Panda! It's actually a panda!
Jiang Fan and the others exchanged stunned glances. They had their weapons ready, prepared for a massacre, and out popped a panda! None of them had expected to find a national treasure in such a desolate wilderness.
The panda's fur was covered in mud and water, and it looked listless, clearly having gone hungry for days. It couldn't help but sniff the air, seemingly drawn by the aroma of the roasted pig and rabbit.
Jiang Fan chuckled, twirling the small knife in his hand. The panda, having been startled by Jiang Fan's [Beast Menace] earlier, was only now recovering. It pushed itself up, observing the group of people.
Zhou Niannian's eyes widened as she looked at the panda, wondering if it was someone in disguise. "A panda! I've only ever seen them in the zoo before."
Dai Xiaomei trembled with excitement, her eyes sparkling. What Chinese person didn't love a national treasure?
Jiang Fan relaxed his guard a little. A panda, after all, was relatively easy to handle. Even lions or tigers wouldn't faze him; he was more concerned about encountering ancient mythical beasts. Creatures like the Taotie or Ying Long, only found in the Shan Hai Jing, would be troublesome. It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility; this underground civilization, after its evolution, had given rise to some of China's ancient myths. The creatures in those myths might have their living counterparts here. He couldn't afford to be careless.
As Jiang Fan was lost in thought, the panda meticulously observed everyone, tilting its head left and right with adorable curiosity. After a moment, seemingly satisfied that the group posed no significant threat, the panda finally lowered itself to all fours and, with a loud "ao," charged towards Jiang Fan and his companions.
Yao's eyes narrowed, ready to strike. Jiang Fan stopped him with a hand. "Wait!"
The panda's target didn't seem to be the four of them, but rather the roasted pig and rabbit that had been placed on the fire. It looked like the panda intended to launch a surprise attack, snatch the pig and rabbit, and flee.
"Ao!" The panda roared to embolden itself as it ran. Suddenly, its foot caught on something, and the entire panda tumbled forward! It turned out to be a pig or rabbit bone, carelessly discarded by Dai Xiaomei, lying on the ground.
With a clatter, the panda went head over heels, rolling like a football right in front of Jiang Fan and his group. It lay on its back, flailing its legs, unable to get up for a while, looking utterly pathetic.
Jiang Fan and the others were dumbfounded. "This is it?" They had thought it was a formidable creature, only to find it was a weakling.
"Hahaha." Dai Xiaomei was the first to burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face. Then, she directly hugged the panda's head. "Roll, roll! So cute!"
"Be... be careful." Yao wanted to pull Dai Xiaomei away. In his eyes, all creatures in the wild were dangerous beasts and potential food sources; there was no such thing as "cute."
"No need to worry!" Jiang Fan stopped Yao. Yao's concern was indeed valid. Pandas, while appearing cute and cuddly, and seemingly harmless as they ate bamboo, were often misunderstood by humans. Pandas were closely related to bears and were omnivores that also ate meat. It was precisely because they could adapt and eat bamboo that they survived the brutal process of natural selection for tens of millions of years. Their claws were incredibly strong; a single swipe could likely overwhelm even a boxing champion like Mike Tyson. Zookeepers often bore scars from panda scratches.
Jiang Fan prevented Yao from acting because his [Beast Menace] was still active, and he was locking eyes with the panda. If the panda made any threatening move, he was confident he could finish it off instantly. Of course, if it wasn't necessary, Jiang Fan preferred to coexist peacefully; he didn't want to be a sinner who slaughtered a national treasure.
"Hahaha, let me scratch your belly." Dai Xiaomei had seen on television how zookeepers often scratched pandas' bellies, eliciting expressions of great comfort. She decided to imitate them. The panda initially resisted, but perhaps finding the belly scratches enjoyable, it gave up and lay down. Seeing Jiang Fan looking at it with ill intent, the panda obligingly lifted its limbs, signaling it had no malicious intentions. Jiang Fan couldn't help but smile, his guard lowering slightly. This panda was interesting.
After lying lazily for a while, the panda secretly glanced sideways at the roasted meat on the fire. It first looked pleadingly at Jiang Fan, and when Jiang Fan didn't react, it turned its gaze back to the roast, as if asking for permission to eat. Jiang Fan found it amusing; this panda seemed different from ordinary ones. It was more perceptive of human emotions than humans themselves. He tentatively picked up a half-eaten skewer of meat and offered it to the panda's mouth. The panda devoured it in a flash. Then, it looked at Jiang Fan with a pleading gaze, as if asking, "More?" Jiang Fan offered a completely gnawed bone. The panda immediately showed a look of disdain. As expected of a national treasure, its dining standards were quite high.
"Roll, roll, the rolling ball." Dai Xiaomei pushed the panda around on the ground. The panda was very cooperative, shrinking itself into a ball for Dai Xiaomei to push. "Ahahaha!" Dai Xiaomei rolled the panda ball towards Zhou Niannian, who then pushed it back. The panda didn't even need Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian to exert much effort; it rolled around on the ground by itself, cooperating with them. Jiang Fan thought for a moment and instructed Yao to put away his small knife. This panda seemed harmless.
The viewers in the live stream were utterly charmed by the docile panda. "Ahhh, it's a rolling panda! A national treasure that truly lives up to its name." "Move aside, move aside, let go of that Dai Xiaomei, no, let go of that panda, let me!" "I want to be tickled too, I want to play the rolling ball game." "It's too cute, let's keep the panda too!" "Are they going to eat the panda?" "Oh my, eating a panda, I absolutely cannot stand for that!"
After playing the rolling ball game for a while, Dai Xiaomei also got tired and panted heavily. Seeing that no one was playing with it anymore, the panda flipped over, got back on its feet, and slowly walked over to sit by the campfire. Then, looking around to see that no one was paying attention, it quickly swiped a piece of pork from the fire and opened its mouth, preparing to gobble it down. Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian were sophisticated streamers who maintained their image during broadcasts, but the panda had no such reservations. It intended to devour the entire pig and rabbit in one bite, leaving no scraps for Jiang Fan and his companions.
Jiang Fan slowly walked over to the panda and suddenly coughed. Hearing the cough, the panda's wide-open mouth froze. Then, the panda, showing surprising intelligence, broke off the meatiest part of the skeleton and offered it to Jiang Fan. Its eyes, looking at Jiang Fan, were bright and filled with a hint of subservience.
"This guy understands people!" Zhou Niannian exclaimed as if she had discovered a new continent. It was so interesting, a panda this intelligent. Jiang Fan nodded. If he didn't know they were in the wilderness, he would have thought this was a domesticated panda that had escaped from a nearby zoo.