Infinite Hunter

However, the bear was on another mountain, and there was no way to catch it today. Cheng Yijiu looked at the scale on the rifle and swallowed his saliva. It was basically impossible to hit it at this distance. Even if this rifle was extremely accurate, it might not be able to hit it accurately at this distance. Cheng Yijiu did not have enough confidence in his shooting skills.

It might be possible if using a daylight scope, but it is definitely impossible with mechanical sights.

Officer Yamamoto raised his binoculars again, and like Cheng Yijiu, they watched the bear disappear over the ridge. Through the binoculars, Cheng Yijiu finally got a clear look at the bear—proportionally, it was indeed about the size of a horse. Cheng Yijiu estimated that if it stood up, it would be over two meters and a half tall.

This size is definitely considered large for a Northeastern brown bear, and even among the largest subspecies, the Kamchatka brown bear, it's a rare find. The bear's fur is a light brownish-yellow, and you can imagine it reflecting a golden glow in the sun—it must be a well-nourished adult brown bear.

This brown bear had a unique characteristic that Cheng Yijiu noticed as it moved. The hair on the right shoulder, extending from its back to its left waist, was a different color, a much lighter shade. It looked as if there were a giant knife scar. "Kasaya slash?" Cheng Yijiu muttered.

"Kasaya Slash?!" The bear hunter heard this, "Is there really a mark like a Kasaya Slash? The bear is still alive?!" The three of them screamed in shock, and even Officer Yamamoto and the other policemen and villagers looked very unhappy.

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yijiu asked.

"Three years ago, a brown bear with the mark of the Kassa-slash on its back killed three women... Then an old bear hunter shot it, and the bear disappeared. We thought it was dead... but it's not dead anymore, it's grown even bigger," the bear hunter said, and Yamamoto and the others nodded. "This is really troublesome."

We probably couldn't rely on this team to continue chasing the brown bear. Fortunately, the bear didn't come back that night because the villagers had built a huge fire and someone was regularly beating gongs. And the brown bear must have been frightened, after all, Cheng Yijiu might have been close to killing it...

The next day, the army stationed nearby also sent in sixty soldiers. The soldiers, along with the police and villagers, split into three teams to search the mountain. Cheng Yijiu and a villager named Datian took a separate route. Datian only had a naginata, probably from the Warring States period, and using it to fight a brown bear was just a psychological comfort.

But when Cheng Yijiu offered him five yen a day, he was no longer afraid of anything. For a seventeen or eighteen-year-old to earn that much was simply fantastic. Five yen a day was considered a good income in Tokyo; ordinary workers couldn't even get that much, and it was far from it.

If he is hired for three days, Datian will have no problem finding a wife.

So this guy was in high spirits, but Cheng Yijiu still went to the house where the brown bear attacked that night first.

The collapsed house on the foundation hadn't been cleared yet; the roof had simply been broken off and moved to the side. Cheng Yijiu walked around the house, carefully examining it and considering it. While it was impossible to put himself in the bear's shoes, he could make some inferences based on biological instinct.

"I remember I was standing here to aim at the bear at first, which was also the direction the bear came in from..." Cheng Yijiu looked at the direction in front of him, recalling the situation. Then he half-crouched down, which was probably the height of the bear's sight, but it was unclear whether the bear had broken through the wall while standing upright and rushed in.

Then he turned to look at the fields and the hillside to one side. The farmer's thatched house was near a low hill that could block the cold winter wind, but it seemed that the bear had most likely run towards him from the side of the hill. Cheng Yijiu simulated the bear's path.

Wild animals have a habit of following well-worn paths, even returning to them when fleeing. Brown bears are no different; they don't just roam the mountains randomly; they must have a few well-established routes. So, if you can find a trail, you might be able to find the bear.

Chapter 20 Tracking

Want to imagine yourself as a bear? That's a difficult problem. A bear hunter with years of experience could rely on experience, but Cheng Yijiu didn't have that much experience. Normally, they would bring bear dogs. The bear hunters leading the search teams all brought several hounds with them, specifically to detect the scent of brown bears.

Cheng Yijiu suffered because he had no trained hunting dogs - hunting dogs cannot be borrowed from anyone casually, but must be well trained and able to communicate with hunters, so they need to be raised by themselves or at least have a dog trainer like the British landlords.

Datian was just a half-grown child, he couldn't be used as a hunting dog... Cheng Yijiu let him do whatever he wanted around him, while he squatted on the ground, moving his body in the direction of the brown bear's movement. "I have no clue!" Cheng Yijiu muttered. He didn't even have a map on hand - the local police didn't have a map, only the army stationed nearby did.

Without a map, I could only speculate based on the crude map I'd drawn in my notebook. The animal trail seemed unrealistic now—the bear's movements were so unusual. The spot where the brown bear was spotted on the map was less than ten kilometers away, but the mountain path would take quite a while to reach.

Cheng Yijiu looked at the map, which roughly depicted the route the bear had taken while being tracked by the bear hunters. The bear made few circles and never backtracked, making it seem anything but a bear. "But it's a man-eating brown bear..." Cheng Yijiu muttered.

Cheng Yijiu stood up straight. "Let's go, Datian. Let's go take a look around." He said this, carrying his gun and walking towards the place where the brown bear was last found. Datian showed him the way. As long as he told him the location, there was no need to cross the mountains and ridges. He could just walk through the valley below.

There was a river in the valley, which remained frozen even in winter, its water flowing beneath cracks in the ice in the middle. There was a bridge across the river, but there was only one, and it was on the other side of the road. Cheng Yijiu didn't cross it, but instead trudged along the riverbank with Datian.

The winter valley seemed devoid of life, a vast expanse of white and gray, with only bare trees. However, Cheng Yijiu did spot some hoof prints by the river. Because the river brought warmth, moss was exposed in some places along the banks, as if these deer or wild boars had come to nibble on the moss.

Cheng Yijiu looked at the hoof prints. "Deer," he said, raising his eyes to look at the mountain. "I wonder if the brown bear will ambush deer or wild boars nearby... But this bear seems to prefer eating people." The two attacks were separated by a short time, and the bear must have eaten dozens of kilograms of human flesh.

Cheng Yijiu already had his hunting rifle in hand. His firepower was probably the strongest among those participating in this bear hunt—even the soldiers' rifles were not as large as his, and the power of their bullets was probably even more incomparable. "Sir, can we find the bear?" Datian said to Cheng Yijiu, carrying his naginata.

"Maybe? In such a large field, do you want to find it or not?" Cheng Yijiu was also feeling more relaxed because he didn't see any traces of animals nearby. The Japanese farmer touched his head and smiled, looking quite honest. "It would be best if we don't encounter it."

After walking along the riverbank to the foot of the mountain where the brown bear was spotted, Cheng Yijiu stopped, picked up his binoculars, and began to carefully search the mountain. "Just as I expected, there really was no trace of the bear. But wild animals, especially brown bears, don't roam freely; they tend to have fixed territories."

Cheng Yijiu knew that with just a little luck, he'd definitely find the brown bear. If the bear didn't hibernate in the winter, it would need a lot of food. If he didn't want to painstakingly dig for tubers under the snow, the easiest way to find food was in a human village. As for ambushing other wild animals at a water source? Going to a village was more efficient.

"It's a beast after all..." Cheng Yijiu said. From a distance, he saw another search team on the other side of the river through the telescope.

The two sides talked for a while across the river, and everyone said, "I didn't see it, I didn't see it." Then they continued to move forward in their original direction, but neither of them had any hope.

Later that day, Cheng Yijiu asked Datian to turn around and return the same way. At this moment, gunshots were heard in the distance.

Cheng Yijiu immediately raised his gun, while Datian also picked up his naginata. They both walked forward slowly, while Datian shouted, "Who is it? What happened?" However, nothing happened until they met the shooting team. They shouted, "Have you found the brown bear? We just found it and shot it, but we don't know if we hit it."

Cheng Yijiu and Datian both broke out in cold sweats. If it was really that brown bear, they might have passed it by. But now it seemed the bear hadn't continued its attack. The two of them quickly tried to cross the river; it was quite dangerous to stay there.

Crossing the river was also dangerous. The ice was so fragile that falling in wouldn't necessarily kill you, but if you didn't change clothes quickly, you'd definitely get frostbite. "Don't worry, Datian. Let's go to the bridge." The bear hunters, police officers, and villagers on the other side followed their lead. If they were going to chase the brown bear, they really had to cross the bridge.

It was dark, and it seemed difficult to catch up. Cheng Yijiu stopped and after the initial panic subsided, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Did you see the brown bear here? Can you confirm which direction it went?" He asked, "Datian, you go back first. I'll go find the brown bear!"

After saying that, Cheng Yijiu walked towards the mountain. Datian thought for a while and quickly followed him.

Cheng Yijiu looked at the traces on the ground and finally found the footprints and body marks of the brown bear - after those people pointed out the direction. So they had to follow the traces. "But Datian, why are you following me? Didn't I tell you to go back quickly? It's very dangerous here!"

The traces still carried the stench of wild animals, which Cheng Yijiu could smell, but Datian could not. Cheng Yijiu did not bother to explore the mystery, but instead carefully followed the bear's trail with his gun. "Maybe I only have a chance to shoot once!" he muttered.

"No! Mr. Sato! I will do my best to find an opportunity for you!" Ota said beside him, although his hands were shaking...

Chapter 21 Tracking 2

Snow had begun to fall again, accompanied by a strong wind. This kind of white-haired wind could kill people in a short time, so even though Cheng Yijiu knew he was only a few hundred meters away from the brown bear, he had no choice but to work with Datian to save his own life. It was probably too late to turn back now. Even though they were only a hundred meters away from the main group, it was now completely white and nothing could be seen.

What's more, there's a river between us...

Datian used his naginata to cut down long branches, while Cheng Yijiu furiously dug a hole with the shovel in his backpack, scooping out large chunks of snow and throwing them aside. He arranged the two or three-meter-long forked branches into a circle, bent the upper forks to form the top, and then tied a rope to the horizontal trunk and let it hang down, creating a cleanable ventilation hole. Then he started a fire with the collected branches.

The heavy snowfall quickly sealed off the simple, half-buried snowhouse. The temperature inside rose to a level where people could survive, and with the fire lit inside, they could definitely survive the entire night—this was something Datian had learned from his elders, and Cheng Yijiu had learned from his notes. Both of them had frostbite on their faces, and Cheng Yijiu applied the sheep oil he had received from Datian to the wounds, which made them feel much better.

Cheng Yijiu pulled canned food from his backpack, while Datian pulled out rice cakes. Cheng Yijiu's can was a futuristic domestic product, with the label and wrapping removed—after all, these tinplate cans had remained largely unchanged for over a hundred years, so there was no need to worry about being exposed. He pulled out a can of braised pork, a one-pound can, actually weighing over 600 grams—after all, the meat had to weigh a pound.

Cheng Yijiu opened the can with a knife, cut the frozen contents in half, and poured one half into a cashew-shaped lunch box he had just taken out—the latest item, a German-style lunch box stamped from steel. He hung the lunch box over the fire to heat it, and Datian took the can and eagerly placed it over the fire to heat it as well. At the same time, he placed the rice cakes on branches and roasted them over the fire.

This was bought with Cheng Yijiu's money. If Datian had brought it himself, the multi-grain pancake would have been his only choice - eating rice? It was still very difficult for Japanese farmers. Cheng Yijiu also took out two rice balls and prepared to stuff them into the lunch box and cook them together with the canned food. The aroma of meat filled the air, and Datian burst into tears... "The Japanese are like this, they like to be surprised. But it's no wonder, these people are as poor as ghosts now, I'm afraid he hasn't eaten this canned meat since he was born."

The rice soaked in gravy was very delicious, especially after being active in the mountains for so long that our stomachs were already empty. The soup bowl in the lunch box was put into the snow and burned on the fire. Cheng Yijiu also had tea powder in his hand, ready to boil it and drink some. Datian ate while crying and still said it was delicious. Cheng Yijiu wanted to laugh to death, "But this aroma..." Cheng Yijiu shook the rope to let the air in the vent. "Will this aroma directly attract the bear? If it comes, we will be in trouble..."

Cheng Yijiu quickly finished his meal and washed his utensils with boiling water. Next, he began to maintain his weapon—if a bear really came, he wanted it to fire without letting him down. He pulled the bolt, inspected it carefully, and cleared the barrel. Cheng Yijiu loaded five more rounds, rested the rifle across his lap, and dozed off. Both woke several times during the night, opening the vents to ventilate—otherwise, they'd die.

Cheng Yijiu had once climbed up to take a look and found that the outside was still white and blizzard-like. Perhaps the bear couldn't find the source of the smell in such weather. The blizzard continued all night long. When Cheng Yijiu saw the dawn, he found that a full twelve hours had passed. Climbing out, he saw that the terrain outside had changed, a pure white. Cheng Yijiu put on his snowshoes over his riding boots and trudged through the snow.

He still couldn't find any trace of the bear. The key was that a heavy snowfall had covered up the beast's footprints. Cheng Yijiu, standing on a high point, carefully observed the snow with a telescope. "Lucky, I found it!" He found traces on the snow.

There were unusually large footprints, and traces of broken snow left by the body's drag. They weren't close, though. It took over an hour of climbing back up and down the mountain before they finally reached the spot where they saw the footprints—by which time they were exhausted as a dog. Cheng Yijiu drank the water, which was kept warm by his body temperature, and took out two bars of chocolate, giving one to Datian—but in return, he burst into tears again...

After munching on some chocolate to replenish their energy, the two men continued their pursuit, following the footprints in the snow. It was clear that the telescope was quite effective in this regard, allowing Cheng Yijiu to avoid many detours. After following the footprints for nearly two hours, Cheng Yijiu asked Datian to confirm the direction. Datian actually looked around and confirmed that it was correct.

That's easy, as long as they can see the bear's footprints, the two men can take a shortcut along the ridge and stay downwind. In this way, the bear can't smell their scent, and this height also makes it easier to spot the brown bear earlier.

After walking for over an hour, Cheng Yijiu would periodically raise his telescope and peer. "Found it!" he finally uttered, exhausted. A brown bear loomed behind the trees about a kilometer away. It was a large bear, so large that even without being able to see its full form, it could still be spotted from the trees to the side. Hitting it from this distance was impossible, so he had to get closer to the beast.

Cheng Yijiu slid down the ridge, sliding on the snow. He had to be very careful when going down, because there was no way he could be sure that there was nothing below. If he fell headfirst, he would be dead. Because of the thick snow, the sound of him falling was very small. Mixed with the sound of the falling snow, the brown bear did not notice the hunter chasing him.

As soon as he stopped, Cheng Yijiu raised his binoculars to look - unfortunately, he couldn't see the bear from this angle, so he had to climb up. Datian followed closely behind him, the naginata in his hand more like a crutch than a weapon.

By now, both Cheng Yijiu and Datian were exhausted. Their legs were numb, to say the least. While crutching, they would occasionally lose their strength and fall to the ground. Now, not only Datian, but even Cheng Yijiu had to use his rifle as a crutch, using the butt of the rifle to support himself to stand. Fortunately, the brown bear was still relatively far away, so for now, they were safe.

Chapter 22 Killing

"The brown bear is right above us." Cheng Yijiu said to Datian, "So let's pray that this guy doesn't roll down, otherwise it will collapse and cause an avalanche and we will be doomed." This brown bear, this brown bear that did not hibernate in winter, is different from other brown bears. Perhaps because it is used to eating people, it is not afraid of people and may even actively attack humans.

Cheng Yijiu was very worried that the brown bear would charge at them if it spotted them. However, the wind had been blowing downwards, so the bear probably hadn't smelled them. While brown bears have excellent eyesight, they might not be smart enough to distinguish humans from other animals—especially since humans wear a variety of clothing. However, if they got this close, the bear would definitely be alert.

"A little, a little break." Cheng Yijiu had to let him and Datian rest for a while, even if it was just to loosen up their muscles. Cheng Yijiu diligently massaged his leg muscles; they would be very useful later, and he absolutely couldn't let them hold him back. The two of them rested for about ten minutes, then continued their hard work to climb up. About half an hour later, Cheng Yijiu heard a roar.

It was a brown bear, and it looked enormous. Datian was saying, "This thing is bigger than a horse!" Cheng Yijiu was estimating the distance. The bear was probably about a hundred meters away. Cheng Yijiu and his companions were standing slightly higher, while the bear was slightly lower. However, the area where the bear was was surrounded by bare trees. The bear must have seen them and was roaring in their direction.

Cheng Yijiu raised his Winchester rifle. He was now shooting from a kneeling position to ensure stability. Standing up, his legs were sore, and he wasn't sure if he could keep it steady. "Don't worry, don't worry..." Cheng Yijiu muttered silently, steadying his breathing as he focused the approaching brown bear into the rear sight and aligned the front sight.

Cheng Yijiu used his knees to support his arm that was holding the gun in front of him, holding his breath - it seemed like a century had passed before Cheng Yijiu pulled the trigger.

His body jolted back slightly, and the sound of the gunfire sent snow sliding down the nearby hilltops. The .0.30-06 bullet blasted out of the muzzle—no carbon-based creature in its path could stand in its way. And the fur, fat, muscle, and bone of the brown bear, about sixty meters away, certainly couldn't stop it either. The bullet entered at the base of the bear's left forelimb—an angle that meant no ribs could stop it.

The bullet entered the brown bear's chest cavity, exiting from the back of its abdomen. If the bullet hadn't rolled over... along its flight path, it passed through a series of vital organs, with a high probability of penetrating the heart. The bear's front legs gave way, and it collapsed and rolled in the snow.

Cheng Yijiu pulled the bolt, and the hook ejected the shell smoothly. The hot shell directly smashed a hole in the snow and went deep into the snow. Cheng Yijiu pushed the bolt to push the second bullet from the magazine into the chamber and was ready.

However, the bear rolled over and didn't get up, and the low roar gradually died down. Cheng Yijiu took aim and fired a second shot, this time entering the shoulder of the brown bear that was lying on the ground. Then he pulled the bolt again, ejected the second shell and loaded the third bullet. However, the bear was no longer moving. Cheng Yijiu held the gun and asked Datian to try with the naginata, but the boy's hands were shaking uncontrollably...

But he finally made it. Gripping the end of the long handle of his naginata, he stretched his arms and leaned his body as far as possible to reach the bear. "It's at least three meters away, but if the bear lunges, it's still dangerous." Cheng Yijiu pointed his gun at the bear, ready to react at any moment.

But it seems that everything is fine, the bear is dead. The bear did not jump when Oota's naginata touched it - bears are not that smart, but it was good that Oota could hold the thing, the naginata could not even cut the hair. Cheng Yijiu approached the brown bear lying on the ground from the side and found that the tongue of the bear had collapsed uncontrollably in its open mouth. Cheng Yijiu took out a tape measure from his backpack and measured it from the beginning.

"It's actually 3 meters long, but it's lying down. If you only count the length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, it's 2.5 meters. It's a very rare large brown bear - among the brown bears in Hokkaido, it's considered a large individual." Cheng Yijiu took a look at the bear and found that it was indeed a male bear. Estimating its size, since it's winter now and this guy had eaten enough in the fall, and now that winter has just begun, he hasn't had time to starve, so he must be more than 300 kilograms, maybe close to 400.

Cheng Yijiu touched the bear's fur, which pricked his hand like needles. Moreover, the "scars" on the bear's back were actually hair of a different color, a little lighter. The bear's head was particularly large, a little larger than that of an ordinary brown bear. In short, the dead bear exuded the stench of a wild beast, and now there was a hint of blood. "Datian, go call someone. Tell them that the bear has been killed."

This place was probably not far from the village. Cheng Yijiu gave Datian the map and compass in his notebook and told him to go back and call for help. Cheng Yijiu stayed here to watch the prey.

"Come to think of it, I haven't tried it yet." He pulled out a single-edged hunting knife and began to try to skin the bear. It wasn't easy to peel the skin off—especially since the bear was still lying on its back. Cheng Yijiu didn't have the strength to flip it over—skinning is done from the jaw and limbs, not the back. And since there was no leverage in the snow, Cheng Yijiu had no way to flip the bear over.

As night fell, Datian arrived with his men. A bear hunting party had been searching nearby, and Datian had come over quickly after encountering them. They had also sent a messenger to the village to report the bear. Lifting a nearly 400-kilogram brown bear was impossible, so they had to use a plow to haul it back. Having more people meant more work. After circling the bear for a while, marveling at it, they finally managed to get it onto the plow and slowly dragged it down the mountain.

A dozen people dragged a plow and brought the bear's body back to the village - it was already early morning the next day.

The bear was spread out, and all the villagers, including the soldiers and police who had come to help hunt the man-eating bear, were amazed. They all said what a huge brown bear it was. Cheng Yijiu was revered by everyone, and some villagers kowtowed to him—of course, this was because they had family members killed by bears. "I want the bear skin and skull," Cheng Yijiu said. "As for the reward, there's no need to offer it. Give it to the villagers who have been harmed by the bear."

The bear hunters skinned the brown bear. These experienced hunters peeled off a complete bear hide, and when they cut open the bear's stomach, they found human remains. This proved that the bear had indeed done the deed. The angry villagers chopped the bear into pieces, and Cheng Yijiu obtained the head...

Chapter 23 Aftermath

The bear's head was quite large, and after being skinned, it was especially bloody. Cheng Yijiu rubbed it in the snow for a long time before he could get some of the blood off—the rest was frozen, so he didn't get his hands dirty. The bear's head was huge, very large, and it was indeed difficult to handle. Cheng Yijiu tied it up with straw rope, and while the villagers were busy roasting the bear meat in revenge, he dragged the bear's head and the bear skin roll on his back and pushed open the door...

Before him was a warmly lit, simple yet luxurious hall. Cheng Yijiu threw his things to the floor and collapsed. He was exhausted. Chasing the brown bear over mountains and rivers had put a lot of strain on him, both physically and mentally. The two shots that killed the brown bear were the easiest. Cheng Yijiu rested on the ground for a long time before getting up, throwing the bear head and skin into the workshop at the back of the first floor, and then going upstairs.

He took off his clothes and threw them into the laundry room, then went to the bathroom to wash himself thoroughly, and finally fell heavily on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, the small clock by his bed told him he had slept for a full twelve hours. Cheng Yijiu went to the bathroom again and came out feeling completely refreshed. "Now it's time to deal with the spoils." But when he walked out to the second-floor hall, he found another taxidermied specimen—that of the man-eating brown bear. When Cheng Yijiu went to the workshop on the first floor, he found that the bear skin and head were still there.

"Is this considered copying? Never mind." Cheng Yijiu prepared the chemicals according to the manuals in the study and began processing the fur. As for the bear head, it was directly placed in a special glass tank. The soil inside was covered with a layer of carnivorous beetle larvae, mainly mealworms—these little guys are very powerful carnivores. Cheng Yijiu poured in a bunch of these insects—interestingly, the workshop was actually spontaneously cultivating these insects...

Processing the fur is a laborious task. The hide must be turned over and fixed to a half-log to scrape away the fat, and the large size of the hide makes the process even more laborious. After scraping, the hide must be soaked, cleaned, and degreased. Tanning and denaturation are then followed by another cleanse. Finally, protective oil is added to complete the fur. This process takes at least two weeks.

However, processing the bear head should be quick. If there are enough mealworms, the soft tissue on the bones will be eaten up in forty-eight hours at most, and then it can be defatted and bleached - but this also takes a long time, mainly because the defatting and soaking time is relatively long.

After getting himself stinky, Cheng Yijiu took another shower and then went out to "work." Cheng Yijiu was currently doing odd jobs, simply to avoid the attention of certain powerful departments. As for food and drink, his room was provided free of charge. He still had points to claim—and Cheng Yijiu had noticed that his reaction times had improved significantly, and his strength had increased significantly while working.

Although there's no option to exchange for physical energy, it seems this place can subtly enhance physical fitness. Cheng Yijiu couldn't guarantee whether this was due to his intense outdoor activities, but it seemed his life was much healthier than before... with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet. Hunting also brought him joy.

Cheng Yijiu spent almost all his money at shooting ranges and gun shops. He bought a lot of bullets. Thanks to the American gun culture, many companies produced a wide variety of bullets. He collected a lot of 0.30-06 bullets and tried to choose the most suitable ammunition from them. Cheng Yijiu didn't consider switching to 0.308 Magnum rifle bullets, which are more powerful, but Cheng Yijiu felt that the power of 0.30-06 was enough and there was no need to endure the greater recoil.

Cheng Yijiu not only built this gun, but also crafted a number of spare parts. He also spent a considerable amount of money on a second-hand scope and began meticulously adjusting it—though he estimated that most of the time, it might not be useful. As an international student, Cheng Yijiu had difficulty obtaining a license for a pistol, especially an automatic pistol—though most automatic pistols on the civilian market are already neutered versions with magazine capacity restrictions. However, there were no restrictions on purchasing a revolver.

Especially if these pistols are more for collection, then a revolver that can't fire... but that's basically junk, unless it's a very old model, it has no collectible value. Cheng Yijiu spent a small amount of money to buy a few of these revolvers. The truly collectible ones are really expensive - like the Python. However, the blueprints for these pistols are available, so Cheng Yijiu can try to build them by hand.

Automatic pistols have greater restrictions, but there is no problem with revolvers - revolvers like S&W and Colt would not be a problem even if you brought them to the early 20th century, because people would know at a glance that they are revolvers and would not think they are strange things.

Cheng Yijiu had experience making rifles, so when it came to crafting revolvers, he was no novice—he even had the luxury of cutting the revolver's frame from a single piece of cold-forged steel, regardless of the cost. After considering the feel and power of his target shooting, Cheng Yijiu decided to choose the Colt Python six-inch barrel revolver as his second hunting gun, to use as a lifesaver when facing close-range attacks from predators.

In reality, if it came down to saving one's life, stun grenades were probably the best... M84 stun grenades were worth having—though they weren't sold in gun stores, I heard there were ways to get them. However, I was worried about sting operations, which the US loved the most. Cheng Yijiu didn't want to go to jail for this, nor did he want to be deported—if he left the US now, the bullet issue would be a real hassle.

The points exchange facility contained specialized bullet production equipment, from chemical synthesis of propellant and primer to the production of primers, cartridge cases, and bullets. However, Cheng Yijiu was still a little short of the required score and would have to wait until his next hunt to complete it. In fact, he was increasingly confused about the purpose of this "room." Was it really just to support him, a hunter, to hunt? In short, the creator of this room probably had some secret plans. For now, Cheng Yijiu could only follow the instructions.

As time passed, the next hunt never occurred. However, the room underwent another transformation. After Cheng Yijiu spent over half a month tanning the fur and filling the bear's head with carved wooden padding, a small door appeared on the wall next to the stairs leading up from the study and living room on the first floor, leading to the garden behind.

This garden was a standard shooting range, open air. "You can shoot at moving targets, even flying targets..." Cheng Yijiu muttered, "It's getting even better."

Volume: Champarvat

Chapter 24 Begins

The shooting range behind the house was quite large, even with a compartment for testing pistols. After firing a few shots, Cheng Yijiu felt quite good. "At this rate, I could even live as a hermit here." Cheng Yijiu even thought he could make his RV his home and drive around the United States. There were already a group of people like him in America who drove their RVs on the road year-round, and there were RV parks all over the country where they could park.

Cheng Yijiu wasn't short of money. The hunting lodge, whose purpose hadn't yet been revealed, offered him a cash bounty after each hunt—not much, but enough to keep him from having to work. However, Cheng Yijiu, determined not to lose touch with society, insisted on working, albeit for short periods.

It's possible to live like this in North America, but back home, RV campgrounds are still underdeveloped, and even driving an RV would be inconvenient. But there are advantages to returning to China. Living as a hermit is actually more suitable in China, and it won't attract the attention of the relevant authorities. It's just being a homebody, right? It's much easier in China. Cheng Yijiu is seriously considering returning to China—there are even shooting ranges there. As long as he can solve the problem of bullets, everything will be fine.

Weapon blueprints were readily available online, so making a homemade gun wouldn't be a problem. As long as he successfully completed his hunt, he should be able to purchase the production line for the bullets—according to the description, it came with propellant and a primer production line. It seemed the chemicals didn't need to be purchased separately, or perhaps could be substituted with pre-made products.

Cheng Yijiu still spends his days in the study, besides working, reading Hunter's Notes and learning hunting techniques. Sometimes he also goes hunting with local hunters using his hunting license. He had long since given up studying.

During the hunt, Cheng Yijiu felt his physical fitness had improved in all aspects, becoming healthier and stronger than when he was still a student—that was the time before he entered society when he was healthiest and strongest, even better than when he began training in martial arts. This time, many hunting permits were issued, and the fishing and hunting department proactively required hunters to kill any infected deer and report them immediately.

The zombie deer certainly looked terrifying, but Cheng Yijiu used them to practice his marksmanship—using mechanical sights instead of a scope. After numerous trials, Cheng Yijiu confirmed that the closer the distance, the better. With mechanical sights, it's best to aim within a hundred meters, which provides an acceptable margin of error. "But if you're shooting rabbits, it's best to keep it around thirty meters."

He killed the brown bear at about this distance.

The time for a new round of hunting seemed almost up. There were no set rules, just a hunch Cheng Yijiu had. "What kind of beast will it be this time?" he wondered, but a bounty had already appeared on his computer—a tiger, a massive Bengal tiger. "The man-eating tiger of Champarwat..." Cheng Yijiu immediately named the famous man-eating tiger.

This female Bengal tiger, named Champawat, is the most man-eating tiger in recorded history, with approximately 436 people killed. This is far superior to the Sanmao and other Northeast brown bears killed by Cheng Yijiu. Tigers are much more agile than brown bears, and their fur provides excellent camouflage in tropical jungles—you can even sneak up to within five or ten meters of a tiger without noticing it.

In terms of intelligence, tigers are probably smarter than brown bears. As for comprehensive abilities such as vision, smell, and hearing, tigers are definitely better than brown bears. So this is a serious challenge for Cheng Yijiu, not only the challenge of the tropical jungle, but also the challenge of facing the world's most powerful big cat.