You Plan To Kill Me With Meng? - Chapter 46.1

In this vast sanctuary, Qiao Qixi and Odis spent a rather leisurely and comfortable retirement.

Even till the end, Odis did not suffer from any diseases or sickness. On a snowy night, he passed away quietly while cuddling Qiao Qixi.

During his prime, Odis did not like heat. But he was afraid of the cold after he became old. Especially in the last few months before leaving, he clung closely to Qiao Qixi.

Things like rolling in the snow and others, these are somethings you only do when you are young.

Last winter, Odis and Qiao Qixi stayed in the small wooden house all day, kissing and sticking to each other.

When Qiao Qixi woke up, he found Odis who had been lying next to him, had already left. Although saddened, he had no regrets. After all, having been able to accompany each other for so long, they should be satisfied.

However, since Odis left, Qiao Qixi also lost interest in life and couldn’t hold on longer without him. The day he died was also a snowy night, not too long after Odis left.

That night, Qiao Qixi had dreamt of Odis and woke up in the middle desperately longing for him. The emotions that hadn’t been let out burst now along with his sobs.

Qiao Qixi was old and his body couldn’t handle such turbulent emotions. Odis perhaps never imagined that the bear he took care for all his life would die wailing, unable to bear the loneliness due to missing him.

Indeed, it’s fortunate that he doesn’t know; otherwise, it would have been extremely heartbreaking for him.

As a human who turned into a polar bear, Qiao Qixi had thought about what might happen after he died. Would there be another life?

Maybe not, after all, living two lives was already a gift from the heavens. It’s unlikely there would be a third. Even if there was, what’s the point of it without Odis beside him?

Qiao Qixi didn’t think about it too much though, after all, having a third life or not was not up to him at all. Just like crossing into a polar bear, it was entirely unexpected.

After his body stopped functioning, Qiao Qixi didn’t notice that he had passed away. Because, he still felt conscious.

As if he were in a dream, Qiao Qixi suddenly knew some things, like he will have a third life, that he would become a lion on the grasslands, and also that Odis would also be born in this grassland.

If they were destined enough, there was a chance of meeting again.

? ? ?

Can there really be such a good thing?

Qiao Qixi was in a haze, unable to comprehend if he had actually become schizophrenic and made up a fantasy to comfort himself because he missed Odis so much.

Because if it’s true, it’s incredible. Thinking about it though, such an absurd thing indeed happened once, turning him from human into a polar bear.

So it doesn’t seem as much strange to become a lion now?

According to Qiao Qixi’s ‘acquired knowledge’, Odis would be born on the great prairies after leaving the Arctic and become a lion.

It meant that Odis would not have memories of them together.

What a pity.

Qiao Qixi, who had just received the good news, thought about it carefully. His mood shifted from sorrow to hope. For that prophecy of unknown authenticity, let’s just call it a prophecy for now. But, what if it’s true?

………

In Africa, on the grasslands to the south of the Sahara Desert, one of the two major subgroups of lions is the African lion.

As per the stats, there are about 20,000 African lions surviving in the wilderness, which can be considered a good number.

Another subgroup, which only had around 300 surviving individuals left due to poaching and environmental factors, were currently protected in a vast protected area of 1400 square kilometers.

These are the Asiatic lions.

Once upon a time, on this blue planet, the existent lions added up to an impressive number. There were two major sub-groups, eight sub-species, and spread across the vast continents.

However, many of the sub-species are now either extinct or endangered, like the extinct Cape lion and Barbary lion, and the now endangered Asiatic lion.

The rainy season in the grasslands, contrary to people’s dim impressions of the African savannah, brought along vitality.

Abundant rainfall during the months of January and February nurture the lush grasslands and dense green canopies. The unrestrained growth of trees gives the air a sense of freshness and humidity and they are a source of profuse natural oxygen.

Numerous animals like the African buffalo, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes, saunter and graze under the deep blue sky.

Of course, this is only when no carnivores are eying them.

The African savannah is recognized as the home to many ferocious predators like the famed African lions, several leopard species, hyenas, and lesser-popular baboons.

When they make their presence known near smaller herbivores, it is enough to cause a riot.

However, this was not the case of a pride of lions headed towards their demise.

T/N: A group of lions is collectively called a pride.

Two emaciated lionesses and five roughly nine-month-old lion cubs headed south across the grassland, avoiding the lions who had invaded their territory.

A month prior, the male lion of their pack died of injuries, leaving behind five lionesses and three very young cubs around three-months-old.

The male lions after invading a territory go to great lengths and bite and kill the cubs in the new territory to consolidate their position. The three-month-old cubs have died during this struggle for territory. But the lionesses in this group were resilient and used all means possible to protect the remaining sub-adult cubs.

However, this approach did not succeed. The remaining two lionesses were unable to bear the heavy responsibility in the end after suffering many injuries along the way.

Even if they could escape attacks from other lions, after being severely injured, they would find it difficult to hunt the next meal for the sub-adult lions waiting to be fed.

The human team responsible for documenting the activities of this pride quietly followed the pride which had not much time left.

Even though the individuals behind the camera had two or three years of experience in this field and were accustomed to the process of life and death on the grasslands, they were still quite sad at this moment.

This pride of lions was on the brink of decline, but it cannot be denied that they once had a prestigious name; they were from the infamous Norman Family Alliance.

Anyone who pays a little attention to the African lions knew about the Norman Family alliance. It was once beyond compare and glorious, being one of the most powerful alliances on the grasslands.

Originally comprised of two male lions, their alliance carved out a huge territory in the southern part of the grassland. The pack had a population of 35 at its peak, which was rare.

After this first generation of Norman Family’s twin lion king brothers made a name for themselves, this pair of affectionate brothers left six outstanding sons, forming the subsequent Six Lions Alliance, continuing the glory of the Norman Family.

It was also around this time that many people began paying attention to this affectionate brotherly alliance, becoming their devoted fans.

People were impressed by the unity and fierceness of the six lions, moved by their unwavering brotherly bond.

From when they were young sub-adult lions to when they reached the peak of their lives, facing countless struggles and injuries, cheers and tears, people have been accompanying these six majestic lions through the years.

However, fate was not so favorable to them during the later stages of their life. Their next generation did not have individuals capable of carrying on their legacy, and the pack still relied on the toil of these six brothers to support it.

After their death, the third generation of the Norman Family did not fall, but it wasn’t powerful either. They fell into a state where they could barely get by.

This was the saddest time for Norman Family fans, because the decline of the third generation was really tragic.

People initially hoped that the third generation would bring back their previous glory, but later, they prayed that the third generation be safe and alive.

Where there is life, there was always a chance of hope.

If the third generation was not good enough, then count on the fourth and then fifth generation.

Regardless of the very low expectations of people, the descendants of the twin lion king brothers are still dying, the pack declining day by day.

When the remaining three brother died, the Norman Family was only left with five young sub-adult male lions, the fourth generation, which were protected by the lionesses during the battle.

The lionesses were also injured after the fight for territory. Without the protection of the lionesses till now, they young male lions would have died.

Sure enough, it was not long before the two lionesses also fell during a hunt and could not make it back to the young cubs.

Now, the five young male lions have become orphans. They had no ability to hunt. Even if they were lucky enough to avoid encountering other predators, they could only wander around this grassland for a week at most.

The camera captured the demise of the two lionesses and the five helpless lion cubs disappearing into the tall grasses.