Chapter 1: The Breeder Reports for Duty!

"Roar!"

The roar that shook the forest caused the already precarious leaves to fall frantically, burying Liang He, who had been hiding under the tree to enjoy the shade, directly under a pile of foliage.

"What's going on?"

Liang He brushed the leaves off her body and climbed out of the pile, looking disheveled and dusty. She quickly operated her flyer and headed toward the direction of the roar.

Meanwhile, in the central control room of the Tianyao Animal Sanctuary, a tense and anxious atmosphere had taken hold.

"What happened? Why has a ferocious beast appeared within the sanctuary?!"

"This is bad! Cedril sensed the beast's aura and they've already started fighting!"

"Good news: the beast is dead. Bad news: Cedril is injured!"

Cedril was an Ink-Gold King Tiger, three meters long, majestic and domineering—the undisputed king of the jungle.

However, he was not just an Ink-Gold King Tiger; he was also the Marshal of the Interstellar Federation and an SSS-class Beastman, Cedril.

SSS-class Beastmen are natural-born warriors. Upon reaching adulthood, they enter an evolutionary period where they develop a spiritual body in their beast form. This period typically lasts three to five years.

During this process, they periodically enter a state of beastification, losing their human consciousness and becoming complete predators.

"Damn it! A beastified Beastman won't allow anyone to get close; we can't treat him!"

Beastified Beastmen do not accept captivity or feeding. Even trackers, once detected, are chased and attacked.

Forcing an approach will only provoke them, leading to madness or even hunger strikes in protest.

"I'll take a team to find Cedril. Tell the veterinarian to prepare anesthesia needles."

Hoan, the director of the sanctuary who had rushed over upon hearing the news, arrived just in time.

However, before he could depart, he was rendered speechless by a scene on the monitor.

"Who... is that?"

On the screen, a tracker had finally managed to capture the Ink-Gold King Tiger's tracks.

But to everyone's shock, a petite and cute Blue Star human had actually appeared beside Cedril!

"Roar!"

Having just fought a ferocious beast, the Ink-Gold King Tiger was in a bloodthirsty frenzy. The human's approach triggered his natural repulsion, making him even more resistant and disgusted.

"Little guy, you sure know how to scare people."

However, his low warning seemed to have no effect. The "petite and cute" Liang He strode forward with long legs, approaching him step by step. She actually called the three-meter-long Ink-Gold King Tiger a "little guy," leaving both the human and the tiger stunned.

"Roar!"

Seeing Liang He getting closer and closer, the Ink-Gold King Tiger, already wounded from battle, forced himself to stay upright. He arched his back and bristled his fur, attempting to scare away this incredibly bold and arrogant human.

"Roar!"

Don't misunderstand; this time it wasn't the tiger roaring. It was Liang He imitating a tiger's roar at him.

Hearing the cry of a fellow kind, the Ink-Gold King Tiger froze in place, looking at Liang He with confusion. The wariness in his tiger eyes dissipated significantly, and his posture shifted from being ready to attack.

"Awoo?"

"Awoo!"

Hearing Liang He's second response, the Ink-Gold King Tiger realized his previous impression wasn't an illusion. In his confusion, he unconsciously allowed Liang He to walk up to him, even letting her tend to his wounds.

Seeing this, Liang He couldn't help but laugh. As expected, if you want a tiger to submit, you have to be fiercer and roar louder than him.

Seizing the momentum, Liang He took out a pre-prepared medical kit and began emergency wound treatment. Just as the Ink-Gold King Tiger was about to snap out of it, she showered him with frantic praise, flattering him so much he lost his sense of direction, eventually leaving him to simply accept his fate with her.

"Where did this little cutie come from? So well-behaved. It'll be over soon."

Having just fought a beast, the Ink-Gold King Tiger was covered in wounds, especially on his hind legs, where the fur had been torn away by bites.

Liang He, who absolutely loved petting fluffy things, ignored Cedril's low, warning growls. After bandaging his wounds, she took the opportunity to give the big cat a vigorous petting session.

The golden fur with ink-black patterns felt amazing—short, velvety, smooth, and shiny. Liang He used every petting technique in her repertoire, successfully turning his glowing golden vertical pupils into round, bright golden suns.

"Awoo..."

Sensing the unique and secure aura radiating from Liang He, Cedril lay lazily in the grass, narrowing his eyes comfortably. His originally agitated tail gradually grew still.

"My god, she actually managed to calm Cedril down? She even got him to let her bandage him?!"

In the control room, the staff members who witnessed this incredible scene took a long time to recover.

Beside them, the veterinarian, who had already prepared the anesthesia needles, silently glanced at Director Hoan.

"Director, are we still going to find Cedril?"

Looking at the situation, it seemed they weren't needed anymore.

Hoan watched in silence as the petite Blue Star human gradually buried herself against Cedril's belly. The human and the tiger simply basked in the sun together, completely indifferent to the people watching them.

"Can someone tell me who she is? Why is she in the sanctuary?"

"Director, she's a newly hired keeper named Liang He. She's from Blue Star. Because there have been so many beastified Beastmen lately, I let her familiarize herself with the environment first; I haven't had time to train her yet."

As an ancient planet, Blue Star had only recently joined the Interstellar Federation.

The average height of a Blue Star human does not exceed 1.8 meters, making them synonymous with "petite and fragile" in the eyes of people from other planets.

"So, she doesn't know Cedril is the Federation Marshal? She just thinks he's a tiger?"

The Tianyao Animal Sanctuary was a key Federation forest reserve specifically established to protect SSS-class beastified Beastmen.

Beastified Beastmen face the natural selection of the wild; it is fraught with danger, and a single mistake can lead to death.

SSS-class Beastmen are rare to begin with, and almost all hold positions in important departments or are members of royalty.

Therefore, the Federation decided to establish this sanctuary on Tianyao, the planet closest to the Capital Star, to help them safely navigate their evolutionary period.

"That seems to be the case."

The subordinate's cautious reply plunged Hoan into silence once again.

He wondered if Liang He's ability to approach the beastified Cedril was an isolated incident, or if other Blue Star humans could do the same.

If it wasn't an isolated case, could the sanctuary hire more Blue Star humans to protect the beastified Beastmen?

At the very least, they could assist with medical treatment when injuries occurred.

"Send me Liang He's files."

To become a keeper at the Tianyao Animal Sanctuary, Liang He must have undergone strict vetting. Hoan wasn't worried about her background, but he still needed to check.

"Director, it looks like they've woken up."

The staff member monitoring Cedril's movements immediately noticed that Liang He was leading the Ink-Gold King Tiger away from the area.

"Are they going hunting? Ahhh! Why isn't she bringing the Marshal back to the service area?"

"What for? The Marshal never eats food provided by humans. You don't want to risk him going on a hunger strike."

"But the medical equipment in the service area is better! At least they could run some checks!"

"You're dreaming. Cedril would just bite the medical equipment to pieces."

Unaware that she and the big tiger were being gossiped about behind her back, Liang He felt a bit uneasy looking at the dirty blood on Cedril's body.

Unlike other felines, tigers actually quite enjoy playing in water, but since he was injured, it wasn't a good idea to get him wet.

"Forget it, let's fill our stomachs first."

Liang He turned and walked toward her flyer. When she entered the sanctuary, she had anticipated the need for feeding, so she had brought plenty of raw meat and fruits—enough for both carnivores and herbivores.

"Roar!"

Seeing Liang He leave, the Ink-Gold King Tiger followed her footsteps without hesitation, showing no intention of staying behind.

"I know, I'll wait for you. Take your time."

Mindful of Cedril's injuries, Liang He walked very slowly. The human and the tiger strolled leisurely toward the flyer, once again opening the eyes of the people in the control room.

To put it bluntly, it looked like Liang He was walking a dog.

Opening the trunk, Liang He took out two large pieces of raw meat, used a small knife she carried to cut them into smaller pieces, and poured them into a basin in front of Cedril.

"What is she doing? Does she think because she can get close to the Marshal, he'll eat the meat she feeds him? How ridiculous!"

"It's over! What if Cedril goes on a hunger strike? Stop her!"

"Holy crap, stop arguing! Look at the monitor—has the Marshal gone mad?!"