Super Gene

”Holy smokes! I escape the territory of the wolves only to end up in the realm of horses?” Han Sen was glum as he watched the winged-horses – the pegasi – approach. He wanted to slap himself, thinking, ”Why did I even come here in the first place? I should have stuck to searching for solo super creatures!”

”Trying to take advantage of others will get me killed,” Han Sen sighed.

Fortunately, there seemed to be a no man’s land between the pack of wolves and the soaring pegasi. They didn’t come his way, which gave him the opportunity to rest for a brief while.

Han Sen did not dare fly in the sky. There’d be no advantage up there, considering that pegasi were flying creatures.

He landed on the grass and took a good look around. There was nothing remarkable about the place, as it was just a grassy field. For dozens of miles around, there was no sign of the pegasi or wolves.

After Han Sen took a closer look, the grass was shorter than elsewhere. Some of the grass was even yellowish in color. It was very different than the fresh, long, green grass that was in the fields to the left and right of the one he currently stood in.

Aside from that, there was nothing special. There wasn’t even a lake or pond, just a grassy field.

The wolves and horses stared at him but kept their distance. They weren’t leaving, so Han Sen decided to stay put while he was safe. He didn’t think the wolves or horses could be bothered watching him like that for a long time.

But quickly, Han Sen realized something was wrong. The horses and wolves really did stay there, taking turns with others in their own groups to watch Han Sen.

Luckily, Han Sen had brought many provisions with him, including nutrient solutions. He could remain in this field for two months, if need be.

But even if he did stay where he was for the next two months, what was the point? The wolves and horses did not want to leave. Two weeks passed and they still remained outside the field watching Han Sen, not allowing him to leave.

”Silver fox, you’re going to have to do something and help me find a way out of this mess. You’re not going to wait until I’m dead before you run off, are you?” Han Sen put the silver fox in front of his face and said, ”This is not right! There’s not much difference between a fox and a wolf, is there? Can’t you go and talk to the wolf king on my behalf, and tell him it was all just a big misunderstanding?”

Han Sen put him down and the silver fox lay on the ground, blinking at Han Sen.

Han Sen felt as if he’d be better off talking with a rock. So he circled the entire field multiple times, evaluating what options there were for escape, but did not discover anything viable.

”If escaping won’t work, then so be it. I’ll have to fight my way out! I definitely can’t leave through the pegasi side, as their numbers seem greater than that of the wolves. They can fly, too. That’ll surely be the more dangerous way.” Han Sen then looked at the wolf side. He observed the wind blowing through the grass, which revealed the grey backs of hidden wolves. Heaven knew how many lurked in the tall grass, waiting for Han Sen.

Han Sen could only watch their movements, waiting for the right moment to slice his way through the hordes and make a daring escape. It would be best if he could confirm the location of the wolf king, so at least he would have a chance of taking a shot at it. But alas, he could not spot it and such a move could not currently be made.

After a while, Han Sen saw the horses in a state of mild unrest. In the group of horses, a red pony appeared. They parted and formed a path for it, not daring to touch it.

”Is that the child of a super creature?” Han Sen took a look and was surprised. The red pony did not seem to have been born very long ago. It looked rather curious, and even the sacred-blood class pegasi avoided its approach.

”If I kidnap the red pony, could I use it to escape the crowd of horses?” Han Sen’s heart birthed this evil thought, wondering if he could put a knife to the red pony’s neck and broker a deal with the horse king.

But Han Sen quickly dropped the idea. Creatures were not humans, and if they saw Han Sen threaten the red pony, they’d probably opt to kill Han Sen rather than negotiate.

Although the red pony was small, it was a super creature. Han Sen was not entirely sure he could deal with it solo anyway.

The red pony seemed curious about everything. It opened its eyes wide and looked at Han Sen and the silver fox with great interest.

The red pony tried to enter Han Sen’s field on numerous occasions, but each time, the horse king stopped it and sent it back.

Before the red pony was taken away, it looked back and almost seemed upset.

”That’s a shame. If that red pony came here on its own, perhaps I really could kidnap it!” Han Sen thought, disappointed.

That night, Han Sen lay on the grass observing the night skies. He counted the stars that glistened above. It was quite boring, so he summoned the angel and Princess YinYang to talk.

As they were talking, they heard noise from the horse crowd. Looking over there, Han Sen saw the red pony sneak his way, with its eyes fixated on him.

Han Sen was happy when he saw it, but it caused a commotion in the horse crowd. They neighed repeatedly, as if they were trying to convince the red pony to return to them.

But no matter how much noise they made, they did not dare to enter the area like the red pony had.

The horse king was nowhere to be seen, however, and Han Sen did not know why.

The red pony ignored its brethren and continued to approach Han Sen. It looked to its left and right up until it was about twenty meters away. Then, it stood where it was and just watched Han Sen and his companions.

”Come here, little child. Come here.” Han Sen’s face was crowned with a strange smile. He reached out both arms to the red pony, as if he was calling for a baby to crawl to him.

But the red pony took a few step backs, and its eyes looked alert. It didn’t trust Han Sen.

Han Sen noticed that his behavior was like any old, creepy uncle that wished to kidnap a child. Quickly, he put away his grinning face and put on his look of innocence as if he were swapping masks. As he did, he thought of how he might be able to attract the red pony towards him.

Han Sen threw some jerky on the ground and bid for the pony to eat it, but it was ignored.

”Do horses only enjoy eating grass?” Han Sen’s heart felt bad. He looked in his pockets and there was nothing he could use to attract the red pony, so he wasn’t sure what to do.

But the red pony, after a while longer of looking, seemed to drop some of its apprehension. Slowly, it began to walk closer and closer to Han Sen.

The crowd of horses was in a frenzy, as countless horses surrounded the area, crying repeatedly. It was like they were pleading for the red pony to return and for Han Sen not to hurt it.

Han Sen suddenly thought something had to be wrong. If the wolves and horses were avoiding each other, maybe that was why they did not come any closer? But now that the red pony was inside, why did the other horses not come?