Hearing Wang Yun's story, a saying surfaced in Qin Ziwen's mind—misfortune might be a blessing in disguise, and blessing might harbor misfortune.
He remembered that besides hunting powerful creatures in the current area, another way to obtain cards was exploring wild resource points.
Home had specifically emphasized that wild resource points were often located in high-risk areas.
Qin Ziwen praised, "Congratulations, Brother Wang! When luck comes, you can't even block it."
Although he had heard similar compliments many times today, Wang Yun couldn't help but smile, especially since it came from Brother Qin, whom he always considered a very thoughtful person.
Qin Ziwen asked curiously, "Brother Wang, did you encounter any guardian beasts or something? When I played games before, there were usually guards in such places."
Wang Yun recalled, "No, maybe we were just lucky not to encounter any. That limestone cave is downstream along this river, probably during the dry season. Although quite humid, there wasn't much water inside, only a few puddles in some areas."
Qin Ziwen pondered, forming a rough guess in his heart.
Home only mentioned that wild resource points were located in high-risk areas, not that the danger was right beside the resource point itself.
Qin Ziwen didn't plan to ask what card Wang Yun obtained, considering it private information.
Wang Yun waved toward the corner, "Brother, do you know what card I got? A Recruitment Card! It can recruit a living, breathing person!"
Qin Ziwen was stunned. Brother, you're telling me just like that?
The long-haired man who had been sitting in the corner stood up and approached.
As he came closer, Qin Ziwen noticed this man possessed an indescribable quality—serene... quiet! Yes, exactly that—quiet.
Earlier when he sat in the corner, aside from the initial glance, his presence wasn't particularly noticeable afterward.
Sitting in the corner, he resembled a harmless plant.
When he walked over, his footsteps were very light, and his posture when exerting force differed from ordinary people.
Wang Yun stood up and placed his hand on the long-haired man's arm, "I obtained a Recruitment Card—a Hunter. He's proficient in traps, bow and arrow making, and skilled at tracking animal traces. Brother, you should understand what this means."
Qin Ziwen nodded. In these circumstances, obtaining a Hunter Recruitment Card was undoubtedly like pulling an SSR card.
Wang Yun looked intently at Qin Ziwen, "So, how about joining us?"
Qin Ziwen glanced around. Everyone in the living room was watching him, waiting for his response.
He stood up, took two steps, and said thoughtfully, "Brother Wang, I really appreciate you thinking highly of me, but I'm not alone. I have a younger brother, and I've also established cooperation with several neighbors upstairs. Currently, there are eight people on my side. Joining abruptly would probably be inconvenient. Thank you for your kind offer, but if you want fish, you're still welcome to come exchange."
Wang Yun hesitated slightly and looked at the others.
His three teammates sitting on the sofa were all uncertain.
Sighing inwardly, Wang Yun knew the answer.
If only Qin Ziwen and his brother joined, he believed his teammates would welcome them.
After losing three people in the recent wolf pack encounter, adding the Qin brothers and the newly recruited Hunter would exactly make up three more able-bodied adults.
But Qin Ziwen's side happened to have eight people. If they integrated into the team, his own "team" would be diluted, and his authority would significantly decrease.
Just like Paris after accepting large numbers of black immigrants, where white people's authority substantially declined.
With this thought, Wang Yun abandoned the idea of recruiting Qin Ziwen, though he still told him, "If you change your mind later, you can still come find me."
Qin Ziwen suddenly asked, "Brother Wang, you know about that giant bird that's appeared in the residential complex these past few days, right?"
Mentioning this, Wang Yun frowned and nodded, "Yes."
"I wonder if it's an eagle or a hawk. For birds like that, how's their night vision? Can it compare to owls?"
Touching upon his professional field, Wang Yun spoke knowledgeably, "Most eagles and hawks are diurnal raptors with relatively weak night vision. A few species are crepuscular raptors with slightly better night vision, but still incomparable to owls like that.
That giant bird that came twice recently should be a diurnal raptor. It's just unclear whether it's an enlarged mutated Earth species or a native bird. Judging from its two hunting performances, its grip strength seems relatively weak for its size."
Here Wang Yun grew interested, "Have you seen a documentary called 'Jaguars of the Air'? In it, a Crowned Eagle once pierced through a tapir's skull with one strike. Since tapir skull thickness is similar to humans', this means that to some extent, if a Crowned Eagle dives, it could potentially pierce human skulls.
If proportionally enlarged, a Crowned Eagle with over seven-meter wingspan capable of high-speed flight wouldn't need to drop people from the air to hunt humans. This suggests that giant bird's grip strength is inferior to Crowned Eagles of similar size.
If we can make some suitable bows later, I'd like to try hunting that giant bird. Maybe it could drop cards like that male crocodile leader. Don't be fooled by its large wings—birds don't weigh much actually."
Qin Ziwen pondered, "Brother Wang, are larger birds necessarily faster flyers?"
Wang Yun laughed heartily, "Haha, of course not! Unless they've evolved into supernatural creatures."
After some casual conversation, Qin Ziwen left Building 1.
In the residential complex, many children gathered together in small groups.
Many children had mud all over their faces, necks, and hands.
Clearly, these kids were quite happy without having to attend school.
During the first couple days, adults still had energy to keep them tightly controlled, but after nearly a week of survival struggles, supervision had gradually relaxed.
"Big brother, I caught these crabs. Do you want to buy them?" A boy around eight or nine years old ran over, holding a plastic container with two large crabs inside.
"How are you selling them?"
The boy looked up with bright eyes, "Do you have sanitary pads?"
Qin Ziwen's smile stiffened, "I'm a big brother. You need to ask the big sisters for those."
"Oh, sorry." The boy grinned, hugging his container as he ran off.
After meeting up with his brother, the two left through the east gate.
Arriving at an open elevated area by the river, Qin Ziwen waved toward the sky.
A dark shadow rapidly descended.
"Wheeeeee-ah!"
The Crowned Eagle affectionately rubbed its head against Qin Ziwen.
"So, are there many birds flying around? Did you see any really, really big birds?" Qin Ziwen spread his arms wide.
The Crowned Eagle tilted its head. From its expression, it seemed to genuinely consider Qin Ziwen's words.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, can it understand human speech? This square-headed thing looks kinda dumb."
"Screech~"
The Crowned Eagle suddenly pecked Qin Ziwu's arm with its beak.
Even through his clothes, the pain made him gasp sharply.
"Damn, this thing can understand human speech!"
Qin Ziwen recalled the card's description: Tamed Adult Crowned Eagle.
Since it specifically mentioned "tamed," understanding some human speech wasn't hard to comprehend.
The Crowned Eagle screeched twice. Qin Ziwen didn't speak animal language and couldn't understand.
"If there are, extend your left claw. If not, extend your right claw."
The Crowned Eagle extended its right claw, placing it in Qin Ziwen's palm.
Witnessing this, Qin Ziwu nearly jumped with excitement. Damn, square-head, you're so smart!
......