"Du Yu, in this forest, if we want to capture large prey and stockpile more meat, what kind of beast do you think would be most suitable to hunt?"
Du Yu pondered for a long time before giving a precise answer. "Wild boar."
"Why wild boar?"
Du Yu explained, "Because wild boars are reckless. Other beasts like tigers and leopards are cunning by nature, agile, and highly vigilant. Bears may seem simple and honest, but they are actually quite crafty. Only wild boars are the most impulsive. As long as you provoke them and set up a trap, they easily walk right into it."
Qin Ziwen joked, "I thought you were going to say wild boar meat tastes the best."
Du Yu let out a hearty laugh. "Wild boar meat does indeed taste quite good."
Qin Ziwen thought of the giant wild boar he had seen before. "Good. I happen to know where there's a large wild boar. But it's huge, about as tall as an average person."
Du Yu's brows furrowed. "A wild boar that big probably weighs over a thousand catties. In a head-on confrontation, even a tiger wouldn't dare provoke it directly. We can only set traps."
"We have this." Qin Ziwen took out the powerful animal trap he had forged earlier.
Du Yu had never seen such a large animal trap before. He carefully took the closed trap, examined it, and gently pulled the three thick springs in the middle.
"This thing..."
Qin Ziwen said, "We tested it. Even a single section of pig bone placed in the middle can be snapped directly."
Hearing this, Du Yu slowly nodded. "What a vicious device. With this vicious device, I think even a thousand-catty wild boar isn't impossible to try. But we still need to improve it first. We need to add a couple more ropes to the sides of the trap. After the wild boar is caught, we'll use chains and hemp ropes to tie it to a tree, exhausting its strength. We'll only approach when it's completely worn out."
Qin Ziwen then found some rope and added two thick ropes to the sides of the trap. Combined with the original chain, that made three ropes.
Qin Ziwu also wanted to go along, but Qin Ziwen stopped him.
Qin Ziwen pointed in the direction of the salt well. "We still need them to boil coarse salt inside. Also, hunting a wild boar isn't something you encounter immediately upon arrival. We still need to observe the paths the wild boar frequently walks, then set traps along the way. If you leave, there won't be anyone to watch over the house."
Although these four refugees were recruited by him, they were all temporary workers, and unlike the tavern guests, they weren't unable to leave the tavern.
These four could all leave their original locations. Although they couldn't do anything to harm the recruiter, slacking off, even stealing food at home, were all possible. So someone needed to supervise.
"If Du Yu and I can successfully hunt the large wild boar, I'll have the Crowned Eagle come back first to deliver the message. You'll then bring Li Tieshan and these four people together, and bring all three wheelbarrows from the stone quarry to facilitate transporting the wild boar."
"Understood, big brother." Qin Ziwu nodded.
Subsequently, Qin Ziwen and Du Yu packed their equipment, and the two of them set off first.
After leaving the residential complex and walking east for a distance, looking at the fork in the road ahead, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but hesitate. Should he go up the mountain first to get the card, or set up the trap first?
He looked at the Crowned Eagle. Since its last injury, the Crowned Eagle's wounds were now basically healed.
Attaching the phone to its chest and adjusting the angle, Qin Ziwen said, "Go to the cave on the mountain and take a look. We'll wait for you here. Don't fly inside. Just stand at the cave entrance, stand straight, and try to get a clear shot of the card's color inside."
He didn't know if the Crowned Eagle understood or not. Qin Ziwen gently patted its back.
The Crowned Eagle transformed into a sharp arrow flying into the sky.
Qin Ziwen and Du Yu then found an open high slope in the nearby woods to squat and wait for the Crowned Eagle's return.
He had already made up his mind. If the card color captured by the phone was red, blue, green, or something like that, then he would go up the mountain first to get the card. If it was white, gray, or something like that, he would wait, set up the trap first, then go up the mountain.
Not long after, the Crowned Eagle returned the same way. Its feathers were a bit messy, but it looked very spirited, its head held high like a general who had won a battle.
Taking off the warm phone, he checked the content just recorded.
Quickly dragging the progress bar, Qin Ziwen saw that after the Crowned Eagle flew into the sky, two Black Falcons rushed out from the woods.
This time, the Crowned Eagle didn't back down. It charged directly at them. The camera shook. Moments later, the two Black Falcons fled in disarray.
The Crowned Eagle didn't pursue. It let out a sharp cry.
Having interacted for a long time, Qin Ziwen could discern the Crowned Eagle's mood. This little guy was clearly very happy.
Dragging the progress bar further back, after driving away the Black Falcons, the Crowned Eagle stood at the cave entrance, hopping around. The camera angle kept changing.
Du Yu looked at the Crowned Eagle in surprise. "It seems to be adjusting the angle. It's actually this smart."
The Crowned Eagle let out a high-pitched cry. Who are you looking down on!
Qin Ziwen watched the video seriously. From a certain quickly flashing shot, he caught a glimpse of light.
Qin Ziwen pressed pause. It was a metallic gray. "Looks like it's just an ordinary building card. No rush then."
If they could hunt this giant wild boar, the wild boar would definitely drop a card.
"Also, if a card refreshes and isn't taken, will it refresh into a new card the next day, or will it remain the same one?" Qin Ziwen was indeed a bit curious. Moreover, if it refreshes into a new card, will the "quality" of the new cards on the altar keep stacking?
Gently stroking the Crowned Eagle and packing their equipment, Qin Ziwen and Du Yu stepped into the forest east of the residential complex.
It must be said, after twenty days of frequent travel by the large hunting teams, several winding paths had already appeared in the originally pathless forest.
On these frequently traveled paths, bushes were cut open, grass and vegetation were trampled flat, and marks left on trees along the way were visible from time to time.
The deeper they went, the more the paths diverged.
In some places, there were no traces of people. Suddenly, sounds came from the woods.
The grass opposite rustled, and a group of seven people walked towards them. Several in this team wore raincoats and held kitchen knives and various modified long weapons.
Encountering fellow humans abruptly in the forest, both sides stopped simultaneously, slowly crossing and moving apart.
The other side took a deep look at the long spears carried by Qin Ziwen and Du Yu.
Neither side spoke. Only after walking far away did the tense atmosphere in the air dissipate.
Du Yu said gravely, "Besides my master, the people I least want to encounter in the forest are other hunters."
"Understandable." Qin Ziwen nodded. This was also his second time encountering another team in such a deep area.
In such a remote place, if one side had malicious intent, it would be a fight to the death.
Moreover, this vast forest was desolate and remote. Corpses could be thrown anywhere, and there were plenty of animals in the forest to destroy the evidence.
But it's still morning, right? The other party is returning so early.
Qin Ziwen seemed thoughtful. Considering the direction they came from, he seemed to guess where the other party came from.
Returning this early, they probably set off around three or four in the morning.
These people are really pushing themselves hard.
In the team that had just brushed past them, someone said, "Those two just now are really bold, daring to go into the forest with just two people. But their weapons are really good. That long spear looked quite exquisite. I wonder how they got it."
"Probably not a spear, looked more like a long spear."
"Boss Luo, should we go back..." Someone in the team made a gesture.
Someone else poured cold water on the idea. "Forget it. Those two looked like they weren't to be trifled with. Besides, if they dare to come out with just two people, they must have real skills."
Arriving deep in the forest, Du Yu began searching for traces of the wild boar.
After searching for over two hours, the temperature gradually rose, and their undershirts were soaked with sweat.
Du Yu suddenly crouched down. He pushed aside the weeds on the ground. "Here, wild boar footprints."
Qin Ziwen walked over. On the ground was a small mud pit. The mud inside was somewhat hardened, but two hoof prints the size of bowls were left at the bottom.
The hoof prints were very wide, almost equivalent to the size of two adult palms.
Du Yu said, "These footprints are two days old. But it seems this area is its activity range. For a wild boar of this size, there are basically no natural predators. Without threats, its activity range won't be very large, and it will have several fixed animal paths."
After saying this, Du Yu followed this path and soon found identical footprints in the mud ahead.
The deeper they went, the denser the footprints became. They could even see many traces of trampled earth at the base of some trees.
Pushing aside the grass, Du Yu nodded. "Sir, look, this is wild boar dung, and it's relatively fresh. It was probably left yesterday."
After observing the surroundings, they buried the animal trap on the animal path and covered it with some green grass.
"Sir, let's set the trap around here."
He sprinkled some dried mulberries on the ground and also broke open the Gray Sweet Potatoes, scattering them evenly on the nearby ground.
Du Yu explained, "As long as the wild boar is attracted by these things and lingers nearby, it will lower its head and walk around eating, increasing the probability of stepping on the trap."
"I understand what you mean. So, about how long until the wild boar might get caught in the trap?"
"Uncertain. But it has walked this animal path for the past two days. The probability of it continuing to walk here today is high."
Looking around, Du Yu pointed to a large tree nearby. "Sir, let's hide in the tree."
"Hiding nearby isn't necessarily safe, but wild boars can't climb trees, and they don't like looking up. The tree is safer."
Qin Ziwen followed the suggestion, climbing onto a nearby old tree. Du Yu hid directly above the tree where the trap was set.
The Crowned Eagle flapped its wings, standing on a tree branch not far away, tilting its head to watch the two climbing the tree.
"Shh." Qin Ziwen made a shushing gesture.
The Crowned Eagle seemed to really understand. It didn't spread its wings, just moved its claws and stood beside Qin Ziwen.
Time passed minute by minute.
The temperature in the forest grew hotter and hotter. He took out dry rations from his backpack.
Qin Ziwen estimated that the giant wild boar probably wouldn't appear at this time. After all, the weather was too hot, and it was so huge, walking would be too strenuous.
Just as he guessed, the giant wild boar didn't appear until after three in the afternoon.
"Rustle, rustle..."
From the dense forest not far away came the sound of bushes being scraped.
Qin Ziwen, who was dozing while hugging a tree branch, felt his arm gently pecked. He quickly opened his eyes. The next second, his pupils dilated, and joy appeared in his eyes.
Directly below, a pitch-black, giant wild boar, walking like a small hill, was slowly approaching.
This giant wild boar seemed to know it was the overlord of this area, walking with an extremely arrogant posture.
Unlike other wild boars that hunch their backs when walking, it had its nose tilted upward, eyes slightly squinted, walking very slowly, pausing every few steps and swishing its tail behind.
"This guy..." Qin Ziwen recognized it. This was the same super-large wild boar that had tried to ambush him last time.
Du Yu's body tensed like a bow. He had never seen such a huge wild boar. It was simply the overlord of the mountains. But his eyes grew brighter, and a fierce, excited grin spread across his lips. Hunting such a behemoth was interesting!
The giant wild boar seemed to smell something. It stopped, looked around left and right, and finally lowered its head, its gaze falling on the grass not far away.
It snorted casually a couple of times.
With one push, one bite, and one toss, large patches of green grass were chewed into its mouth.
The dried mulberries sprinkled among the grass were also eaten along with them.
"Snort, snort~"
The wild boar was very satisfied with the taste of this grass. It had not only the fragrance of grass but also a sweet taste.
Soon, it also saw the broken Gray Sweet Potatoes in the grass pile. The broken Gray Sweet Potato tubers had oxidized, slightly yellowed.
The wild boar took a big bite, juice splashing everywhere.
As if it had found a delicious treasure, the wild boar happily snorted twice and even wiggled its body.
It turned its head to eat the nearby grass, its hooves unconsciously moving.
"CLACK!!!"
The powerful animal trap instantly snapped shut, like a ferocious giant mouth closing its jaws.
The giant wild boar jolted violently, a rough, hard "grunt" rolling out from its throat.
Immediately followed by a high-pitched — "HOOONK!!!"
The giant wild boar was in pain. It struggled frantically, but the moment the powerful animal trap snapped shut, it directly sank deep into the leg bone.
Clamped tightly.
The giant wild boar struggled desperately, rolling back and forth. The iron chain and ropes were pulled taut.
The nearby tree shook and rustled.
The giant wild boar turned its head, wanting to see what had bitten it.
It didn't recognize the animal trap, only seeing a large thing clamped on its leg.
Enraged, it tried to turn its head to bite, but no matter how it turned, the trap remained firmly embedded in its leg.
"BANG!"
Two of the hemp ropes tied to the nearby tree snapped. Only one chain remained tied to the tree.
"Clang~ Clang~ Clang~"
With every struggle, the iron chain made a crisp sound, looking precarious.
"This guy's stamina is truly astonishing." Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes. If a person's leg were clamped like that, they would probably lose the ability to walk on the spot. Yet this four-legged giant wild boar was still struggling desperately.
But this level of exertion was extremely serious for its already injured right hind leg. With each kick, its own body weight acted like a heavy hammer repeatedly striking the leg.
Finally, with a thud, the giant wild boar fell to the ground. Its hind leg broke, pale bone fragments protruding from the wound.
Filled with ferocity, it still kept moving its massive body, making noises, a harsh, menacing sound scraping from its throat.
"What a ferocious beast." Qin Ziwen marveled. If they hadn't set a trap in advance and fought head-on, they'd probably be sent flying by this reckless creature in one encounter.
Both Qin Ziwen and Du Yu were very patient, hiding in the tree and quietly watching the giant wild boar exhaust its strength.
As time passed, the wild boar's stamina grew worse and worse.
Perhaps tired, the wild boar's back rose and fell. It lay on its side on the ground.
Du Yu slowly took the compound bow from his back, then drew the bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the wild boar's heart.
Three, two, one.
The carbon fiber arrow turned into a blur.
This arrow deeply penetrated the area of the wild boar's heart.
Almost a third of the entire arrow was buried!
The wild boar, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly jolted upright.
"HOOONK!!!"
It strained, still wanting to charge forward.
But the chain behind it made a clattering sound. With one leg broken, it simply couldn't muster any strength.
After struggling for a while, it lay down again. But this time, the rhythm of its chest rising and falling grew faster and faster.
Another arrow shot from the tree, accurately sinking into its chest.
The giant wild boar no longer had the strength to get up this time. It only let out a mournful cry.
As time passed, the roars gradually faded away.
On the surface of the giant wild boar's body, specks of white light seeped out. Strands of light and shadow intertwined, finally converging into a card.
......