novelraw Chapter 14 : The Animal Queen
Chapter 14 : The Animal Queen
Chapter 14: The Animal Queen
In Jiang City, inside an unremarkable residential building’s top-floor apartment—
A massive light screen floated in the center of the living room. Among the twelve glowing points upon it, the one representing 【The Hermit】 Li Ming had completely gone dark, turning into a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of gray dust.
Of the remaining eleven light points, the seven belonging to the 【Radiance】 faction were flickering violently. Their light wavered irregularly, their trajectories chaotic, like a startled school of fish.
Yun Ge, dressed in comfortable loungewear, sat on the sofa and brewed himself a cup of top-grade West Lake Dragon Well tea.
The tender green leaves slowly unfurled in the transparent glass cup, and the fresh aroma of tea gently wafted upward.
He raised the cup, his gaze calm as he watched the chaotic scene upon the screen, as though admiring a play that had just reached its climax.
“Death is the best teacher.”
Yun Ge murmured softly, his tone carrying a trace of well-measured appreciation. “It teaches those naïve lambs who still cling to luck that this is no fateful encounter—but a true feast of slaughter.”
“Now let me see—under fear—what will you do?”
Yun Ge took a light sip of his tea, letting the mellow flavor spread across his tongue.
His gaze swept over the flickering points one by one, finally resting upon a light representing a member of the 【Radiance】 faction who had been quiet until now but was beginning to expand its sphere of influence.
“Oh? An interesting little one.”
A playful smile tugged at the corner of Yun Ge’s lips.
……
Time rewound to the day the game began.
Jiang City Wildlife Park, Predator Zone.
Eighteen-year-old Yang Li, dressed in a faded volunteer uniform, was pouring a bucket of bloody raw meat into the feeding slot of Tiger Hill.
Inside Tiger Hill, the full-grown Siberian tiger known as “Mountain Lord” paced restlessly, occasionally letting out a low roar that shook the trees.
【Hungry… Meat… Annoyed…】
Fragmented emotions, like the guttural roars of a beast, suddenly surged into Yang Li’s mind.
She froze, thinking she was hallucinating.
Having grown up on a suburban farm, Yang Li had spent more time with animals than with people.
She loved animals—able to discern their moods from the smallest of movements and sounds.
But this—hearing their thoughts directly—was a first.
Just as she stood there dazed, a cold, commanding voice echoed in her mind.
【Welcome to ‘Game of Gods’】
【Matching player identity and faction】
【Identity match complete】
【Faction match complete】
【Player: Yang Li】
【Identity: Beast Tamer】
【Faction: Radiance】
【All things possess spirits, and all beasts are your soldiers; you shall be their only queen】
……
Yang Li stood motionless, trying to digest the torrent of information flooding her mind.
Inside Tiger Hill, “Mountain Lord,” seemingly impatient from waiting, roared again with greater fury and lunged toward the feeding slot.
【Meat! Give it! Now!】
The furious will struck her mind like a tangible shockwave.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed by sheer terror.
But not Yang Li.
She looked at the gaping maw inches away—not with fear, but with an odd sense of closeness.
Tentatively, she projected a calming thought toward the beast.
【Don’t rush… Eat slowly… No one’s going to take it from you…】
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The raging tiger froze the moment it felt her intent.
It rubbed its massive head against the slot and rumbled softly, like a cat soothed by its owner.
Yang Li cautiously reached out her hand through the iron bars, gently stroking the smooth fur on “Mountain Lord’s” forehead.
【Comfortable… Pleasant… Like…】
A gentle, peaceful thought came through clearly.
From that day forward, Yang Li’s world completely changed.
She could understand the “heart voices” of all animals—and convey her will to them in turn.
It was as if a new world had opened before her. She spent her days immersed in the joy of communicating with animals, almost forgetting the cruel reality of the “Game of Gods.”
Until the notification of 【The Hermit】’s death struck her like a bucket of ice water, waking her from that dreamlike world.
Someone had died.
Truly died.
This game was no child’s play.
Sitting on her dormitory bed in the zoo, hugging her knees, Yang Li calmly thought.
She was only eighteen—no power, no wealth. Her only weapon was her animal companions.
But though the zoo’s beasts were mighty, they were far too conspicuous—impossible to take into the city.
Information!
Li Ming’s death had made her realize—in this dark forest of a contest, intelligence was the most crucial weapon.
Without it, one was blind and deaf—a stationary target, waiting for death to come.
She had to build her own intelligence network!
The next morning, Yang Li bought a large bag of bread and went to the city square.
She tore the bread into small pieces and scattered them on the ground.
Soon, hundreds of pigeons swooped down, squabbling over the food.
Yang Li closed her eyes, her spiritual power spreading outward like the tide.
【I need eyes… I need to see every corner of this city…】
【Help me… I’ll give you more food… safer nests…】
The pigeons stopped fighting.
They lifted their heads in unison, their beady black eyes fixed on Yang Li.
One by one, faint but numerous thoughts merged into a stream of information that flowed into her mind.
【Food… Safety… Obedience…】
Half an hour later, thousands of pigeons took flight, merging into the city’s sky.
They became Yang Li’s “Eyes of the Sky,” watching from above for the slightest disturbance—especially in areas where police cars and military vehicles frequently appeared.
But Yang Li knew—it wasn’t enough.
The pigeons could only observe the city’s surface. She needed eyes that could delve deeper.
So she turned her attention to the city’s “underground world”—the omnipresent, unrestrained legions of rats.
This was far more difficult than subduing the pigeons.
The minds of rodents were filled with chaos, greed, and fear.
Their numbers were vast, their thoughts messy and turbulent.
It took Yang Li an entire day to locate the few strongest and most cunning among them—the “Rat Kings.”
【I know what you want—food, nests free of predators, wider territory for breeding…】
【And I can grant you all of it.】
【In return, I need your eyes and ears.】
【Watch this city for me. Watch the ‘upright apes who walk on two legs,’ and report every ‘interesting’ and ‘unusual’ thing to me.】
Before Yang Li’s divine, overwhelming will, the Rat Kings finally submitted.
A vast underground intelligence network—woven by tens of thousands of rats—was quietly taking shape!