It was a male cave hyena acting as the vanguard, small and slim, with a pronounced limp in its front legs, likely from an old injury.
Its heart didn't beat strongly, and its breathing was quicker than other cave hyenas, marking it as a rare easy target within the pack.
Chen Zhou wasn't confident he could kill a healthy adult female cave hyena with one strike.
But if he could get close, he was ninety-nine percent confident he could pin this male cave hyena to the ground with one thrust.
The hunt hadn't escalated into a life-and-death struggle yet, and this kind of quick kill might exert a deterrence similar to a lion dominating spotted hyenas, forcing the Hyena Queen to reconsider the value of continuing the hunt.
On the other hand, Chen Zhou left the campfire to avoid being dragged into the cave hyenas' familiar battle rhythm.
His physical quality was exceptional, in a one-on-one situation, even the strongest female cave hyena was no match for him.
