"Guide, Mr. Alfred, could I ask you two for a favor?" Shen Yibin asked the guide and Alfred after returning to the helicopter. The bait was set, but that didn’t mean it was foolproof.

"We’d be happy to help," the guide said. Alfred also nodded and asked, "Mr. Shen, what do you need us to do?"

"I’d like you to be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. If any other animals take an interest in this piece of bread, fire a warning shot immediately to scare them off." If it were just an ordinary piece of bread, he wouldn’t mind if some lucky animal ate it. But this one contained the pill the Future Pet Shop had prepared for Pingtou, so he couldn’t let just any animal eat it.

Never mind what kind of reaction other animals might have after eating it; if something like that happened, all hope of catching his fourth pet would be lost. And knowing the Future Pet Shop’s usual stinginess, they probably wouldn’t give Shen Yibin a second pill.

"No problem. Or maybe you want to give it a try yourself?" The guide smiled, about to hand his rifle to Shen Yibin, but Shen Yibin immediately refused. Though he wanted to experience what it was like to hunt on the African plains, now was not the time. Aside from firing a gun a few times during university military training, he had never touched one since. It would be a disaster if he caused an accident. ’Better wait until after Pingtou is captured,’ he thought.

So, the people in the helicopter split into two groups. Shen Yibin and Sylvie took turns watching the piece of bread through binoculars, while the guide and Alfred were ready to shoot at any moment. The instant they saw any other animal approach, they would fire to scare it away, ensuring the bread wouldn’t be eaten by anything else.

It was hard to say whether it was because no animal other than Pingtou was interested in honey, or because Shen Yibin’s luck was finally turning around, but no other creatures showed any interest in the bread. However, Pingtou was also taking its sweet time to show up. Maybe it was happily picking a fight somewhere, or maybe it had just eaten its fill and gone home to rest.

Fortunately, things finally developed in a way that didn’t disappoint Shen Yibin. After a long, painful wait, Pingtou swaggered out again to patrol its territory—or rather, to look for a fight. Seeing that distinct black-and-white figure in the binoculars, Shen Yibin felt his heart leap into his throat. This was it; success or failure hinged on this moment.

The temptation of honey was immense, irresistible. Pingtou sniffed the air and once again charged toward the spot where Shen Yibin had placed the bread. Just like the previous two times, it was single-minded and reckless. A shadow flashed by, and Pingtou was in front of the bread. It raised its head, roared twice in the direction of the helicopter as if mocking Shen Yibin, and then held down the bread and began to tear into it with big bites.

’Eat it, eat it, hurry up and eat it! Swallow the pill, too!’ Shen Yibin prayed silently, his eyes glued to Pingtou, not even blinking. He watched until it had devoured the very last piece of bread without leaving a crumb. He zoomed the binoculars to their maximum setting and scanned the ground around Pingtou, inch by inch. Finding no trace of the pill, he was finally able to breathe a small sigh of relief, certain that Pingtou had indeed swallowed it.

’So, what now? Just wait for the pill to take effect. I wonder what kind of effect this pill will have?’ Shen Yibin continued to observe. Pingtou also seemed to feel that something was wrong. Its fur suddenly stood on end, and after hopping around on the spot for a moment, it turned to leave.

"Get ready for takeoff," Shen Yibin quickly told Alfred. It would be bad if the pill took effect while the creature was on the move. If another animal took the opportunity to attack and kill it, Shen Yibin wouldn’t even know where to begin crying.

Fortunately, the pill worked quickly. Pingtou didn’t get far before it swayed and collapsed to the ground. It curled up on its side, all four paws tucked in, looking exactly as it had after being poisoned by the snake.

"The anesthetic is working! It’s passed out," Sylvie exclaimed in pleasant surprise. She lowered her binoculars and looked at Shen Yibin. "What’s your plan now? Are you going to put it in the cage and take it back?" Shen Yibin had already retrieved the trap cage earlier.

A moment ago, Shen Yibin might have done just that, but now he was hesitant. ’After eating that pill, Pingtou should listen to me, right? If so, wouldn’t it be wrong to lock it in a cage? Come to think of it, Egg and Cheeky would be upset if I tried to lock them in a cage, wouldn’t they?’

"No need. I’ll go down and check on it first," Shen Yibin said, steeling himself. ’I hope this pill works its magic. If not, I’m screwed. If Pingtou swipes at my crotch, I’ll be...’

Turning down the guide’s warnings and Sylvie’s request to go with him, Shen Yibin bravely disembarked from the helicopter alone and cautiously made his way toward the spot where Pingtou lay.

When he got closer, Shen Yibin was ready to bolt at any second. He craned his neck to get a better look. Pingtou’s eyes were closed and it was motionless, but its chest was rising and falling gently, and its breathing seemed steady.

’It should be fine, right?’ Shen Yibin boldly took another shuffling step forward and gently poked its body with a finger. He had to admit, while the creature didn’t look very big, the muscles under its skin were exceptionally well-developed. ’No wonder its combat prowess is so incredible.’

He turned back and gave Sylvie and the others an "OK" sign, then found a rock and sat down next to Pingtou, quietly waiting for it to wake up.

About ten minutes later, Pingtou’s body finally stirred. It wobbled to its feet, rotating its neck with a series of CRACKLING sounds. Its movements were sluggish, as if some change had occurred in its body that it hadn’t yet grown accustomed to.

It stumbled around in a circle, then tried climbing a small nearby tree before jumping down. After a few minutes of this, Pingtou’s movements became more and more agile. By the end, Shen Yibin felt like it was running faster and jumping higher than before. It kept letting out excited HUFFS, seemingly quite pleased with this transformation.

After messing around for a long time, Pingtou finally noticed Shen Yibin. It walked over, tilted its head up to look at him, and Shen Yibin, trembling, offered it a piece of bread slathered in honey. "Come on, bro. I’ll take you to China to have some fun."

After saying this, he stood frozen, watching Pingtou. ’What’s it going to do? Will it just come up and eat the bread, or will it beat the crap out of me first and then eat?’