HLM – Chapter 211 A Sneaky Revenge

Just as the Commander had snatched a little snow pigeon and was about to show off, a sudden chorus of chirping erupted from the sky!

It sounded like a miniature chick farm, with countless snow pigeons crying out in chaotic unison. Then, dozens of little snow pigeons appeared in the sky, densely packed and swarming.

Leading the flock were the pigeons that the Commander had just attacked—easily identifiable by the small patches of feathers missing from their bodies, plucked clean by the Commander, making them look like they had vitiligo.

Once in sight, the snow pigeons, like a flock of Angry Birds, circled swiftly in the air and then charged directly at the Commander.

More snow pigeons appeared behind them—at a glance, there were at least a hundred. They flew together with loud cries, not quite a terrifying cloud blotting out the sun, but still impressive in number and force.

The Commander was dumbfounded. So was Wang Bo: What the heck? Where did all these snow pigeons come from? He’d only seen a dozen or so earlier.

But he had simply looked at the wrong time. Snow pigeons are early risers, typically leaving their nests before dawn to forage. When Wang Bo had observed earlier, the main flock had already flown out.

Unfortunately for the Commander, the snow pigeons have a habit of returning to their nest en masse about an hour or two after leaving. They’re extremely attached to their homes—something evident from their “brooding rate,” which is over 90%!

This brooding rate refers to the likelihood of a female bird continuing to incubate her eggs even after a change in environment. Most birds—like parrots or sparrows—will abandon their eggs in such cases. But snow pigeons persist in hatching them.

By chance, the pigeons that had flown off earlier met up with the returning flock and, together, launched a counterattack on the Commander.

Like Japanese kamikaze pilots targeting American aircraft carriers, the little snow pigeons charged fearlessly at the Commander, wave after wave.

The Commander had a significant size advantage and tried to rely on sheer strength, flapping its wings and pecking back at them.

But even a mighty tiger can’t fend off a pack of wolves. After only a couple of pecks, the Commander was quickly surrounded and swarmed by the snow pigeons. They ferociously tore at its feathers from all directions.

The Commander couldn’t take it anymore. Its once smooth and neat gray feathers were soon a chaotic mess. In pain and fear, it screamed as it flew frantically toward Wang Bo: “Ah! Ah! Help!”

Even after driving away the threatening predator, the snow pigeons refused to let up. They kept chasing and pecking at the Commander, their chirping growing louder.

The Commander crash-landed into Wang Bo’s arms, gripping him tightly and frantically burrowing into his clothes.

Wang Bo tried to wave the birds away, but these little creatures—just slightly bigger than sparrows—were fiercely aggressive. They even turned on him, either out of hatred for his association or because they correctly suspected he was behind the earlier attack.

Now Wang Bo was overwhelmed too—clutching the Commander with one arm and shielding his face with the other, he fled toward the main castle.

Little Wang, who had been play-wrestling with Little Bartier, turned to see the chaotic scene behind him. His large body trembled, and without a second thought, he bolted in the opposite direction, scared off by a flock of birds…

At that moment, the pair of white cranes appeared overhead, doing their usual morning flyover with their young chicks who had just learned to fly. Wang Bo whistled frantically when he saw them, hoping for help.

But unfortunately, these cranes were just ordinary wild birds without soul hearts. They had no special intelligence and didn’t respond to his call.

However, when the snow pigeons tried to enter the castle, the cranes got angry. They saw the pigeons as intruders trying to seize their nesting territory—a place they had long considered sacred. Having already had to fight off lion-tiger beasts for it, they weren’t about to let these puny birds take over now.

The cranes pigeon down with a few casual wing sweeps. Startled, the snow pigeons scattered and fled, ending the Commander’s feathered crisis.

With the pigeons gone, the Commander peeked out, cautiously looking around. Then it turned to Wang Bo and cried out: “Ah! Feathers messy! Ah! Feathers messy!”

Once it flew out of his arms, the very first thing it did was begin grooming itself, fussing over every feather while muttering: “Ah! Commander’s feathers! Ah! Commander’s feathers!”

Wang Bo was speechless. “You’re still worrying about your looks at a time like this? They just crapped all over our heads! Let’s go get revenge!”

But the Commander refused. It flew off to continue grooming itself, and only once its feathers were neat and perfect did it consider the matter settled.

During breakfast, Wang Bo brought up the snow pigeon problem in the courtyard. “I remember only a few pigeons came to our castle. How did there suddenly become so many?”

Little Hani sighed. “They were always this many. These damn things poop like crazy—I have to clean the yard multiple times a day. Damn… This grilled meat tastes amazing—leave me two pieces.”

Kobe added, “It’s actually pretty normal. Snow pigeons breed rapidly. Under the right conditions, they can hatch eight broods a year. Eggs take only thirteen days to hatch!”

Wang Bo frowned. So many snow pigeons living around the castle was not sustainable. If Kobe was right, these things bred even faster than rabbits, and the castle would soon be overrun.

Later in the morning, just as he was about to head to work, the Commander suddenly flew onto his shoulder.

Wang Bo turned his head and saw the bird’s beak stuffed with a pale green egg, about the size of a quail egg.

Because its beak was full, the Commander couldn’t speak and flapped its wings frantically in frustration.

Wang Bo quickly took the egg. Now freed up, the little parrot proudly declared: “Ah! Stole its egg! Ah! Commander awesome!”

“This is… a snow pigeon egg?” Wang Bo asked in surprise.

The little parrot nodded smugly. “Ah! Stole its egg! Ah! Stole its egg!”

Wang Bo instantly understood what the Commander was up to. The little guy hadn’t forgotten the morning ambush by the snow pigeons—and now, with the flock away, it had snuck into their nests to steal eggs in revenge.

The little parrot flew off again. When it returned, it carried another egg in its beak and dropped it into Wang Bo’s palm before flying off again—on another egg-stealing mission.

With the main flock gone and only a few brooding females left, the Commander chased them off and raided the nests one by one.

The snow pigeons weren’t intelligent creatures. Their morning retaliation had been purely coincidental—when the flock returned and saw the Commander bullying their kin, instinct took over and they attacked.

Now, with only a few of them left, they had no way to stop the little parrot. They either flew away or sat nearby, chirping furiously.

But the Commander didn’t care. It was wholeheartedly dedicated to its task, like a mouse stealing eggs from a henhouse. It worked tirelessly, utterly unfazed by hardship or fatigue.

In less than half an hour, the little parrot had stolen five or six dozen eggs. Exhausted and panting, it no longer had the strength to speak—but it kept at it, determined to steal them all.

Wang Bo had to admit, he was impressed. The Commander could really hold a grudge. This little thing was not to be trifled with!