Infinite Hunter

It was a massive python. Cheng Yijiu could tell it was even larger than him, perhaps as much as twenty meters long. And it was definitely female—the scent of hormones was emanating from it. Cheng Yijiu followed the snake from a distance and, as expected, arrived at a large mud pit that looked quite familiar. Several thick, rotten logs lay scattered across the mud pit, and on top of them were orchids that were a sickly red, almost blackish color. On the other side, Cheng Yijiu also spotted orchids that looked like sapphires.

Two orchids grew on each side. Cheng Yijiu was delighted when he discovered them—unlike other pythons, he could actually see colors. His infrared vision was more accurate than other snakes, even comparable to human infrared night vision goggles—and this was after computer-sharpened image processing.

He tried to devour the orchids, but the female snake slammed him hard, even opening its mouth to intimidate him. The giant python wouldn't let Cheng Yijiu get close to the rotten logs, though it would have been more than welcome to the muddy pond below. Cheng Yijiu could only temporarily leave and wait for another opportunity. With the arrival of the other pythons, Cheng Yijiu figured he'd have plenty of opportunities to collect orchids once the breeding season began.

"Is it really such a coincidence? I heard that this thing blooms every seven years, so I thought it would come at a normal time. I didn't expect it to be so much easier." Cheng Yijiu was also very happy. He really thought he would have to stay for a long time, but now it seems that he can complete the task in a week at most. There was a vibration in the air in the sky, and Cheng Yijiu seemed to see a moving object flying over his head.

There were three helicopters, flying here, searching for the orchid's location. Big Pharma, driven by profit, would never easily admit defeat; even the death of twelve employees just a day earlier wouldn't bother them. They immediately mobilized more manpower and resources, even using helicopters to expedite the search. The survivors' descriptions, of course, piqued the pharmaceutical companies' interest.

From the two women's descriptions, it seemed that this creature was some kind of intelligent being, quite ferocious, with activity patterns more similar to those of ancient humans. Perhaps it was the same tribesmen who had survived centuries ago by relying on orchids to sustain their lives? In short, the people above didn't believe in monsters or aliens. They preferred to believe that this was the result of ancient tribesmen familiar with the terrain and jungle activities.

The majority of the helicopters dispatched this time were heavily armed mercenaries, with a few being R&D personnel looking for Lanhua. All the mercenaries wore infrared night vision goggles and stab-proof vests. "Down there!" the R&D personnel patted the person in front of them and pointed downward. The mercenary nearby pulled out a thick-barreled pistol and fired a smoke flare directly at the target indicated by the R&D personnel.

From their high vantage point, they actually spotted a possible orchid growth area—the muddy area was quite obvious, and the surrounding trees were almost completely rotten and fallen. Therefore, it could be seen from the helicopter—"What's going on here? Why does it look like some kind of...meteor crater?"

Cheng Yijiu couldn't see it from this angle, but if he saw it, he'd think so too. This quagmire truly resembled a meteorite crater. The surrounding trees seemed to have fallen at that time, decaying and forming the roots of the orchids. And maybe this was a meteorite with strange radiation, and maybe these blood orchids were just mutations of that radiation.

This mud pit was likely the center of the meteorite's impact. Perhaps hundreds of years ago, a meteorite smashed into this crater, and then water poured in, leaving it like this. The people on the helicopter probably hadn't spotted the giant python yet. From above, it looked like the python's camouflage was protecting it remarkably well. Cheng Yijiu felt the vibrations of the air in the sky, and soon he felt the vibrations of the ground where his body was touching.

Something fell to the ground.

Those were helicopter landings. They couldn't land in the mud pit, but they could land in a village about five kilometers away. And the smoke bombs could continue to emit smoke for at least thirty-six hours.

Chapter 17 Return

These were veterans of jungle warfare, mercenaries with years of experience serving in the rainforests of South America and Africa, and extensive experience in Southeast Asia. Their current role was to escort the technicians quickly to the designated location, and if any "anomalies" were detected, they would also be tasked with obtaining samples.

Cheng Yijiu felt he had to hurry—the human brain's ability to reason told him of a grim future. He absolutely refused to bear the consequences of mission failure, so he had to force his way to the orchid. Even if it meant a duel with the giant python, he probably had to do it. Time was running out for Cheng Yijiu. While the rainforest was difficult to navigate, a five-kilometer journey would only take the men half a day.

The most optimistic estimate—even if researchers collected samples along the way—could only delay the process by a day at most. Cheng Yijiu was quite cunning. He approached the orchid from another direction. If he could only swallow one, his mission would be complete. The only problem was how to escape. After consuming the orchid, he also had to find a way to retreat. If at all possible, Cheng Yijiu didn't want to tangle with the humans who were expected to arrive soon.

Although he didn't know the composition of these humans yet, he knew from a casualty of the previous incident that they couldn't possibly be unarmed. And what if a python grew to twenty meters? Wasn't it still a carbon-based creature? Its skin couldn't stop bullets. It could stop small-caliber pistol rounds, but it wouldn't stop rifle rounds. So what if its body was one meter in diameter? A few more shots would kill it.

As for following and then stealthily attacking? Movies might show human panic like this, but in real life, the only outcome would probably be death and specimen preservation. Even with Cheng Yijiu's skill, he could follow the tracks left by the giant python. How could those veterans not be able to keep up? A python that size couldn't possibly be invisible. Cheng Yijiu, hunkered down in the mire, was calmly thinking, patiently waiting for his opportunity.

Two very large pythons appeared, seemingly lured here—none as large as Cheng Yijiu, but not much smaller. After they began to tangle with the female snake, Cheng Yijiu felt his chance had arrived. He quickly spiraled upwards, avoiding the rotten wood to prevent it from collapsing under his weight. His upper body gradually approached the orchid. It was unlikely the female snake would be able to stop him—and with her pitiful intelligence, she probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out.

"Close, very close." Cheng Yijiu finally reached the orchid. He quickly swallowed one, then circled around to swallow the other. Then he quickly retracted to prevent the snake below from going crazy. The giant python left the mire and swam away into the distance.

He didn't hear the gunshot, but he could smell the scent of pythons and human gunpowder. Perhaps a conflict had actually occurred. But that wasn't Cheng Yijiu's concern, because the next moment he was already in the hall. "Mission accomplished," he muttered, checking the computer and finding several medications on the redemption list. These included pills for extending lifespan, slowing aging, and even pills with various therapeutic effects—they ranged from cancer to Alzheimer's.

However, the exchange price is expensive, and some therapeutic drugs are not pills but injections that require considerable skill to use. Cheng Yijiu took a look at the drug instructions and found that the two pills for prolonging life and delaying aging are to be taken regularly and long-term, which is equivalent to taking one pill a month. "Can taking it all the time make me immortal?" Cheng Yijiu was also surprised, but it seemed to be the case after reading the drug instructions.

Most cancer treatments are oral medications, and they're universal for multiple cancers. At least the instructions say they're for the liver, lungs, pancreas, gallbladder, stomach, and the entire digestive system. They don't completely kill cancer cells, but in the early stages, they eliminate them, while in the middle and late stages, they shrink and control them. As long as you take them consistently, there won't be any problems. "It doesn't mention drug resistance... And from the tone of it, it sounds like if I keep taking it, the cancer cells will die on their own?"

This was a lot of money. If he could sell these drugs, especially the anti-cancer drugs, to pharmaceutical companies for analysis, it would be a huge profit. However, Cheng Yijiu couldn't take them out. He had no way to legally turn them into cash—which was good for him, since he didn't seem to need that much money anyway. This bounty was enough to buy him a house in a remote area, making him a local homebuyer.

Would it be easier to hide in the crowd that way? Or maybe wait a few more months—he'd save the money bit by bit, and then slowly buy it. Unfortunately, his skills were limited, and he couldn't launder the money by setting up a shell company. Besides, it was only a little over a million, so laundering money wasn't fun.

On the second floor, something unexpected appeared. "There's even a specimen of a predator? That's incredible." Cheng Yijiu saw that next to the python specimen, there was actually a specimen of a two-meter-tall Iron Warrior. This guy was not wearing a mask, revealing his ferocious face, and the weapons in his hands were placed aside. Cheng Yijiu touched the Iron Warrior's weapon. Its knife was very light. Cheng Yijiu knocked it and always felt that the sound was dull, giving him the feeling that it was more like plastic or titanium alloy.

But it was incredibly sharp, truly incredibly sharp, and corrosion-resistant—Cheng Yijiu tried soaking it in acid, but there was no reaction at all. The blade didn't seem to have dulled at all after cutting through hard materials. He hadn't found the monster's sharpening device, but the predator in front of him had quite a bit of equipment scattered about, so he could definitely try each one out.

The same goes for the telescopic spear. It's also incredibly light, lighter than aluminum. Flicking the switch on it instantly releases and locks with a click. This spear is also sharp and strong, but designed for piercing, not cutting—it's not edged on either side, only the tip. It's a bit long for a human, and holding it in the middle with both hands isn't very convenient.

Cheng Yijiu spotted the shoulder cannon, but it needed to be connected to the mask, and since he couldn't read the Predator's writing, he didn't try it. The device, resembling a tube, opened to reveal a variety of oddly shaped knives. These were probably the knives the Predators used to slay their prey, but they could also be used to treat their own injuries. Inside, there was a small tube of luminescent liquid visible through a transparent glass window. This was most likely the thing used to make wound dressings in that movie.

He didn't want to try it, human blood doesn't glow...

Chapter 18 Daily Life

The Terminator had quite a few small parts. Cheng Yijiu spotted a hanging mesh garment—combined with a wrist computer on the side, it could achieve optical invisibility. He had no desire to use that computer. Not to mention that it would explode like hundreds or even thousands of kilograms of TNT. If there were predators in this world, and if they were summoned after activation, Cheng Yijiu felt they would likely hang his head in the trophy collection room—just like the prey in his collection room.

After all, those guys also left skulls behind...

After completing this mission, the official mission would not begin for several months—looking at the progress bar, it would take at least three months. Cheng Yijiu looked at the rather expensive medicine on the exchange list, then gritted his teeth and prepared to exchange it for a bottle of longevity medicine and a bottle of anti-aging medicine.

The so-called longevity drug can actually fight aging. This anti-aging drug actually reverses the body's condition and adjusts it to the state of about 20 years old - at least this is the case for people in their 40s, and people in their 70s or 80s can recover to the state of about 50 years old.

This anti-aging drug also requires long-term use; one capsule per month is sufficient. The specifications are the same as those for longevity elixirs, with a small bottle containing twelve capsules, a perfect supply for a year. "Is this price miscalculated?" While redeeming the points, Cheng Yijiu noticed something unusual—compared to the listed price, the points he paid for the exchange were only about one twentieth of the original price.

"The first redemption of each cycle is this number of points. Subsequent redemptions will result in the marked price." These were the words that appeared on the computer. Money couldn't be redeemed for points, and the rewards already included both money and points. Cheng Yijiu realized that if this were the case, he would essentially be the only one who could consume these medications.

As for his parents... he calculated that it should be enough—as long as he didn't die, he could still afford the four bottles of two drugs each year. The problem was that his parents were not even sixty years old. If they started taking the medicine now, their physical condition would probably return to that of their forties. But perhaps a longevity drug was a bit of a waste?

It's better to check the computer for this kind of thing, I hope there is an answer.

The answer is revealed. These two medicines complement each other. If taken alone, the anti-aging drugs will not be very effective. They must be taken together to exert the best effect. Moreover, it is not the case that everything will be fine after taking the medicine - "You still need good exercise and living habits... Otherwise, you can only get the body of a 40-year-old otaku." The computer is indeed like this. This computer is definitely not a simple computer. Cheng Yijiu suspects that there is actually a mastermind behind it who is answering questions in real time.

That was easy. Three months was enough time for him to go back and give the medicine to his parents so they could take it. His excuse was simple enough: just say it was a nutritional supplement and they could just take one pill a month and write it on the calendar as a reminder.

It wouldn't take long to get back home. Cheng Yijiu came from an ordinary family, and his parents were happy to have him back home. They still talked about his marriage, though, and there were a lot of talks about him going on blind dates. However, Cheng Yijiu was no longer a virgin. Back when he was hunting pythons, he'd had sex with Gail, and he'd experienced the charm of a foreign woman.

In this situation, he was even more afraid to look for a girlfriend, and the excitement that hunting brought him was far greater than that of women. At this time, wild boars appeared in the mountains of his hometown...

Over the past decade or so, China has done a remarkable job planting trees, closing off mountains for conservation, and improving living standards. This has also significantly improved the overall quality of life for citizens. Environmental damage and wildlife poaching have become a widespread issue in society. Consequently, within the gradually recovering forests and vegetation, the highly fertile wild boar population has become a growing problem.

After all, their natural enemies are even harder to restore—large carnivores have become extinct in many areas. Restoring them requires either reintroducing them to the wild or slowly allowing them to spread to other areas where they still exist. "Wild boars have destroyed over a dozen acres of farmland since they came down from the mountains, and people have encountered them on the road more than once—if this continues, someone will get hurt sooner or later," Cheng Yijiu said, observing his uncle. "The city has applied to hunt five or six wild boars, but only licensed hunters can do so—actually, licensed hunters from the Forestry Bureau."

These were just amateur hunters with hounds—since the mountain was closed, most hunters hadn't hunted big game, and the country had strict controls on hunting with guns. Cheng Yijiu wanted to give it a try, but he couldn't take out his gun and he didn't have a hunting license.

But he could exploit a loophole—hunting with a bow and arrow was less strictly regulated. As long as he didn't poach protected animals, he could still be jailed if caught hunting wild boar in the mountains, but it was considered borderline. So, should he use a bow or a compound bow? Cheng Yijiu had seen Americans hunting wild boar with bows and arrows, and the compound bow was the obvious choice.

Because aiming is important, the American Hunter bow doesn't require long-term practice, at least not even after firing tens of thousands of arrows. A compound bow with an arrow rest and sights is much easier to use. Compound bows are also shorter, not as long as the American Hunter bow—and of course, they're definitely not as good-looking.

However, where could one buy a decent bow in this small place? If Taobao delivered, Cheng Yijiu would be better off returning to the Magic City and hunting with a gun during his mission. Of course, he also had the option of taking an iron spear and going up the mountain to hunt wild boars. For a martial arts enthusiast and someone with hunting experience, especially with his current enhanced physical strength and reflexes, killing wild boars with an iron spear shouldn't be difficult.

In the end, Cheng Yijiu didn't do this because it was too stupid and would easily expose himself.

After returning to the Magic City, he did some research on bow hunting and bought a compound bow. Of course, he would eventually have to make it himself in the workshop at home—machining the bow handle out of composite materials. Cheng Yijiu had no experience in this area, so perhaps he could try machining it out of titanium or aluminum alloy?

There's also the possibility of hunting in the "ancient" past, after all, there are quests to hunt brown bears and man-eating tigers in the early 20th century. The quests offered by this house are essentially about traveling through time. So, on second thought, perhaps "Beautiful Hunter" is a better fit.

After returning to Shanghai, Cheng Yijiu spent some time relaxing, drinking coffee and practicing with his gun at the shooting range in his house to keep up with his skills. He'd already made several guns himself, but none of them were automatics. He practiced with rifles, revolvers, and single-shot pistols. He was also considering building a classic 1911 for practice.

Volume: Grizzlies

Chapter 1 Daily Life

Daily life without tasks was quite leisurely. Cheng Yijiu had been looking around for apartments recently, trying to figure out what kind of down payment he could afford. He wasn't bothered by pre-owned properties. In fact, a pre-owned property might even suit his taste. He lived alone, so a smaller apartment close to the city wouldn't be a bad idea. He was a freelancer, apparently earning quite a bit. He used to be considered a vagrant, but now he was a semi-successful person.

Finally, Cheng Yijiu settled on a property in Laoxin Village. Due to its age and outdated layout, it couldn't fetch a high price, even in a prime location. The old housing complex had been renovated, otherwise it would have required shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Over a decade ago, during the renovation, each household had its own private kitchen and bathroom. Including the kitchen, the area was only 35 square meters. Cheng Yijiu realized he didn't need a loan; he could afford the full price.

Does the house need renovations? It seems so. This is why Cheng Yijiu feels connected to this world; this is his home. All the furniture needs to be replaced, and the walls and everything else will definitely need to be repainted. Cheng Yijiu is a member of the CHH website, so he found a forum member who could help him design a circuit diagram based on a renovation post. He then hired a professional construction team to lay out the wiring for the entire apartment according to his design—all in a single control box, which allows for easy control of the electrical circuits and network cables.

The plumbing and plumbing were also reinstalled, along with all the bathroom fixtures, including a separate wet and dry toilet—the savings were perfect for this purpose. As for painting the walls—Fenlin, a forum recommendation, was excellent. Since the house was small and the budget was reasonable, it was perfectly acceptable to hire a professional painter from a brick-and-mortar store. From wall cleaning and sanding to applying putty and primer, the whole process would cost around 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

The floor would be laid with concrete tiles and removable rugs. Furniture was simple enough, a simple trip to IKEA would suffice. Appliances could be purchased through JD.com or Taobao, and even full kitchens could be customized online. Anyway, a month later, Cheng Yijiu moved into his new home—as he completed more missions, he wasn't forced to enter the same house every time.

So he felt it was more comfortable to rest in the house he had bought. He still felt a little uncomfortable with the bedroom in that house. However, the study was definitely the best, and going to the specimen collection room at night would probably scare most people.

New missions have also appeared. Man-eating beasts aren't numerous; they primarily consist of large cats, gray wolves (canids), several species of brown bears (ursids), some large reptiles, and a few large carnivorous fish. "Is this mission back to hunting brown bears? No... Ingressus? Let me check... Isn't this a species of cave bear? Are we going back 20,000 years this time?"

If it were 20,000 years ago, could it be that Cro-Magnons were eaten by bears? The problem was, back then, there were countless people being eaten by wild beasts. Just pick any beast near a human settlement; it might have eaten a human… That didn't seem too difficult. Cheng Yijiu sat in the workshop, repairing his rifle. He disassembled it, measured it with calipers, and oiled it for maintenance, completing the entire process quickly.

He donned his hunting gear—even if he were to travel back 20,000 years ago, he wouldn't have dressed up as a savage covered in animal skins. Cheng Yijiu, his rifle and a backpack of supplies, prepared to push the door open to begin his mission. When he opened the door, he saw the road...

This left Cheng Yijiu baffled. "I remember being here before. Isn't this Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming? There are cave bears here? Are you kidding?" He looked behind him and saw, unsurprisingly, an RV... He shook his head, got back in the car, put his gun away, and drove to the campsite. "There are man-eating cave bears here? Okay, a cannibalism incident spanning 20,000 years... How can I believe that cave bears still exist today? There aren't even any populations."

Anyway, let's get to the campground first. If it's a man-eating bear, there'll definitely be news. Yellowstone Park has a well-equipped RV campground. Just drive up, hook up the water, electricity, and water, and you're ready to enjoy a pleasant camping experience. There are quite a few RVs in the campground, many with families on vacation, and many foreign tourists renting RVs to visit Yellowstone Park. Cheng Yijiu is the only Asian here—the time period makes him feel a little confused.

His RV wasn't as comfortable as last time; it was round and very retro. Cheng Yijiu didn't realize until he arrived at the camp that it was 1976, and the people he saw were wearing rather "classic" clothing. Luckily, his clothes were similar; hunting jackets were a century-old classic. "If a bear attacks someone these days, it could only be a grizzly, right?"

Cheng Yijiu recalled the mission. It said cave bear—that meant there was definitely a cave bear attack. This was a massive bear, standing 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder and over 3.5 meters tall. He set up the barbecue, casually roasting pork and drinking beer, and friendlyly greeting the tourists in the camp—they were quite curious about him, as it was unusual to see an Asian visit Yellowstone alone. But at that moment, the tourists were generally quite warm and friendly. They smiled at him, and a young woman even came up to chat with him.

Cheng Yijiu casually joked with them while carefully considering the possibilities. If it was a cave bear, it was a close relative of brown bears and polar bears. He had also seen before his mission that some of the genes of American brown bears were proven to be derived from cave bears—meaning they could interbreed. Therefore, "we can't rule out atavism. Perhaps a 'half-cave bear' has appeared?"

Thinking of this, he also smiled. Cave bears, like brown bears, are mostly vegetarians. If they attack people, there must be a reason. Who knows, at least now this camp is very happy and peaceful, and there is no panic. The radio is playing music from the local radio station, without any warning. Hunting is prohibited in Yellowstone National Park, at least not now - it is not the hunting season, and this is not a hunting area. It is legal for Cheng Yijiu to keep the gun in the car. If he takes it out, the local police will give him a hard time...

"Cave bear..." he sighed. As night fell, he simply took out his television, adjusted the antenna, and let the people present watch TV for fun. A blonde girl had already approached him. Back in the days of the hippie movement, there were quite a few "half-hippies" visiting Yellowstone Park, and this blonde girl was probably one—her shabby, bohemian-style clothes and demeanor proved it.

Chapter 2 Camping

"Mary, how was your trip to Yellowstone?" Cheng Yijiu spoke to the blonde. He knew she was a college student—she hadn't been to school in a while, since the hippie craze. Four men and three women were driving a van across America, having just arrived along the highway from Los Angeles. They were all dressed in a bohemian style, the men all wearing long hair, sunglasses, and flared pants. From behind, it was hard to tell who was who.

Everyone was watching TV, happy. They contributed their own food, and some even took out their instruments to rock out. Cheng Yijiu smiled and chatted with the girl while watching the people partying. Even the Yellowstone Park police officers and security guards were watching the happy gathering from outside, some even holding beers.

In general, despite the Vietnam War's rift in American society, the average American citizen is still very simple and friendly when on vacation.

The blonde Mary was practically leaning against him, so close that Cheng Yijiu could just glance down and see the freckles on either side of her nose. It had to be said that blondes had this problem: their skin was hairy and not delicate, but they also had freckles. The hippie movement had brought liberation, and Cheng Yijiu had no doubt that the blonde would join him in the RV for exercise.

"This is one of the reasons for the prevalence of STDs and HIV in America," he sighed. It seemed like cave bears—if they existed—wouldn't come to this camp. Any normal wild animal would stay away from such a noisy human camp. And since they were called cave bears, they must have been mountainous. This was Yellowstone's low-lying plains, so cave bears wouldn't normally come here.

Cheng Yijiu returned to the RV, and sure enough, Mary followed him in. Her companions, however, giggled and returned to their own rickety car and tent. Cheng Yijiu went straight to take a shower. The gun was hidden in the compartment, so there was no need to worry about Mary digging it out and robbing him. When he emerged in his bathrobe, Mary had already pulled him down onto the bed. Then, she quickly stripped and headed to the bathroom...

Cheng Yijiu didn't mind this, and it didn't matter if he made some adjustments.

After tossing and turning for half the night, Cheng Yijiu only confirmed a comparative analysis theory he had read - that is, the yellow race, especially several ethnic groups in China, is one of the strongest races in the world.

The next day, Cheng Yijiu pocketed his single-shot Thompson pistol and prepared to head up the mountain. Mary wanted to follow him instead of her companions. This surprised Cheng Yijiu, but Mary told him she had met these people while wandering around hippie camps, and they had only known each other for about a month. She had always been "wandering" alone, sometimes alone, sometimes with a few people...

But Cheng Yijiu was certain Mary came from a middle-class background—from her manners and her teeth, he could tell her family must be well-off. "You can't go up the mountain dressed like this, right? This kind of skirt will get scraped off in the bushes. And the shoes won't fit..." Cheng Yijiu was helpless. This hippie woman might only have one set of clothes and a backpack.

He had to rummage through the wardrobe in his RV to find her a hunting jacket and hiking boots suitable for outdoor activities. Unfortunately, these belonged to Cheng Yijiu and were a size too large. He threw away most of the woman's clothes, especially her stinking shoes—who knew how many days they had been worn... Aren't most so-called hippies just this kind of dirty people?

Cheng Yijiu didn't think he'd find a bear this time he went up the mountain, so he let the woman go. He wouldn't alert the beast. In the 1970s, Yellowstone Park's animal protection wasn't as well-preserved as it is today. There were still occasional poachers, and the wolf population hadn't recovered. Bears were probably the only ferocious animals in the area, and grizzlies and brown bears weren't numerous either—for a long time, they, like wolves, were hunted.

As for the mountain lions, their luck was even worse. Fortunately, their stealth abilities prevented them from being decimated like the wolves in Yellowstone. Mountain lions rarely attack humans, so Cheng Yijiu believed their path was actually quite safe. Forest police were also on patrol, and it would likely take time for the large animals to develop the habit of frequenting human camps for scraps.

Cheng Yijiu and the girl set out on a hiking trail, he carrying a backpack and Mary carrying a new one. They wandered through stream valleys and geysers, searching for possible footprints or other signs. Cave bears are larger than brown bears, by a lot. Cheng Yijiu's focus was on the claw marks left by brown bears on trees. Bears use feces and claw marks to mark their territory. Standing upright, a cave bear could be nearly four meters across. If it extended its claws, the marks could easily be four and a half meters or more.

As they walked, he frequently looked up at the tops of the trees. Mary couldn't understand what Cheng Yijiu was doing, so she asked directly, "Oh, Oriental, what are you doing?" This was what she called out when the two of them were communicating privately. Cheng Yijiu thought it was fine, "I'm just looking at the marks left by the bear." This scared Mary, "Are there any bears?" Cheng Yijiu smiled, "Don't worry, as long as we don't encounter a mother bear with cubs, we'll be fine - bears will actively avoid people."

Yellowstone's natural landscape is quite impressive, a "natural" landscape maintained by humans, with subtle differences from the natural environment. For example, there are quite a few deer, and they're quite plump... Cheng Yijiu had been walking for the entire morning and had already spotted at least three herds of deer. He saw many dead willow trees, with almost no new buds. Beavers were even rarer, and the natural dams they built seemed to be gone.

This situation continued until the 1990s, and the natural ecology continued to deteriorate until the Americans began to reintroduce wolves and even beavers.

Cheng Yijiu led Mary along the river valley. Bear paw prints were indeed visible on the trees on either side, but unfortunately, they were all over two meters tall. They also encountered forest police twice, exchanging beers and friendly greetings—though Cheng Yijiu didn't learn much from them. Turning around a valley, they met two girls on the walking path. After greeting each other, they sat down for lunch together. "Margaret, Jane," the two girls introduced themselves.

"Mary, Cheng." Cheng Yijiu also introduced herself. It was the first time for these two girls to come here for vacation. They wanted to have a real camping trip - just like those veterans, camping in the woods.

Chapter 3 Incident

During lunch, Cheng Yijiu performed a few magic tricks to amuse the girls, so he asked them where they planned to set up camp. "My personal suggestion is that you camp near the trail, where there are patrolling police officers, so it's safer. I don't think you want to encounter a grizzly bear, do you?"

Cheng Yijiu didn't know whether the other party listened to him or not, but he felt that he had done his best. At this time, two policemen passed by, and one of them made Cheng Yijiu take a few more glances. "A girl like this should go to Hollywood. Why would she be a police officer in a nature park?" But then Cheng Yijiu smiled. Everyone has their own aspirations. He felt that there was nothing wrong with being close to nature and being a forest police officer to protect it.

For example, if Cheng Yijiu were given a chance to become a star now, he would still not be interested - now he feels that hunting is really very exciting, and he is afraid that he will not be able to get away from the hunting career in this life.

After chatting with the two policemen for a few minutes, Cheng Yijiu also mentioned the grizzly bear incident. "Oh, we haven't had any reports of grizzly bears injuring anyone here for a while." A male policeman said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, you're safe."

Cheng Yijiu nodded. After all, this was normal. How could the average person anticipate a bear attack? Cheng Yijiu only had two rounds of ammunition on him, and with the one in the chamber, he could only fire three rounds. "Actually, there's only one chance. If you have to fire, you probably won't have time to reload a second round." Carrying three rounds was just a psychological comfort.

After dinner, they separated. Cheng Yijiu took Mary and continued on their journey, while Margaret and the others took another route, which happened to be the two sides of a triangle with Cheng Yijiu.

Until Cheng Yijiu brought Mary back to the camp that day, nothing seemed unusual. Then they heard the sirens and the forest police running around in panic. Cheng Yijiu heard the names of Margaret and Jane, and the police hysterics - it seemed that he was blaming himself, "If I had brought them down, I would have said they violated the rules and asked them to leave!"

Cheng Yijiu frowned, "It happened in the afternoon? It happened almost not long after we separated! Damn it! Maybe the 'cave bear' was only a few hundred meters away from me at that time!" While feeling relieved, Cheng Yijiu also felt very angry.

"Hello! I heard what happened just now! Can you tell me in detail? After all, I might be the last person to see them." Cheng Yijiu came forward and said, and the female police officer next to the police officer was the one who saw them at noon, so she said a few words, "Please don't ask too much, this is for us police to solve."

Although they were reluctant to disclose it, Cheng Yijiu still knew the exact location of the incident. So he simply asked the police, "If I'm going outdoors, can I carry my weapon with me?" The answer was simple: according to Wyoming's gun control laws, he certainly had the right to carry a gun, and even concealed carry—after all, Wyoming is one of the states with the most lax gun control in the United States.

So Cheng Yijiu took out his M70 Winchester rifle, put it on his back, and headed up the mountain. As for Mary? She could have stayed with her companions. At least the camp was safe.

Cheng Yijiu walked through the mountains, his gun slung over his shoulder. The first place he arrived at was the wooden house in the mountains—the place where one of the victims had been killed. The place had been cordoned off with yellow tape, but there was no officer on duty. Of course, the inside had been cleaned, but the wooden floor was soaked with blood and flesh, which was impossible to clean out.

What Cheng Yijiu smelled was a strong smell of blood. He didn't know how the bear had torn the victim apart, but he could guess based on the traces left at the scene. Cheng Yijiu turned on the flashlight and began to examine the scene. "The bear had knocked through the wall...it was quite large."

He first looked at the huge hole from the outside. It had nearly toppled an entire wall, and even a third of the wooden roof had collapsed. The collapsed wall and scattered wood fragments allowed Cheng Yijiu to construct a massive hole in his mind. A typical grizzly bear couldn't possibly have done that, but a cave bear weighing over 500 kilograms would be completely understandable.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yijiu didn't find any footprints, or perhaps the footprints were destroyed by the inspectors and police... Just how big and heavy this cave bear was is probably a mystery. Cheng Yijiu entered through the broken wall. The large pieces of broken wood had been moved outside, and the only thing left in the house was bloodstains that turned black under the light.

"Isn't that a weird attack pattern?" Cheng Yijiu tried to reconstruct the scene in his mind. Most people, when seeing a sturdy bear, would assume it used its claws to slash and grab its prey—but that wasn't a normal bear move. Bears don't strike first; they grab, but then bite first.

The situation here is that this bear seems to have started with a chopping attack? "Cave bears are basically vegetarians, and this time the target is a rare aggressive bear subspecies among cave bears. Is this their hunting method?" If this is not a bear, Cheng Yijiu suspected it was a saber-toothed tiger.

Because the Smilodon's hunting pattern begins with a forelimb strike, followed by bloodletting with its saber-tooth fangs. The center of the room was almost drenched in blood, suggesting the victim had been torn to pieces there. It was a shame he couldn't examine the remains; otherwise, Cheng Yijiu might have been able to determine the size of the bear's claws and fangs from the wound marks, and thus attempt to infer its size.

But no matter what, this bear must be over 500 kilograms. Only the rare extra-large male polar bears and the extremely rare extra-large male Kodiak brown bears can weigh more. If standing at height, since this bear hunts here, Cheng Yijiu might be able to find its claw marks.

I heard this was where the second victim was killed. I don't know if it was Jane or Margaret, but she escaped from a higher place. "It's already killed one person, so why would it chase a second person? This doesn't conform to the nature of bears either." Cheng Yijiu suspected that this was a bear in people's imagination.

If she hadn't run away, then the bear could have easily attacked and killed two people at once—at least that was the case with the three-haired man-eating bear Cheng Yijiu had hunted. Even if it had chased it, it wouldn't have chased it very far. And this second victim was quite far from where he'd heard the first victim fell.

Cheng Yijiu took the flashlight and began to look back for traces of the victim running over, looking for the place where the first victim was killed - although he knew it was above, the specific location was still unclear, maybe with an error of fifty meters?