Even with hunting instincts comparable to a tiger's and agility like a leopard's, a golden cat weighs only thirty pounds. In the face of absolute strength, all such advantages appear pale.
As the wild boar, caught in a frenzied state, bit down on the golden cat's neck, the cat immediately lost its ability to fight.
At this rate, death was only a matter of time.
It was at this moment, however, that a figure slowly walked towards the wild boar under everyone's watchful eyes.
"Director Yang, it's dangerous."
"Indeed, don't go near it!"
"That wild boar has gone mad; you'll be in mortal danger if you approach."
...
Ignoring the constant dissuasions from behind him, Yang Lin remained unfazed.
He continued to slowly approach the wild boar and the golden cat, reaching into his backpack as he did so.
Before long, a spray bottle appeared in his hand.
When he was less than five meters away from the wild boar, he suddenly aimed the nozzle at it and sprayed twice.
In the next second, a bright yellow mist erupted from the bottle.
The wild boar, which had been fiercely biting the golden cat's neck, suddenly had its pupils dilate when the mist hit it.
A feeling of pure terror instantly washed over it.
Before anyone could react, it released the golden cat from its jaws and stumbled away in the direction of the Qinling Mountains.
Seeing the normally fearless wild boar so terrified, everyone present was as if they had seen a ghost.
It wasn't until Yang Lin crouched down to check the golden cat's injuries that everyone snapped back to reality.
"What just happened? Why did that wild boar run off after Director Yang just sprayed it twice with a water bottle?"
"Yes, I've always heard Director Yang is an expert in the animal kingdom, but today I've truly seen something."
"What exactly was in that spray bottle of his? How could it be so effective?"
"Could it be some ancestral secret medicine?"
"We must ask Director Yang about it later. If possible, let's see if we can buy some from him."
"Right."
...
While everyone was discussing the mysterious liquid Yang Lin had used, Yang Lin's attention was entirely focused on the golden cat before him.
Following Yang Lin's gaze, the golden cat could only be described as pathetic.
Although it had no other visible wounds, its trachea had been bitten through by the boar.
Such an injury, let alone for a golden cat, would be unbearable even for a large tiger.
At this moment, Yang Lin finally understood why the hunting dogs had suffered such heavy losses.
Seeing the golden cat on its last breath, Yang Lin did not dare to delay further and applied a basic healing spell to it.
Considering the severity of the golden cat's injuries, after a moment's hesitation, he also opened its talent panel.
[Golden Cat]
[Stealth (Green Talent) requires 1 Talent Point to activate]
[Hunting Instinct (Green Talent) requires 1 Talent Point to activate]
[Moment of the Hunt (Gold Talent) requires 5 Talent Points to activate]
[Bloodlust (Gold Talent) requires 5 Talent Points to activate]
[Jungle Arena (Gold Talent) requires 5 Talent Points to activate]
...
Looking at the golden cat's talent panel, Yang Lin fell silent.
"Good heavens, it truly has no useless talents."
"This is purely a hunting machine, with the entire natural world as its menu."
"Fortunately, its size is so small. If it were any larger, even tigers would likely become its snacks."
As he mused, Yang Lin recalled some information about golden cats.
As a medium-sized feline, the global population of golden cats is even smaller than that of pandas.
There are two reasons for their scarcity: firstly, their diet overlaps significantly with that of large predators like tigers. They eat what tigers eat, but due to their size, they cannot defeat tigers. Secondly, golden cats are difficult to breed. Due to their irritable and sensitive temperaments, domestic violence is common, and fights are often to the death. Often, female golden cats are killed and eaten by males before they can even conceive. Of course, occasionally the female wins. As a result, in the vast nation of Long Guo, only three zoos each house one, and all of them are female.
"It's true that northerners often say that those who are slow-witted, stubborn, and short-tempered are 'biao' (reckless/stubborn); it makes a lot of sense."
"They've almost driven themselves to extinction."
With this thought, Yang Lin subconsciously glanced between the golden cat's hind legs.
"It's a male. Looks like you won't have to worry about finding a mate in the future."
As he spoke, Yang Lin activated its Moment of the Hunt talent.
As the talent was activated, the golden cat, which had been on the verge of death, immediately underwent a transformation.
First, the gaping wound on its neck disappeared.
Once the wound that had pierced its trachea vanished, the golden cat instantly regained its vitality.
In addition, its physique seemed to have undergone subtle changes.
Fortunately, Yang Lin was crouched down, blocking everyone's view, otherwise, he would have had to come up with some excuse to explain it.
With the awakening complete, the golden cat that had been lying on the ground quickly sprang up.
If not for the system's constraints, Yang Lin had no doubt that he would have been killed by the golden cat in that short time.
Seeing the golden cat looking at him affectionately, Yang Lin habitually stroked under its neck.
Immediately, this large cat with tiger-like markings began to purr, sounding like a car engine.
Hearing this sound, a smile appeared on Yang Lin's face.
"Heh heh, it really is a feline. The habits are all the same."
And as Yang Lin was indulging in petting the cat, the group from the Forestry Bureau finally arrived.
Upon seeing the golden cat in front of Yang Lin, they first looked stunned, then asked with confusion:
"Director Yang, what is this creature? Is it a cat?"
"It doesn't look like a cat. Could it be a Qinling Tiger?"
"Qinling Tigers haven't been seen for years."
"Didn't I just see it get bitten by a wild boar? Why is it fine now?"
"What do you know? Director Yang is a renowned beast master; a minor injury like this is nothing."
"By the way, Director Yang, what was that you sprayed earlier?"
"Yes, it was so effective. Can it be bought?"
...
Yang Lin quickly answered the barrage of questions.
When everyone learned that the large cat before them was the renowned golden cat, their eyes lit up with surprise.
Of course, what surprised them even more was the true identity of the mysterious liquid in the spray bottle Yang Lin carried.