The car quickly arrived at the location where Jiang Hai and his group were to enter the mountains. Because there were so many people this time,
to avoid the different teams encountering each other in the forest, they were all entering from different locations. The men in Jiang Hai's car had been extremely excited the whole way, and they became even more excited after the car stopped.
"Now we're going into the mountains. Everyone come and collect your equipment." After the car stopped, Jiang Hai got out first and translated what the four men in the front had said. The men then lined up and went over.
Before entering the mountains, they had already applied for their desired weapons. Many people wanted rifles, as the Chinese generally preferred rifles to shotguns and hunting rifles. Besides rifles, two people wanted hunting rifles.
Initially, the people around them had laughed at them for asking for hunting rifles, but now, seeing them, they couldn't help but lick their lips; hunting rifles seemed like a good option!
Going into the mountains to hunt wasn't like going to war, so the guns they requested were all older models.
For example, Jiang Hai and his group were using M16 rifles, the oldest model, the one they replaced after the Vietnam War.
It had its share of problems, but it was sufficient for the mountains. It used civilian ammunition, with only five rounds in each magazine, and it couldn't fire in bursts; you had to pull the trigger to fire one round.
Each person was issued five magazines, plus a box of two hundred rounds. How many they fired would be known after they returned.
Hunting rifles, on the other hand, seemed much more powerful than rifles.
These were double-barreled shotguns firing buckshot. Each bullet was about the thickness of an adult man's thumb, and the rows of bullets hung diagonally on their bodies like Rambo's—looking much more powerful than the civilian version of the M16.
For a while, the two men who received the hunting rifles were taking pictures, drawing considerable envy from those around them.
Besides guns, the police gave them quite a few other things, including bottled water (but they were required to put it in canteens; plastic bottles weren't allowed in the mountains, for fear that tourists would litter),
and a Swiss Army knife—not an expensive one, but a three-dollar one, provided by the state government as a perk; these knives were allowed to be taken back to their home countries. They
also had a military-grade quick-heating ration, which would come in handy if they didn't catch any prey.
With everything prepared, they were ready to head into the mountains.
"Alright, everyone get ready. We're heading into the mountains. Before we go, let me reiterate the rules: absolutely no running around, touching anything, or leaving the group. If you need to use the restroom, just let us know. Do not sneak off to the restroom, because if you go, we might not know and could really leave you behind. The trees in this forest are very dense; you can't see a person even ten meters away. And if you shout, you might attract wild animals instead of us!" The police officer, with the help of a translator, explained the rules to the group of middle-aged men.
The men nodded in understanding.
Once they seemed to understand, the police led the group into the forest, while Jiang Hai and Bell brought up the rear to prevent anyone from falling behind.
Once inside the forest, the men became tense and quiet. Indeed, the forests of the Alabacia Mountains were quite eerie. Due to the dense vegetation, sunlight was almost completely blocked once inside, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Thick mats of withered grass and fallen leaves formed a thick carpet underfoot; each step sank a few centimeters, revealing water and insects.
Many of these insects, as Roga DeCarter had warned them, were poisonous.
Seeing them filled them with apprehension. They walked cautiously ahead, refusing to remove their helmets despite the heat, constantly monitoring their surroundings.
After about an hour, the police stopped in a clearing that had been cleared.
"Everyone, take a break here. You can take off your helmets, but not your shoes. You can sit down for a bit." Hearing the policeman's words, the men finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground. They understood why they had to undergo three days of physical training first. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get here to rest; many of them would have fallen behind on the way ahead. They had climbed mountains in China before, but the mountains there were completely different from the Alabachian Mountains.
There, the paths that had been cleared out, even if they were dirt tracks, weren't difficult to walk on. Unlike here, there wasn't even a path; they had to wade through the forest, one step at a time. Without training, it would be a miracle if they didn't twist their ankles by the time they got here.
Although they felt a bit tired, they felt it was worth it. This experience would be something they could brag about back home.
"We'll be heading deeper into the forest now. Our hunting will take place here. Since most of the animals here are protected, I won't allow you to fire your weapons indiscriminately. If you spot deer or wild boar, I'll call you, and then you can hunt them. Other animals are strictly prohibited from being shot. If you insist, you can, but in the US, just like in China, shooting wild animals can lead to legal trouble." The policeman in front of them spoke to the group of middle-aged men who had been sitting there. Hearing this, many of the men with ulterior motives quickly reconsidered. If it was just about antagonizing Winthrop, that would be fine, but being sued in the US would be a huge loss.
After resting for half an hour, the group set off again. They needed to reach a stream to rest by noon; if they didn't leave now, it would be too late. Although this was a privileged group, they couldn't afford to be too slow.
After walking for another hour and a half, around 11:00 AM, they arrived at their campsite—a small stream. The stream wasn't wide, but it flowed swiftly. Jiang Hai glanced around; there weren't any fish in it. It seemed they'd have to eat lunch in the forest. After clearing away some pebbles and applying insect repellent, the police helped them set up a temporary lunch spot. They also set up two racks with pots hanging from them for cooking. After watching them prepare the food, Jiang Hai told two of the officers that he and Bell, along with one other officer, were going hunting. Then, Jiang Hai and his group prepared to leave.
However, before they left, the older man who had been talking to Jiang Hai called out to him.
"Young Jiang, are you going hunting?" the man asked excitedly.
"Yes, I'll get you some food," Jiang Hai replied, nodding. There was no point in hiding it.
"Can we come along?" Upon hearing that Jiang Hai was really going hunting, the uncle asked him anxiously. Jiang Hai's first thought was to refuse, but after thinking about it, it seemed like it didn't matter.
"You can go, but you can't bring guns, and there can't be too many people." Jiang Hai thought for a moment and said, looking at the man.
"Okay, okay, just me!" Seeing Jiang Hai agree, the uncle couldn't help but laugh. He then went back and gave the gun to someone he knew before following Jiang Hai and the others into the forest.
"Hey Jiang, I haven't seen any wild animals along the way. Is this reliable?" The uncle asked as they walked. Jiang Hai patiently explained,
"This is just the outer area, a buffer zone between wild animals and humans. Beyond this stream is the real mountain area, so there aren't many wild animals to begin with. Plus, there are too many of us. Some animals see us from afar and run into the mountains. That's why we haven't seen anything except birds." Jiang Hai explained to the uncle while scanning the surroundings.
As mentioned in the car, the uncle's name was Zhao Zhan. He was an engineer in China and had served in the military. He had a good background.
Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Zhao Zhan said "Oh," indicating that he understood. However, at that moment, Jiang Hai suddenly waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop. He then took out a metal cube from his backpack. With a tremor of his hand, the metal cube instantly transformed into a metal bow and arrow—a bow Jiang Hai had specially ordered recently. Its
maximum draw weight was 320 pounds, something most people couldn't even dream of; it was terrifying. The arrow could travel up to 500 meters. Of course, at that distance, accuracy would be compromised, but at 300-400 meters, its lethality was still considerable.
Seeing Jiang Hai take out the bow, Zhao Zhan fell silent. However, he had been looking around but hadn't spotted any prey.
Jiang Hai slowly took out his extendable arrow, nocked it, aimed, and instantly drew the bowstring taut. He then fired a shot. The arrow flew past, and soon the bushes erupted in chaos, filled with screams.
Jiang Hai and his group quickly pushed through the grass and reached the front. Zhao Zhan saw a large bird with its throat pierced by a bullet lying on the ground, struggling. Blood was flowing continuously, and it no longer had the strength to stand up.
But as expected of a wild animal, despite losing so much blood, it was still alive and hadn't given up. Its vitality was truly remarkable! (To be continued.)