Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 39 The Monkey's Strict Father

Qin Ziwen frowned: "I don't know you well. You have all your limbs intact. Your husband is gone. What does that have to do with your inability to go out and find food?"

Qin Ziwu: "My brother is right!"

After saying that, Qin Ziwen left directly, followed closely by his younger brother and Deng Guang.

Watching his retreating figure, Wang Juan's eyes were filled with complex emotions. She clenched her fists, then helplessly relaxed them, and finally lowered her head. After arriving here and experiencing setbacks time and time again, she realized that the knowledge and operating rules she had acquired in society seemed to be completely useless here. The rules here were more primitive, more rude, and more naked.

Deng Guang did not express any opinion from beginning to end. Although he was kind, he did not abuse his kindness. He only extended his kindness to those close to him.

Leaving through the east gate, Qin Ziwen walked down the riverbank, maintaining a safe distance of at least ten meters from the riverbank out of respect for the crocodiles.

Throughout the journey, the younger brother, Qin Ziwu, remained active.

"Brother, there are some wild vegetables over there."

"I think I heard a monkey making a sound just now."

"Watch out, there's a pit here."

"Wait, I'll leave a mark on the tree."

Qin Ziwen looked up and, through the gaps between the trees overhead, could see a dark gray figure gliding slowly.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the harpy eagle seemed quite well-suited to the forest environment. Apart from making a little noise when it first took off, it was almost silent once it got into flight mode, and it was also very skilled at traversing through the trees.

Deng Guang took out a power bank from his bag. "My wife said you need a power bank if you want to take pictures. There's still some power in here, you can use it first."

"Thanks, Brother Deng."

Deng Guang smiled sheepishly: "You're welcome."

With his phone plugged into a power bank, Qin Ziwen would take a photo at every spot he felt was worth taking a picture of, and then leave a note on the photo.

The closer you get to the downstream area, the wider the river channel becomes, and the calmer the water becomes.

A long black shadow flashed across the river, which Deng Guang happened to notice.

He whispered a warning: "There are crocodiles in the river."

Qin Ziwen nodded to indicate that he understood, "Mm."

It's normal to have crocodiles. They have killed some crocodiles in the past few days, but it's almost impossible to exterminate the crocodiles in this area.

Qin Ziwen said, "The terrain here is flat and the water flows more slowly, which should be more suitable for crocodiles to hunt and survive."

“There are monkeys there.”

Qin Ziwu pointed to the opposite bank of the river.

Across the river, there was a banana grove where several monkeys with long arms were swaying. They had also seen the people on the other side of the river, but they didn't seem afraid. Instead, they squeaked and chirped.

Qin Ziwu asked in confusion, "What are they called?"

Qin Ziwen said in a serious tone, "They are called monkeys."

Qin Ziwu: "..."

"Snapped."

A sharp pain shot through my head. Above me, a monkey sat on a tree branch, holding fruit in its hand, emitting sharp, short squeaking sounds: "Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

"Snapped!"

Another monkey diagonally above also threw out what it was holding.

Qin Ziwen dodged quickly, and only after the object landed did he realize it was a small twig.

Qin Ziwu cursed, "Damn it, these monkeys are chasing us away."

Qin Ziwen looked at the monkeys above him and said, "The monkeys on the other side of the river spotted us and issued a warning. The monkeys on this side received it. They are reminding each other. That's interesting."

The dense canopy overhead blocked out the sunlight, which meant that most of the forest floor was actually quite dark. Fortunately, their area was close to a river, so sunlight could shine in from the side.

"Brother, let's go. These plague monkeys seem even more arrogant than those on Mount Emei."

Before Qin Ziwen could reply, the canopy above his head suddenly went still for a moment.

He instinctively looked up, and a gray shadow, radiating murderous intent, darted through the gaps in the leaves, moving so fast that it left only a blur. The most arrogant monkey from before had vanished from its spot, leaving only a mournful scream echoing through the forest.

The harpy eagle's claws, like iron clamps, precisely gripped the monkey's shoulder blades and back.

The immense impact sent the monkey plummeting downwards, snapping off large foliage.

Using the momentum of its descent, the harpy eagle flapped its powerful wings violently, made a sharp turn in mid-air, and landed on a thick tree branch not far away. Its originally innocent-looking eyes turned cold and stern, and monkeys scattered in panic wherever its gaze fell.

The monkey, trampled underfoot, lowered its head helplessly, becoming a dying monkey, devoid of any arrogance.

"squeak--!"

The monkeys erupted in chaos, leaping and scattering among the branches, their cries filled with terror.

When they first saw a harpy eagle, they felt the same fear a mischievous child has when meeting a strict father.

"clatter."

A few drops of warm blood dripped from the tree.

Qin Ziwu's eyes burned with fervor. He clenched his fist, swung his arm, and exclaimed, "Holy crap, that's so cool!"

He looked at his older brother and said, "This silly eagle, no, this amazing eagle is too fierce!"

Deng Guang looked at the harpy eagle overhead and instinctively prepared to run. Seeing Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu standing still, he quickly urged, "Run! This bird is fierce. Don't let it target you."

Seeing that Deng Guang's behavior didn't seem fake, Qin Ziwen asked, "Brother Deng, didn't your wife tell you?"

"What did you say?" Deng Guang was taken aback. He suddenly realized, "Wait, wasn't this the bird that Xiao Mei came downstairs to sew your backpack just now?!"

He thought it was a sparrow or parrot, a small bird he had picked up. He thought they were quite interesting; they had picked up a bird from the forest to keep as a pet and even sewed a small backpack for it. They were so childlike.

So that's what this big guy is.

Deng Guang exclaimed, "Your bird is quite big."

Qin Ziwu coughed suddenly, almost choking on his saliva.

Deng Guang realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself, "It's not a bird, it's an eagle."

There was silence for a moment.

The three men looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Sometimes, driving made them feel their tense brains relax and their tired minds be relieved.

Qin Ziwen suppressed his smile and said, "Alright, it will help us observe whether there are any large animals around. If there are, it will also help us restrain them. Let's walk along the river for a while."

After walking for nearly half an hour, another backwater appeared ahead.

This backwater is quite large, with the river turning inwards for a considerable distance.

The terrain here is flat, and the trees along the river are sparse.

In the backwater, several large, grayish-brown backs are visible above the water, most of which are submerged in the river.

Qin Ziwen warned: "A herd of hippos."

He took out his phone and took a picture of the hippo.

Only these thick-skinned, fat men would dare to leisurely soak in this section of the river.

On the water, a hippopotamus seemed to have spotted humans not far away, and it slowly swam toward them.

"Walk."

Qin Ziwen decisively led the two back. Hippos are temperamental and territorial, and their threat is no less than that of crocodiles.

"Let's stop exploring down to this point on both banks of the lower reaches of the river for now. Going any further would be of little significance for the time being."

It took me more than three hours to walk from the neighborhood to here.

The round trip alone takes at least seven hours on foot. Adding the time needed for hunting and gathering supplies, it's practically the limit for a daytime hunt.

On the way back, Qin Ziwen focused his attention on the plants along the way.

Soon, he found three gray sweet potato plants on a gentle slope near the river.

(End of this chapter)