Chapter Two: What to Do When Children Don't Listen

At dawn, the sun rose in the east. The chattering of birds in the jungle announced the arrival of a new day. A light mist hung in the air three feet above the water, as delicate as silk threads. The grass and reeds nearby were covered with dewy droplets, damp and glistening.

Lu Chen slowly flexed his stiff body and quietly poked his head out from a crevice between rocks by the lakeside. This was where several juvenile saltwater crocodiles had taken refuge for the night. Last evening, they had drifted down the scenic river and eventually entered the vast lake before them. Fearing predation by fierce fish lurking in the waters, Lu Chen had not dared to rest among the aquatic plants. Instead, he and his siblings squeezed into the stones along the shore to sleep.

The morning air was chilly, and as a cold-blooded animal, Lu Chen felt his blood circulating sluggishly, his limbs slow to respond. But hunger gnawed at him again.

Crocodiles are keenly sensitive to temperature changes. If it's too cold, they will not eat. Even a single meal can last a young crocodile an entire day or several days without the need for further sustenance. This trait is typical of ectothermic creatures: compared to warm-blooded animals of similar mass, they can extract and store energy from food far more efficiently.

The three other young crocodiles beside him still had bulging bellies, their meals yet to be digested. Perhaps it was his human soul, or because of the system, but Lu Chen now felt ravenously hungry—the dozen or so ricefish devoured the previous night were long since digested.

With no other choice, he braved the chilly air and slipped silently into the lake. His brown scales, mottled with black patterns, and his slender body made him look, at a glance, like a piece of driftwood floating in the water—a perfect camouflage that allowed him to edge closer to the green-skinned frog perched on the aquatic plants.

Closer, ever closer.

The frog remained oblivious to the impending danger, its belly inflated as it croaked incessantly. As a predator with a human mind, Lu Chen was patient, advancing with extreme caution and at an agonizingly slow pace. He knew that a frog's eyes were particularly sensitive to movement but indifferent to stillness. If alarmed, a frog could leap away at a speed of 4.5 meters per second—enough to elude most hunters.

So, patience was vital. Ineffective hunting would only consume precious energy without reward. By moving slowly enough, he could increase his chances of success—perhaps even achieve a lethal strike in one blow.

Suddenly, Lu Chen froze, his body rigid, once again resembling a piece of driftwood among the reeds. The crocodile's exceptional eyesight had saved him—a pair of eyes just above the water's surface spotted a large grey-black bird circling overhead, already focused on this patch of lake.

The next instant, the dark figure plunged down like an arrow, slicing through the air with a sharp gust. The croaking frog had no time to react before it was snatched up and swallowed.

It was a Great Cormorant—an adult, eighty centimeters long and weighing five pounds.

Suppressing his terror, Lu Chen dared not move a muscle. After gulping down the frog, the cormorant did not leave, but instead stood in the shallows, wings beating and head swiveling as it scanned the area. It seemed to sense, by instinct, that more prey lurked among the weeds.

For an adult saltwater crocodile, such a bird would be a fat and easy meal. But for Lu Chen, who was only thirty-six centimeters long and half a kilogram in weight, it was a monstrous threat. A single sharp peck from that beak could pierce his body with ease.

He didn't dare escape underwater, as cormorants are also expert hunters beneath the surface, capable of diving to depths of over ten meters and capturing swift fish with ease.

His only hope lay in the camouflage of the reeds and his crocodilian hide.

Fortunately, this lake teemed with other food sources.

Not far off, another frog began to call, and the cormorant immediately took flight, chasing after the new sound. Only then did Lu Chen let out a sigh of relief and quickly dove to the bottom, surfacing five meters away.

Soon, joy surged in his heart. In the waterweed ahead, a wriggling black mass caught his eye—tadpoles. If he couldn't catch a frog, tadpoles would suffice.

After scanning the area for threats, Lu Chen swam over with confidence. There was no need for stealth with such slow-moving prey.

“Tadpoles, subfamily Raninae, group of Dark-Spotted Frog, provide 0.01 energy points.”

“Tadpoles, subfamily Raninae...”

When Lu Chen returned to his hiding place, his belly full and satisfied, lines of text scrolled across the system panel.

Seeing him return, the three juvenile crocodiles in the crevice let out excited low growls.

Ignorance truly is bliss.

Lu Chen sighed inwardly. He wondered if leading them out of the pet store had been the right choice. Without a mother crocodile’s protection, surviving in this perilous wilderness was uncertain—even with his system, he couldn't guarantee his own survival, let alone that of his siblings.

To keep them straight, he had named them by size the night before. The largest, strongest was Big Brother Croc; the next, Second Brother Croc. He himself, being the third largest, was Third Brother Croc. The smallest, only thirty centimeters long, was named Fourth Brother Croc.

After a short rest, Lu Chen turned his attention to the translucent panel. With his second meal, he had finally accumulated one energy point.

Now, which attribute should he enhance?

He pondered, eyes flickering over the options, finally settling on “claw strength.”

Ordinary crocodiles hunt in a very limited way—lying in wait underwater, then lunging with their powerful jaws for a killing bite. If they miss, the prey escapes, and there is nothing to be done.

Lu Chen understood that relying on a single hunting method would restrict his future development. Balance was key.

So, the first priority was to enhance limb strength.

As his consciousness moved, new words appeared on the panel: “Do you wish to spend 1 energy point to increase claw strength?”

“Yes,” Lu Chen answered mentally.

A moment later, a strange energy surged within him, gathering in his limbs.

He could distinctly feel his claw strength gradually increasing. Clearly, the system’s attribute upgrades were not instantaneous, but unfolded over time.

***

As the sun climbed higher, the ground temperature rose rapidly. The listless little crocodiles of the morning were now lively and energetic, scrambling out of the crevice to bask lazily on the lakeshore rocks.

As cold-blooded animals, saltwater crocodiles don’t use their own energy to warm or cool themselves; instead, most of the energy from food goes toward growth. They regulate their temperature mainly by absorbing heat through their skin, and sunlight is the best heat source. It also helps them absorb calcium, preventing scale rot and disease.

What a reckless way to die!

Seeing his companions behave so suicidally, Lu Chen finally understood why juvenile crocodiles had survival rates below two percent. They had no sense of danger at all. Any passing waterbird could easily spot them.

“Hiss... hiss...”

He quickly issued a warning, urging his companions to follow him to a safer basking spot.

Fourth Brother Croc immediately crawled over at the summons. The other two merely glanced his way and remained sprawled on the rocks.

Big Brother Croc even hissed in displeasure, clearly rejecting his authority.

Like most social animals, crocodile groups select the strongest male as leader. In daily life and hunting, the others must obey the leader’s commands.

Clearly, Big Brother Croc and Second Brother Croc did not recognize Lu Chen as their leader. Their escape the previous night had been driven by survival instinct, nothing more. Now, they saw their smaller sibling as unfit for command.

Damn, are you making me look bad?

As brothers from the same clutch, Lu Chen couldn’t simply watch them get picked off. If children won’t listen, there’s only one solution—a beating!

Before enhancing his claw strength, he would have been helpless. Now was the perfect time to test his doubled power.

With an angry growl, he lunged at the largest, Big Brother Croc.

“Hissss...” Big Brother Croc, confronted, was defiant, snapping his jaws in challenge.

Lu Chen didn’t waste time. He dodged, swung his foreclaw...

Smack! One slap left his opponent dazed.

Before Big Brother could react, Lu Chen pinned him down, landing a second blow.

After two slaps, fear flickered in Big Brother’s eyes and he finally whimpered in surrender.

So, might really does make right!

Lu Chen rose and turned to Second Brother Croc, growling softly.

Both fell in line, clambering obediently off the rocks and following Lu Chen to a patch of grass by the shore, where they settled down to bask.

Lu Chen had chosen this spot carefully. The grass was dense, providing cover from aerial predators. Nearby was a thicket of shrubs for quick escape if danger arose.

The four young crocodiles aligned themselves, each facing a different direction, vigilantly watching with one eye open and one eye closed, finally able to enjoy the sun’s warmth.

The heat soaked into their scales, bringing a comfort beyond words. Soon, drowsiness overtook them.

They could sleep with one eye open thanks to the unique structure of a crocodile’s brain, which allows unilateral sleep. That is, while one brain hemisphere and one eye sleep, the other remains alert, ever connected to the waking half, ready to react at the slightest disturbance.

Any movement in their surroundings, and they would respond in an instant.