The black donkey was very unhappy.
After walking around the orchard, he didn't see a single fruit.
Not even unripe ones.
The earth shifted.
The only door was buried in the soil.
He didn't know how long he had been trapped inside, only that he would tug at the door every so often to check the situation outside.
Dirt, dirt, dirt.
No matter when he tugged at the door, it was always dirt.
He was a donkey.
And without tools, he could only be miserably trapped.
It was very frustrating!
He had intended to perform his routine duty of tugging open the door to check again, when unexpectedly the dirt outside was dug away. Although being kicked made him quite displeased.
Considering the shovel was held by a rat-person.
Without the rat-person, he might not have been able to get out of the secret room, so he gave him a kick as a way of settling the score.
He ran out of the dirt pit with great joy.
To embrace this hard-won freedom, and also to try something new.
A vast orchard.
Yet there was nothing!
"Mmmph—"
The black donkey let out a bray, two white puffs of air snorting from his nostrils, and kicked out at the fruit trees behind him, snapping one in half with a single kick.
Thump!
Thump-thump-thump—
The furious black donkey suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw an apple rolling towards him.
"Mmmph?"
The black donkey blinked at the apple on the ground.
It was a bit strange.
Where did the apple come from?
Despite his suspicion, the black donkey, who hadn't tried anything new in a long time, didn't think much of it and bit into the apple.
Sweet and sour, crisp and crunchy.
"Mmmph—"
His mood lifted.
Having eaten an apple, the black donkey seemed to want more.
Thump.
Another apple rolled over, about three meters away.
The black donkey's eyes widened, and he ran towards it.
Delicious.
Just as he finished the apple, another apple appeared about five meters away, then another five meters, and then another five meters.
The black donkey kept eating apples, one after another.
He had eaten about ten.
He was starting to feel full.
He patted his belly contentedly, and then another apple appeared in front of him.
"Mmmph?"
Another one!
No more, no more.
The black donkey glanced at the apple and flicked his tail. He had eaten enough and didn't want any more.
"Boss, the black donkey isn't moving."
Hei Dou lowered his voice.
Chen Yu also frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then—
Clang.
He directly took out hundreds of apples from the warehouse and threw them on the ground.
The black donkey, who had turned to leave, looked back at the sound.
"Mmmph!!!"
He stared wide-eyed at the pile of apples, his hooves scraping the dirt.
There was something wrong.
It felt like a trap.
He looked at his strong limbs.
His face showed defiance.
What was there to fear?
He wondered who in this world could withstand his kick, and if there was anyone, he would kick twice.
"Hmph..."
With white puffs snorting from his nose, his gaze sharpened as he walked forward.
He was determined to have this pile of apples; even a demon king couldn't stop him.
"Here they come."
Hei Dou and Chen Yu, lying on the grassy orchard, tensed up as they watched the black donkey approach the apple pile with a proud stride.
He bit into an apple with a crunch.
"Heh..."
Chewing the apple, the black donkey joyfully wagged his tail.
Chen Yu signaled to Hei Dou.
Go!
Hei Dou was truly fearless. Despite sometimes getting flustered and flailing his limbs during fights.
He was certainly not afraid of a surprise attack.
Clutching a brick, Hei Dou crept forward stealthily, and seeing the black donkey chewing an apple, he jumped up and swung the brick.
Bang!
The stone shattered instantly.
The black donkey, still chewing the apple, turned his head in confusion, but then—
Bang!
Chen Yu, who was acting with Hei Dou and standing opposite, swung another blow.
"Mmmph—"
The black donkey let out a cry. Seeing him turn back, Chen Yu quickly struck him repeatedly.
"Mmm... mph..."
After taking seven or eight blows, the black donkey's eyes were starry, and he swayed before falling down.
When the black donkey woke up again, it was already dark.
The glow of the camp bonfire woke him. He looked around blankly and found himself tied to a rack, his limbs tightly bound.
"Mmmph—"
The black donkey struggled desperately, but the ropes remained motionless.
"You're awake?"
A low voice whispered into the black donkey's ear. He saw a foreigner with a black cat on his shoulder, a rat-person with a shovel to his left, and two adult lions to his right.
Led by the foreigner, these individuals had the same look in their eyes.
ψ(｀∇´)ψ
Like demons.
The tied-up black donkey stared with wide eyes.
"Mmmph—"
What do you want to do???
Chen Yu grinned, his lips curled into a gentle smile.
"I, Chen, am planning to do great things in the underground world. Seeing that Donkey Brother is quite capable, I'm prepared to invite you to join us. Rest assured, we can discuss the terms."
"Mmmph!!!"
"You cannot be untied," Chen Yu said with a smile. "We can discuss terms. I always value talent, so you can state your needs."
"Don't be ungrateful!"
Hei Dou, standing on Chen Yu's shoulder, glared fiercely and bared his teeth.
"My boss is no pushover. If you anger him, he'll cut off your balls, and you'll be a mule. Then you won't be braying 'mmph mmph,' you'll be bleating 'meh meh' like a gelded donkey."
"Hei Dou!"
Chen Yu frowned upon hearing this.
"When has our group ever threatened anyone? Remember, we are a legitimate group, we don't engage in bullying. We must persuade with virtue and move with love."
"Boss is right!" Hei Dou saluted with his paw.
"So, are you interested in joining me?" Chen Yu asked the black donkey with a smile. "Don't worry, you have relative freedom of choice, you can choose."
The black donkey shook his head.
He was a free-spirited donkey; how could he possibly become someone else's subordinate?
Impossible!
"Alas."
Hearing this result, Chen Yu sighed sadly and spread his hands to Hei Dou, Kuka, and the others.
"It seems we must persuade with love."
Chen Yu took a step back.
Hei Dou, Kuka, Jack, and Rosie all stepped forward, their eyes gleaming.
"Mmmph—"
The black donkey tilted his head in confusion.
Didn't he have the freedom of choice? Wasn't it up to him to decide?
What did this mean?
What were the looks in the eyes of this black cat, rat-person, and lions?
(¬◡¬)✧
What was this eagerness to do?
"Don't worry!"
Chen Yu smiled slightly and said.
"They just want to get to know you, and let me introduce you."
"This is Hei Dou, our group's second-in-command, with extremely sharp claws."
Hei Dou cooperatively extended his sharp claws, glinting in the firelight.
"Kuka, the group's rat-beating master, an outstanding gopher expert. His shovel is like a sickle harvesting the souls of gophers, one shovel per target, precise and accurate."
Kuka, carrying his shovel, popped out a gopher with a 'bang'.
He then promptly buried it with his shovel.
"These two lion brothers are masters of bayonet combat; you will experience unparalleled enjoyment."
Jack and Rosie both winked at the black donkey.
"Don't be afraid, they don't have any other intentions. They just want to give you a lesson in morality," Chen Yu said with a confident smile.
With a benevolent smile on his face, Chen Yu lazily stretched.
Just then, a message also popped up from the underground reminder.
【Underground Reminder: Area Expansion Successful】
The branch camp had been expanded.
Chen Yu's eyes lit up, and he smiled at the black donkey, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Enjoy yourself."
"Persuading with virtue, Donkey style, it's the best!"