I Turned into a Tree, Who Cares!

4 Peregrine Falcon: The Fastest Bird

　"This could make for a nice little trump card."

With a sly bit of satisfaction, Jack considered using this newfound skill as a hidden ace. He couldn’t move freely and was limited to defending a fixed area, but if a strong enemy came close to taunt him, he could leverage the length of his branches to give them a misleading impression of his reach. Then, when the time was right, he could unleash a sudden, devastating blow, aided by the residual force of the air. It was like a real-life "air cannon."

Of course, there were other methods for attacking distant targets—like using his branches to hurl rocks directly. But there was something particularly thrilling about the air cannon. If he grew even stronger and could compress more air, the force would become genuinely extraordinary. At that point, even modern weapons wouldn’t scare him.

As for modern weapons… where would they come from? Well, in the past half month, Jack had seen planes flying overhead more than once. This led him to conclude that he was in a modern world. Given that he himself was a willow tree, it seemed likely that this world was one he was at least somewhat familiar with—possibly even his world from his past life.

However, considering that he had grown over twenty meters in just two weeks and that the surrounding trees had also shot up a few meters, he had to remain skeptical about this “familiar” world. After all, in his past life, trees didn’t grow this absurdly fast.

Moreover, the surrounding trees hadn’t actively absorbed energy like he had. If they had intentionally absorbed the mysterious energy in the air, their growth might have been even more explosive. They could’ve practically blotted out the sky.

In addition, Jack had noticed that some animals seemed to be undergoing subtle changes as well. Though animals absorbed this unknown energy more slowly than trees, they had still become noticeably faster and had keener senses. As a result, no animals had dared to approach his territory in days. His evolution points were empty—he had used them all to strengthen his branches, leaving only 3 points remaining.

Of course, Jack wasn’t a complete butcher at heart; he still had some compassion.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp…"

A sharp and continuous chirping suddenly came from somewhere in Jack’s branches. Looking up, he noticed a small nest wedged in the crook of one of his branches. A bird’s nest—it was simple and crude. Inside, eight little chicks, each about the size of a fist, were chirping frantically with their beaks wide open, as if they were demanding food.

"Are these little guys hungry?" Jack wondered aloud, feeling a hint of joy as he looked at the nest of chicks.

This wasn’t just any bird species—it was a nest of peregrine falcons, a type of medium-sized raptor. When fully grown, a peregrine falcon can reach a length of 41–50 cm, with a wingspan of up to 95–115 cm. Known for their hunting prowess, peregrine falcons soar to great heights before diving toward their prey at speeds of 270–360 kilometers per hour! A 300 km/h dive—that’s three times faster than a cheetah’s sprinting speed. The sheer force they exert when hunting is enough to take one’s breath away.

And here, in his branches, was a nest of these future speed demons. Though they were only chicks now, they already had sharp, white talons and piercing, beady eyes.

The reason this nest of falcon chicks was here on Jack’s branches was, in fact, his own doing. A few days prior, he’d been frustrated by the other trees around him being too tall and blocking his view of the sky. So, he’d snapped a few trees in half with his branches, causing this nest to fall from one of the toppled trees. Initially, Jack had thought of using the chicks to gain evolution points, but when he recognized them as peregrine falcons, he reconsidered.

If he could tame them, this nest of falcons might prove invaluable. Besides, with plants and animals now mutating… what if, just what if, these falcons developed sharper beaks and tougher bodies? In the future, they might even be capable of shooting down enemies like bullets in an instant.

What a thrilling thought.

With any luck, these little creatures might become his powerful allies. Naturally, Jack took on the role of their caretaker. And since he didn’t need food himself, he could occasionally hunt for evolution points and obtain some animal carcasses, keeping the chicks well-fed. Thanks to his efforts, these little ones didn’t lack for food.