As a Fisherman, My Fish Can Level Up
Chapter 588 - 361: The Massive Fierce Animal Climbing Aboard the Ship

Chapter 588: Chapter 361: The Massive Fierce Animal Climbing Aboard the Ship

In the scene, a subadult penguin, slightly smaller than the adult penguins nearby, was being pinned down.

Don’t misunderstand, this was not an act of intimacy, but rather the subadult penguin desperately struggling.

The grey skua bird pressing down upon it had its sharp beak thrust into the penguin’s head.

It had a body length of about sixty centimeters, and its wingspan was currently open, roughly measuring at 1.6 meters.

But birds are quite light, so despite its size, it probably only weighed around four or five jin (approximately 2-2.5 kg).

Its ability to firmly pin down the penguin was firstly due to the penguin’s smaller size as a subadult.

Secondly, and most importantly, was its sharply hooked beak, which could easily pierce the penguin’s skin.

It held down the penguin, puncturing its head, obviously intending for it to bleed to death.

Just then, another skua bird that had failed to hunt elsewhere flew over. One bird could not overpower it, but now with another joining in, it was clear the penguin’s fate was sealed.

Having grown to a subadult stage, evading the period of the eggs and the juvenile period when skuas attack most fiercely, this penguin was undoubtedly fortunate.

Yet, it didn’t expect that on the brink of outgrowing the fear of skuas, it would still fail to escape danger.

The newly arrived skua emitted a distinct seabird call, seemingly summoning its companions to come and fight over the food.

Sure enough, the next moment, the other skuas that heard the call suddenly took off and, upon discovering the scene, gathered together; there were five in total.

Contrary to Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo’s expectations, the new arrivals didn’t intend to subdue the penguin together but instead tried to steal it from their own kind.

As they fought among themselves, the penguin suddenly struggled and seized the opportunity to break free from the skua’s grip, frantically fleeing towards the sea.

Because it was closer to the sea, once it hid within the waters, the skuas would likely have no way of catching it.

"Run faster, run faster!" Antarctica has strict regulations that humans must not interfere with nature, so all Jiang Luoluo could do was cheer for the penguin from not too far away.

"Even if it escapes, it probably won’t survive. It’s wounded in the head!" Chu Mingcheng duly splashed her with a dose of reality, though it was already cold enough in Antarctica!

"..." Jiang Luoluo gave him a sidelong glance and huffed, "That’s still better than being eaten!"

"I recognize this bird now, it’s the infamous skua! Never doing any proper work, just spending their time on three things: sleeping, going out, and stealing food!"

Chu Mingcheng laughed heartily, "Aren’t they hunting right now? It’s just that the target is the rather cute penguin, which comparatively evokes more sympathy for the penguin."

The law of the survival of the fittest prevails here in Antarctica, no different from other natural regions.

Despite the penguin’s desperate attempt to flee, as soon as the food in its mouth dropped, the skuas united immediately, leaving no room for the penguin to escape.

The group of penguins nearby, watching the scene unfold from not too far away, were truly indifferent.

They were numerous, with at least a few hundred in sight.

They merely emitted a few symbolic cries and had no intention of collectively driving away the skuas. It seemed to be a case of ’every penguin for itself.’

If only they had acted together, these few skuas wouldn’t have been so arrogant.

And the besieged penguin had now truly become a "lamb" for slaughter, one skua attacking its head, another its tail.

The rest of the skuas also spread their wings, encircling the penguin tightly, preventing any escape.

The skin on the penguin’s tail was perhaps not as tough as that on its head and was easily torn open by a skua, causing it to struggle and scream in pain continuously.

And the skuas, already feasting on its tail, pulled out strips of flesh with each tug before swallowing them.

This act gave Jiang Luoluo an oddly familiar sensation, as if she had recently witnessed something similar.

After thinking for a moment, she suddenly realized, "This behavior is just like the hyenas, isn’t it? When we were in Tanzania, didn’t we see a pack of hyenas tearing at their prey in the same way?"

"Exactly!" Chu Mingcheng nodded in agreement.

At that time, they had been on their way to hunt buffalo, but had stumbled upon a pack of equally infamous African hyenas.

They were lucky to have surrounded a gazelle, and then they witnessed the notorious ’gutting technique.’

It made Chu Mingcheng shiver, for it was a male gazelle.

Such scenes, in fact, were also seen by their dogs, who showed no reaction whatsoever.

Having grown accustomed to their owners killing various kinds of fish or even some animals that they feared greatly, they were completely indifferent to such a minor spectacle.

They were not like other dogs, aggressive ones would tear and bite while the timid ones barked on the sidelines.

The sea otter baby was somewhat afraid and stayed close to them for protection.

The sight of the penguin being eaten alive was not particularly pleasant to watch, and prolonged viewing could turn one’s stomach. Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo did not continue to watch.

Instead, they went to the gathering place of the penguins and took some pictures from the outside.

They were quite lucky to have come across a group of penguins upon their arrival.

After taking photos, it was almost noon.

The two found a spot with less wind, then took out the dog and sea otter food from their backpacks and fed them.

Then they started to eat the sushi they had made in the morning.

After eating two pieces of sushi, Chu Mingcheng took out a large thermos from his backpack, "Here, have some hot soup to warm up."