As soon as it was light, Chen Hao squatted on the grass and gnawed on a piece of dried tree bark.
It was more like grinding with his teeth than gnawing. His cheeks ached terribly, but he persevered, since Nana had peeled this thing from some kind of bush last night, supposedly "rich in fiber and good for bowel movements."
“I’d rather not eat this than eat it again.” He spat out the last small piece, clapped his hands, and said, “Shouldn’t we try something new today? Like… meat?”
Nana stood to the side, slightly adjusting the angle of the optical lens: "You said you wanted to try out the real thing when you finished training yesterday."
"Did I say that?" He scratched his head. "I probably just talked nonsense in the heat of the moment."
"You still say you're a prospective professional hunter?"
"That was fifteen minutes ago. People have to keep up with the times, right?" He stood up, stretched, and his belly jiggled. "But since we've come this far, we can't just give up halfway. You agree, right?"
“The logic holds.” She turned and pointed to a low-lying area at the edge of the woods. “Last night’s patrol found three fresh claw marks, and another patch of plant fruit was more than half eaten, which is inferred to be an area where small herbivores are frequently active.”
"Sounds like a place rabbits go." He squinted at the bushes. "Should we not chase after them, and not even run? Let's just set a trap and let them walk right into it?"
"That is the proposed solution."
“I like this kind of hunting that doesn’t require much physical exertion.” He grinned. “Come on, let’s get started.”
The two approached the depression, and Chen Hao bent down and touched the ground: "The soil is quite loose, digging a hole shouldn't be difficult."
“No need for a deep pit.” Nana raised her arm and projected a simple diagram. “Use a lasso trap, combining the elasticity of vines with a trigger mechanism. Once the target steps in, it will be wrapped around their hind limbs.”
"Pretty high-tech, huh?" He glanced at the phantom. "But the materials need to be reliable, or I might trip up myself instead of catching the rabbit."
"The flexible rattan collected yesterday has been screened, and its tensile strength meets the standards."
"You really do know everything." He muttered as he started working, first inserting several wooden stakes into the ground to secure the frame, then twisting the water-soaked vines into ropes and wrapping them around the mechanism's support points. "So, did you come with this knowledge from the factory, or did you learn it on the way here?"
"The database covers basic survival engineering, animal behavior, and primitive toolmaking standards."
"So, you have a wilderness survival encyclopedia in your head?"
The analogy holds true.
"If I asked you 'how to generate electricity from leaves,' could you answer?"
"It cannot be achieved under current conditions."
“I knew it.” He tied the last knot, clapped his hands, and said, “Alright, the trap is set. Next—lay the bait.”
He pulled an oval-shaped fruit from the sack. Its skin had a faint waxy sheen. It was the fruit of the wax-leaved shrub he had picked in Chapter 68. It was still a little soft to the touch and smelled sweet.
"Does this thing really attract animals?" He looked at the fruit in his hand with skepticism.
"Tests showed that the sugar content was 12%, and the volatile aromatic components matched the preferences of local herbivores by 83%."
"It sounds like a successful match on a blind date." He gently placed the fruit in the center of the trap. "I hope our 'matchmaking' business will have a smooth start."
"It is recommended to evacuate to the observation point."
“Yes, I can’t scare them away.” He tiptoed back, like a thief, and plopped down behind a bush ten meters away. “I feel like a voyeur right now.”
“Good concealment.” Nana stood to his side and slightly behind, the camera continuing to scan the area in front of him.
Time passed little by little.
Chen Hao had been staring at the trap at first, but then his eyelids started to droop. He rubbed his eyes and said, "This is even more boring than leaving a game running. Are the enemies coming or not?"
"Hunting is the art of waiting."
"Who said that? It must be someone who hasn't had enough to eat." He sighed and leaned against the tree trunk. "I feel like I'm hallucinating from hunger. I think I just saw that rabbit gnawing on my shoes in my dream."
"You are not wearing shoes."
"See, this is what happens when you're hungry."
As soon as he finished speaking, the grass rustled slightly.
Both of them fell silent.
A gray-furred animal emerged from the side, its ears standing up high and its nose twitching. It did look like a rabbit, but its tail was much shorter and its limbs were thicker.
It stopped outside the trap, staring at the fruit for a good ten seconds without moving.
"Did it discover the mechanism?" Chen Hao asked in a low voice. "Isn't it too smart? Even rabbits are becoming intelligent these days?"
“We’re in the risk assessment phase,” Nana replied softly. “Most prey will first observe environmental noise, smells, and visual anomalies.”
"Should we hold our breath?"
"Your current breathing rate is 21 times per minute, which does not affect the assessment."
"Thanks, but you didn't have to be so precise in your attack."
The animal finally moved forward one step, then another, cautiously approaching the fruit.
Just as it lowered its head to take its first bite, its front paws landed precisely on the trigger point.
A soft "click" sounded.
The vines suddenly tightened, and a noose quickly wrapped around its hind legs. With a sharp tug, its entire body lost its balance and tumbled into the shallow pit.
It struggled to jump, but the more it moved, the tighter it became entangled, until it could only spin in place, emitting short, sharp cries.
Chen Hao suddenly stood up: "We caught them! We really caught them!"
“Keep quiet.” Nana grabbed his shoulder. “To avoid disturbing other creatures or attracting predators.”
"Oh right, right, right." He quickly squatted down, his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat. "What... what do we do now?"
Approach slowly, avoiding sudden movements.
He took a deep breath, crouched low, and moved forward step by step, his palms sweating profusely. When he was five steps away from the trap, the animal was still kicking desperately, and the vines had already dug a little into its fur.
"Won't it break its leg?" he panicked a little. "I don't want to abuse animals, I just want to have a good meal."
“No bones were damaged,” Nana confirmed after scanning. “I suggest using a spare wooden stick to secure the end of the rope to prevent escape.”
“That makes sense.” He turned around, pulled out a short stick, stuck it into the ground to secure the end of the vine, then squatted down by the pit, looking at the little guy who was still panting. “Hey, buddy, sorry, you’re pretty cute, but I’m really hungry.”
He reached out to press down on its back, then pulled back: "What if it bites me?"
"The biting force of the upper and lower jaws is insufficient to penetrate the skin."
Are you sure you're not just trying to comfort me?
"Data doesn't lie."
He gritted his teeth, pressed down on its back with one hand, and carefully untied the tightly knotted vines with the other. The animal trembled violently, but was held down and unable to move.
"Alright, alright, don't be afraid," he said, his voice trembling. "I'll make sure you leave with some dignity later."
When he finally loosened the last restraint, the animal was firmly trapped at the bottom of the pit. Although it could still struggle, it could not escape.
Chen Hao slowly straightened up and grinned.
“We really did it.” He turned to Nana, his eyes shining brightly. “This isn’t a simulation, it’s not a projection, it’s alive! Warm! Edible!”
"The first capture record is confirmed." Nana nodded. "The prey weighs about 1.7 kilograms and can provide about 2,000 calories."
"Wow, that's more than I burn in a day." He rubbed his hands together. "I can have an extra meal tonight."
Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from not far away.
It wasn't the kind of rustling sound you hear in the wind; it was more like something crawling along the ground.
He froze.
Nana's camera flashed blue and quickly turned towards the source of the sound.
“Large moving heat source detected,” she whispered. “Sixty meters away, continuing to approach.”
Chen Hao's hand was still resting on the edge of the trap, but his body tensed up inch by inch.
"No way..." He swallowed hard. "We've only just caught the food, and someone's already trying to steal our seats?"
Nana didn't answer, but simply took half a step forward and stood in front of him.
The sound paused for a few seconds, then continued, this time even closer.
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