Infinite Hunter

Of course, carrying one around on the street would definitely be a warning, but playing with it at designated competition venues is perfectly legal, and so is keeping it at home. So, to keep his hands on it, Cheng Yijiu bought several gearboxes and control chips, planning to make some handmade items to display in the shop—if anyone wants to buy, he'll sell them, as a way to exchange collectibles. Of course, there are also necklaces or bracelets made of claws and teeth—this one is made of resin.

Who would sell the real thing? This is the claw of a large cat. If you sell it, the police will come to your door. There's another similar specimen—yes, Cheng Yijiu placed a standing brown bear specimen in the store, blocking the stairs. You have to go around it to get up. This thing is also made of resin silicone hair transplants, and the hair is rayon, using the same technology as artificial fur.

"It's quite eye-catching." Cheng Yijiu thought his idea was good - of course the result was that he had already welcomed the police uncle within less than twenty minutes of opening the store... "This is not a specimen, forget it. But I suggest you move it away. Of course, this is your store, you have the final say. As long as it is not contraband, we will not care. What I just said was just a suggestion." The slightly fat police officer said this after walking around the "specimen" for a long time and even touching it.

Judging from his appearance, if his wife hadn't objected, he would probably also want to put one at home for fun...

As expected, there weren't many customers. The first person who opened the door called the police. She was a middle-aged woman with a puppy on a leash, and the puppy was barking at the stuffed animal... "Oh, it's too realistic. If they had just made Big Bear and Little Bear, this wouldn't have happened." Cheng Yijiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Of course, he was also working in the boss's seat near the store entrance. There was a cash register and a monitor with four surveillance cameras. Two of the split screens of the store swept all the blind spots, and the other two were from the back of the house and the store entrance.

There was also a nice computer with a webpage open on it, and Cheng Yijiu was chatting in the group chat. But Cheng Yijiu wasn't just working on this. He had a small workbench nearby, with several other things on it. He was currently carving something on a preformed wooden handle with a small chisel. He was making a handle, hollowing out the center to accommodate the compressed air cylinder, and carving some of the surface. He would also lathe some metal parts after closing time, also carving and electroplating the surface.

He was currently crafting a water-bomb model of the weapon he had already equipped himself with: the famous Winchester Model 21 double-barreled hunting pistol—a modified stock and sawn-off barrel. He had already machined the stock and frame of a Winchester Model 70, a model he was most familiar with, and was now preparing to attach the machined metal bolt assembly, cylinder, and barrel. This was a purely handmade piece made of fine walnut, so Cheng Yijiu naturally wanted a four-figure price.

If they can't sell, they'll just keep it as a display. "It looks like the new mission will take time." The two of them bought a few bags of dog food that day, but at least twenty people came in startled by the specimens. Luckily, Cheng Yijiu made amends by hanging a sign around the bear's neck that read, "Model." That saved the police from having to make multiple trips. Plenty of people looked at the wood carvings, but no one bought them—Cheng Yijiu always priced them in four figures.

Soon the store had been open for a week. Cheng Yijiu calculated that the turnover was only 1,000 yuan, and all he sold were various pet foods. There were many people looking at the wood carvings, but no one bought them. He also had five guns on the gun rack, but no one bought them either - he had written "water bullet gun toys", so no one called the police.

There was no sign of a new mission yet, but Cheng Yijiu discovered that there was something unusual about the gabled attic of the house - yes, there was a gabled attic on the third floor, but there was basically nothing in it, at most some worn-out furniture left by the previous owner. Cheng Yijiu would occasionally climb up to see if anyone had sneaked in and hanged themselves in there... There was a window in the front and back of the attic, and a large windowsill in the front.

This was because the roof had recessed decorations, and the two windows were actually recessed, and they were circular windows with no seals, allowing for good ventilation and preventing rain from getting in. Now he saw that there seemed to be a lot more branches on the windowsill of the window in front...

Chapter 12: Carving

"Is this a bird's nest?" Cheng Yijiu looked at the branches. "I just don't know what kind of bird it is. You can't tell just by looking at the nest." He didn't care. The next day, when he looked, the branches had been moved to the windowsill behind the house. This shop had never had many customers, but the one that came in that day was unusual—because she was holding a professional selfie stick with a gimbal.

Cheng Yijiu just looked up. The girl's appearance was actually above average, but once the beauty filter was turned on, she was a real beauty. She came in with a very good attitude, "Boss, can I take a picture?"

"Go on," Cheng Yijiu said, then went back to his own business—surfing the internet. He was primarily collecting information on various mythological monsters and historical man-eating beasts. Searching online was still much faster than searching in the library. "But some information still has to be found in the library, in those large, specialized books that are unlikely to be digitized."

He tilted his head slightly to see the surveillance video on the screen. The girl was filming in a trained baby voice. "It must be a grandmother." Cheng Yijiu knew this very well. The girl was mainly filming the special items in his store - who wants to see cat food or dog food? Of course, she was filming the exotic wood carvings and statues, and of course, the lifelike model bear.

Inevitably, the wild claw and tooth pendants were also captured in the video. "Boss, is this real?" the girl asked. "If it were, I'd be in jail. These aren't dog teeth or anything like that. Look at the length. These are lion and tiger claws and teeth, all made of resin," Cheng Yijiu replied. The subtitles in the livestream probably explained this as well, so the girl playfully stuck out her tongue.

"This woman knows it's fake, she's just trying to spark a conversation." Cheng Yijiu knew this all too well. The next shot showed the gun hanging behind Cheng Yijiu's seat. The carved gun looked like a work of art. "Oh, this is a water bullet gun. I made it for fun." Cheng Yijiu saw she was interested, so he took the nearest double-barreled short shotgun and gave it to her. Cheng Yijiu fished out two 12-gauge bullet shells from under the table.

He poured some water bullets from the bottle below, sucked out the moisture, and then loaded the shells into the loader. Then he cocked the gun and loaded two shells. "Look, the cylinder has been compressed in the previous movement. Aim at anything and pull the trigger—I personally suggest you aim for the brown bear... Yes, it's just an ordinary Japanese brown bear." Cheng Yijiu handed the loaded shotgun to the girl.

This gun isn't a real one; you can't fire one round at a time by continuously squeezing the trigger. Pulling the trigger only fires two rounds at a time—a real gun can fire this way, too. With a click, more than a dozen white water bullets erupted, striking the model bear. "It's just for show." Cheng Yijiu was quite satisfied with the range. A muzzle velocity of around 70 was already exceptional for a shotgun. But as for trajectory? What kind of trajectory did a water bullet shotgun need?

The girl probably had no interest in water guns. After learning that the boss's home-made water guns were actually water guns, she just left. Not long after, the girl left the live broadcast, and Cheng Yijiu didn't know if she would bring him more business.

The mission hadn't begun yet, and Cheng Yijiu hadn't bothered to hone his skills—he only needed to do about half an hour of physical exercise every day and fire a hundred rounds at the shooting range. The rest of the time, he mostly slumped in a chair by the door, browsing the internet and checking the store. Sure enough, there weren't many people around; it seemed the livestream girl wasn't famous.

The branches finally took shape as more and more of them gathered. "A big bird's nest? It's a pity that the surveillance camera doesn't have that height, so I can't really see what kind of bird built it." Cheng Yijiu saw that the bird's nest now occupied the entire windowsill, with a small part protruding. The diameter must be more than one meter. A bird's nest this big must belong to a raptor or a large bird like a white stork. "It seems that the raptors in the city are all small birds of prey like kestrels, right?"

Cheng Yijiu decided to observe for himself, and later that night he did indeed see the bird. It was a massive bird, practically falling from the sky, landing in the nest. "This is..." Cheng Yijiu immediately pulled out his raptor identification manual and began flipping through the pages, which contained photos of various raptors. "Golden Eagle?" He had already prepared himself, so he flipped directly to the Asian Eagle category and quickly found his target.

Based on the description in the manual, Cheng Yijiu carefully observed the golden eagle. "A sub-adult golden eagle..." He was also very curious, because this was not the golden eagle's range, and this huge bird of prey should not be here. "I think the pets nearby are in trouble," Cheng Yijiu muttered. He took a piece of pork from the refrigerator and opened the back door.

A golden eagle was staring down at him from above his head. Cheng Yijiu locked eyes with the eagle, and the next moment, he swung his hand and threw the pork high into the air. The eagle flew out, grabbed the pork mid-air, and began tearing it apart from a nearby branch. "This is going to be tough," Cheng Yijiu muttered. "Maybe someone raised it? And then it escaped? If I'm blamed for this, I'll go to jail." But there was nothing else to do now, so he just let it go.

Cheng Yijiu lamented again for the nearby cats and dogs. Given the appetite of golden eagles, it's entirely possible they'd lose a pet dog every day. Of course, there's also the possibility that the golden eagles might be stealing the hanging meat. In short, even if something were to happen, it would be the local forestry department and wildlife rescue unit that would be most concerned.

In his workshop, Cheng Yijiu forged a new musket—a fixed-load musket suitable for the 17th and 18th centuries. It would definitely have a breech-type cartridge, but Cheng Yijiu had decided to use a paper cartridge case soaked in oil. The airtightness problem with flintlocks was unsolvable—as long as he wasn't allowed to use a primer, there was always a flash port inside the chamber. As a rare breech-loading rifle, Cheng Yijiu felt his design was quite good, and the bullet used a Minié bullet, something that had definitely not been invented at the time.

However, he improved the Minié bullet's structure, using soft lead as the expansion element in the rear half of the bullet, while the main body was made of silver. If shooting dark creatures other than werewolves, steel could be used instead. "I don't know if it will work..." Cheng Yijiu muttered. He also modified a double-barreled short shotgun, and he definitely didn't bring the crossbow with him. Instead, a silver-plated short spear would suffice. He had a hunch that he might return to a similar era and hunt similar prey.

Chapter 13 Abnormal

Before Cheng Yijiu lay a large, thick book, its cover and back both hardcover, and the paper inside felt like expensive parchment. Despite its size and thickness, it contained only a little over a hundred pages, filled with pen drawings and handwritten text describing various bizarre creatures. "This looks more like an interesting fantasy game setting book, like D&D's Monster Book."

Cheng Yijiu commented on the large book he had found in the study, "I remember there were various books on classified monsters, and even books on legendary monsters... But this one called the Witcher's Book is also quite interesting, with those dark creatures recorded there." The paintings in the book were quite three-dimensional and had a lot of feeling. The creatures drawn with a black and blue quill pen on the pale yellow paper were absolutely lifelike.

What Cheng Yijiu was looking at was a werewolf. The werewolf in the painting was just like the one he had seen, standing upright with sharp claws and fangs. The eyes were clearly drawn with blue-black ink, but were always mistaken for red eyes... "It makes people feel fear." The following is a detailed description of the taxonomy of werewolves, and Cheng Yijiu mainly focused on the characteristics, hobbies and weaknesses of werewolves.

"Sure enough, they can't resist the blood agitation during the full moon, and they like to eat human organs, especially the heart and liver. And their weakness is that the lower the level of the werewolf, the closer their IQ is to that of a real beast. And silver is a terrible and deadly poison to werewolves. But the higher the level of the werewolf, the stronger their resistance to silver..." Cheng Yijiu muttered to himself, "I didn't expect that the one I met was actually an Alpha Wolf. What luck."

Cheng Yijiu skimmed through the book and discovered that of the 128 terrifying monsters capable of harming humans, the vast majority would be severely harmed by silver weapons. If there was anything more destructive than silver, it would probably be the heliotrope mentioned in the book. So, Cheng Yijiu was currently making molds for silver bullets... Customers arrived in the shop, five or six at a time.

The customers, both men and women, looked young. Some of them came in and headed straight for the wood carvings. "Boss, how much is this?" someone asked after looking for a while. It was a chubby guy. A young man in military pants pointed at a water gun that Cheng Yijiu had made and asked the price. Cheng Yijiu gave them a price, "It's the price on the front label. Up to 10% off."

The items actually sold—three of the wood carvings were bought, and a middle-aged man who walked in later, after examining the statue for a long time, promptly pulled out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay, without even bargaining. The young man also chose an M70 and a short-barreled shotgun. His eyes lit up as soon as he touched them, and he immediately paid and left—sure enough, these things were made of genuine materials: walnut, steel, and an aluminum inner barrel, with hand-carved patterns on the barrel and frame.

What's more, even the included cartridge cases were brass, with rubber gaskets, and the original price was quite high. When the last two people saw the large book that Cheng Yijiu had placed on the workbench, they were very polite and didn't dare to pick it up and read it. Instead, they walked around and looked at it for a few times. "Boss, this book..." Cheng Yijiu put his hand on the page, "This book is not for sale."

"No, I just want to know where this book was published." The other party asked. "Okay, your question..." Cheng Yijiu also flipped through the pages and looked at the third and second covers, and finally turned over to look at the back cover. "By the way, this book doesn't seem to have a publisher. I remember someone gave it to me."

"Is that so..." The other party looked disappointed, but he didn't offer to sell it to them, nor did he ask if he could lend it to them. He said hello to Cheng Yijiu and left. That afternoon, Cheng Yijiu closed the shutters, put the books back in his study, and went to the workshop to start making silver bullets. In the era described in the book, modern metal fixed-load weapons might not be allowed in.

Even if they could bring it in, they certainly couldn't bring any non-Grimm automatic weapons, so Cheng Yijiu also crafted silver-tipped metal ammunition—from Winchester Magnum to 12-gauge buckshot. Since the silver supply in the workshop was limited, he only crafted a few bullets. After making a few bullets, Cheng Yijiu went to bed.

The next day, he woke up and went downstairs to open the door. "Hmm... something's a little off?" Cheng Yijiu looked at the store in front of him, feeling a slight sense of disorientation. He felt something was amiss. He walked around the store and finally discovered the anomaly after opening the shutter. Some items had been slightly shifted in their placement. He stood in the store, thinking for a while, then returned to the second floor.

This time, he didn't enter the cabin, but instead observed carefully from the second floor. "Sure enough, someone came here at night. And they must have searched the place very carefully." The same thing happened on the third floor. As for whether these people would notice his abnormality? Cheng Yijiu was not too worried for the time being because he already knew that when he went to sleep in the cabin, a real projection would appear in the room where the cabin was "stored" - this should be the case, because he had already noticed that the quilt on the bed was the same shape as when he woke up in the cabin, and there was even warmth in the quilt.

These people... no, just two. Cheng Yijiu, a hunter and a man-eating beast as punishment, quickly identified the traces... and the smell. "Two people entered through the back door and searched my entire floor—and if you smell closely, there's even a strange odor in my 'bedroom,' like an anesthetic or something."

"So, what are they trying to do?" Cheng Yijiu continued to think. They must be looking for something. "Whatever they're looking for, if it's in the cabin, they probably won't find anything." Cheng Yijiu had also looked inside the cabin and found no signs of intrusion. And he didn't think the cabin would allow another person in...

Whatever these people were looking for, Cheng Yijiu wasn't going to argue with them—there was no point in setting a trap to hunt the beast, since he wouldn't be able to catch it. When he went into the cabin to rest, they were helpless against him. Cheng Yijiu decided to call the police, as a way to deter them. The problem with calling the police was that Cheng Yijiu had no evidence. The surveillance cameras hadn't captured anything, and nothing had been stolen. The funny thing was that the internal surveillance cameras hadn't captured anything.

"It seems we can't call the police until we have evidence, which is a shame."

Chapter 14: Trouble

Cheng Yi sat in his study for a long time. Today was his day off, so he wasn't planning to open the shop. A large book lay open before him. It was another tome on cryptic animals. He had a feeling that sooner or later, he would encounter the creatures described in it. This tome also had no publisher, and no news of its publication could be found.

Compared to the Witcher book, this one looked like it was from a different era. If that book was an "ancient book," this one was a "modern" book. The werewolves in it were divided into at least six different types, from the half-werewolf "Flayer" to the highest-ranking "Alpha Wolf."

"But this is completely different." Looking at the clear photo, Cheng Yijiu felt that the werewolf he was fighting was indeed different from the one in the picture. The Alpha werewolf in the picture was bigger than the one he had seen, and the shape of its hind limbs was different. They were thicker and the joints were more "reasonable", like a large theropod dinosaur.

He recalled the lower half of the werewolf, which still resembled a slightly modified version of a standing wolf. In books, these werewolves were classified as secondary alpha wolves, with varying degrees of combat power, but the strongest were no match for an alpha wolf. Speaking of the fact that all werewolves' weaknesses were silver and silver compounds, Cheng Yijiu glanced at the musket on the table.

Soon, he closed the book and put it away. Beyond the door was a staircase. He went down through the back door and, as expected, saw the golden eagle devouring its prey in the bushes behind—it looked like a dog. Could this be a stray dog? Cheng Yijiu noticed its fur was dirty and tangled.

The problem of stray dogs is entirely human, stemming from the irresponsible behavior of pet owners. "Some people are simply unsuitable for pet ownership, lacking any sense of responsibility and, naturally, no emotional connection." If cats have a natural tendency to wander, then abandoned dogs face a pitiful fate.

For now, this was a pretty good ending. A golden eagle's kill is a snap, much more satisfying than being beaten to death. Golden eagles kill their prey quickly, so it seems the dog didn't suffer much. "At this size, it should be a regular poodle. Who the hell would abandon a dog like this?"

A golden eagle's appetite should have allowed it to devour most of the food, but Cheng Yijiu would have to deal with the rest, otherwise his wilderness would sooner or later become a source of foul odor. "It'll probably be discovered, after all, a large bird of prey in a bustling city is easy to spot." Cheng Yijiu was already anticipating the trouble ahead.

"Hmm?" Cheng Yijiu squatted down. He saw one footprint. After seeing the first one, he carefully examined it and found other footprints based on the length of the stride. "The size and weight of this footprint are completely inconsistent." There were only a few footprints, and then they disappeared. But judging by the direction, it should be the guy who entered his shop and rummaged around.

Later that night, the police came back. They solemnly reported that someone nearby had seen a large bird of prey, and that more than one person had seen it flying toward him. Cheng Yijiu led the officers to the back and pointed out, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but there's a nest here built by a sub-adult golden eagle."

Well, now even the university and forestry authorities had shown up. Cheng Yijiu, of course, said he couldn't possibly be raising a golden eagle, since keeping such a creature was illegal. But neither the university graduate students and professors nor the forestry experts could explain why a golden eagle was there. This wasn't the golden eagle's typical range in China.

"Cities aren't the right place for them, but I think food is easy to come by," Cheng Yijiu said. "You see, in large cities, there's food scraps everywhere, stray cats and dogs, and fish that residents dry on their balconies. Even children in strollers could become prey."

As they were talking, the golden eagle suddenly took off, circled, and then fell directly. Everyone hurriedly scattered to avoid it, but the golden eagle landed directly on Cheng Yijiu's shoulder, scratching him with its claws. Cheng Yijiu felt something and stretched out his arm, and the golden eagle moved directly to his arm. Cheng Yijiu looked at the eyes of those people and said, "I said it's really not mine, you should believe it, right?"

Such words had no persuasive power in front of the golden eagle preening its feathers on his arm, so Cheng Yijiu got on the free police car. The golden eagle flew away, and the experts were busy chasing and observing it, while Cheng Yijiu had to go to the police station to explain clearly...

At the police station, he repeatedly explained that he didn't raise a golden eagle. "Look, police officer, I've never been out of town, and there's no record of me buying one. How could I have raised a golden eagle this big without you noticing? And this eagle really flew here on its own, and it's only been nesting on the third floor of my house for a week at most. As for why the golden eagle sat on my arm like a tamed bird of prey, I can't explain that either. Maybe this golden eagle was tamed by some bad guys and then escaped."

Cheng Yijiu cried out in injustice, citing the strongest evidence as evidence: "Officer, look, this golden eagle is completely free-range. It flies around freely..." The officer opposite looked at him and said, "Don't be ridiculous. Falconers also keep their birds partially free-range. Otherwise, how would they let their eagles chase their prey?"

Fortunately, a search of Cheng Yijiu's shop turned up no falconry equipment, including eye masks and perches. Experts, after taking several photos, confirmed that it was indeed a wild golden eagle. Cheng Yijiu was finally released—after nearly forty hours in custody.

Will the Bird's Nest be demolished? The issue is still being discussed, as this is a wild golden eagle and the first time such a large bird of prey has been spotted in the "suburbs" of a major city like Shanghai. This marks a significant milestone for Shanghai's bird population. Previously, there were reports of sea eagles in Shanghai, but those were insignificant. Now, the golden eagle's range has been officially extended to Shanghai... Golden eagles are also found in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but there haven't been any sightings in years.

But it's also dangerous in urban areas, as golden eagles could collide with power lines and, as Cheng Yijiu mentioned, pose a threat to residents. One suggestion is to relocate golden eagles to a more suburban area, or even to one of Shanghai's protected areas—perhaps a wetland? Building a high eagle nest might be feasible.

Another theory is that since the golden eagle has chosen a nesting site, we should just keep an eye on it and, if possible, put a radio beacon on it...

Chapter 15 Re-entry

Cheng Yijiu sat at the back door, his mind racing. He'd spent nearly forty hours in the police station for this bird, and he clearly sensed that no matter how he explained, the police officers wouldn't believe a word he said and would soon have him locked up for capturing a nationally protected animal. And once he got out, the problem would still remain. He might have to set aside part of his house as an observation station, and he'd also have to figure out how to explain to the neighbors that their cats and dogs were missing.

With captive golden eagles, the worst that can happen is paying for meat to feed them. But that's not the case with wild ones—if they hunt on their own, the only ones who suffer are pet cats and dogs. Given the eagle's attack power, it's likely Erha would be killed, but it certainly wouldn't be possible to take them away. Therefore, artificial feeding is likely necessary to avoid causing panic, and this puts Cheng Yijiu in a difficult position—he's likely to be charged with illegally domesticating a protected animal.

"Oh..." Cheng Yijiu sighed. He felt that he might have to go to the police station again in the future. Forget it, he decided to see if he could get a breeding license - he guessed that the Forestry Bureau would give him one for the sake of the observation point?

He returned to the second floor, opened the door, and entered the small room. "Have you created the new mission?" He walked over to the computer. The mission objective was marked with three question marks, but the date was clear—"Early 19th century? Georgian era, the Victorian era hasn't arrived yet..." But by this time, the British Empire was on the verge of becoming the world's most powerful. When Victoria ascended the throne, it would be the glorious age of the British Empire.

This era belongs to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I. This first general in Europe should be the one who had just been crowned emperor of the French Empire. He won himself a glorious victory that swept across the European continent.

Cheng Yijiu wore clothes in the style of that era, with a leather windbreaker and a leather cowboy hat on top. "Dressed like a blood relative..." he muttered, slinging his backpack and grabbing his weapon before pushing open the door.

The backpack contained a field kit, but the small items weren't particularly restricted—for one thing, lighters weren't allowed, but magnesium rods were. Cheng Yijiu had no idea how that was calculated. It would take years to extract the pure metal from these things—how long that would take depended on the era Cheng Yijiu lived in. He also had a roll of steel wire in his backpack, but the medical supplies were relatively spacious—sulfa powder, for example, was surprisingly allowed, as well as bandages, suture needles, and catgut.

Aspirin can also be brought, even water purification tablets are also acceptable - unfortunately, only alum tablets are available. Cheng Yijiu also brought simple soap pills and disinfectant tablets, so even washing clothes is no problem. He was well prepared to appear alone in the wilderness. He carried a saddle-shaped cross-body cowhide bag, slung behind his windbreaker, and a roll of waterproof canvas on his shoulder. In addition to medicines and fire starters, the bag only contained some replacement clothes and tableware for use in the wild.

He brought a few cans of food, and all the ammunition was packed in a leather box around his waist, while the bullets for the double-barreled short shotgun were clipped to his leather belt. That's right, Cheng Yijiu brought a long musket and a short-barreled shotgun, and the only weapon he had after that was a silver-plated dagger. The dagger's blade was steel, but the blade was inlaid with silver flakes and silver wires - "If you stab it in, it should still have some effect." Pure silver is relatively soft and would not be very useful as a knife.

Looking at the pastoral scenery before him, Cheng Yijiu felt like he was still in France. He strode forward along the road, and soon he saw the village—the small copper telescope hanging from his chest allowed him to clearly see that it was a French farm, but now some parts were on fire. Cheng Yijiu quickened his pace and lowered his rifle from his shoulder—this time it was not a bolt-action rifle, but a pistol.

Cheng Yijiu used a spring-loaded percussion cap to ignite the paper shell cartridges in the chamber. The same mechanism was also used in shotguns—there were better designs, but they were unavailable due to the times. Otherwise, Cheng Yijiu would have been better off with an M70 or even a semi-automatic. He approached the burning farm with his rifle. The fire was probably in the kitchen, but Cheng Yijiu could smell blood and burnt protein.

There were no livestock on the farm, which seemed odd. He didn't rush inside to investigate. Instead, he walked around the house. "Sure enough..." Cheng Yijiu sighed, looking at the footprints on the ground. They were large, wolf footprints. With his extensive hunting experience, Cheng Yijiu easily identified a "wolf" running on two legs. "There's barely a trace of its front paws touching the ground," Cheng Yijiu muttered, and began carefully following the paw prints.

"Here are the footprints of the werewolf leaving. How long did they walk? Two hours? An hour and a half?" He looked up at the sky, then at his pocket watch. "It's 7:30 AM, less than an hour since daybreak." He found the werewolf's footprints through the large gap in the window. If he searched backwards, they came from the main road. There were all kinds of tracks on the road; Cheng Yijiu even found the tracks of a carriage and the marks of horses' hooves.

The werewolf's footprints also led to the main road, but could not be found afterwards.

Only then could Cheng Yijiu finally observe the werewolf's attack. As for whether there were still survivors in the house, he had given up hope. Judging from the traces, the werewolf attack lasted at least four hours. He didn't think that such a long time would allow the werewolves to ignore some victims and allow them to escape. "I didn't see any footprints leaving." Cheng Yijiu pushed open the door, and the thick smell of blood hit him in the face.

He saw the first victim, a middle-aged farmer, standing in the middle of the room. His throat had been ripped open, and he was practically bisected. "Such long, sharp claws," Cheng Yijiu exclaimed. The werewolf's claws had left four long, open wounds on the poor man's body, almost completely shredding his ribs. Amidst the bloody mess, Cheng Yijiu was certain the man's heart and liver were gone.

"This feels familiar... a fondness for hearts and livers, is that a common trait among werewolves?" Cheng Yijiu didn't dwell on it. He skirted the pool of blood, looking at the large bloody footprints left on the floor by the werewolf, searching for its second victim. The werewolf's claws clawed at the furniture and walls as it walked, leaving visible traces of tearing and blood. Standing tall, the werewolf was likely nearly three meters tall, taller than even the largest European brown bear.

The second victim was in the kitchen, which was ablaze. Fortunately, the fire wasn't widespread, and thanks to the mud coating the walls, it hadn't burned long enough to become a full-blown blaze. Something in the pot was charred—it might have been a chicken or a goose, but it was now charred. The victim was a woman, ripped from behind, her neck completely severed—Cheng Yijiu saw tooth marks...

Chapter 16 Inspection

"How brutal!" Cheng Yijiu could tell from the wound that the woman's neck had been bitten while she was still alive. The bite was indeed powerful, breaking and shattering the hard cervical vertebrae. Similarly, the woman's liver and heart were missing. Cheng Yijiu pried at the wound with a silver knife and pulled out a tooth. The tooth was longer and thicker than a thumb, but the fracture surface proved it was incomplete.

"Did it break due to uneven force while biting the bone?" Cheng Yijiu observed the curvature of the canine. "If it were full length, it would have been twice as long." Based on the werewolf recovery speed he'd read about in books, this tooth would likely be replaced in a matter of minutes. He passed the second corpse and quickly found the last two bodies in the room—the bodies of two children. Their mutilation wasn't just limited to missing hearts and livers; the werewolves had practically gnawed them completely. Looking at the tiny remains, Cheng Yijiu fell silent.

The other room was a mess of blood and shredded meat, the remains of at least two cows, two pigs, and countless chickens. Cheng Yijiu took a quick look and left—the room had no windows, and the stench was so overwhelming it made it impossible for anyone to stand. He continued to walk around the house, subtle differences in his footsteps and the smells he picked up led him to the hiding place under the floorboards.

This was a small room dug under the floor. Cheng Yijiu hadn't entered, but he could clearly tell it was accessible only by crawling. The same bloody smell emanated from inside. Cheng Yijiu grabbed a long iron hook and dragged the bodies out—these were probably the last two people in the house. Both men had been ripped apart, their hearts and livers removed. The werewolf, with a certain wicked amusement, stuffed them back into their hiding place and carefully covered the floorboards again.

"It's truly too evil." There were no other traces left in this place. In fact, the only thing the dead could tell Cheng Yijiu was the werewolf's probable height. He hadn't considered setting the place on fire as a funeral, as it was likely that locals would come to investigate—after all, this was supposed to be deep in France. He saw the few French words in the house and only then confirmed this—a Bible.

As for the year, he saw the calendar. "1804?" France should have been at war with all of Europe, but that wasn't evident in this location. Cheng Yijiu took off his hat, fixed his hair, and put it back on. He held his rifle and began to track the werewolf's footprints. He stood on the road, where the werewolf's footprints disappeared. No more footprints appeared on the other side of the road, forward or backward.

Cheng Yijiu blinked his eyes. He looked at both ends of the road and fell into deep thought. "The only possibility is that there was a carriage here that took the werewolf away? Judging from the werewolf's behavior, it is a rational werewolf, so it must be at least a secondary alpha wolf, right? After regaining its human form, it drove away in a carriage. No one would know. Driving a carriage back and forth, who would know that the person in the carriage or the driver was a werewolf..."

At this time, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. Cheng Yijiu saw three men riding towards him. Judging from their clothes, they might be rural police or some other government agency. They also saw Cheng Yijiu and drew their pistols. "Hey! Who are you?" Cheng Yijiu could already understand and speak French. "I'm a hunter, sir. I specialize in hunting down those man-eating monsters."

Cheng Yijiu stood there motionless. The three men were all grown men, one of whom was short and fat, but they were all very vigilant, pointing their guns at Cheng Yijiu. Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to explain to them, "I think it's a werewolf. There are six bodies in the room." He gestured to the three men to go and see for themselves. Cheng Yijiu found that he was at least half a head taller than the three Frenchmen. The other men looked at him and said, "Werewolf? There are such things in this world?"

"We just received a call about strange and terrifying noises. You said there were six dead? Damn it, that's the Mitterrand family. Did you kill them?" the short, fat man said. "Everyone, you should go and check it out for yourselves. I just found out the deceased's name is Mitterrand."

"Give me your weapons," another man said. Cheng Yijiu remained silent, and the other man began to get nervous. "Sorry, I'm not sure you're 'werewolfs,' and you don't trust me as the murderer. So, how about we go over there together and take a look? You can surround me." The three men reluctantly agreed, pressured by the exquisitely carved pistol in his hand and the seemingly unremarkable but very "high-end" windbreaker he wore.

Seeing the scene inside, the three were speechless. It was clear at a glance that this was no human slaughter, especially the wounds Cheng Yijiu had shown them, the broken teeth, and the missing heart and liver. The clear bite marks on the two children's remains proved that it was a beast's work. "Guys, I don't think a beast could have killed the two people in the hiding room, stuffed them back in, and covered the floor. That would have to be an intelligent werewolf."

Cheng Yijiu showed them the werewolf's footprints and shared his theory. Based on what he had observed, the three of them had already shattered their beliefs and began to believe in werewolves. "It couldn't have been me. Werewolves are afraid of silver. Here's a silver needle. Poke it and see—if it was a werewolf, the wound would start to fester." Cheng Yijiu didn't say that Alpha wolves wouldn't be affected by such minor injuries.

He pricked his own finger first, then handed the silver needle to the short, fat man. The short, fat man examined it carefully, confirming it was indeed a silver needle. Then, under Cheng Yijiu's gaze, he pricked himself. The other two also pricked themselves, and the atmosphere began to calm down. "Are there really werewolves in this world?" The Frenchman's curiosity was piqued. Cheng Yijiu's current appearance definitely did not look like what Europe now calls a Far Easterner.

After all, Chinese people can have fair and delicate skin and high nose bridges. There are many people like this in Europe - there are many similar people in Eastern Europe. "Yes, I once found one in Gévaudan, France. At that time, it was disguised as a church priest. So, werewolves are not afraid of churches or crosses at all. They are only afraid of silver, which is extremely poisonous to them." Cheng Yijiu said to the three people. Now he also knew their names: the short and fat Poirot, and the other two were named Finesse and Belmondo.

Chapter 17: Chase

Belmondo was a Frenchman with a big nose, considered quite tall for his age, only slightly shorter than Cheng Yijiu. Meanwhile, Fennes was a short but not overweight fellow, his eyes always making Cheng Yijiu feel familiar. "Why do I want to sing 'Yuanyang Tea, Yuanyang Heart, You Love Me, I Love You...' when I see him?" Cheng Yijiu shook off those thoughts. "Gentlemen, I'm going to try to catch that werewolf. Let's say goodbye here."

He still gave a fake name, "Van Helsing, my name is Van Helsing." Now that he was hunting dark creatures, he might as well borrow the professor's name. Cheng Yijiu took out his pocket watch and opened it. There was a small mirror on the inside of the cover. He looked at himself and said, "Although I'm not as handsome as Wolverine, this outfit is almost the same." The tanned leather windbreaker also had a waterproof canvas cape. The leather itself was waterproof and quite tough, which provided some protection.

Dirt-resistant, wear-resistant, and warm—that's all. Cheng Yijiu was leaving, and the three local officials wouldn't interfere—this was the French Empire, and the Emperor was busy fighting wars; it was normal for people to walk the streets with guns. Moreover, today's events had left them bewildered. There really were werewolves in this world—previously, they'd just been telling stories, but now they'd never imagined such monsters actually existed.

In fact, it is not unacceptable. Those who believe in religion can definitely accept all of this. They probably just live in the inland for many years and have never encountered dark monsters.

They returned in a daze, and Cheng Yijiu, after asking where he could buy a horse for transportation, also changed direction. By this point, he was almost certain the werewolf was using the carriage as a disguise; it was truly a very cunning creature. "A horse that's not afraid of a werewolf's aura...that's incredible in itself." Cheng Yijiu was convinced that he would be able to track down this werewolf.

How long could a werewolf resist its urge to devour fresh flesh and take life? Perhaps an alpha wolf could manage some control during a full moon, but it would still inevitably fall into a state of semi-madness. Cheng Yijiu pondered this carefully. The full moon night on the calendar was three days away. Werewolves, unlike vampires, could eat normal food—at least in human form.

"Four human hearts and livers, along with the offal and flesh of two children, are enough to feed this werewolf, but only for two or three days at most, right?" Cheng Yijiu, drawing on his own memories as a man-eating tiger, estimated the werewolf's appetite. The question now was where would the werewolf make its next kill? It seemed too arrogant, wasn't it? But who could say otherwise? Cheng Yijiu considered this werewolf's attack quite arrogant.

Sure enough, the next day after he walked to the next town and checked into an inn, an official notice was posted, "A reward for killing werewolves." Cheng Yijiu glanced at the notice and said, "I wonder if His Majesty the Emperor would be interested in this?" Maybe His Majesty the Emperor was even thinking of forming a werewolf army - these monsters healed quickly, had strong vitality, were very strong, and were extremely ferocious. It would cost too much money to kill such an army.

Werewolves could lift the heaviest flintlock rifles, push field artillery without a draft horse, and hurl heavy, specially crafted grenades a considerable distance. Their marching and sprinting speeds rivaled those of cavalry. Cheng Yijiu had even read in books that werewolves had a strict hierarchy... If there were a werewolf corps like this, Cheng Yijiu doubted that the emperor, with his loftier ambitions, would not be tempted. As for the idea that he couldn't control the werewolves? Anyone who said that might be executed by the emperor.

Cheng Yijiu bought a horse in town, but he didn't leave. "At most, the werewolf will attack again in a day... This raises a question. If this werewolf was so rampant, the area should have been in turmoil long ago. Could it be that the carriage, traveling at such a high speed, was randomly hunting along the way?" This was entirely possible.