there were exceptions.

The lizard and the wolf stared intently at the gray cat, which was currently jumping around the half-digested, mangled Claw Beast like a madman.

After jumping for a while, the gray cat stretched out its claws, which suddenly grew longer, and began to disembowel the half-digested Claw Beast.

Amadeo, Ruble: "..." How come they didn't know that felines had such strange quirks?

If it wanted to eat internal organs, that would be understandable, but the problem is that this cat was actually dissecting something! Can you imagine a cat that was excitedly foraging for food, then vomiting up the food it had swallowed and then dissecting it? What a mess!

Neither Ruble nor Amadeo could sense the gray cat's current feelings. The gray cat was very excited, extremely excited, because it had keenly discovered something fun that it hadn't played with in a long time, and Xilin hadn't made it play with it in a long time either.

While digesting those clawed beasts, the gray cat discovered that another animal was living inside their bodies. If it was not mistaken, it was the parasite that Xilin had mentioned!

Whenever a new parasite with great potential is discovered, Xilin always comes up with something to "play with." Compared to those big, showy creatures, Gray Cat prefers to play with these little things.

Using its claws, it sliced ​​open the half-digested skin of the Claw Beast, then cut open its stomach. Inside, there was a worm that looked like a small scorpion, only about the size of an adult's thumb. They clung tightly to the Claw Beast's stomach wall, where the stomach wall was noticeably thinner.

The tiny worms attached to the stomach wall of the Claw Beast steal energy from the food, and some of the food that the Claw Beast swallows is digested by these worms.

The Clawed Beast's stomach was cut open. Realizing the danger, the tiny worms clinging to the stomach wall tried to escape, tearing through the thinned stomach wall with their claws and scattering in all directions.

However, they were still not as fast as the gray cat. The gray cat stretched out its paws to pull the insects back, then ran away and pulled them back again.

Ruble and Amadeo on the hillside were dumbfounded.

"What is that thing?" Ruble asked.

"I don't know, it seems to have come from the stomach of one of those clawed beasts. Ruble, you didn't eat that clawed beast's stomach, did you?" Amadero asked worriedly. Before figuring out the situation, it wasn't sure if the insects had any effect on them, and the thought of having such a thing in its stomach sent chills down Amadero's spine. Its armor-like scales stood on end.

"No, I was disgusted by that thing before I even had a chance to eat it." Rub was now quite glad that he hadn't continued to eat it, otherwise he might have eaten the whole thing.

Ruble and Amadeo hadn't paid much attention to this when eating before, but after witnessing the gray cat's actions today, they'll likely suffer from severe psychological trauma for a considerable time to come. They absolutely must make sure there aren't any weird worms in the meat before eating!

"Hmm?" Amadeo raised its tail and flicked the ruble, which was trying to examine its stomach, and nodded in a direction with its chin.

Following Amadeo's gaze, Ruble saw a human boy hiding behind several large rocks about three hundred meters from where the gray cat was. Judging from his attire, the boy was likely a hunter from the city. He carried a gun and a crossbow, carefully concealed behind the rocks, watching the gray cat's direction with obvious tension, yet trying his best to remain calm.

Overall, this is a fairly good hunter.

"Should we remind the cat?" Amadeo asked.

"Remind it of what?" Ruble couldn't care less.

"Remind it not to eat people indiscriminately."

Ruble: "..." This is indeed a problem.

As usual, Dantu joined the hunting party in the morning to hunt Kro beasts outside the city. However, during a rest stop, he encountered an injured large Kro beast. Dantu did not want to give up, since a large Kro beast could be exchanged for more supplies, which was much more worthwhile than those small Kro beasts. Moreover, this large Kro beast was injured.

Dantu saw this as a good opportunity. After informing the captain, the captain gave him thirty minutes. If he didn't return within thirty minutes, they wouldn't wait for him anymore. A lone hunter was very likely to be devoured by the Kro beasts, no matter how strong the hunter was, since the area outside the city was Kro beast territory.

The communicators they carry have a strong magnetic field when they are turned on, and the Kro beasts are very sensitive to magnetic fields. Therefore, all hunters who come out to hunt will turn off their communicators, otherwise they will be attacked by the Kro beasts that come following the "smell".

Dantu learned many skills from experienced Kro beast hunters from a young age. He started going out with hunting teams when he was ten years old, and now he is considered a somewhat experienced hunter, knowing how to hide and track.

Dantu cautiously followed behind the injured Kro beast, secretly pondering the best time to strike. He couldn't encounter other Kro beasts when he made his move, otherwise it would be quite difficult for Dantu to succeed alone.

Finally, Dantu found an opportunity, but just as he was about to make his move, the injured giant Kro beast suddenly screamed, then became agitated and ran off in another direction.

Exposed?

Dantu was about to continue the chase when he suddenly sensed something approaching and hid again. A short while later, two more Kro beasts ran past, seemingly pursued by something terrifying. This was likely the reason the injured giant Kro beast was agitated.

Dantu glanced in the direction the two Kro beasts had come from. What could possibly be so frightening to that giant Kro beast? What had those Kro beasts seen? These Kro beasts had always considered themselves the overlords of this gray land.

In that short time, the injured Cro-Beast definitely wouldn't be able to catch up, and the hunting team leader only had fifteen minutes left. Go back?

Dantu was reluctant, his mind filled with questions. Finally, driven by curiosity, he cautiously crept towards the direction the Kro beast had come from. Soon, he saw a flat area at the foot of a mountain, where a cat was crouching. There were no cats on this planet. He had only seen them in books, magazines, and on television in the city; those who hadn't seen them wouldn't know that such an animal called a "cat" existed.

Why are there cats here?

What puzzled Dantu even more was that, according to the book, cats weren't particularly strong attackers. Yet, this small cat was standing in front of something he couldn't identify. Dantu studied it carefully for a long time before realizing it was a Kromon. If it weren't for his knowledge of Kromon, he certainly wouldn't have recognized the now severely corroded and unrecognizable creature.

How did this Croc become like this? And why is this cat sitting there in a daze?

However, what happened next surprised Dantu: the cat's claws could suddenly grow so long that they easily sliced ​​through the Kro beast's skin. Then it dissected the Kro beast.

When Dantu saw the insects, his face turned pale, just like when he first hunted the Crob.

Dantu was terrified. He deeply regretted ever being so curious as to come here. Wasn't this just courting death?!

It turns out everything on TV and in books is fucking fake! How could a cat be a vulnerable animal?! Would a vulnerable animal so easily dissect a crocodile?!

He was now absolutely certain that what terrified those Cro-Beasts was this cat, a cat that wasn't even as long as his forearm.

He tried to calm his racing heart and think of a solution. He absolutely couldn't turn on the communicator. If he did, he'd be discovered, and he couldn't call for help. No one would come to his rescue anyway; it was best to quietly retreat.

As soon as I turned my head, a voice rang out beside me.

"Hey kid, where do you think you're going?"

Dantu was startled and reflexively prepared to fire, but before he could even move his gun, everything went black and he lost consciousness.

The gray cat sniffed at Dantu, then looked at the gun and crossbow on him with disdain. Just as Xilin had said, this place was truly poor and backward. However, the boy's physique was quite good; he could be used to test those insects.

Only three worms remained after being extracted from the Clawed Beast's stomach. The original intention was to stun them, but the force applied was misjudged, and several were killed. A few others were severely injured; it's uncertain if they will recover. However, it doesn't matter if they don't recover; we can always catch a few more. Although not every Clawed Beast has these worms inside, we can always find them if we search.

The gray cat had nothing to put the three stunned insects and several severely injured ones in, but luckily it found a hard leather bag on Dantu's body. It was a bag made from the skin of a clawed beast that had been processed, which should be enough to temporarily hold the insects.

Amadeo and Rub were already coming this way, their intention being to stop the cat from eating people and to capture the person for interrogation, but they encountered a bag thrown by the gray cat as soon as they got close.

"Hey, you two, come here and help me with this!" the gray cat said, pointing to the bag of bugs.

Amadillo and Ruble both avoided each other as if they were avoiding a plague.

"Take your own things! We can just drag this guy back if necessary," Ruble said.

"No way, this is for my experiment!"

After finishing speaking, the gray cat ignored Amadeo and Rub, tied the bag to Dantu, reinforced it with the rope it had taken from Dantu, and then dragged Dantu back towards the aircraft by the collar in its mouth. It didn't drag him the whole way; after dragging him a few steps, the gray cat started leaping around with great strides, looking incredibly relaxed.

Amadeo and Ruble exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and followed closely behind, wondering what the cat would do when it got back. An experiment? What kind of experiment? Put worms inside that person? How disgusting!

Meanwhile, on the aircraft side, Niki had already hacked into the city's network and learned some basic information.

The city's internet was underdeveloped, practically rudimentary, and all the utensils seemed like antiques to the group. Xilin and the others were analyzing the information they had gathered, but they still hadn't found the "mouse" the gray cat had mentioned. Where exactly was that mysterious person hiding in this city?

As the group was discussing whether to grab a local and ask them questions, the screen showed a scene of Gray Cat dragging a person into the aircraft.

Bai Ye and the others looked at Xi Lin at the same time. Xi Lin shrugged. "I didn't instigate it."

Serdiye gave Xilin a thumbs-up. "Your pet is really well trained!"

Xilin curled his lip; the reason the cat dragged them in was definitely not what they thought. Sure enough, after understanding the situation, the group became very interested in the insects the gray cat had mentioned. However, they couldn't see them there; instead, they went to the isolation room.

After the partition was lowered, Bai Ye and the others, persuaded by Amadeo and Rub, did not enter the isolation room, but instead stood on the other side of the transparent partition watching the scene inside.

Xilin had collaborated with Gray Cat many times before. He first used equipment to simulate a stomach environment. The three parasites that had recovered and several others that Gray Cat had severely injured appeared quite excited after entering this environment. They clung tightly to the edge walls, fixing their bodies in place. The edge walls where they were attached became much thinner, and they began to absorb nutrients from the internal environment. Several severely injured parasites even gradually recovered, and their severed limbs began to grow back.

"How about it? Not bad, right?!" the gray cat said smugly.

"It's alright." Xilin put the parasites in a small box that simulated a stomach environment. "But it's not very practical right now. We're about to face robots, and robots don't have stomachs."

The gray cat twitched its ears, clearly unhappy.

"But you did a really good job this time. You deserve praise!" Xilin rubbed the gray cat's head.

That's more like it. The gray cat squinted, wondering when it would be time to catch a few more Clawed Beasts to see if there were any other insects. It was boring staying here anyway.

After studying the insects, everyone's attention turned to the person dragged back by the gray cat. He looked like a boy of fourteen or fifteen, but judging from his physique, attire, and the equipment he carried, this boy was also a formidable character.

When Dantu awoke from the ancient city, the moment he opened his eyes, his whole body tensed up. The unfamiliar atmosphere and environment were strange. It wasn't gray earth or any city; it felt like he had entered another world.

The next moment, Dantu's attention was drawn to the gray cat perched on a stranger's shoulder. This cat was the reason he had ended up in this predicament!

Upon seeing the strangers, Dantu wasn't as panicked as he had been when he saw the gray cat. After all, he felt safer around people than around a completely unfathomable beast. Moreover, these strangers didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards him. Of course, that could just be an illusion.

The gray cat perched on Xilin's shoulder and licked its paws. This single action sent a shiver down the spine of the man who had just woken up, causing him to shrink back slightly.

Xilin flicked the gray cat's ear. "What did you do to it?" The child was quite frightened.

Serdiye glanced at the gray cat, then at Amadeo and Rub, and sighed. These two seemingly fierce creatures were less dangerous than a kitten.

Seeing that the boy was wary, Niki took the initiative, since a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old would be easier to approach.

"Don't be afraid. As long as you don't move, we won't hurt you. We just want to ask you some questions," Nikki said.

Dantu looked at the seven or eight-year-old girl in front of him, who seemed so out of place, and remained silent.

Niki asked a few more questions, but Dantu remained silent, still looking on high alert.

Chi Lafang pointed to his mouth, "Can't understand the language?"

Niki slapped her forehead; she had completely forgotten!

The language spoken here is not the common language of the Empire. The native language is too niche, and the Empire has no records of it. However, while the gray cats and the others went out to forage, Nikki had already collected enough language information from various cities on the planet. After setting it up, the translation machine directly converted the language.

So, after Niki turned on the translator, she asked the same question again.

Finally, Dantu spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "What do you want to ask?"

Xilin handed him a bottle of juice. "Juice, it's not poisonous."

Dantu hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the gray cat on Xilin's shoulder. Seeing that it was lazily licking its paws with its eyes half-closed and not paying attention to them, he carefully took the bottle of juice Xilin offered, took a small sip, paused, and then gulped it all down. After finishing, he licked the bottle, still wanting more.

Xilin handed over another can, and this time Dantu didn't hesitate much. He took it and drank it down in big gulps.

Dantu had never tasted anything like this before; it was delicious, far better than the most expensive drinks in the city! He wanted to take some back for Grandpa An, who, at his age, probably hadn't had much of this delicious juice. However, he was currently struggling to even take care of himself, and didn't know if he would be able to go back and see Grandpa An one more time.

After drinking the juice, Dantu's guard didn't lessen much, but his voice was no longer hoarse, and he seemed calmer.

This is a good sign.

Once Dantu calmed down, he answered Niqi's basic questions one by one, telling Xilin and the others his own name and that the black clawed beast that was eaten by the gray cat was called a Kro beast here, which means "claw" in the local language.

However, the term "Kromon" is a general term for various black beasts with sharp claws. They rarely exist as a single species; most are hybrids. However, there are a few special species among the Kromon, one of which is called Garas. Garas is a ferocious beast that is several times larger than a regular Kromon and has much stronger attack power. However, relatively speaking, their numbers are also very small and they are not common.

Niki asked Dantu if there was any way to bring them into the city, but Dantu shook his head. "No one is allowed to enter or leave the city except for the guards and hunting parties, unless they have the city lord's permission."

"City lord? What level of official is that?" Niki asked.

Although some information was obtained through the city's communication network, it was still limited. The network here was too underdeveloped, and people rarely communicated through the internet. This is the social relationship system under a special technological environment.

"The city lord is the highest-ranking official in our city." After a pause, Dantu asked again, "You're from outer space, aren't you?"

Nikki didn't deny it; there was no need to deny an answer that was obvious at a glance. "Yes, we came from outer space."

"Then it's even less likely that we'll let you into the city. We are very hostile to aliens, especially the city lord. There were aliens who came to our planet because their spacecraft malfunctioned, and they never returned. Although that didn't happen in our city, I've heard that something similar happened in our city before."

"Are you threatening us?" Nikki laughed sarcastically.

"No, just a reminder." Dantu lowered his head and stopped speaking, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

At this moment, the gray cat spoke up: "I don't think this kid is telling the truth. How about we try it with that bug?"

Standing behind, Ruble and Amadeo both thought at the same time: Cats really are evil animals!

Hearing the gray cat's words, Dantu abruptly raised his eyes, a flash of fear crossing them. He instinctively reached for his gun and hunting knife, only to find them empty, realizing everything on him had been confiscated. A direct confrontation? Although he wasn't tied up, Dantu knew he was no match for them, especially with the cat present.

Xilin flicked the gray cat: "Don't scare the children."

The gray cat snorted twice; it was just trying to scare them, it was too boring.

Niki asked a few more questions, but didn't get the answers she wanted. It was impossible to send Dantu back, so she could only keep the kid locked up here for now. She could ask him for information if she got any new details.

They arranged a small private room for Dantu. While the room seemed simple to Xilin and the others, it was an unimaginable luxury for Dantu, complete with juice and other foods he'd never tried before. Although he had nothing to worry about, Dantu's nerves were being tested; he figured if this continued for a few more days, he'd suffer a nervous breakdown. The cat kept coming over, silently licking its paws. Seeing those paws reminded Dantu of the grotesque beast being disemboweled, putting him on high alert.

The gray cat, however, was amused: "Someone's actually afraid of cats!"