Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The killing happened right next to the troop of cars. Li Du watched from behind the window, able to feel the violence and fierceness of the grassland beasts in such a close encounter. He had seen many videos of lions and tigers hunting on computer and television screens, but watching it happen on a screen didn’t make him feel much. Seeing it happen just outside the window, though, really gave him a frill! Beasts like lions and hyenas were too violent. Their demeanor when hunting was too scary. As Li Du thought about how the lion hunter fought with them, it was obvious that he was a warrior. Good watched the group of lions tearing the zebra apart with much enthusiasm. He licked his lips with his tongue, apparently relishing the scene. Li Du looked at him, and inwardly cursed again: goddamn lunatic! The lions were eating up the zebra even though it had not died yet. These wild animals had very strong survival instincts, and though its hind part was almost completely torn apart, the zebra was still breathing. Good smiled and said, “You see, isn't the zebra pitiful?” Li Du said, “Yes, it's very pitiful.” Good continued speaking as he smiled, “If someone was left here without the protection of car and weapons, don't you think his situation would be even more pitiful?” Li Du understood him very well. This old fellow wanted to scare him from the start. Whether it was the last time when he tormented the mine worker or this time when he brought him to watch the lions hunt, it was to frighten him. Good’s obvious intention was to control him, but Li Du showed himself to be very strong. His fearless attitude to death had shocked Good and made him treat his prisoner with precaution. Nevertheless, he would not give up. He still wanted to control Li Du, or at least to make Li Du afraid to defy him. After the male lion had finished eating, the females gathered around the zebra that had stopped moving by then. The lionesses went up and tore its body apart. Pieces of flesh were thrown everywhere, and fresh blood was spilled all over the ground. Li Du smiled and said, “That’s why nobody in their right mind would come to this place, at least not without any equipment.”
At this moment, he did not dare to piss Good off. Good was a maniac. He could change his mind all of a sudden and push his captive out of the car. It was better to keep a low profile and not provoke him. However, Brother Wolf could not hold back. He mumbled coldly, “They’re just a few beasts.” Good squinted and gave him a smile, and laughed as he said, “Well said, pal. You are a warrior, I have figured that out long ago. Why don’t you go out and hang out with these few beasts?” Li Du stopped the impulsive Brother Wolf, saying, “Good Commander, are we done watching? Why are we still here? We should go back and continue discussing our business.” Good looked at Brother Wolf, obviously still contemplating the idea of threatening Li Du with his companion’s death. At this time, they saw a small animal crawling out from the bush. Seeing it, Good laughed and said, “Who said we are done watching? Look, the lion’s hunt hasn’t ended yet.” The animal that showed up was actually not that small. It was almost one meter long, the size of a large dog, but it was dwarfed by the three-meters-long lion. It had exuberant, loose fur, black all over except on its back where it was grey. The fur on its back lay very flat, and on its head even flatter. It was strong, with a broad head, small eyes, and no visible ears. When it ran, its demeanor seemed dominating. “Honey badger,” Li Du recognized the animal at once. The honey badger was well-known among animal lovers around the world. Just as hyenas were called ‘African brother number two’, it had a nickname as well. Because its head was very flat on top, it was called ‘crew cut brother’. As this crew cut brother drew closer, it spotted a few pieces of meat that were scattered across the ground. The honey badger’s dietary habits were varied. It would eat small-sized mammals, birds, crawling bugs, ants, wild fruits, berries, nuts and so on, and could also feed on venomous snakes. On occasion, it would also eat carrion. Now it was attracted by the pieces of zebra flesh. The honey badger was obviously hungry. Disregarding the lions, it ran out to grab a piece of meat and proceeded to devour it.
Behind it was another small honey badger, most likely its offspring. It was no bigger than a small puppy. It crawled out on its four limbs and grabbed a piece of meat as well. It did not begin to eat at once, however, but ran back into the bush with its prize. One of the female lions noticed the honey badger picking up the piece of meat. Following the instinct of all wild animals to protect their food, the lioness ran up to the honey badger and growled at it in an attempt to scare it off. Seeing this scene, Good and the black soldier in the car laughed, saying, “Ha, now there's a show.” Sure enough, the crew cut brother stopped eating as the lion growled at it. It raised its body up and held its head high. It looked at the lioness and, without a moment’s hesitation, went up and scratched her. The crew cut brother was the top spot holder of ‘World’s Most Fearless Creature’ in the Guinness World Records for many years consecutively. It was different from other beasts. The crew cut brother was not just bold; it was all courage from head to tail. From a scientific point of view, it had an invasive character, which meant that honey badgers were always ready to invade another animal’s territory and pick up a fight. It was unclear whether the lioness had ever seen a honey badger before, but she was obviously stunned. Lions were among the rulers of African wilderness, tyrannical and undisputed. They were the terror of the grasslands, so who would dare to provoke them? In virtually all cases, the lions were the ones to begin the fight, but this time it was the honey badger that attacked first. The honey badger’s claw scratched the lioness, and she growled as she jumped backward. She seemed surprised and unsure as she looked at the honey badger. The lioness was hurt as the honey badger’s claw was very strong. The honey badgers were not only brave, but also very good fighters. Their claws were like hammers, and could even break the hard shell of a land tortoise. If there was only one lion, the crew cut brother had a high possibility of winning this conflict. A lion could fight off a honey badger, but would not usually fight with it. The crew cut brothers were good at fighting, and did not have much flesh on them, so they were not the lion’s favorite food.
Predators hated them because fighting a honey badger meant fighting until one of the sides fell dead. Many wild beasts could actually kill the honey badgers, but they had to pay a high price of being wounded. For wild beasts, their stamina and attacking powers were vital to obtain food. Getting hurt due to fighting for pride would, therefore, make no sense. Perhaps the lioness had met a honey badger before, so it was not interested in dealing with one after suffering an attack. It turned around and was ready to join the group of lions. However, the crew cut brother would not let her go that easily. What the heck, we just started the fight and you want to leave? How can this happen? When two rivals on the grassland start a fight, they have to make it to the end and see who wins and gets to live! The lioness wanted to leave, but the crew cut brother would not let her. It crawled over quickly, caught up with the lioness, raised its body, and slapped the lioness’s rear with its claw. The lioness was furious. It growled as it turned around and opened its mouth wide to bite the crew cut brother. At the same time, it raised both its thick, strong front limbs, and aimed to smash its head.
