But death is not far off; in the end, they'll all be eaten anyway.
Li Gangtie had the supplies sent down the mountain, and he led the remaining team members deeper into the mountains.
The snow is deeper here, but the animal tracks are also more obvious.
Following the footprints, the group found a wild boar. The boar was plump and strong, and looked to weigh at least four or five hundred pounds.
Li Gangtie had an idea and told Shen Yanming and Ji Kangyong to step back. He and the other guards, armed with tools, launched an attack.
Of course, they weren't reckless people either. From a distance, they took out their crossbows and shot at the boar's eyes.
With two soft "plop" sounds, the wild boar let out a loud "oink".
Two streams of hot blood flowed from its eyes, as two crossbow bolts pierced its brain through its eyes. The creature didn't even have time to struggle before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
"Is he dead?" Guo Tingshuo asked, and then stepped forward to check.
"Let's wait a bit, we can't let our guard down," Li Gangtie advised.
To be honest, they didn't have much hunting experience. These wild boars were protected species before the apocalypse; who would dare catch them? It's only now that nobody cares.
"Did this place used to be home to wild boars?" Shen Yanming asked, frowning.
Li Gangtie shook his head: "I don't know. Logically speaking, this place is not far from the sea city, so it's unlikely that there are such large beasts. But now that human living space is shrinking, it's not impossible for animals to expand their territory."
Especially in these mountains, almost no one comes here anymore. Those surviving small animals, wouldn't they be fiercely marking their territory?
Shen Yanming nodded, agreeing that it made sense.
If that's the case, then if he secretly releases some small animals in the future, it shouldn't attract anyone's attention, right?
"Alright, it's about time. I'll go up and take a look, and while I'm at it, give it a couple more cuts to bleed it out."
"Okay, then you'd better be careful!"
Li Gangtie smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Having said that, he took a dagger in one hand and a sickle in the other, and carefully walked toward the wild boar carcass.
When I was a meter away, I poked it with a sickle, and the big guy on the ground shook.
Li Gangtie was stunned, thinking to himself that this wild boar had an incredibly strong vitality.
So he took the sickle and slashed at the wild boar with all his might, until the creature on the ground was covered in wounds and blood flowed everywhere before he stopped.
"That's enough, chop all the meat into pieces." Someone stepped forward and stopped him.
Li Gangtie stepped forward, pulled out the two crossbow bolts, and then slit the wild boar's neck with a knife.
Blood spurted forward quite a distance, almost hitting Li Gangtie. However, he dodged quickly and only a tiny bit got on him.
"That's enough for us, we can head home now. But it's still early, what do you guys think, want to wander around a bit more?"
After Li Gangtie and others had drained most of the blood, he pulled the snow from the side and covered the blood with it before turning around to ask for their opinions.
Shen Yanming and Ji Kangyong had no objections, since the two of them were basically just there to make up the numbers anyway.
Some of the others were reluctant to leave, since it wasn't easy for them to come all this way.
"It's still early, how about we see if we can catch something else?"
"That's right, Captain. After making such a long trip, you only get a small share when you get back and divide it among the team."
Li Gangtie looked at everyone, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: "Alright, let's go a little further in. But we can't be greedy. If we encounter any danger, we'll retreat immediately."
"Okay, Captain."
Looking at the wild boar that had been ravaged beyond recognition, Shen Yanming asked in a low voice, "What should we do with this guy? We can't just carry him along, can we?"
That would be too heavy and inconvenient.
"We brought rope, so we can just tie it to the tree. There's no one around here anyway, so we don't have to worry about anyone stealing it."
After saying that, Li Gangtie took out a rope from his bag and quickly climbed up a tall tree more than three meters high next to him.
He draped the rope over a thick branch at the base of the tree canopy, then climbed down, tied one end to the pig, pulled the pig to a suspended position, and then tied it back to the tree to secure it.
Of course, this process requires the help of teammates. Otherwise, no matter how strong he is, he wouldn't be able to lift a behemoth weighing four or five hundred pounds.
After it was secured, Li Gangtie dusted himself off and said, "Now we don't have to worry about animals messing with the meat."
"Alright, you've thought of everything." Shen Yanming said casually.
The group continued into the mountains, and based on the tracks on the ground, they caught a deer, two sheep, and three to five rabbits.
They looked skinny and not strong at all. It must be because the winter was too long and they were starving. It's strange, really; I don't know how there are domesticated sheep and wild deer in this place.
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful. Look at these sheep and deer, they probably only weigh a hundred or two hundred pounds. After removing the skin and internal organs, there's not much meat left."
Li Gangtie nodded: "When we get back, the skin and internal organs are also good stuff. We can just share some of the meat and give the rest to the guards."
"I have no objection. If we maintain good relations with the leaders, we can borrow a sled again next time. We can eat less this time and make up for it next time."
"Speaking of which, how come that pig is so fat? They both live in these mountains, but the difference is just too big!"
"Wild boars are omnivorous, with an incredibly wide range of food sources. They eat not only grass but also meat. When they're hungry, they'll even eat rabbits, mice, scorpions, and snakes."
"Damn, now that you've made me not want to eat wild boar meat anymore."
"Ha, what year is this and you're still being so fussy? You're lucky to have anything to eat, why are you being picky?"
“If I don’t pick and choose when I have the chance, do you think I’m stupid? Captain Li, when I apply for the meat distribution, I’ll ask for more mutton or venison and less pork.”
"I can't make that decision. After the offerings are paid, the rest will be split equally. You can ask your teammates if anyone is willing to trade with you."
"Hmm...that works too!"
The group bled the sheep and deer, then hung them on trees, just like before. Although it took some effort, it was much more reassuring than leaving them on the ground.
Continuing on, we soon came to see a river. The river was quite wide, and the ice was rather thick.
Do you think there are any fish down there?
"There should be... right? Hehe, I don't know. But there are fish in wild rivers, and since no one has been fishing for a long time, the fish should be quite big!"
"Shall we give it a try?"
"Let's give it a try! We've already made our money today, so consider the rest free. Don't you agree, Captain Li?"
Li Gangtie smiled helplessly, nodded at the eager looks on their faces, and said, "Let's dig and see. If we find fish, we won't have to search for wild animals everywhere." Fish alone might be enough for them to eat until winter is over.
"Alright! I'll chisel, you move aside!"
Li Gangtie didn't stand on ceremony with the man and stood a meter away from the river.
Fearing the man would fall into the river, he tied a rope to both himself and the man.
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