Chapter 415 - 180: Birthday Gift (Part 3)
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Even the timid indigenous people, when dismantling the wooden and stone walls, could hear the heavy breathing faintly, making even Zebra, the "Leader's loyal dog," feel a bit intimidated.
But he has always been a firm member of the "new leader faction."
Now, at this crucial moment, anyone could falter, except for him.
Therefore, even though his heart was in turmoil, he had to maintain a calm facade, leading by example, carefully moving wooden planks and stone bricks, setting an example for the other indigenous people.
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In fact, it wasn't just these newly joined island indigenous people who were anxious.
Except for Chen Zhou, who knew there were cows inside the wall and understood what kind of creatures cows were, even Sunday and Saturday were somewhat afraid.
Sunday, with his Long Saber, felt a bit more at ease.
Saturday, having only a whip on him, was inevitably lacking confidence when thinking about confronting a wild beast.
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Layer by layer, the wooden and stone wall, over two meters high, became shorter. The natives closest to it were the first to see the true face of the creature inside, screaming in fright, nearly rolling off the elevated step ladder.
He hysterically shouted names like "Devil," "Monster," and some terrifying man-eating beasts from indigenous mythology, before bolting towards the forest direction in a panicked, aimless run.
If not for Sunday's quick reflexes to stop him and draw his Long Saber from his waist, this guy would have probably sprinted away like a hundred-meter dash champion.
The first native's fear sparked fear in all the indigenous people's hearts, leaving even Chen Zhou puzzled—
Could there truly be a three-headed Minotaur inside the wall?
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He signaled to Saturday to keep the indigenous people calm.
To be safe, Chen Zhou borrowed the Long Saber from Sunday, slowly and steadily climbed up the elevated step ladder, and peeked inside the wall.
At the first glance, he nearly burst into laughter—
Turns out it was a false alarm.
The reward inside the wall was, as he expected, ordinary cows, not some bizarrely shaped and grotesque exotic beast.
Moreover, not just one cow, but two large adult cows.
They were contained in a huge iron cage, so cramped they could barely turn around, which explained their constant "mooing" in anxiety.
One cow was relatively smaller, covered in short brown fur, with a pair of large udders hanging down, looking like a dairy cow adept at producing milk.
The other cow Chen Zhou was very familiar with.
It was an extremely large bull with well-developed muscles, its body covered in large yellow and white patches.
In Chen Zhou's hometown, such bulls were usually used as stud bulls to improve the lineage of ordinary cows with poor ancestry and low meat yield; they were known locally as Simmental Cattle.
This type of cow, after over a hundred years of selective breeding, had excellent performance in meat production, milk production, and even as draft animals, particularly excelling in meat production among all cattle breeds.
The prize bull sent as this reward was far superior to ordinary Simmental Cattle in terms of quality.
With some knowledge of animal husbandry and having assisted a veterinarian with artificial insemination before, Chen Zhou immediately recognized the high value of this stud bull.
A bull as extraordinarily large, with a long body, short neck, muscular physique, broad chest, high shoulders, and sturdy legs, weighing at least 1,500 pounds—fetching sperm from such a bull would likely start at a thousand dollars per extraction.
The whole bull itself would be priced upwards of a hundred thousand, possibly even two hundred thousand.
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"The Space-Time Administration Bureau sure knows how to treat me right, sending me such a big gift for my birthday!"
Gazing at the two cows, one male and one female, in the cage, Chen Zhou's face uncontrollably filled with joy.
The difference between having a male and a female versus a single cow was like night and day.
With these two cows, it meant he could have a continuous supply of milk, endless beef, and leather in the future.
Though the island's resources weren't barren, dietary options were still somewhat limited due to various constraints.
Especially meats, consisting of mainly mutton, pigeon, rabbit, fish, and occasionally visiting "goose" meat.
As for Chen Zhou's favorite pork and beef, aside from those salted meats he had buried, there wasn't a trace on the island.
These two cows filled a major void for him, a truly useful reward that could significantly improve his quality of life.
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However, for now, Chen Zhou couldn't release both cows from the cage.
The cow's temperament was usually gentler, manageable with a rope around the neck.
The stud bull was not so easily handled; this near-ton behemoth, once let loose and showing off its thick horns, would be difficult for anyone on the island to guarantee capturing without harming it.
Moreover, Chen Zhou noticed that apart from the two cows, there was a large green package in the corner inside the wall.
However, the iron cage housing the cows was too large, and the cows were too conspicuous, preventing him from noticing the package at first glance.
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After dispelling the slight fear caused by the indigenous people, Chen Zhou calmly descended the ladder, ordering Sunday to sternly reprimand the indigenous people, then let them continue moving and organizing the wooden and stone wall.
As the island's owner and the "new leader" in the indigenous people's eyes, Chen Zhou was their backbone.
Seeing Chen Zhou so composed, the indigenous people, although still somewhat afraid, were no longer as panicked as before.
They all endeavored to keep their emotions stable, restraining inner turmoil, and focused diligently on their work to avoid punishment.