Infinite Hunter

At this distance, Cheng Yijiu couldn't dodge, and instead would be seriously injured due to his vulnerability. His swordsmanship was mostly designed for dealing with humans, so it was somewhat ineffective against large beasts. Cheng Yijiu shifted his feet, simultaneously blocking the elephant's tusks with his steel sword. The blade engaged, pushing forward with tremendous force. Cheng Yijiu also had to be careful not to get caught in the trunk.

Cheng Yijiu used a force-dissipating blocking method. His strength was also very strong, so he was not deflected, but the tusk that passed by him still cut his arm. Cheng Yijiu raised his arm to block the lash of the elephant's trunk, and his left arm also had a huge bruise. "Fortunately, it's not a big deal!" Cheng Yijiu had already seen the elephant's neck at this moment, but he had to be careful of the elephant's front paws kicking and trampling.

Ignoring a possible wrist sprain, Cheng Yijiu swung his sword forcefully, chopping at the elephant's forefoot. He chose an angle so he wouldn't directly collide with the elephant's force—another strike would likely cause him to lose his balance, and falling backwards would likely end the fight. The blade dragged and cut into the upper part of the elephant's forefoot, roughly equivalent to the upper arm.

The wound was quite deep, likely slicing directly into the muscle, severing two-thirds of the bicep's tendon. The elephant, completely disregarding its own injuries, pivoted on its forelegs, effectively charging sideways. It was a sideways strike with its tusks, and this time, Cheng Yijiu chose a dangerous leap. He grasped the steel sword with his right hand, but with a reverse grip, preparing to block the tusks while his left hand reached for the elephant's ear.

This was a complete gamble. Cheng Yijiu shouldn't have chosen this method of fighting, but he himself didn't know why he suddenly adopted this method. Fortunately, he was lucky and grabbed the elephant's ear with his left hand, but the impact of the tusk made his right hand numb and almost sent the sword flying. His body was also about to be ejected. If his left hand hadn't been holding on tightly and the ear was not quite firm, he would have been sent flying at this moment.

Since he didn't fly away, Cheng Yijiu immediately used his left hand to push himself closer to the elephant's neck. He ignored his numb right hand and directly thrust the steel sword into the elephant's shoulder. He wanted to stab the neck, but he didn't have time. It would be very inconvenient to cross his arms, so he loosened his left hand and used his right hand to push himself up, and then he saw if he could step on the elephant's body to gain leverage.

Unfortunately, he failed. He missed his target and was instead caught in the trunk. The trunk exerted its force, clamping and pulling, hoping to crush one of Cheng Yijiu's legs and pull him away from the sharp tusks, perhaps killing this dangerous human. Cheng Yijiu couldn't resist the elephant's pulling force, but he could use it to pull out his steel sword. The elephant's pulling was equivalent to inflicting a huge wound on himself.

Cheng Yijiu could feel his leg being sucked into a pulverizer, and the pain told him it was likely broken—or at least a multi-dislocated leg. He struggled to curl himself up to avoid being sliced ​​open by the ivory blade, but the injured part of his leg was broken open again, and he suffered new injuries—a large chunk of flesh had been removed from his other thigh, and a hole had been opened in his waist.

The elephant made only this one mistake—it shouldn't have let Cheng Yijiu face it head-on at this distance. The hunter endured the intense pain, struggled to grab the short spear, and then used his waist to thrust the sword through the elephant's eye. The sword penetrated almost completely, and amid the elephant's earth-shaking roar, Cheng Yijiu drew his steel sword, thrust it into the elephant's trunk again, and began to cut with force.

The elephant stood up in pain, and the skin on Cheng Yijiu's palm was rubbed off when his trunk swung, but Cheng Yijiu held the sword tightly. He was now upside down and almost hit the second tusk. At this time, Cheng Yijiu grabbed the tusk regardless, letting the blade cut his arm, and stabbed the sword into the elephant's throat through the mouth...

Chapter 12: The End

Blood gushed out of the elephant's mouth like a fountain, staining half of Cheng Yijiu's body red. The elephant stumbled a little weakly, and its trunk, where the muscles had been cut, also released Cheng Yijiu. He fell to the ground, his shoulder likely broken, and of course, he also brought his sword with him—his fingers spasmed and tightly grasped the hilt. Cheng Yijiu suffered a complex fracture in one leg, and a large strip of flesh had been scraped off from the other.

The intense pain made his cheeks twitch, and he naturally groaned in pain - facing an elephant, there was no need to act tough. Cheng Yijiu couldn't stand up at all, but fortunately he still had one arm to move, and if he didn't care, he could force his legs to move. With the help of the steel sword, Cheng Yijiu managed to stand up - the elephant was now half-kneeling three or four meters away from him, blood pouring from its mouth.

The elephant was bleeding from several wounds. The cuts Cheng Yijiu had made on its forelegs with his steel sword had left it vulnerable to stress on one side, causing it to fall over uncontrollably. The wound on its cheek was also severe, and the fatal throat injury had severed its blood vessels and larynx. The elephant didn't have much time left to live. Could it still struggle to deliver a fatal blow to Cheng Yijiu?

Perhaps, but the wound on its foreleg made it difficult to exert force. Relying on ivory was not enough to kill Cheng Yijiu, who was already on the verge of collapse. After all, the hunter's external injuries had not caused a large amount of blood loss, which allowed Cheng Yijiu to maintain his reflexes. The elephant seemed to be trying hard to stand up, but the wound on its foreleg was torn by its own weight, becoming larger and larger. It tried for a long time but could not stand up. It had lost too much blood and had no strength left.

The elephant let out a long, mournful cry, but due to the broken trunk, which had lost a large resonance chamber, the elephant's cry sounded hoarse. Cheng Yijiu stood there, watching this strange elephant gradually die. Even now, he had no idea where this elephant came from or why it started killing humans so recklessly. As for supernatural powers, Cheng Yijiu no longer cared about that.

The elephant's head dropped to the ground after it knelt, its trunk also spread out. Indeed, the elephant had entered its final state. Cheng Yijiu watched as the elephant gradually withered away, its once lush muscles rapidly shrivelling, its black skin covering its bones before dissolving into dust. The once formed bones scattered to the ground, turning into grayish-white ash—even the mutated tusks were the same.

In just a minute, the elephant disappeared from the world. Cheng Yijiu, who knew where he got the strength, was able to limp along with the support of his Damascus sword. "I have no idea what happened, and I have no idea what happened. But this elephant could have set a record." Cheng Yijiu recalled the previous situation. The bones of the elephant proved to be an elderly bull, and the tusks had not been taken away, which meant it was not hunted.

So why did this elephant "resurrect" and kill people? It's hard to understand. Never mind if it's hard to understand. Just know that he hunted an elephant. "Next time, no matter what, I must bring a double-barreled shotgun. Damn it!" Cheng Yijiu looked at the lonely door in front of him, cursing. He rolled through the door.

After entering the door, the wounds completely healed in a very short time - this is the confidence that Cheng Yijiu has in fighting with prey. As long as he wins and survives, no matter how serious the injury is, it seems that it can be healed here. There is actually a small problem, that is, if Cheng Yijiu is injured in his own real world, he will not be healed when he returns here. The Damascus steel sword in the hunter's hand was also brought back, which is not common.

Cheng Yijiu casually tossed his Damascus sword into a tub of hot caustic soda. He planned to soak it to clean away any bio-oil and organic matter, then rinse it, polish it, and finally apply a protective oil. But he didn't want to do it today. A full day of soaking wouldn't be a big deal anyway, so he decided to wait until tomorrow. He casually took off his clothes and tossed them into the waste basket—preparing to burn them in the incinerator.

The clothes were covered in dried blood. Washing them wasn't going to get them clean, so they might as well burn them. Cheng Yijiu was also covered in blood, so naturally he had to go to the bathroom and wash it off properly—probably with lemon juice. This was a forensic doctor's trick, specifically for removing body odors, especially hair. The hot water in the shower brought down a lot of melted blood, and Cheng Yijiu used a lot of soap to clean himself. He even went out and cut up a few lemons and rubbed them on his hair and body.

After changing into a soft, clean bathrobe, Cheng Yijiu finally had the leisure to go upstairs to admire his prey. A huge prey appeared in the hall—although the prey here was exceptionally large, oh, that little wild boar's head didn't count. And this elephant was the largest of them all. It was that elephant that appeared before Cheng Yijiu, its trunk raised, one ear broken, its tusks gleaming white, the blade even tinged with blood.

"African savanna elephant, elderly (approximately 60 years old), shoulder height 3.55 meters, body length 8.2 meters, weight 8 tons." Cheng Yijiu looked at the sign in front of the specimen. Looking up, he could see subtle stitches on the elephant's body—these were the injuries he had inflicted. The scars were concentrated on the front of the head, but the fatal blow was invisible.

"Unfortunately, this introduction also doesn't explain why this elephant became a killer elephant. I guess this will remain a mystery forever." Cheng Yijiu circled the elephant several times and reached out to touch the elephant's hide. It must be said that the taxidermy craftsmanship of this hut is extremely high. While it looks lifelike, as if its vitality is solidified, it feels alive to the touch. The hide doesn't feel hard, but flexible, just like a living elephant.

Taxidermy is a skill. The worst example is the awful lion Cheng Yijiu had seen in the Shangzi Museum, but the best example is right before his eyes. "Hey? I killed a Nandi bear, right? Why isn't this here?" Cheng Yijiu pushed open the door to another large room—this one held specimens of werewolves and other supernatural creatures, but no Nandi bears. "Damn it!" Cheng Yijiu sighed.

Now he could only go to the study and draw sketches in his notebook. "I hope I still remember it clearly. If I had known this, I should have tried to get back the main bones - such as the skull." Cheng Yijiu felt that this thing was definitely not from the bear family, but he couldn't tell which family of beast it belonged to.

After viewing the prey, Cheng Yijiu simply returned to his room to rest. Even though the hut had treated his injuries, the fight with the elephant was still very thrilling - certainly not as thrilling as a fight with a lion, but not far behind. He was still exhausted, so Cheng Yijiu had a good sleep, then had a delicious meal in the hut - mainly meat, and then went out to open the shop.

Miss Tang remained the same, though her relationship with Cheng Yijiu had grown considerably closer—at least to the point where they could joke around. Cheng Yijiu had been teaching her how to use the small sword, and Miss Tang had taken it very seriously. She had made significant progress in her physical fitness over the past few days. Of course, the trade-off was her improved figure, and her weapon was definitely still a practice rubber sword—Cheng Yijiu wasn't teaching her modern fencing, but Renaissance fencing.

A real sword has a sharp edge, capable of thrusting, slashing, and slashing. However, Cheng Yijiu didn't dare give her a real sword, fearing it could cause serious harm. Just some training with the sword would suffice, and at most, some weapon-based self-defense techniques—a short stick would be a good option. The most effective self-defense technique for women is actually a spray. After applying it, quickly run to a crowded area and call the police. Beyond that, Cheng Yijiu sternly instructed Miss Tang not to attempt any other combat.

He was a master swordsman, but even he didn't want to confront criminals—modern society advocates calling the police. He could sell ivory products in his shop, but Cheng Yijiu refused to sell any—unless he wanted to go to jail. Although the authorities had issued him a gun license, the local police station still visited him every month to check on his condition, especially to verify his ammunition supply.

Cheng Yijiu knew this beforehand, but he didn't tell Miss Tang. No one else, including Miss Tang, knew the pet store owner actually had a gun license and kept a gun at home. Liu, the department head, seemed to have some savvy, having registered Cheng Yijiu with the Forestry Bureau. This meant that if the Forestry Bureau needed to set a quota for hunting wild animals—actually, wild boars—they would look for professional hunters like Cheng Yijiu.

There's indeed a demand for wild boar hunting in Zhejiang and Jiangsu. With the natural environment recovering significantly over the years, wild boars have become a serious problem in the mountainous areas of Zhejiang. Less than a week after returning from a hunting trip, someone from higher-ups called and asked him to participate in a wild boar hunt. This year's target was to kill 120 wild boars, but by September, only nine had been taken. Local farmers are suffering from the wild boars destroying their fields, and state compensation for losses has reached a record high.

This wasn't going to work. Relying on local hunters wasn't going to cut it, so hunters from nearby provinces and cities could come in for assistance. This was where Cheng Yijiu came in. "The relevant departments are really quite helpful," the hunter said with a smile.

Chapter 13 Amateur

Cheng Yijiu was a lone wolf, a solitary hunter—though he had the authority to endorse him. He had become a registered hunter with the Forestry Bureau at his own request. Chen also happened to find Cheng Yijiu's intuition most useful, and maintaining it required regular hunting, which was just right.

Wild boars have recently become rampant in the mountainous areas of Zhejiang Province, with sightings even appearing in downtown Hangzhou—though they are actually domesticated pigs that have relocated to the wild. The Forestry Bureau has a planned hunting quota of 128 wild boars, but local hunters are struggling—which is understandable. Without trapping, hunting wild boars is difficult. The ban is based on the simple fact that traps kill a significant number of other wild animals.

With the current level of protection, if a few more wild animals were killed, the trapper would be in jail, and the forestry bureau officials who approved the traps could retire early or even go to the police station. So guns were still necessary, but the approval process was too cumbersome. Hunters couldn't even carry them themselves; they had to be shipped to the local authorities and then distributed. Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu's gun license didn't require this. It was a special license that allowed him to carry the guns and ammunition in his car, but the guns and ammunition had to be kept separate.

After completing the paperwork, Cheng Yijiu asked Miss Tang to open the shop while he drove to Hangzhou—to meet up first, then head to the mountainous areas of western Zhejiang. He still had the same M70 rifle. The ammunition in China was quite expensive—because it was Winchester Magnum rounds, which were relatively large. His car was a Wuling Shenguang, a fancy car, and it wasn't electric, but an older gasoline model. Cheng Yijiu had packed quite a bit of stuff in it, including all the necessary mountaineering gear.

There was also a Rambo knife, and Cheng Yijiu brought twenty-five bullets - the number of bullets he purchased with the official registration was twenty-five, and he brought them all this time.

Cheng Yijiu set out with colleagues from the Forestry Bureau. The professional hunting team from the Zhejiang Hunting Club had already assembled in the mountains, awaiting official approval to enter. Comrades from the provincial bureau arrived at the local forestry bureau for guidance, and Cheng Yijiu finally saw his hunting companions—not surprisingly, they were all middle-aged men who looked like wealthy businessmen, for whom hunting was more of a hobby than a job.

Indeed, professional hunters have long since changed careers; those who haven't are now in jail. It's a hobby that's practically impossible for those without money to pursue. Legal hunting requires traveling abroad and spending money. Furthermore, these people brought hunting dogs with them, and training them is a significant expense. Not to mention the cost of the dogs, these hounds can't be kept in urban areas, so they'd need a villa in the countryside to keep them, not to mention the expensive dog licenses.

"These dogs are probably worth tens of thousands of dollars each." Cheng Yijiu said the first thing when he saw their dogs. These people were quite enthusiastic. Those who could step into this threshold were all friends, so they introduced their dogs one after another. At this time, the police station car also arrived and began to distribute hunting rifles and register them. Cheng Yijiu took out his own rifle from the car, which surprised everyone. "It's okay, my gun license allows me to carry it, as long as the gun and bullet are separated." This was Cheng Yijiu's Versailles.

The rifles were different too. Almost all of them were Tiger Head double-barreled or single-barreled hunting rifles, with the exception of Cheng Yijiu, who was holding a Winchester Model 70. "Alas, these are the only guns you can use back home. In America..." someone approached Cheng Yijiu, sharing stories of their deer hunting in the US. "Don't you use a daylight scope?" Cheng Yijiu shook his head. "No, I'm used to mechanical scopes."

After everything was ready, everyone started planning the route on the map. To ensure that no one was accidentally injured, the route was very important. Cheng Yijiu didn't care, so he was also arranged. The first thing was to release the dogs to search for wild boars, and the hunters followed behind. Cheng Yijiu wore a hunting vest and walked calmly in the middle. The others seemed quite excited. The hunting dogs were running around in the mountains barking, and the wild boars must have been panicking and had no choice.

"There really are some here." He looked at the marks on the ground. These were wild boar hoof prints and the marks left by them digging up the soil. Cheng Yijiu was not nervous at all, because how big could the wild boars here be? One hundred kilograms or even one hundred and fifty kilograms were incredible. The same was true for the hoof prints. The real big ones were all in the north. Cheng Yijiu believed this was beyond doubt. "Perhaps the target of this hunt will be a rare and harmless one."

The barking of dogs was quite intense. These ten or so dogs must have trapped a wild boar, and the hunters should rush over to give it a fatal blow. Cheng Yijiu decided to let the middle-aged men have this fun first - he wasn't really excited, remember, he hadn't even loaded yet. Anyway, Cheng Yijiu crawled to the place with his rifle on his back in a relaxed manner. The five men had surrounded them but hadn't fired yet. Cheng Yijiu's feet were almost as fast as his feet.

"It's not big." The wild boar before him weighed no more than 70 or 80 kilograms, and it was a female, so its tusks were not noticeable. Someone raised their hunting rifle, and someone else ordered the hounds to run away. The next moment, gunshots echoed throughout the forest, and the wild boar fell to the ground, kicking. "Good marksmanship," Cheng Yijiu praised. In his opinion, the man before him was clearly not a good shooter—perhaps he had hunted deer in the United States, but his experience with a gun was definitely less than 300 rounds.

This guy was probably like most Americans. So-called hunting meant following a hunting guide, firing according to the guide's instructions in a comfortable hunting spot. It was like spending a fortune to buy a buck as a trophy. As for chasing prey on their own, that was out of the question. Fortunately, he had fired hundreds of rounds, and at this range, firing wouldn't usually send his dog flying or kill him. And this shot was indeed a good one, hitting the wild boar's heart from the side and rear.

Afterwards, they'd mark it and have the locals carry it down. This little money was nothing to the hunting club. Unfortunately, the wild boar would be rendered harmless, and they'd only get a bonus—two thousand dollars per head, still a pittance for these people. "That's right, wild boars killed with lead bullets aren't very edible anyway." Cheng Yijiu, of course, had no interest in this either. He'd tasted wild boar before, and it was truly unpalatable.

The dogs started running again. Actually, several of them had been chasing the wild boars from the start. Cheng Yijiu soon caught up—he was actually the fastest of the group in the mountains. "Oh! Damn it!" He heard the dog whimper. Sure enough, it was a large boar, weighing about 130 to 150 kilograms, twice as heavy as the sow, and naturally twice as big. Now it had just taken out a dog—it was unknown whether it was dead or alive. We would have to wait until Cheng Yijiu rescued it to find out.

Chapter 14: Building a Fence

By this time, Cheng Yijiu had already loaded his rifle. Without a second thought, he aimed his rifle. Since the distance was only about five or six meters, he was able to aim very quickly. He fired immediately. With the power of his rifle, there was no need to choose a specific target. Even a shot to the boar's skull would have exploded. So, the boar was brought down with a single shot. Meanwhile, the other hunters had also arrived.

"Whose dog is this? Go check it out! If we send it down quickly, it might still be saved." Cheng Yijiu used a branch to poke the wild boar. He had a knife in his right hand, ready to strike it if it jumped. The dog must have been seriously injured. Its waist and abdomen were torn open by the wild boar's tusks, and it was probably bitten as well. "It only shows that these people have no experience in training hunting dogs."

You have to know that this dog is a Dogo Argentino, a professional hunting dog for hunting large wild animals. In a group of three or five, they can easily kill wild boars and mountain lions. But they were killed by a weak male wild boar weighing at most 150 kilograms. You have to know that they are fierce dogs that can kill a male wild boar of 150 kilograms... "Sub-adult." Cheng Yijiu pointed at the wild boar whose head he had shot through. "If it were an adult, it would weigh at least 100 kilograms."

"Keep going, there are only two wild boars now. I think there are at least eight wild boars in the group of hoof prints, and there should be a big boar weighing about 300 kilograms." Cheng Yijiu said, "We have to kill at least five or six this time, otherwise it's better not to come. But I don't think we can achieve this goal this year."

Unless large carnivores are restored here, wild boars will inevitably become a disaster, even with professional hunters. "It still depends on ecological restoration and then the food chain recovery," Cheng Yijiu lamented, as did colleagues from the Forestry Bureau. "I remember there's a project in South China to rewild the South China leopard, and I heard there's also a project for rewilding the South China tiger," the Forestry Bureau representative said.

"It's fine in the mountainous areas of western Zhejiang, but if a South China leopard appeared in Hangzhou, it would be difficult to deal with, right?" Cheng Yijiu frowned. "Well, we can only hope everything is fine," said the Forestry Bureau representative. "It's definitely fine. You know, in India, leopards coexist with humans in city parks." Cheng Yijiu nodded. "That place has the highest density of leopards in the world."

The park is quite large and located in the heart of the city, so there's plenty of human food and stray animals for the leopards to eat. Rabies is practically extinct there because the stray dog ​​population is well controlled by the leopards. However, the wild boar population is out of control, so we still need leopards and tigers.

As they chatted about all this, Cheng Yijiu took the initiative to lead the way. He couldn't let people keep their dogs and carry their guns for nothing. After all, only one person had shot and killed a wild boar, and the others hadn't even started yet. Cheng Yijiu, gun on his back, followed behind them. He no longer had much hope for this hunt—it was now clear that, apart from him, the others were just "amateurs."

Basically, you buy a license in a country where hunting is permitted, then follow a hunting guide, aiming and shooting a wild animal under his guidance. It's not much more difficult than shooting a moving target. Raising hunting dogs is more of an amateur activity. These dogs are good at tracking, but as for biting and holding prey? That's what happened to the Dogo Argentino that just died—yes, the owner wanted to take it down, but it was too late. The mountain people carrying it down and transferring it to the veterinary hospital would take at least two or three hours, so the dog died before it could be taken down.

Cheng Yijiu toyed with the shell casings in his pocket—there was no other way. Gun ownership in China was such a sham. It was best to hand in the shell casings to confirm the number. More barking came from the front; they must be surrounded. The subsequent barking became chaotic, and Cheng Yijiu quickened his pace. The hunters were hesitant to fire, and it became clear they were locked in a struggle. Shooting would likely injure their own dogs.

"We've surrounded three wild boars, each weighing around 100 pounds." Cheng Yijiu was hesitant to fire. He felt he was accurate, but it was still awkward. Just then, a large animal burst out from the bushes. The hunters screamed in surprise as the beast charged at the dogs surrounding the three wild boars. Cheng Yijiu saw it was a male wild boar with long mane, the same adult boar he'd identified from its hoof prints, weighing around 300 pounds.

It was a difficult angle to fire from. Seeing this guy rush in, the dog flew up. How could this dog's fighting power be so vulnerable to a wild boar? If it were a pack of wolves, they wouldn't be so embarrassed. Soon, the wild boars gathered together, and the hunters scattered and ran. At this moment, they couldn't fire randomly; the chances of hitting one of their own were much higher. Cheng Yijiu was on the outside, leaning against a tree trunk for support, raising his rifle and taking aim.

The wild boar didn't immediately flee, but instead drove off the dogs and even pursued the fleeing hunters. If they'd caught up, there would have been casualties, so Cheng Yijiu zeroed in on the boar chasing the humans. He fired decisively, his body jolting back slightly as his right hand smoothly pulled the bolt to eject the shell, retrieving it later. The boar was still ravaging the hapless dogs, so Cheng Yijiu also aimed at it.

The dogs scattered, vulnerable to attack, which gave Cheng Yijiu an opportunity—a shot to the side of the foreleg, then he only had to wait for the wild boar to drop dead. His bullets were different from the single-head bullets used by hunters. They were shrapnel bullets, which exploded regularly, directly severing blood vessels and shattering internal organs, causing heavy bleeding, and killing the prey in the shortest possible time—this was the hunting bullet required by US law to cause the least amount of pain to animals.

They used lead cores, which were effective, but not as lethal as Cheng Yijiu's. Furthermore, he used Magnum rounds, which were powerful. So the boar quickly collapsed, and two of them escaped without injuring anyone. However, five dogs were injured, one died, and one hunter fell and sprained his ankle. Today's hunt, I suppose, is over...

Professional hunters are only so-so. In a month, they can probably only kill around twenty boars. Killing four today was actually quite good. After killing a 300-pound adult boar, the hunters gathered around, snapping photos with their phones and posting them on social media. Cheng Yijiu didn't take any, while everyone else joined in the group photo-taking. This time, they'd lost a fortune. The dead dog cost tens of thousands of yuan, and hiring someone to carry the injured dog down the mountain to the hospital would cost tens of thousands more...

The bounty for hunting wild boars totaled 8,000 yuan, of which Cheng Yijiu could take 6,000—he'd killed three. Luckily, these people didn't care about the money. Although most of them didn't fire a shot during this thrilling encounter, it was enough to brag about—at worst, they could just take the blame for Cheng Yijiu's death. They all sent him business cards and added him on WeChat, inviting him to join their hunting club.

Chapter 15 Business Trip

Joining a club is a simple matter; it's a gathering for the wealthy. Although Cheng Yijiu isn't as wealthy as them, he has one major advantage: he has a special gun license, allowing him to carry a rifle in most situations. However, these people's hunting rifles must be kept in a unified place. They can shoot guns in the gun club, but that's about it.

This "hunt" was a little game, at least Cheng Yijiu felt it was more like a relaxation. If he had hunted alone, perhaps all the wild boars would have died, but with this group of people coming together, killing four would be considered good luck. Cheng Yijiu drove back, declining their invitation to dinner. Of course, the wild boars wouldn't be given to everyone. The Forestry Bureau would record the data and then dispose of them harmlessly. The prize money would of course be deposited into the account after verification. Would it be paid on the spot?

This is not a public rule.

Cheng Yijiu returned to his home. Miss Tang had already gone home by then. He pushed open the door and went straight into the cabin. Cheng Yijiu fired a hundred rounds of ammunition in one breath at the shooting range in the back, releasing a few well-placed shots, and then it was time to sit down and clean the gun - there was no other way. Responsible hunters should maintain their guns after every hunt and carefully inspect them before hunting.

Cheng Yijiu brought in two guns, both M70 rifles. One was legal, though only three shots had been fired, and still needed cleaning. The other was a newly forged weapon he had crafted—he was incredibly skilled at crafting these types of guns, and would definitely become a very good handmade gunsmith. Disassembling them, the legal one had only been fired three times, so it only needed to be cleaned with gun oil, allowed to dry, and then reapplied with protective oil. The one with a hundred rounds fired needed a brush clean.

Cheng Yijiu had purchased the entire maintenance kit back in the US. He inserted a copper wire brush into the barrel to scrub away metal shavings and lead, then soaked it in cleaning oil. Using a special cotton cloth attached to a special metal head, he scrubbed the barrel, then let it dry. Next, he meticulously sprayed it with protective gun oil and wiped it with a suede cloth—polishing it as well. Cleaning one's own gun was a kind of relaxation, at least for Cheng Yijiu.

Then he put them together one by one, and when he pulled the bolt, it was really smooth.

As expected, the Zhejiang Forestry Bureau has already admitted that they've failed to meet their targets this year. They're unlikely to kill more than a hundred wild boars in the remaining days, so they can only keep them alive for another year. Wild boars are actually a widespread problem in most provinces across China. Unfortunately, the lack of large carnivores at the highest levels has disrupted the entire food chain. The northwest and northeast regions are relatively safe; even if tigers are scarce, there are still wolves and brown bears. However, the southwest and southeast regions are in trouble. The South China tiger is extinct in the wild, and the South China leopard is almost as bad...

But this didn't really concern Cheng Yijiu. He wasn't a university student, so if there were a rewilding project, he wouldn't be part of it. He still hadn't managed to find a hound, and it seemed the cottage hadn't given him the opportunity—falcons had had a chance, but Cheng Yijiu himself wasn't up to the task. Fortunately, his senses were incredibly strong, allowing him to serve as a sort of hound—his sense of smell, hearing, and vision were at the peak of human capabilities.

In particular, his sense of smell is definitely superior to that of an average person, while his hearing and vision are still within the human range. His night vision is just exceptional.

Cheng Yijiu whistled as he opened the shop. In his free time, he watched Miss Tang exercise. It seemed she had discovered the benefits of exercise, at least in terms of physical strength and energy. Her figure became more upright, and the little bit of fat on her body was slowly being eliminated. Cheng Yijiu told Miss Tang that a little fat was more suitable for her. "Your weight will actually increase because muscle is heavier than fat."

While practicing with the sword, Cheng Yijiu realized this girl was quite good, quite talented in this area—or rather, her motor skills were quite good; she definitely wasn't one of those girls who didn't take physical education classes back in school. "Wait, I'm her coach, training with her, coaching her on her fitness and technique, and I'm going to pay her a salary?" Cheng Yijiu had felt a little uneasy before, but now he'd figured it out—no matter how he looked at it, it was a loss.

Cheng Yijiu sighed. It was a good thing he didn't rely on this for a living, and Miss Tang was indeed very beautiful—after all, beautiful women always have an advantage in this world... Liu Moutao was here again, this time with a sly grin on his face, completely lacking the dignity of a department head. Since he wasn't respectable, Cheng Yijiu wouldn't give him any respect either—after all, Cheng Yijiu wasn't a regular employee at the base; he was just a specially hired consultant outside the system.

"What do you want from me? What's the trouble?" Cheng Yijiu told Miss Tang to practice on her own—his shop was practically dead. The two of them began discussing over the counter. "A business trip," Liu Moutao said nonchalantly. "Business trip? That Kunlun Mountain thing isn't relevant anymore?"

As soon as Cheng Yijiu finished speaking, Liu Moutao's face turned serious. "What Kunlun Mountain? What's there in Kunlun Mountain? How come I've never seen it?" Cheng Yijiu snorted twice, then laughed and asked Liu Moutao to continue his performance. But soon Liu Moutao also laughed. "It's confidential. Just pretend you haven't been there." He paused and said, "If you really want to go on a business trip, this time the allowance is higher and there are fewer restrictions."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yijiu asked curiously. "It's exactly what it says. This time it's a foreign country." Liu Moutao finally sounded a bit more serious. "Don't you mean non-interference? And even if you are interfering, why are you looking for us?" Cheng Yijiu understood Liu Moutao's meaning perfectly. He was curious about the deviation from the Republic's consistent policy. "Can't the UN go?" He simply didn't ask where.

"We're already under the UN system. The recent supernatural phenomena aren't just happening in our country. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council bear leadership responsibility for them. So, this time, they're sending a joint expedition team—even if it's just for show, at least to respond to the requests for assistance from those smaller nations. This time, they're heading to the African rainforest region of the Gulf of Guinea... By the time we found out, the situation was already a mess."

When Liu Moutao said this, Cheng Yijiu knew he couldn't escape this trip to Africa. It was likely to be quite a while, but Cheng Yijiu didn't mind. As long as there was a door, the cabin would follow him and he wouldn't miss any missions. And since Miss Tang could have another long vacation, this job was truly enjoyable. Since this was a business trip, they were using a professional business jet—AVIC had a special company specializing in this area, and they had assigned them a G650.

Rather than refueling multiple times en route, it would be better to refuel once and reach the destination. This would save both time and money. The crew members were all from the military, and the cargo hold was loaded with sufficient equipment and supplies. This operation was entirely male. The young woman from the team was not traveling this time, and was replaced by Xiao Zhao, another member of the military. The flight would take a long time, giving Cheng Yijiu ample time to study the intelligence en route.

"What's going on? Wasn't anyone in charge before? Logically, this is something the French should be responsible for?" Cheng Yijiu complained, looking at the stack of A4 papers in his hand. It was originally a tropical rainforest area, but over the years, due to the increasing population in Africa and rampant deforestation, the rainforest has shrunk significantly, and the natural environment has naturally deteriorated. However, in the past few months... or should I say, the past year, the area of ​​the tropical rainforest has seen an entirely unnatural increase.

Because the local government is essentially rubbish, it's impossible to track changes in rainforest size. Generally, this is determined by satellite data from major powers. Sadly, this area is so unimportant that truly powerful satellite imagery rarely analyzes it. And what about the former so-called colonial master, France? Like the United Kingdom, it's considered a disgrace to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Of course, it lacks the satellite imagery and analytical capabilities.

This incident only broke after local authorities finally realized the large number of missing people. By then, the rainforest had expanded by 30%. The number of missing people in these countries is unknown, but it can only be estimated to be between 50,000 and 250,000. Americans estimate that there may be millions missing, while domestic analysis requires further investigation. They were carrying a large amount of equipment, which was necessary given the poor governance and chaotic society in the region.

A portable tablet computer, a multi-purpose sensor capable of handling a wide range of tasks, a spare battery, and a thermal charging pack—this thing already looks like a bit of black technology, generating electricity above the base temperature. It's slow, but could this mean infinite energy? Of course, Liu Moutao said this thing was the product of a paranormal research team and is currently undergoing testing, so they asked them to bring a few sets—not that they're worried about leaks...

Of course, there is also the human exoskeleton, which is a thing full of rustic aesthetics, as if it is made of angle iron, but there is one thing that is a magic weapon, that is, there are cooling pipes and exhaust pipes inside the clothes. The heat dissipation through the exchangers on the waist and back of the exoskeleton can effectively reduce the body temperature and remove the moisture in the clothes. This thing can be called a magic weapon in the tropical rainforest, but I don’t know whether it is easy to use or not, so this time there are two middle-aged people following, they will stay on the plane to collect and analyze data.

The frontline action team members are Cheng Yijiu, Liu Moutao and the other four, and the rear support is provided by these two and the crew members - they are all multi-talented.

Large-scale disappearances have occurred in these places, and it seems as if they have been swallowed up by the forest. This even includes some areas where local anti-government armed forces and government troops are stationed. Some are simply towns that have lost contact after being surrounded by the tropical rainforest, and no one has been seen coming out.

The indigenous people who had lived in the forest since ancient times were quite normal. They reported to the government that the town had disappeared and that "Mkeram Bembe" had appeared. Cheng Yijiu laughed when he saw this. "Isn't this a well-known pseudoscience? The so-called Congo Swamp Dinosaurs - in fact, we know that these long-necked, long-tailed dinosaurs lived in relatively dry places, not tropical rainforests... and they lived there for 65 million years."

Chapter 16 Congo

"Why are we looking for dinosaurs in the Congo? Could these supernatural events be related to this thing? Wouldn't that just mean we're fighting monsters? I'm telling you, Director Liu, if we're going to fight monsters, you should go, not me. If something happens in the Neige area, let the Neige people handle it themselves. I don't want to take any risks." Cheng Yijiu muttered. Liu Moutao just chuckled, "Who said we're going to fight monsters?"

He waved his hand. "We don't care about that. If there really are any supernatural creatures, let the French worry about it. We really don't care! Don't look at me like that. Our country has always had a lot of supernatural creatures. Whether it's the number or the variety, we probably have the most in the world. After all, our country has the most complete geographical conditions and the most meteorological classifications in the world. We are also the only remaining ancient civilization in the world. The number of supernatural creatures is directly correlated with the history of civilization."

Precisely because there are so many supernatural things in China, while we are extremely troubled, we are naturally not so enthusiastic about the so-called supernatural events abroad - we have almost all the types that are available abroad, and some of our types are not available abroad... This trip to black Africa is just a courtesy of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and China has been deeply cultivating its economy in Africa in recent years, so it is not good to turn a blind eye to something that happens - people are seriously asking for help from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The plane landed at an airport outside Kinshasa, where more than one plane was parked. The soldiers stationed outside the airport weren't local black soldiers, but French Foreign Legion soldiers. It was here that the five permanent members of the investigation team converged—the meddling Americans, the French who truly wanted to understand the situation, and the Chinese, Russians, and British who were just hanging around. This was French territory, so they had a better deal than the Americans, at least the intelligence they provided was more complete.

China, Russia, and the UK offered only bland, insincere remarks at the meeting. France urged a joint expedition into the jungle, while the Americans objected, saying it was too dangerous and requiring observation from the periphery. Only China, the US, and Russia can deploy high-precision satellites, though Russia lags behind, possessing specialized imaging methods unique to China and the US. For this operation, neither China nor the US will deploy their most advanced satellites.

"Wow, there's quite a few Americans here," Cheng Yijiu whispered to the others. The Chinese expedition was the smallest, while the only larger team, Russia, had sixteen members. Now everyone knew the four Chinese were probably just there for a formality, and the French were clearly disappointed. Leader Liu Moutao was the one to smooth things over. "We don't have a clue what's going on. There's no need for so many people. We can still send more once we've gotten a little clearer."

In short, as long as there's a reason to fool people, everyone quickly drove—the French had kindly sponsored the drive—to the nearest unusual rainforest. "You said this rainforest just appeared last month? No matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like it. It must have been there for ten or twenty years." More than one member of the expedition thought this way. The Americans, French, and Russians all took samples first, while the British joined the Americans. Only the Chinese didn't take any samples. Instead, Cheng Yijiu and Liu Moutao cautiously entered the rainforest.

They were very careful not to go too deep, and only walked in about two or three meters. "Well, it looks like we won't get lost for now." Cheng Yijiu said, observing the plants here, "A lot of insects... It doesn't look like this is a restricted area for animals." But he didn't find any larger animals for the time being. He did see several species of birds, but no larger animals.

Meanwhile, several other teams had also entered the jungle, going a little deeper and collecting some insects and the like. They also found nothing unusual. Then came the truly brutal scene: the French gave the order, ordering the Foreign Legion soldiers to bring in several of the locals. They handcuffed them to tree trunks five or six meters deep in the jungle, while several soldiers stood guard outside the trees, filming with cameras.

The plan was to keep these captured armed men in the woods for 24 hours to see what would happen. Cheng Yijiu thought it unlikely anything would happen; at most, they'd get bitten by insects. Anyway, the tents outside—poor French, they were really in trouble. They couldn't even put up the makeshift huts, so they had to use tents instead. Cheng Yijiu and his men had two tents, and they were resting with the mosquito nets down and the air conditioner on.

In the middle of the night, Cheng Yijiu suddenly opened his eyes. He heard not only the shouts of the foreigners in the camp, but also strange noises from the jungle. This time, everyone on the Chinese expedition was armed. Cheng Yijiu brought his registered rifle, while Xiao Zhang and the others carried automatic rifles. Even Liu Moutao had a pistol. "What happened?" Cheng Yijiu woke up, startling Liu Moutao, who was sleeping in the tent across from him.

"There's something, don't make a sound. It's not here, it seems to be with those armed men tied to the trees." Cheng Yijiu had already put on his shoes. He grabbed his rifle and carefully prepared to open the tent door. At this moment, French shouts were heard from outside, followed by the sound of automatic rifle fire. "Everyone stay in the tent and don't come out! I repeat! Everyone stay in the tent! To avoid accidental shooting!" An English call came from the camp's loudspeaker.

"Okay, whatever happened should be over now," Cheng Yijiu sighed. Just then, a phone rang in the tent—with the communication equipment provided by China, there was at least 4G network here. Apparently, the scientific expedition team was about to hold a meeting and arrange tasks. After some discussion—the commander of the foreign legion had joined along the way—the final decision was that each expedition team would send two people to use the camp's searchlights to investigate what was going on, while the rest of the group remained in their tents.

The Chinese were, of course, Liu Moutao and Cheng Yijiu. They were unarmed, and just like that, they followed a few other people, protected by the Foreign Legion soldiers, as they approached the armed men who had been handcuffed during the day. "Oh, damn it!" Cheng Yijiu cursed in English. The American and British guys beside him also cursed, and the French and Russian guys did the same—the scene before them was hellish.

These people were all dead, and their deaths were horrific. "They were torn to pieces," said an American doctor—he must have been a forensic pathologist or anthropologist. This bearded fellow examined the bodies and made his conclusion. He shone a bright flashlight on the broken ends of the bodies while Cheng Yijiu observed from the side. "They were torn apart alive. When they were torn apart, these guys were still alive." Cheng Yijiu concluded for the forensic pathologist.

Chapter 17 Analysis