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Chapter 12: Textbook-Level Coordination
It was true that Wang Ping was a member of the World Animal Protection (WAP), committed to fighting poachers and maintaining ecological balance. But his protection efforts didn’t extend to hyenas.
Technically, the only hyena species currently protected was the striped hyena, a loner type that never formed packs. As for the spotted hyena, even the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, which had the widest coverage for threatened species, didn’t bother to include it. Simply put, their reproduction rate was too high to qualify for protection.
So, when faced with danger, Wang Ping had no qualms about taking down a few hyenas to teach these shameless robbers a lesson.
The silence was brief. Taking advantage of the hyenas’ moment of hesitation, Wang Ping swiftly charged into the fray and joined up with Rosette.
Rosette was in a rough state. Her back legs were bleeding heavily, barely able to support her weight as they trembled. Her body was covered in wounds, caked with a mix of blood and dirt. Her once sleek, bright fur was now a tangled mess.
Seeing Wang Ping approach, Rosette instinctively nudged him with her chin, then growled low at the nearby hyenas, panting heavily.
The ground around them was littered with hyena corpses, some even flung far by Rosette’s strength. More howls sounded from behind as the hyenas regrouped for another attack. Now, with Wang Ping in the mix, they would need to adjust their tactics.
Wang Ping’s small frame and lack of Rosette’s muscular build or powerful bite might fool some, but to the animals—especially the hyenas—this unassuming honey badger was far more dangerous, far more troublesome, than the leopard at his side.
After all, both honey badgers and hyenas were notorious troublemakers on the savannah; everyone knew each other by reputation!
Larger body size meant a bigger target and, by extension, reduced agility. That was why hyenas preferred to gang up on larger animals.
Wang Ping took a quick glance at Rosette’s rear and, fortunately, it hadn’t been bitten. The initial attack must have missed. As for himself, his size meant that even if he lifted his rear, the hyenas would have to stretch and practically bow to reach him.
And Big Brother Buzz-Cut’s greatest asset? Toughness.
This toughness wasn’t just thick skin and strong muscles. Wang Ping’s bones could slide within a limited range. If a predator bit down on his neck, his bones would shift before they snapped, slipping away from the grip, leaving only a layer of skin and fur in the predator’s mouth.
Many predators often found themselves exhausted from fighting honey badgers, only for the badger to bounce back unscathed. Not only that, but a honey badger’s skeletal structure was also flexible enough to twist back 180 degrees. A predator might bite down on their hind leg, only for them to whip around and bite their nose.
Lions and other predators often only subdued honey badgers by biting down on their entire body, leaving no room for them to maneuver, and swallowing them whole. Then, and only then, would peace be restored.
But hyenas couldn’t use this trick.
Physically, a hyena wasn’t that much larger than a honey badger. Even if a hyena did manage to bite Wang Ping, a good portion of him would still be free. If he turned around for a 180-degree counter, the hyena’s life might be at risk.
Though hyenas were known for holding grudges, they couldn't help but hesitate when faced with Wang Ping, whose thirst for revenge was even greater.
If this had been a pack of wolves, they would likely have fought to the death by now. But hyenas mainly wanted food. They had only decided to mess with Rosette because she seemed like easy prey. Now, with an undeterred fighter in the mix, they needed a new plan.
In the hyenas’ eyes, Wang Ping was difficult but not particularly threatening. While honey badgers could endure a lot, they weren’t powerful predators and their attack strength was moderate at best. But the hyenas underestimated Wang Ping, forgetting that he wasn’t their typical honey badger.
Wang Ping had also noticed that his claws seemed unusually sharp.
Perhaps it was due to the lingering trauma of being beaten by his own kind at the zoo, Wang Ping hadn’t initially seen himself as any different from an ordinary honey badger. If there was any difference, it was that he was just another weakling who couldn’t even defeat his own kind. When he easily punctured the dashboard of Gu Lang’s car earlier, he had thought that Gu Lang had been swindled into buying a lousy vehicle.
It wasn’t until just now, after slicing open a hyena’s belly with a single swipe, that Wang Ping realized how sharp his claws had become—sharp enough to drive straight into a hyena’s stomach and rip it open effortlessly.
No ordinary honey badger could puncture a hyena’s belly with a single claw swipe, let alone make such a long cut. Even Wang Ping’s original intent had been just to block the attack, maybe throw in some sneaky tactics like poking the hyena’s eyes or targeting its vulnerable spots.
But now, Wang Ping felt an itching excitement, as though some dormant genes in his body had awoken, burning with a desire for battle.
“Awooooo~~~” The signal to attack rang out once more in the night sky. The hyenas, unable to hold back, lunged forward.
“Awoooo!”
An almost identical howl escaped Wang Ping’s throat. Both Rosette and Gu Lang were startled, and even the hyenas halted mid-attack.
What was that sound? Was this guy a dog in badger skin? A fellow hyena?
“Damn it!” Wang Ping was mortified. He didn’t know why, but he’d felt an urge to let out a battle cry, and that’s what came out.
First came regret, then shame, and finally, he became furious.
“This is all your fault!” Wang Ping cursed inwardly and charged at a stunned hyena, delivering a furious slap to its face.
The blow, fueled by his anger, was unexpectedly powerful. The hyena was sent flying, with a layer of skin and flesh clinging to his claw tip.
“Roar!” Rosette, too, sprang back into action, unsteadily lunging toward the hyena pack.
Wang Ping stayed close, carefully watching Rosette. He knew his own limits—if he ventured too far into the hyena pack, he’d be the one getting hurt. As soon as Rosette pinned a hyena, Wang Ping would dart in to strike, driving his claw into its neck or belly, whichever spot seemed most vulnerable.
Gradually, the two honed their coordination. Rosette would pin or bite down on a hyena, and Wang Ping would follow up with a precise strike. Then, Rosette would move on to the next hyena. The entire process took only seconds.
Before long, a dozen hyena corpses littered the ground. Not a single one had been killed by Rosette’s bite—they were all gutted or had their throats slashed, an absolutely brutal scene. The most unfortunate one had even been pierced through the eye, robbed of any chance to die with peace.
Though Rosette had a few more injuries from sneak attacks, Wang Ping remained unscathed. Despite being bitten a few times, he easily slipped free, though his fur was now matted with hyena saliva, which was more disgusting than the blood.
“Oooooo~~~”
A distant howl called the hyenas to retreat. The pack stopped attacking and began to back away, some dragging their dead with them. Wang Ping knew they weren’t taking them back for burial but for food. To hyenas, a living hyena was a companion, but a dead one? Just meat.
Rosette continued to growl, and Wang Ping quickly calmed her down. Now that the hyenas had retreated, there was no point in pushing further. They could always settle the score later.
By the campfire, Gu Lang was in a daze, wondering just what sort of creature he had brought along.
Likewise, viewers in the livestream were stunned.
In half an hour, they had witnessed a textbook example of coordinated combat, especially the last ten minutes of Wang Ping and Rosette’s teamwork as they wreaked havoc. People in the chat were already asking if anyone had recorded the video.
Wang Ping, however, wasn’t celebrating. He glanced around and realized that the antelope had gone.
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