My Manor

To be honest, with the spiritual nourishment provided here at Jiang Hai, the wildlife attracted is far more diverse than just mountain lions.

Jiang Hai's manor is not far from the Appalachian Mountains. Though not directly adjacent, some small animals with large territories have already claimed Jiang Hai's land as their home.

When Jiang Hai arrived last winter, there were almost no creatures here except for some birds, turkeys, rabbits, pheasants, and small squirrels. But when he returned this year, the number of creatures, especially small animals, had significantly increased. In addition to the insects that vanish during winter, there are now numerous amphibians, various birds, and even snakes and lizards. While there aren't any large predators yet, Jiang Hai estimated that, without a fence to block them, this place could soon become a wildlife sanctuary in the Appalachian Mountains.

Jiang Hai does not dislike animals; in fact, he likes them very much. He enjoys eating them, and he also appreciates small animals.

Kittens, puppies, and even large beasts all have a place in his heart. Looking at the vibrant life around him, Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel pleased.

The group walked slowly into the forest. Besides Jiang Hai, Bell, who was walking beside him, observed the surroundings carefully, ready to react immediately if anything stirred.

Jiang Hai's forest wasn't large, only about 100 acres (one acre equals 666 square meters). This meant it covered around 1 million square meters, or one square kilometer.

For reference, in the domestic calculation, this would be equivalent to two bus stops horizontally and two bus stops vertically—nothing too vast. However, Jiang Hai's forest was more elongated than wide, spanning about 300 meters in width and extending much longer.

Originally, this forest was planted to shield the grasslands and buildings from storms and blizzards. It curved along the seaside in a half-circle, and after more than ten years of growth, the trees had grown tall, and many smaller trees were sprouting slowly. The area had expanded significantly since then. If measured now, the forest likely occupied an even larger space.

But Jiang Hai didn't mind. More trees were a good thing for him.

Of course, these trees were also Jiang Hai's private property. If he ever grew tired of them, he could have them cut down. He was the one who made the decisions here.

"Boss, be careful," Bell suddenly said, pulling Jiang Hai back just as he was admiring the rich wildlife and expansive land. Startled, Jiang Hai looked around. After scanning his surroundings, he didn't find any threats and looked at Bell with confusion.

Noticing Jiang Hai's gaze, Bell pointed ahead, speechless. Looking in the direction of Bell's finger, Jiang Hai saw that about a meter in front of him, there was a spider web hanging at head height. The web was covered in small cocoons—not hatching eggs, but insects wrapped up for the spider's dinner. The spider itself was motionless in one corner of the web.

"Damn, a spider," Jiang Hai muttered quietly. The spider wasn't large, only about two to three centimeters in size. It was completely black, except for a red spot behind its abdomen.

"This is a black widow, a very common spider in the U.S. It's the most poisonous spider, but don't worry, boss. Its venom isn't a big threat to humans. Most people will feel intense pain when bitten, but it's rarely fatal, except for the elderly, children, and those with weakened immune systems," Bell said, laughing at Jiang Hai's startled reaction. They'd been dealing with such creatures for years.

"Black widow, not fatal?" Jiang Hai couldn't quite believe it. He had always heard that a bite from a black widow could be deadly. Hearing someone say otherwise was hard for him to accept.

"We're often out in the wild, and we're used to being bitten by these things. To be honest, it's pretty painful, so we usually avoid them," Bell explained, smiling as he guided Jiang Hai to bypass the web.

"The black widow isn't fatal… then is there anything truly dangerous in my forest?" Jiang Hai asked, his curiosity piqued. Bell glanced around thoughtfully.

"That thing is more dangerous." Bell pointed to the distance.

Jiang Hai looked over and saw a huge beehive. He hadn't noticed it during his last visit. When did such a large hive appear here?

"Beehives mean honey. I bet the wild honey inside tastes amazing," Jiang Hai remarked quietly, eyeing the hive. However, Bell and the others behind him gave him amused looks. Only Harriman Fels seemed unfazed.

"Boss, don't mess with that. It's a killer bee," Bell finally warned.

The so-called killer bees, or Africanized bees, are a hybrid of European honey bees and African honey bees. While similar to regular honey bees, they have a more aggressive nature and much greater fighting power. Wasps, on the other hand, eat pests and other bees, serving as protectors of the forest.

The hybrid bees are the most dangerous. They are the largest, with the strongest attack capabilities, greater resilience, and extraordinary fighting strength. Over the past few decades, hundreds of people have died from their stings, along with countless cats and dogs. Only adult bears can stand up to them; other creatures flee at the sight of them.

The grass and wildflowers in Jiang Hai's pasture are rich and nutritious, providing plenty of honey. As a result, the beehive has grown much larger this year.

Compared to the black widow, killer bees are far more formidable. Jiang Hai had just learned this.

"In North America, there are twelve kings, representing twelve dangerous animals. While it's not like Australia, where poisonous creatures are everywhere, North America does have its share of dangerous wildlife. The killer bee ranks first, followed by the rattlesnake, the Gila monster, the black widow, and the alligator. There are also cottonmouth snakes, tiger sharks, mountain lions, ridged rattlesnakes, brown bears, and others. These creatures aren't usually deadly to humans, provided you don't provoke them," Bell explained, noticing Jiang Hai's curiosity. However, just as he spoke, Harriman Fels suddenly stretched out his arm, signaling for everyone to stop. Everyone behind them crouched down. Burke Dahler pointed toward the distance.

Jiang Hai and Bell crouched too, following their gaze.

In the clearing ahead, their target had appeared.

However, what was unusual was that, although they had been targeting a single mountain lion, there were now six of them. The largest one, the one Jiang Hai had encountered before, was napping in the sun. Around it, five smaller ones were playfully tumbling. In the center of their play was an armadillo, curled into a ball. Its tough shell could deflect bullets, let alone the claws and teeth of a lion. Clearly, the mother mountain lion knew it couldn't harm the armadillo, so it allowed her cubs to play with it like a toy.

Seeing this, Jiang Hai and the others exchanged glances. The next move was unclear—should they continue or head to the animal conservation center to take the cubs away?

Jiang Hai was torn. The little ones were undeniably cute.

But these were wild animals, and if they grew up and attacked his family, that would be a problem.

At the same time, it wouldn't be easy to drive them away. He hadn't expected the female mountain lion, whom he had seen alone last time, to have given birth to five cubs so quickly. Mountain lions typically give birth to no more than six cubs, so this mother was impressive.

As Jiang Hai pondered what to do, the female mountain lion suddenly stood up, her eyes scanning the surroundings. The group froze, thinking they had been spotted. Just as Jiang Hai prepared to take action, a loud noise came from the bushes nearby, followed by the sight of a large wild boar charging from the woods.

Jiang Hai was stunned. There weren't supposed to be wild boars in his forest. What was one doing here?

What Jiang Hai didn't know was that most animals, including wild boars, can swim. While mountain lions had swum into his forest, wild boars could do the same. If he looked carefully, Jiang Hai would realize his forest held even more surprises than he expected.

(To be continued...)