Time passed minute by minute, the sun gradually rose higher, the valley became hot and humid, and mosquitoes were buzzing.

Chen Changyuan felt like he was about to melt in the sun, but he still didn't see any sign of the deer.

Just when he was about to lose his patience, the bushes shook and a sturdy male deer appeared in their sight.

The deer had a noticeable limp on its right front leg, clearly injured.

"That's it!" Old Yuantou said excitedly in a low voice, "Changyuan, get ready!"

Chen Changyuan took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, raised his hunting rifle and aimed at the deer.

"Bang!" A gunshot echoed in the silent valley.

The stag fell to the ground and struggled a few times before becoming motionless.

"Great marksmanship!"

Old Yuantou jumped up excitedly and patted Chen Changyuan on the shoulder, "Boy, you are such a good hunter!"

Chen Changyuan also pretended to be excited and followed Lao Yuantou to the side of the stag.

The old man carefully examined the deer's injuries and was amazed:

"This shot hit the heart, killing him instantly! Changyuan, with your marksmanship, it would be a shame if you didn't become a hunter!"

Chen Changyuan smiled and said nothing.

His eyes fell on the wound of the stag and his brows furrowed slightly.

There seems to be something wrong with this wound...

"What's wrong? Is there any problem?" Old Yuantou asked in confusion when he saw Chen Changyuan's strange expression.

Chen Changyuan did not answer. He squatted down and carefully observed the wound.

The hair around the wound was a little charred, as if it had been burned by something.

Moreover, the edges of the wound were not neat, as if it had been cut by a sharp weapon rather than a laceration caused by a bullet.

"This wound..."

Chen Changyuan frowned and gently touched the scar on the deer's leg with his fingers.

The edge of the wound was irregularly jagged, the surrounding hair was charred and curled, and it emitted a faint burnt smell.

"What's wrong?" Old Yuantou squatted aside, took out his pipe, and slowly began to fill it with tobacco.

"Uncle Yuantou, look at this wound,"

Chen Changyuan pointed at the hideous scar and said, "It doesn't look like a gunshot wound. It looks more like it was torn open by something..."

Old Yuan took a closer look, took two puffs of his cigarette, and waved his hand disapprovingly:

"Oh, it must have been scratched by a trap set by some clueless hunter. Some people in these mountains are unrefined. They use wire to set traps, and they saw very hard."

"But these burn marks..."

Chen Changyuan pointed at the black hairs.

"Isn't that easy?"

The old man chuckled. "Those little bastards must have used the electric fence. If they got hit by this thing, it would burn and scratch them."

Chen Changyuan wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Lao Yuantou:

"Alright, alright, you're just a picky kid. We got lucky today and found a great deal, yet you're still nitpicking."

Chen Changyuan looked at the wound and felt that things were not that simple.

"Uncle Yuantou, this deer must weigh more than 200 kilograms, right?" Chen Changyuan changed the subject.

"Um,"

Old Yuantou weighed it.

"A conservative estimate is 240 to 250 kilograms. We can't lift it between the two of us. I need to call for help."

He stood up and dusted off his pants.

"You stay here and watch. I'll go find Lao Liu and the others. They went up the mountain today too. They should be in the woods to the east."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'll stay here." Chen Changyuan nodded.

The old man put on his hunting rifle and gave another warning before leaving:

"Don't run around. Just wait here. These mountains can be unsettled sometimes. Who knows what wild animals might come after smelling blood."

Watching Lao Yuantou's back disappear into the woods, Chen Changyuan squatted down again and carefully examined the stag.

In addition to the wounds on the legs, there were several inconspicuous scratches on the deer's body, some of which had scabbed over and some of which were still bleeding.

He gently rubbed the sticky substance on the edge of the wound with his fingers and put it under his nose to smell it.

A pungent smell penetrated his nose, making him sneeze.

He couldn't describe what the smell was like, but it was definitely not the ordinary smell of blood.

Suddenly, there was a sound of branches breaking in the distance.

Chen Changyuan raised his head alertly and tightened his grip on the hunting rifle. The sound was getting closer and closer, and the leaves rustled, as if something was approaching.

He held his breath and stared at the direction where the sound came from.

The dense bushes swayed slightly, and a dark shadow loomed. The silhouette didn't look human, and the movements weren't like those of an ordinary beast...

The dark shadow behind the bushes slowly approached, and Chen Changyuan's heartbeat accelerated.

He gripped the shotgun tightly, aiming the muzzle at the increasingly clear outline.

It was a bear, a huge black bear!

It stood at least two meters tall, its body covered with thick black hair, its eyes flashing fiercely in the dim woods.

Its sturdy forelimbs are covered with sharp claws, which are chilling just to look at.

Chen Changyuan took a breath of cold air. He had never seen such a big bear in his life!

How did it get here?

Moreover, it seemed quite interested in the dead buck.

The black bear slowly walked out of the bushes. It did not attack immediately, but circled the deer several times, growling through its nostrils.

It seemed to be assessing the prey in front of it, or perhaps, the threat in front of it.

Chen Changyuan didn't dare to act rashly. His palms holding the hunting rifle were full of sweat.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!