My Manor

Human beings are incredibly contradictory creatures. On one hand, they constantly champion the equality of all beings and the sovereignty of nature. Yet, on the other hand, they also claim that a train runs fast because of its locomotive or that snakes can't survive without their heads.

Of course, everyone has their own opinions and justifications—there's not much to argue about.

Humans enjoy rankings. Who's the oldest, second, third, and so on. There are rankings of age, but also of abilities—take the famous Liangshanpo, for example. Thinking back to the time when he and Zhu Yingtai... cough, it seems I may have made a mistake there.

In any case, humans just like to rank things. In literature, there's no "first" or "second," and in martial arts, everything has its own level of strength or weakness.

Animals, being humans' neighbors on this planet, are also subject to rankings.

An old Chinese driver once said there's one pig, two bears, and three tigers in the forest.

Of course, this doesn't mean that wild boars are stronger than bears or tigers, but in the mountains and forests, or in nature, wild boars are one of the biggest threats to other creatures because pigs are, unfortunately, quite stupid.

Some may argue that pigs are actually quite intelligent, but they are likely referring to domesticated pigs or pets.

True wild boars, however, are not particularly smart. Most animals are very alert and run at the first sign of danger. Wild boars, on the other hand, will often attempt to confront the threat head-on. If they can't win, they'll worry about it later.

Especially the large adult wild boars—they're essentially living cannonballs.

In nature, wild boars have almost no natural enemies. The primary predators of wild boars are large carnivores like tigers and lions.

In North America, without these larger predators, the largest carnivorous creature is the jaguar—almost the same size as a leopard. What good is a leopard against a wild boar?

Mountain lions aren't much better. The North American gray wolf, once a huge threat to wild boars, has long been extinct and there are very few left even in conservation. As for bears and similar creatures, it's still unknown if they can beat wild boars, especially since wild boars run faster.

So, in North America's natural world, wild boars are like local tyrants. In the U.S., hunting wild boars (and other wild animals) requires a license. Without one, hunters can face imprisonment, making wild boars quite bold.

They dominate the forests and even dare to attack human cars and homes.

Confident in their power, wild boars often take the initiative to attack other animals or even humans.

Take now, for example: this wild boar wandered into Jiang Hai's estate for some unknown reason, and immediately charged at the mountain lion. But this mountain lion wasn't an easy opponent—it had obviously battled the boar before.

Seeing the wild boar charging, the mountain lion reacted quickly, leaping into the air and dodging the boar's first attack.

Wild boars fight by charging and biting. Their powerful impact is like that of a tank, followed by using the sharp tusks on their heads to tear through skin.

A single blow, if untreated, is often fatal. Their second move is biting.

After landing, the mountain lion roared at the five cubs behind her. The cubs, being quick thinkers, immediately tried to run into the nearby bushes to avoid being in the way of their mother's battle with the wild boar.

But as luck would have it, the place they hid happened to be where Jiang Hai and his group were. As the bushes parted, Jiang Hai and his team met the eyes of the five cubs, and both sides exchanged surprised glances.

"Scratch, scratch, scratch!" The cubs cried out. Though they'd never seen humans before, their instincts told them these humans weren't harmless.

Upon hearing her cubs' cries, the mountain lion froze for a moment and looked over to where Jiang Hai and his team stood. There was a flash of surprise and fear in her eyes.

She realized that the two creatures—Xiao Bai and Xiao Huang—who had caused her injury were there, and that her cubs were in the hands of these humans and monsters.

In a panic, she tried to rush over to rescue her cubs, forgetting about the threat in front of her.

Although the wild boar wasn't particularly clever, it saw an opportunity. When the mountain lion was distracted, the wild boar swiftly charged. It pierced the mountain lion's belly with its tusks, and when the mountain lion jumped in an attempt to dodge, it was too late. The wild boar's tusks sank deep, and with a quick shake of its head, the mountain lion was flung aside. Mortally wounded, she collapsed, gasping for breath.

The wild boar, having dispatched the mountain lion, now focused on Jiang Hai and his group. After taking down a lion, its confidence soared. Regardless of whether Jiang Hai's group had weapons, the wild boar rushed straight at them.

Jiang Hai and his team drew their guns, but in their panic, many of their shots missed. Out of the five shots Jiang Hai fired, three missed, while two struck the boar.

But the wild boar had a thick layer of mud on its body, which acted like armor. Most of the bullets merely pierced the skin but did little damage.

Since Jiang Hai was careful not to harm the five cubs, he couldn't use the shotgun. The only successful hit came from Bell, who used a pistol at close range. But the pistol wasn't very powerful either, and the bullet lodged into the wild boar's head, causing it to become even more frantic.

Without giving Jiang Hai any chance to react, the wild boar charged forward. Harriman, who had been behind Jiang Hai, quickly moved to the side, swung his steel knife, and struck the wild boar. The collision was deafening, but though Harriman had considerable strength, the wild boar still managed to push him back three steps.

The wild boar, dazed by the impact, slowed its attack, and Jiang Hai seized the opportunity.

Instead of drawing his Desert Eagle, Jiang Hai leaped into the air, shouting Harriman's name. Harriman, knowing exactly what was required, threw the large knife to Jiang Hai, who caught it midair and plunged it into the wild boar's neck.

The wild boar's thick hide, resistant to bullets, was no match for the blade. Jiang Hai drove it deep, severing the boar's spine. The wild boar fell, twitching violently, blood spurting from its wounds. Thankfully, Jiang Hai had already moved aside, avoiding a faceful of blood.

With the wild boar incapacitated, Jiang Hai sighed in relief.

Turning toward the mountain lion, he saw the five cubs had already run to their mother, crying in distress. The mother mountain lion, too, was near death, having been severely wounded by the boar.

Jiang Hai had always planned to drive the mountain lion away, but he never intended to kill it. Of course, if the lion had attacked humans or Jiang Hai's livestock, he wouldn't hesitate to take action. But seeing the lion and her cubs, he couldn't help but feel some sympathy.

After checking the now-dead wild boar, Jiang Hai walked over to the mountain lion. The five cubs bared their teeth, warning Jiang Hai not to harm their mother. The mountain lion, her eyes filled with fear, could do nothing but pant and watch as Jiang Hai knelt beside her.

Looking at the mountain lion and her cubs, Jiang Hai spoke softly: "If you die, they'll be orphans."

He sighed, looking at the mountain lion and her five cubs. Sometimes, he hated his own compassionate nature.

(To be continued...)