HLM – Chapter 194 Little Wang’s Little Schemes

On the drive back, it was almost time to start preparing lunch.

Charlie, Bowen, and Juan were excitedly discussing how to cook the wild boar meat. Of course, they only had one method in mind—grilling it.

Wang Bo was feeling a bit dejected since he hadn’t gotten to hunt the boar himself, so he wasn’t participating in their lively debate.

As the Marauder roared up the hillside toward the castle, the group was still deep in discussion. Finally, Wang Bo got impatient and snapped, “Don’t be stupid, you bunch of idiots! Wild boar meat for grilling? Without any fat, it’ll turn out like a piece of dried wood!”

Bowen retorted, “Can’t we just brush more oil on it?”

Wang Bo burst into laughter. “Yeah right! Just brush on some oil? The essence of grilling is rendering the fat from the meat itself. You think brushing oil on top will actually soak into the meat?”

Bowen tried to say more, but Wang Bo shot him a sideways glare and sneered, “Don’t talk crap. Have you ever even cooked before? Do you know how to make anything?”

“…No,” the group mumbled, losing confidence.

“Heh.” Wang Bo snorted coldly.

“Ah, your mom exploded. Ah, hehe…” the commander chimed in right on cue.

Once they reached the castle, the crew dragged out the wild boar. Ian and Edison came up to help with the butchering. With sharp knives hanging from their waists, they glanced at the boar and shrugged. “Leave the little guy to us,” Ian said.

He added, “Come spring, we really should do a boar-clearing operation on the ranch. I’ve seen a bunch of them lately, especially around the stream—they’re always drinking water there.”

Wild boars are destructive to ranches. As omnivores, they’ll eat pasture grass, and worse, they love digging up the roots while grazing. A boar herd can turn a patch of grassland into a wasteland in no time.

While plucking feathers off a wild chicken with hot water, Juan asked, “Why don’t you guys just take them out when you see them? If they’re at the stream, shouldn’t they be easy to deal with?”

Ian laughed, “Can’t do that, man. Firing a gun would spook the livestock. If the cattle and sheep panic, that’s a real mess. And without a gun? I’m not so sure I can take them down barehanded.”

Edison glanced at Zhuang Ding and Queen and said, “But, if we had Zhuang Ding and Queen with us, that’d be a different story.”

Wang Bo suddenly realized—these two rascals had their eyes on taking the powerful, well-trained dogs hunting.

It made sense. For cowboys, Zhuang Ding and Queen were practically precious treasures—strong, obedient, and smart. Having them out with the herd would be a dream.

But Wang Bo wasn’t keen on letting them go. They were supposed to be for herding, after all. However, the “Crown Princes” might be suitable—they’d grown fast and were now nearly up to his knees.

Noticing Wang Bo didn’t respond, the two cowboys realized their little plan had been exposed. They put on pitiful faces and pleaded directly, “Boss, please lend us Zhuang Ding and Queen for a while! It’d be such a waste not to use them for hunting.”

Wang Bo said, “Don’t you still have a bunch of the Princes? They’ve all got Queen’s bloodline—they can herd too. Also, in a few days, I’ll give you a big killer weapon!”

Bowens’ eyes lit up. “A killer weapon? Boss, can you give us a hint?”

Wang Bo whistled, and immediately Zhuang Ding, Queen, and the Crown Princes came running over. A moment later, a furry big head peeked in through the door, scanned the area for danger, and limped toward him.

The Cowboys, familiar with the castle, knew Wang Bo had a liger. But they assumed its injured back leg hadn’t healed properly and that it couldn’t run anymore.

So when they saw Little Wang limping but still sprinting pretty fast, they were stunned. “Shit, its leg’s okay now?”

Wang Bo stroked the big cat’s furry head. “Not quite yet. Needs a few more days to fully recover.”

Little Wang spotted the butchered boar, rabbit, and chickens. Its big eyes darted around, and then it stepped forward and let out a mighty roar: “Awoooo!”

Ligers share many traits with tigresses—they can climb trees, swim, and their roar is just as fierce and powerful.

Wang Bo was shocked by Little Wang’s behavior. “What the hell, baby? They’re dead pigs and rabbits. Why are you roaring at them?”

Ian, in the middle of dissecting the boar, grabbed the pig’s head and shoved it toward Little Wang. The liger jumped back in fright, tucked its tail between its legs, and leapt behind Wang Bo with a tiger-like bound.

That movement showed no sign of a leg injury.

Noticing this, Wang Bo narrowed his eyes. He pushed Little Wang away and pointed to an open space. “Come on, walk two laps for me.”

Little Wang gave him an innocent look, squatted like a tiger with its head tilted and blinked big round eyes. It licked its lips and yawned, desperately trying to act cute.

Wang Bo nodded at Zhuang Ding, who perked up and approached Little Wang with bared teeth, ready to bite.

Panicking, Little Wang scrambled up and backed away. Zhuang Ding chased, and Little Wang bolted—its run was majestic and tiger-like… and completely un-limping.

Wang Bo felt his chest tighten in anger. He knew it! Little Wang had been healing with the help of the Nest Core for over a month and even received a Pet Heart. How could it possibly still be limping?

Edison stared blankly as Little Wang dashed around the courtyard. “Didn’t it just have a limp? Don’t tell me… it was faking it?”

Ian laughed awkwardly. “It’s a beast, man. No way it has that kind of brain.”

Charlie said lazily, “I’d suggest you not treat anything Wang raises like a normal animal. His pets are all monsters.”

Ligers have disproportionately large heads due to a gene that lacks a growth-inhibiting sequence, making their body proportions uneven.

During this first wild run, Little Wang tried to brake but couldn’t. Its massive head carried too much inertia. Like a car slamming on the brakes, it spun out and flipped itself over…

Getting up again, Little Wang wore a pitiful, sorrowful expression. With teary eyes, it ran back to Wang Bo and buried its head in his arms, begging for comfort and affection.

Wang Bo scratched its fur and said, “Alright, Little Wang’s leg is healed. Damn it—you guys can take him to the ranch from now on. Train his wild instincts!”

“Wild instincts? This guy?” Bowen gave a dry laugh.

Wang Bo sniffed, “Well… he probably has some.”

Ian was more optimistic. “Come on, it’s a liger—offspring of the lion and tiger, rulers of the wild. Even if it can’t fight, just putting it out there is enough to scare away wild boars and rats.”

Everyone looked over Little Wang’s majestic appearance. Aside from that slightly dopey expression, they had to agree.