novelraw Chapter 13 Hunting
Chapter 13 Hunting
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, Chen Huai completely gave up hope of returning to reality.
Not to mention that his nutrient solution can only last for three days at most, the most important thing is that the company can't possibly not contact him.
If a senior planner involved in the core project and using the game pod goes missing for more than 24 hours during the closed beta, it is enough to trigger the highest level of alarm, and the security protocol will force the pod door to be opened.
Not to mention three days!
Or, in reality, he lies in that cold game pod, already an unawakenable shell, like the deepest vegetative state.
The company may be at its wits' end with him, and it's only a matter of time before they declare him brain dead.
Or... go even further.
The moment he entered this world, some incomprehensible force severed all his connection with reality.
In reality, Chen Huai might have already died at that moment.
Either way, the result is the same.
He can't go back.
All he had to do was survive in this wasteland.
For the past three days, he has been like a sponge, silently and efficiently absorbing everything about this wasteland.
He followed Old Lei's scavenging team, rummaging through the rusted remains in the twisted tin graveyard, identifying the value of the trash, and listening to Old Lei's ramblings about the fragility of the ash potato fields and the annoyance of the iron-clawed birds.
Following another hunting party deeper into the wilderness beyond the camp, they witnessed how the hunters painstakingly hunted down low-level mutated beasts using traps and homemade weapons.
The targets of the hunt are usually mutated creatures that are not strong but provide enough meat.
The most common is the spiky-tailed rabbit—a mutant rabbit that is a size larger than a real-world wild rabbit and has evolved short, hard spines on its tail.
They are fast and adept at darting through rocks and bushes, making them extremely difficult for ordinary people to catch.
It usually requires the cooperation of multiple people, using simple nets or traps to surround them at their relatively fixed drinking or feeding areas.
Slightly larger ones are long-haired pigs.
This creature has thick, tough, long gray fur, exposed fangs, and a relatively irritable temperament, but it is not very intelligent.
They often wallow in fixed mud pits.
To deal with them, it usually takes several people working together to make noise to scare them away to a pre-set ambush point, and then use heavy spears to deliver a fatal blow.
The harvest from a single adult long-haired pig is gratifying, enough to improve the meals for the entire camp for several days.
However, the risks are also high; being butted or poked by the tusks of a long-haired pig can result in death or serious injury.
Yesterday, Chen Huai witnessed how hunters dealt with a lone hairy boar.
Three burly men, two of whom were wielding sharpened wooden sticks, harassed him and tried to force him toward a steep slope.
The other person lay in ambush on the slope.
However, in the end, without needing anyone to lie in wait, Chen Huai jumped out and swiftly took down the hairy pig.
Over the past few days, he has traversed the terrain within several miles of the camp.
To the east are the ruins of a dilapidated road leading to Falling Star City, half-buried by sandstorms; to the west are rolling low hills, where lone mutated wild boars are said to occasionally roam; to the south lies the Loman Forest they came from, where the cat demon that nearly killed him was one of the top predators in the area.
Other strange creatures in the forest include packs of hyenas; giant centipedes that can spray corrosive venom; and swamp lizards lurking deep within.
Chen Huai silently memorized everything.
The largest known city is Falling Star City, which is a huge settlement that evolved from an underground city. It is a highly autonomous power center for the Federation, with a large number of superhumans. It certainly has plenty of resources and opportunities, but it also means higher risks and stricter class barriers.
Lohman Forest is a treasure trove of resources, but also a den of death.
On the morning of the fourth day, Zhou Yan was reviewing the troops in the open space in the center of the camp.
Today's hunting team is unusual – Zhou Yan himself is leading the team:
"Da Tian, Li Qiang, Wang Hu, come with me. Today we're heading to the edge of the Loman Forest to try our luck."
Their target was clearly deeper, riskier, but potentially more lucrative areas, likely aimed at the slightly larger prey on the edge of the Lohman Forest.
The three people whose names were called immediately straightened their backs, especially Da Tian, who subconsciously licked his chapped lips, a hint of barely perceptible excitement flashing in his eyes.
Li Qiang and Wang Hu remained expressionless, silently examining the weapons in their hands.
At the edge of the crowd, Lao Lei and Amu exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat confused.
To prevent people from escaping the dangerous hunting and the relatively arduous scavenging work, they are arranged in shifts, and today's hunting party should include them.
"Boss, what should we do then..."
Old Lei couldn't help but speak, his voice carrying its usual honest and straightforward tone.
"You two stay here. You both worked hard on the last operation, so don't come this time. Lao Lei, take charge of the scavenging team. Amu, go and reinforce the section of the fence on the east side of the camp. There can't be any gaps."
At this moment, Chen Huai walked over.
"Chief Zhou, are we going hunting today?"
Zhou Yan turned around, a smile on her face:
"Yes, sir. We just wandered around the outer edge of the woods a couple of days ago. Today we plan to venture a little deeper and try our luck. It's just that... the woods over there are denser and might be more dangerous than they were a couple of days ago."
Chen Huai nodded, his gaze sweeping over the people Zhou Yan had pointed out, finally settling on Old Lei:
"The forest is deep, so wouldn't it be better to have experienced people? Let Lao Lei and Amu join me. With me here, we should be able to handle most of the beasts, unless they're too outrageous. Didn't we have a better haul with the hunting team the other day?"
Zhou Yan's smile faltered for a moment as he quickly glanced at Lao Lei and Da Tian.
Upon hearing Chen Huai's words, Amu immediately showed a happy expression, clearly pleased to follow this powerful adult.
Old Lei nodded. Although hunting was dangerous, today was his hunting day, and he was willing to go with this man.
Da Tian kept his head down, so his expression was not visible.
Zhou Yan quickly made a mental calculation.
Chen Huai's reasoning was sound. Lao Lei was indeed the most familiar with the terrain, and having him with them would increase the safety factor. The hunting team had indeed had a good harvest a couple of days ago when Chen Huai was there.
He couldn't find a reason to refuse, and insisting on opposing would seem strange.
"OK!"
Zhou Yan readily agreed.
"Alright, let's go then."
Zhou Yan said no more, gave a greeting, and took the lead in walking towards the direction of the Loman Forest.
Da Tian, Li Qiang, and Wang Hu followed.
Chen Huai gestured to Lao Lei and Amu:
"Let's go."
Old Lei quickly grabbed his gleaming hard wooden stick and excitedly followed Chen Huai, muttering to himself:
"Sir, don't worry, there are a few spots near the edge of the woods where you can often spot the long-haired pigs coming out to drink water..."
As Chen Huai listened to Lao Lei's introduction, his gaze calmly swept over the backs of Zhou Yan and the others in front of him, especially Da Tian, who was looking down.
He didn't say anything, but simply started walking, joining Lao Lei and the group, heading towards the forest.
The group ventured deeper and deeper into the Loman Forest.
The light was mostly blocked by the distorted tree canopy. Perhaps because the sunlight couldn't get in, the air was humid and stuffy, carrying a mixed smell of rotting plants and earth.
The thick layer of fallen leaves underfoot felt soft and yielding, making little sound, which only made the forest seem eerily quiet.
Old Lei walked beside Chen Huai, constantly scanning their surroundings warily.
Suddenly, I stopped under a large tree covered in moss. I carefully parted a few thick leaves with a stick, revealing several deep claw marks underneath. The soil was still wet.
"Boss."
Old Lei suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, sounding somewhat nervous:
"We can't go any further! Look at those claw marks... they're Razor Claws!"
Zhou Yan stopped and glanced at the claw marks, his face expressionless.
Razor Claw – a beast resembling a large, mutated lizard, incredibly fast, with claws capable of easily tearing through light armor.
For the people in the camp, although it wasn't as certain of death as encountering a cat demon, it was still a beast with absolutely no hope of fighting back. In the past, they could prepare to escape as soon as they discovered Razorclaw's trail.
But this time...
"Razorclaw?"
Da Tian raised his head, twitched the corners of his mouth, and deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone:
"Old Lei, you're being too cautious! That beast usually lurks deep in the woods; it's not that easy to run into it."
He glanced at Chen Huai quickly:
"Besides, aren't there adults here today? Adults can even handle cat demons, what are you afraid of?"
Zhou Yan immediately chimed in, his tone sounding quite sincere:
"Old Lei is right, we are indeed on the edge of Razor Claw's territory ahead. We should theoretically go around it, but..."
He changed the subject, pointing to a path to the side where the claw marks were visible, with a faint reflection of water:
"Taking the detour will take up most of the day, and we'll have to cross the poisonous swamp, which is quite risky. I reckon Razor Claw's range isn't that restricted. If we stay close to the edge of the forest and move quickly, we should... avoid them."
His last sentence turned to Chen Huai, his tone respectful:
"Sir, what's the best way to go? Should we take a detour, or hurry back as quickly as possible?"
While this sounded like a request for instructions, it actually shifted the decision-making power and responsibility onto Chen Huai.
Chen Huai's gaze lingered on the claw marks for a second, then swept over Zhou Yan and Da Tian, uttering only two words:
"lead the way."