Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 105 Top Predators!
"That's right, it's the Asian Golden Cat."

Chen Nian's voice broke the silence of the camp, her tone firm, her gaze fixed on the agile black figure on the tablet screen.

"Do you remember what I said?"

"The Asian golden cat is the chameleon of the feline world."

"And black is the rarest and most mysterious of its many 'skins'!"

"I didn't mention it before because the blackened Asian golden cat is so rare that you can hardly find any clear footage of it in the wild online!"

"This segment we recorded alone is already incredibly valuable material!"

Chen Nian was already very familiar with the knowledge of various wild cat species.

The existence of the corrupted Asian golden cat was like a legendary treasure to him, its status no less than that of those truly renowned big cats.

I thought I would never see him again in this lifetime.

Unexpectedly, fate was so generous that he encountered the legendary 'Phantom of the Night' in such a beautiful sea of ​​flowers.

“So handsome”

Everyone sighed.

This pure silhouette, like flowing midnight silk, is full of powerful and wild beauty.

Even a fleeting moment can be captivating.

Chen Nian was the first to come to her senses.

The system's prompts lingered in his mind, constantly reminding him to seize the time.

So while everyone else was still holding their breath and savoring that fleeting glimpse, he had Lin Qidong start playing the clip repeatedly.

"Old Lin, could you please play it a few more times, at a slower speed?"

"okay!"

The short five-second video, when played repeatedly and examined frame by frame, began to reveal a wealth of information.

First, there's body shape.

"This cat definitely weighs over 30 pounds! And judging from its gait and build, it's definitely not a pregnant female cat. Old Chen, your judgment was absolutely right!"

Lin Qidong sighed.

Gesang nodded silently, which meant he completely acknowledged Chen Nian's discerning eye.

“Secondly,” Chen Nian added, the golden light in her eyes fading.

"Its gait appears steady at first glance, but upon closer inspection of the joints... for example, here, there's a subtle tension and hesitation. This is a typical state of being startled and anxious!"

He pointed to the slightly stiff lines of the golden cat's back as it walked: "More importantly, all indications suggest that it was already in this state of anxiety before our team arrived. What else in this sea of ​​flowers could make it so uneasy, besides us outsiders?"

Best's Eye clearly told Chen Nian about the golden cat's condition.

Not good.

Physical health is secondary; mental health is the primary concern!

It is afraid and very anxious!
"Look here!" Lin Qidong suddenly pressed the pause button.

The finger precisely points to the side of the black and golden cat that is briefly revealed in the picture.

There, beneath the thick black fur, a narrow, dark red mark, already scabbed over but still looking menacing, could be vaguely seen!
"The wound! It's quite deep!"

hiss--

A series of suppressed gasps filled the camp.

What could possibly leave such a wound on this nearly 40-pound, muscular 'Night King'?!

The three exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.

Based on his extensive rescue experience, Lin Qidong first eliminated possibilities through logical reasoning:

"First of all, human behavior can be largely ruled out."

"No human weapon can inflict this type of wound; it's more like the claw marks of a wild animal."

Chen Nian and Gesang both nodded in agreement.

This conclusion eased the tension in the three people's hearts a little.

As long as it's not illegal activities like poaching, the nature of the matter becomes much simpler.

"Take another closer look, are there any other injuries?" Chen Nian said in a deep voice.

The other team members tacitly stepped back a little, leaving space for the three professionals.

The video was repeatedly played, zoomed in, and frozen in time.
It was ultimately confirmed that, apart from the conspicuous claw mark on its side, this powerful golden cat had no other obvious external injuries.

Lin Qidong carefully assessed the wound: "The edges of the wound have shrunk, the scab is thick, and there are no signs of redness or inflammation around it. This indicates that the wound is in the later stages of recovery and does not affect its basic mobility."

He has rescued too many injured wild animals and has an almost intuitive understanding of the healing stages of wounds.

“So,” Chen Nian continued, combining the anxiety sensed by the Eye of Best to make the final connection.

"It stayed here not because it needed to heal its wounds, nor because it coveted the prey here. There was only one reason why it returned to its familiar and resource-rich core territory."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Qidong and Gesang.

"It dares not go back!"

"You dare not go back?!" Lin Qidong and Gesang exclaimed in unison, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt. Lin Qidong: "What do you mean?"

Chen Nian did not answer directly, but looked at Gesang, the living map who knew this mountain range like the back of his hand.

"Brother Gesang, based on your experience, what could be in this area, or rather, right next to this sea of ​​flowers, that could pose a threat to this big cat and have the ability to leave such a wound on it?"

He gestured with his hand to indicate the length and depth of the claw mark.

For a moment, Gesang's brows furrowed deeply, and his weathered face looked particularly stern in the dim light of the screen.

He fell into deep thought, his gaze seemingly piercing through the tent and reaching towards the distant, undulating mountains.

Lin Qidong understood what Chen Nian wanted to say, and his eyes widened slightly.

"You mean territorial disputes?!"

“Hmm!” Chen Nian nodded emphatically: “I speculate that the reason this golden cat left its territory was because it had a conflict with other competitors, was injured and driven out of the territory, so it chose to enter this relatively unfamiliar but easy-to-hide flower sea area with abundant small prey to rest and forage.”

After hearing what Chen Nian said, Lin Qidong thought it was more and more likely.

"That could very well be true!"

"I've encountered this many times before, and I've rescued many wild animals that lost out in the competition because of it, but!"

He pointed to the robust, dark-skinned Asian golden cat in the video, his voice rising:
"Old Chen! This guy is probably taller than me when he stands up! What kind of competitor could beat him up like this?"

"An even more robust king-like golden cat?"

Chen Nian did not answer immediately.

His gaze returned to the lone claw mark, his fingertips unconsciously tracing its location on the screen.

After a moment, he slowly shook his head, his voice low and deep:
"If it's a fight between people of the same clan, it's more likely that they'll be covered in wounds and have multiple injuries."

“But look at it…” he pointed to the screen, “It only has this one wound all over its body, what does that mean?”

Chen Nian looked up at the two of them:
"This means that when a conflict occurs, the opponent may only use one strike, or just a single encounter, to make it feel a fatal threat and an insurmountable gap! So great that even its courage to try to maneuver or bite instantly crumbles, leaving only one thought—"

"escape!"

"Run away without looking back!"

"hiss--"

Lin Qidong's eyes widened, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Isn't this utter annihilation?!"

"What kind of animal could crush such a big guy?" He couldn't imagine what kind of being could so easily scare away this black beast.

"It can only be something bigger than it."

Just then, Gesang, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

A look of realization crossed his bronze face, followed by a deep sense of solemnity.

He finally unearthed from the corner of his memory the figure that matched that terrifying strength.

Gesang raised his rough fingers, across the camp, and pointed to the outline of a mountain peak in the distance, which looked particularly majestic and precipitous in the twilight.

"Zei!"

Gesang's voice carried the deep tone characteristic of Tibetan, as if the name itself contained power and danger.

"The owner of that mountain and that territory is a thief!"

His gaze drifted into the distance, as if he were seeing again that unforgettable glimpse.

“When I was young, I saw it once from afar. It was like a golden lightning bolt! Only it had the ability to make this big golden cat not even dare to show its claws and run here with its tail between its legs.”

He paused, looked at Chen Nian who looked confused, and added in the most solemn tone.

"It is the true king of ferocious beasts in these mountains!"

"Thief?" Chen Nian was bewildered by this unfamiliar Tibetan word and subconsciously looked at Lin Qidong.

Lin Qidong's expression became extremely complicated the moment Gesang finished speaking.

He looked at Chen Nian and explained, word by word:
“In Tibetan, ‘Sa’ refers to the snow leopard.”

"And the 'thief' is the Golden Leopard!"

"."

The air fell silent.

Although they already had a vague guess in their minds, Chen Nian and Lin Qidong still fell silent when Gesang gave this answer.

Chen Nian finally understood why the system had told her to be careful.

Leopard!
A true apex predator!
A jungle killing machine that can exceed 1.5 meters in length and weigh up to 100 kilograms at its peak!
It is a mountain forest overlord capable of hunting down adult wild boars single-handedly!
No one expected that the discovery of a mysterious, blackened Asian golden cat would lead to the discovery of a leopard!

For a moment, the camp fell into a long silence.

(Left hand holding a yellow dog! Right hand holding a falcon! Look, it's this yellow one!)

(P.S. I'm shamelessly asking for your votes again~ It's the end of the month, so please shower me with monthly votes! I'll definitely add more chapters!)

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(End of this chapter)