The next morning, Si Nan told Sheng Youqing and the others that he wanted to go hunting with them.
Sheng Youqing and Cheng Wei were both very happy, because in their eyes, Si Nan and Cheng Su Ming were both very strong men. Si Nan also had space and many weapons. With the two of them accompanying him, this hunting trip would definitely be much safer.
Since the beginning of winter, many people have gone out hunting at the Shishan Base. Many of them organized themselves spontaneously, made some sleds and skateboards, and went out hunting. When they encountered large groups of wolves, tigers, bears, etc. in the snow, they usually suffered heavy casualties.
In order to prevent this situation from happening again and to replenish the variety of meat in the points store, the army organizes a hunt every week. Ordinary people can go out hunting with the army, but they have to hand over half of the hunted goods and obey the army's command, otherwise they are not allowed to go with the team.
Of course, if you feel that the goods collected by the army are too high and you don't want to go out hunting with the army, you can spend some points and materials to rent a vehicle with snow wheels from the military and go out hunting by yourself.
When Yang Wentao saw Si Nan and his men were also going out hunting, he discussed with Cheng Suming, "The army has nearly 200 people participating in the hunt this time. There are too many people and the noise will scare away the prey, so we won't be able to hunt many wild animals. Why don't we rent a military covered off-road vehicle together and hunt as much as we want without having to compete with others?"
Cheng Suming had no objection: "Go ask Sheng Youqing, Zheng Jian and the others what they think. Leasing a military vehicle is not cheap. It costs at least 200 points to rent the vehicle and the gasoline for three to five days. That means each person would have to pay about 50 points. Ask them if they are willing to pay."
Yang Wentao found Sheng Youqing and the other person and relayed Cheng Suming's words.
Sheng Youqing said, "I don't care. Brother Yang, you guys just make the decision. Anyway, with Si Nan joining me, I feel much more at ease. I can go hunting with anyone."
Zheng Jian was hesitant: "We are too few in number. Would it be too dangerous to go out alone?"
Yang Wentao said: "Risks and rewards coexist. If you are going out hunting, why should you be afraid of danger?"
Zheng Jian thought about it and said, "Okay, let's rent a car."
Yang Wentao quickly went to the military headquarters to rent a six-seater military off-road vehicle and drove to the entrance of the alley. They would have to stay outside for at least two or three days before returning after going out hunting. In addition to the weapons they needed, such as large bows and crossbows needed for hunting, if they did not have machines, they would either spend points to rent them from the military headquarters or make them themselves. They also had to prepare some dry food, a portable gas stove, thick clothes, bedding, medical supplies, maps and the like.
The military only rents bows and crossbows to people who have no criminal record, have good performance on the base, and have a job and points.
The rental price is not cheap either. A longbow and arrows require 100 points, while various types of machines, armor, and crossbows require double the points. In addition, you have to deposit double the points to rent it. This rule is made because people are afraid that if it is rented out, someone will secretly use it and not return it. Most people simply don't have the points to rent it, so they can only do it themselves.
There are five crossbows made before the end of the world in Sinan Space. Except for the two that she and Cheng Suming often use, the remaining three can be lent to Yang Wentao and the other three.
Sheng Youqing and Yang Wentao borrowed it without hesitation, and also gave all the large items such as bedding that were inconvenient for them to carry to Si Nan, asking Si Nan to put them in her space and keep them for them.
Zheng Jian still felt uncomfortable and was unwilling to use Si Nan's crossbow. He insisted on using a homemade wooden longbow, and also brought some machetes, bedding and other things and stuffed them into the back seat of the car.
Si Nan didn't force him. They had agreed anyway that if they encountered a big prey, they would work together and share the spoils equally after killing it. If they killed small prey, they could keep it as their own. Whatever Zheng Jian wanted was none of her business.
There were only five of them in their group. A neighbor saw them renting a car to go out hunting and wanted to join them.
Cheng Suming declined. "The remaining seat is for our dog Dahei. He is quite big and we can't hold him all the time. We need to arrange a seat for him. When we go out hunting, we rely on him to help us find prey. I'm sorry, we can't add another person."
They did plan to take Dahei out hunting, but the remaining spots would not necessarily be reserved for Dahei. Cheng Suming said this just because he didn't want others to get involved in their team. At that time, they would have to guard against both wild beasts and people getting on the car.
Dahei is a pastoral dog. Although he is quite smart, he has not received any hunting training, so it is not very useful to take him out.
Sinan insisted on taking it out: "Animals are more alert than us humans. In the wild, there are many dangers that we cannot perceive, but they can detect them in advance and give warnings. I am not optimistic about going out hunting this time. I always feel that something will go wrong. I am worried about not taking Dahei with me. If it weren't so cold outside and the ice and snow were not so thick, I would like to take Dabai with me because of its sensitive hearing."
Seeing that she insisted, Cheng Suming had no choice but to follow her.
Before leaving, the two gave the two keys of the house to Sheng's mother and Cheng Wei, one each, and asked them to help look after the house and the two geese in the greenhouse.
Sheng's mother and the others watched them leave, and Yang Wentao drove quickly to the gate of the base.
The soldier in charge of registration at the gate checked the vehicles and personnel and found no smuggling of goods or kidnapping of people. He then said to them, "Be careful when driving outside. Do not turn off the engine if possible. Once the engine is turned off, the fuel tank will be frozen and it will be difficult to start again. Also pay attention to safety when hunting. If you encounter a large group of wolves or wild animals, please leave immediately and do not stay! It is best to hunt along the safe routes that our base's military hunting teams have taken. Do not deviate from places where few people go to avoid danger. Please be sure to return the military vehicles safely, otherwise all the points in your account will be deducted to offset the damaged vehicles."
I said so much because I am worried that they will not be able to return the vehicle. After all, a complete vehicle is very precious now.
Yang Wentao said he understood and stepped on the accelerator to leave the base.
The weather today is pretty good. It’s not so gloomy, the wind and snow are not so strong, and the visibility is very high.
Yang Wentao drove forward at a moderate speed following the hunting route taken by the previous hunters at the base.
Cheng Suming sat in the co-pilot seat, holding in his hand a detailed map of the area around the stone mountain that he had drawn himself. In the white, frozen world around him, he tried hard to observe and identify the direction, and headed towards a place they had agreed upon.
If they followed the safe route explored by the soldiers step by step, it would be safe, but they would not be able to catch many prey because they had all been hunted down by the previous ones.
If they want to hunt a lot of prey, they have to go deep into the mountains or to sparsely populated areas.
Cheng Suming prefers to go to sparsely populated plains. He has to park the car in the deep mountains and hike a long distance to chase prey. If he encounters a large beast, it is difficult to escape. It is far better to hunt on the plains, where he can keep driving without stopping and retreat safely in time when encountering danger.
Everyone had no objection and followed Cheng Suming's arrangements.
Cheng Suming had his eyes on a place called Ke County, which was about four hours' drive from the Shishan Base. Before the end of the world, it was a breeding county that specialized in raising all kinds of edible meats. It not only raised herds of pigs, cattle and sheep, but also edible ostriches, crocodiles, deer, snakes and other exotic creatures.
Although three years had passed since the end of the world, and those animals had long since died or escaped in various natural disasters, Cheng Suming felt that there would be more wild animals in that county than in other places, so he would rather consume more fuel and go there to hunt.
Si Nan stored a lot of gasoline in her space, so she could always refill it when the oil ran out. In this way, the most important fuel problem was solved, and they had no worries.
Si Nan and Sheng Youqing sat in the second row of the back seat, while Zheng Jian and Dahei sat in the third row.
This was the first time that Dahei had traveled far since he was born. He curiously leaned against the car window, watching the scenery passing by outside the car. Except for occasionally seeing other hiking or hunting teams on the road, he would bark twice to remind Sinan. Otherwise, he was very quiet, not noisy, and very well-behaved.
Sheng Youqing couldn't help but say to Sinan, "Your dog is quite smart. It knows to keep a low profile when it goes out hunting for the first time, and occasionally alerts its owner. I wonder if it will listen to you and rush up to bite the prey when it encounters it?"
"I think so." Si Nan turned around and stroked Dahei's head. "When I'm at home, I occasionally train him when I have nothing to do. I ask him to hold my hand, sit down, pee outside the yard, and other simple commands. He will understand after two trainings. Sometimes he can even understand what I say to Su Ming. For example, when I talk about eating meat, eating, going out for a walk, etc., he will perk up his ears and listen carefully to what I say. I think he has a high IQ, so it should be no problem to ask him to help with hunting."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Youqing saw Dahei's black and white ears stand up. He suddenly turned his head to look at Sinan, his dark eyes shining with anticipation, obviously hearing the key words Sinan had just said.
“Pfft——” Sheng Youqing laughed: “It really understands what you said.”
Si Nan reluctantly withdrew his hand and said to Dahei seriously, "Dahei, what I just said was just a normal chat. I didn't mean anything else. Do you understand?"
"Bing." The strange Dahei's ears drooped down and he looked at Sinan with a somewhat aggrieved look.
Si Nan continued, "I can't give you food for now. We're going out hunting and will encounter a lot of prey. Dahei will help us hunt the prey and alert us to other large beasts approaching us. If Dahei behaves well, I'll give you your favorite ham, boiled chicken and duck legs, and your favorite sweet potatoes, okay?"
Dahei immediately perked up, sat up straight, and barked softly at her to indicate that he understood.
Sheng Youqing sighed: "It's really smart. It can completely understand what you say. It makes me want to raise a dog to play with."
"If you want to raise one, then raise it."
"Forget it. Raising a pet is time-consuming and laborious, and it also costs food." Sheng Youqing shook his head. "I am already exhausted just to feed my own family. Raising a dog is like raising an extra family member. I have to take care of its eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, birth, aging, illness and death. Just thinking about it makes me tired. Not everyone has the space, supplies, food and clothing like you do, and the ability to raise a pet. I'm just thinking about it, and I won't really raise a dog to cause trouble to myself."
Zheng Jian sat in the back silently, staring at the snow scene outside the window. It was unknown what he was thinking, but he heard every word of their conversation.
After driving for about two hours, the safe road cleared by people who often go out hunting gradually became an area where no one has ever set foot.
There was thick snow and ice everywhere. Because no one had walked there for a long time and there were landslides due to the previous earthquake, Yang Wentao was worried that the car would get stuck in a sinkhole. He followed the map route indicated by Cheng Suming and drove along the highway to Ke County. He drove slowly and carefully, looking at the collapsed houses and road signs covered with ice and snow on the roadside.
After entering the uninhabited area, Sheng Youqing and the other two in the back seat of the car leaned on the windows to see if there was any prey outside.
Si Nan looked for a long time but didn't see any prey, so he simply took out five telescopes and goggles from the space and gave one to each person in the car, so that everyone could protect their eyes and look for prey in the white snow.
Zheng Jian held the goggles and binoculars in his hands, feeling very complicated. He hated Si Nan for being the daughter of the murderer who killed his eldest brother, but he also had to accept Si Nan's help all the time. To be honest, it was a very uncomfortable feeling.
He felt so useless, always in frustration and rage, taking his anger out on others. It was clearly Si Chengye's fault, but he always took it out on Si Nan. When he thought about it, he really shouldn't have done that.
Every wrong has its perpetrator and it is time to let go of the prejudice against Si Nan. After this hunt, he must find Si Chengye and kill the culprit with his own hands to avenge his elder brother.
Maybe it was because the weather was too cold or because the animals were all hiding for the winter, but they hardly saw any animals running around along the way.
Sheng Youqing couldn't hold back his anger: "What's going on? We've been out for almost four hours, and we're almost in Ke County, but how come we haven't seen a single animal? This is so strange!"
Cheng Suming looked very unhappy. He hadn't seen any animals along the way. There were only two possibilities.
First, there were people who shared the same idea as them and wanted to go hunting in Ke County and kill all the animals along the way first.
But they didn't see any other tire tracks or bloodstains from dead animals along the way. Either someone arrived a day or two earlier than them and the wind and snow at night covered up the traces from the daytime, or this possibility was very low.
The second possibility is that there are large groups of wolves or other wild beasts nearby, which have scared the other animals into hiding, or they have been almost eaten.
Either of these two possibilities makes people feel uneasy.
Everyone else in the car noticed this and fell silent.
In such an abnormal situation, it would be rational for them to return the same way they came, as saving their lives is the most important thing.
Emotionally, they had spent so much time to get to Ke County. If they returned with nothing, not to mention how their families would look at them, they were unwilling to return empty-handed and be laughed at.
As the saying goes, now that we are here...
If no one stops the vehicle, it is assumed to continue moving forward.
After Yang Wentao turned into a downhill road, everyone saw a crooked signboard with the words "Welcome to Ke County" on the side of the road ahead.
There is a thick layer of ice on it, and the fonts look like they were deliberately painted with eye-catching red paint. Even though there is a thick layer of ice on it, you can still vaguely see the words inside, which makes people feel weird and a little strange.
Seeing this, Si Nan turned to Sheng Youqing and Zheng Jian and said, "Youqing, pick up the telescope and look around to see if there are any suspicious buildings or hidden people. I will be in charge of the alert."
Sheng Youqing and the other person didn't say anything. They picked up the telescopes on the left and right and looked around. Si Nan picked up the crossbow with fine iron arrows and looked around with a tense expression.
Once an emergency occurs, she will open the car window and solve the problem immediately.
Sheng Youqing looked for a long time but found nothing wrong. However, Zheng Jian looked sharply and saw that there seemed to be footprints between the trees in the distance where the snow was as high as a hill.
He said to Yang Wentao: "90 degrees to the left, there seem to be animal footprints."
Sheng Youqing picked up the telescope and looked in the direction he mentioned: "It really is there."
Yang Wentao drove over immediately. When he was about a hundred meters away from the woods, a dozen mountain deer suddenly appeared from behind the hillside and fled in all directions as if they were frightened.
The car could not go any further as they were already out of the road. Cheng Suming said, "Anan, you just wait in the car. It's best to sit in the driver's seat and keep an eye on the fuel level. Don't let the engine stop. We'll get off the car to hunt, and Dahei will stay here to protect you."
Sinan said, "Dahei is fast and smart. Let him go hunting with you to practice. I'll be fine in the car. I'll call you if anything happens."
Dahei still remembered what Sinan had said to her about helping with hunting. When he saw Sheng Youqing open the car door, he was not afraid of the cold and jumped directly into the snow. Without any orders from anyone, he was like a bullet, chasing after the most running adult deer.
After getting out of the car, Cheng Suming looked up and around. Apart from some trees of medium height, there were no other buildings or hidden dangers. He then felt relieved to leave Si Nan in the car, holding the crossbow given to him by Si Nan, and followed Dahei.
Yang Wentao chased the two deer that were running in another direction alone. Zheng Jian hesitated for a moment and chose to chase a horned male deer that was running slowly in the opposite direction. The deer looked injured and had a limp. Sheng Youqing followed Dahei without hesitation.
Dahei had just grown into a big dog, and was young, strong and agile. He ran out of a snowy trail in the thick snow. The whole dog could only see its black furry back moving in the white snow, as fast as running on flat ground, making the four already frightened adult deer even more panicked and running around in a panic.
Their movement speed in the snow was obviously not as fast as Dahei's. Soon a slow-running mountain deer was pinned to the ground by Dahei's body, which suddenly jumped out of the snow. Then, Dahei's sharp fangs bit the deer's neck tightly, and blood came out instantly. The mountain deer let out a painful cry.
Cheng Suming walked over and asked Dahei to let go: "Dahei, let go."
Dahei obediently moved aside and wagged his tail to ask Cheng Suming for credit, asking him to praise him and touch his head.
Turning around, he saw Sheng Youqing holding a crossbow, aiming at the other three mountain deer, shooting while running, and every arrow missed. As an enthusiastic dog, it rushed forward to help without hesitation.
An hour later, Cheng Suming was dragging two dead adult deer, Sheng Youqing was dragging a smaller one, Yang Wentao was carrying two big ones on his shoulders, and Zheng Jian was dragging a male deer, and they all returned to the car safely.
The deer of Cheng Suming and the other two were naturally handed over to Si Nan, who was asked to move it into the space for safekeeping.
The trunk of an off-road vehicle is limited and cannot hold so much prey. The smell of blood after killing the prey is likely to attract other beasts, so it is safest to put the hunted prey in the space of Si Nan.
Seeing that they all put their prey into Si Nan's space, Zheng Jian hesitated for a moment and also gave the prey to Si Nan for storage.
"Are you hurt?" Si Nan noticed that Zheng Jian had some scratches on his face and looked pale. He kept covering his stomach with his hands, so he asked with concern.
Zheng Jian pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "It's okay. When I was chasing that male deer earlier, it suddenly turned around and fought to the death. I was hit by its antlers while fighting with it, and my stomach hurts a little."
Si Nan frowned slightly. "That deer weighs at least 150 kilograms, and its antlers are big and sharp. If it hits you with all its strength, it might even punch a hole in your stomach. You'd better let Su Ming take a look."
Zheng Jian was about to refuse, but Cheng Suming came over, opened the car door, lifted up his clothes without hesitation, looked at his stomach, and pressed his stomach twice, asking him if it hurt. He finally came to the conclusion: "The surface of the stomach is moderately bruised, no blood, only some bruises, and the internal organs should not be damaged. He was wearing thick clothes, which blocked most of the force. Apply some medicine and have a good rest for a while, and there won't be any big problems."
Si Nan immediately took out some medicine for treating bruises and injuries from the space, handed it to Zheng Jian, and asked him to apply the medicine.
Zheng Jian looked at the sprays, medicinal wines, ointments and other medicines in his hands for treating various injuries, and felt a little ashamed. While applying the medicine, he whispered thank you to Si Nan and said at the end, "I'm sorry."
Si Nan was startled, but soon realized why he said sorry. He smiled and patted his shoulder: "Don't tell me these things. We are a family and we should help each other."
Are we a family? Zheng Jian covered his belly with the ointment, held the ointment in his hand, and said nothing for a long time.
The car started again, and they continued along the main road toward the larger breeding ranch in Ke County.
Along the way, we saw many ruins of houses and buildings covered with snow, but we didn't see any signs of anyone living or working in them.
On the white road, their car was the only one moving, as if they were the only five living people in the world, which made people feel lonely.
Ke County is indeed a major county for animal husbandry. There are few animals to be seen outside Ke County, and the closer you get to the central area of Ke County, the more animals you see.
For example, pheasants startled by the vehicles were flying all over the sky, hares and wild boars were running around, and there were even tall ostriches, bears, snakes and other strange animals that seemed to be hiding under some ruins. They were frightened by the noise and were running around on the road.
They walked and hunted along the way, adhering to the principle of never straying away from the main road or the vehicles of relatives and friends, and all hunting activities were carried out within a range of 500 meters.
This way they could see each other and take care of each other at any time, and the harvest was quite fruitful. They hunted many pheasants, rabbits, wild boars, and ostriches, and put them all into Si Nan's space to be divided up after returning.
When they arrived at the central area of Ke County, it was already dark. They couldn't keep the car engine running and waste gasoline, so the five of them decided to go to the Ke County Library shown on the map, a building that looked relatively intact, and spend the night inside.
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Disclaimer: The hunting scenes that appear in this article are purely for the needs of the plot. The author does not advocate any killing of wild creatures, so please do not imitate.
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