The chieftain was slung over his shoulder, his head hanging limply, face covered in blood, with streams of blood dripping from his nose and chin—it seemed he couldn’t be any deader.

That guy carried the chieftain to the edge of the cliff, and with a slight effort, tossed the chieftain off his shoulder and down the cliff.

“Ah—” The chieftain screamed miserably, his voice trailing on and on. Apparently, he wasn’t quite dead yet.

The chieftain’s dying scream drew a few wolf howls. Henry Carter lowered his head and continued to stare blankly at the fire in front of him.

The strong man let out two “gaga” laughs at Henry Carter, then finally walked into the cave where his mother lived. Before long, Henry Carter heard their heavy panting.

His mother’s coup was a complete success—simple, effective, seizing every opportunity and mobilizing every available force. It was nothing short of perfect.

Henry Carter went to the livestock pen. The little wild calf was lying quietly on the ground. When it saw Henry Carter come in, it let out a “moo,” then continued to chew its cud.

Seeing Henry Carter open the pen door, the now much bigger calf walked out docilely and stayed by the fire with Henry Carter, waiting for sunrise.

The little wolf also came out of the cave. It was somewhat afraid of the fire, so it hid in the shadow cast by the calf, gazing mournfully at the round moon in the sky.

Birdsong had started at some point, and soon the distant mountains echoed with the calls of various wild animals. The monkeys were especially loud, but after a single tiger’s roar, they obediently fell silent. Only the shrill cries of elephants continued, completing the final blockade against the tiger’s roar.

Henry Carter stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers. Suddenly, he couldn’t help but shout loudly, a surge of indescribable heat swirling in his belly—he had to yell to vent the frustration in his chest.

Sure enough, his shout was the true king, echoing through the valley, spreading farther and lasting longer.

First, his mother ran out of the cave, followed by that man. His mother was very worried about Henry Carter, thinking he was in danger. As for the man, he was clearly displeased, as if blaming Henry Carter for interrupting his good time.

The little calf suddenly stood up, and the little wolf barked “woo woo” at the man, while Henry Carter quietly sat by the fire grilling fish.

When the aroma of grilled fish filled the air, everyone—including the little wolf—forgot all about the earlier unpleasantness.

On the plaza in front of the cave, the only sound was that of eating fish.

No one asked where the chieftain had gone, nor did anyone care. In their eyes, there was only food.

When his mother tried to distribute the food, the strong man seemed very dissatisfied, repeatedly expressing his displeasure at her giving the best food to Henry Carter.

Henry Carter, however, smiled and gave the best food to this guy.

His mother tried to snatch it back, but was pushed down again and again.

Henry Carter sighed softly in his heart.

This was the aftermath of a coup. Once coups became a habit, everyone would develop the illusion—“He can be replaced!”

To quash the ambitions of schemers, there was no way but killing. Every coup, in fact, was a serious loss for the tribe.

But now, since his mother had already launched the coup, she had to bear the consequences.

Delicious grilled fish was now the only means his mother had to win people’s hearts.

As for that strong man, the one even venomous snakes couldn’t kill—he had to die.

It wasn’t that Henry Carter was ruthless. If he didn’t do it, that man would surely kill him first. It was just like when a new lion king appeared in a pride, the cubs would inevitably be killed.

Sure enough, his mother no longer allowed Henry Carter to run around, but kept a close eye on him. She not only had to watch over Henry Carter, but also had to find ways to please the man who had helped her succeed in the coup.

The whole tribe went to the river to keep fishing, everyone working hard—except for Henry Carter, his mother, and the man who now considered himself the chieftain.

His mother sat by the side grilling fish, while keeping an eye on Henry Carter, who was picking lice from the man’s hair.

This man’s hair had long since matted into felted clumps. There was no need to search for lice—they ran wild on the surface. Underneath the mats, there were layers of white nits, and Henry Carter could even see tiny lice wriggling out from the nits.

The guy lay comfortably under a willow tree, snoring like thunder.

Henry Carter found a sharp, nail-like wooden peg and kept scratching the man’s head with it—the man who had brought him back to the tribe.

It made the man extremely comfortable.

Chapter 9: I Am Not a Savage!!

His mother kept turning to look at Henry Carter, saw that they seemed to be getting along well, and finally relaxed, starting to smoke fish with wood smoke as Henry Carter had taught her.

Smoking fish took a long time. That night, the tribespeople didn’t return to the cave, but lit bonfires by the river and smoked fish all night.

At dusk, Henry Carter also joined in, but unlike the others who smoked the fish into dry jerky, he rubbed salt on them and made salted fish.

They had caught far too many fish today.

And today’s sun was especially fierce.

However, the smell of grilled fish spread far and wide, attracting many predatory hunters with ill intent.