"Danger Zone?" Chen Fan was hearing this term for the first time.
"Um." The bald man turned around, cast a glance at Chen Fan, and said, "Remember the armored rhino we encountered on the way yesterday? Such encounters aren't uncommon here. It's mostly mid-level carnivorous beasts that are a threat. Even worse, if you're unlucky, you might run into high-level beasts."
"High-level beasts..." Chen Fan gasped.
High-level ferocious beasts were typically three or four meters tall, and some were even larger. They often possessed the strength to obliterate a small human settlement and were extremely aggressive.
It was said that in the past, several small villages had been wiped out overnight when they became the target of high-level ferocious beasts, which managed to breach their walls at night.
"Let's backtrack and look elsewhere," Chen Guodong suggested, casting a wary eye ahead. He knew that experiences like these had often come at the cost of human lives.
The team continued to march southeast.
"Isn't this a bit dull?" The bald man turned to Chen Fan with a smile.
"Um," Chen Fan nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. He felt as if his entire back was drenched in sweat, and the sensation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
"This is the normal course of hunting," the bald man reassured. "In the past, we would sometimes go a whole day without sighting any prey, and even when we did, they'd vanish in the blink of an eye."
"Yeah, what we encountered yesterday was fortunate. Of course, Xiao Fan's accurate archery played a crucial role. Otherwise, merely spotting the prey wouldn't have done us much good," a middle-aged man with a prominent nose chimed in with a wry smile.
"I see." Chen Fan chuckled wryly. It appeared he had set his expectations too high, focusing primarily on improving his proficiency in [Basic Archery] during the hunt.
He sighed inwardly, casting a backward glance. Uncle Liu and the others had referred to the "dangerous zone." He wondered if there might be more prey there, but with his current abilities, it was simply too perilous.
The group continued in silence.
After an indeterminate amount of time, several small black figures appeared some two to three hundred meters ahead.
Chen Fan spotted them too.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they hastened toward the figures. As they drew within a hundred meters, peculiar expressions appeared on their faces.
They observed two gray Steppenwolves attacking a young wild bull. The bull appeared to be quite young, only slightly larger than the Steppenwolves, with horns about the size of a forearm. It lunged back and forth, attempting to fend off one of the wolves.
The two Steppenwolves, however, coordinated their efforts effectively. One diverted the bull's attention while the other launched sneak attacks, focusing on biting the soft underbelly.
By the time Chen Fan and the others arrived, the young bull's intestines had spilled out, and blood covered the ground. Evidently, its strength was on the verge of giving out.
At that moment, the two Steppenwolves that had attacked noticed the approaching group and warily retreated, never taking their eyes off their prey and the humans.
The young bull stood there, tottering.
Everyone exchanged glances, as if wondering if this was too good to be true. Could it be a dream?
"What should we do?" The bald man cleared his throat and asked, "Should we take this bull, or should we leave it?"
Laughter rippled through the group.
"Isn't it obvious? We take it! It's a gift from the heavens!"
"Indeed, perhaps they've seen that we've come so far without finding anything and decided to give us a helping hand. This bull, even if it's not yet fully grown, must weigh around two hundred catties. A piece of beef like that would've been unthinkable ten years ago."
"Ha, I'd really like to thank those two beasts for working on our behalf."
Chen Guodong, however, remained somewhat subdued, his brow furrowed.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Chen Fan, initially elated, grew concerned when he saw his father's expression.
"Nothing," Chen Guodong shook his head, casting a gaze at the young bull, which was nearing its final moments. He then requested, "Xiaofan, give it a swift end."
"Sure." Chen Fan nodded, and with the group encircling him, he walked about thirty to forty meters away and loosed an arrow.
The savage bull remained oblivious to the activity around it and fell as though it were a fixed target.
He glanced at his [Basic Archery] proficiency, which was just below 1%—a bit low. On the bright side, it had awarded him 5 experience points, accumulating a total of 8.
Inwardly contemplating, he peered into the distance, noticing that the two Steppenwolves still kept a watchful eye on their group.
"The distance is a bit far, one hundred and fifty meters away, and these two beasts are quite clever," he thought with a glint of determination.
Even with the 80-pound bow strapped to his back, hitting a target from a hundred meters away was challenging, and even if he managed, the damage would be limited.
The rest of the group didn't waste any time and began dismembering the prey, preparing to transport it.
Chen Guodong furrowed his brow, observing that the two Steppenwolves were fixated on their location. It was clear that they were not willing to let their meal be snatched away.
Steppenwolves were vengeful creatures and unlikely to give up easily.
"Let's call it a day for today's hunt," he suggested. "I have a bad feeling about this. Besides, if we can successfully transport this prey back to the settlement, the yield will be substantial."
"Agreed," came the unanimous response.
After all, they had acquired this bounty without much effort, so there was no room for complaints.
As the team made its way back across the wasteland, two gray figures trailed closely behind, as if they were sticky brown candies that couldn't be shaken off.
Chen Fan tried to take the initiative and attack, but as soon as he pursued, the two Steppenwolves retreated, and when he retreated, they returned.
"Oh, damn it!" Chen Fan cursed inwardly.
Why were these beasts so crafty? He began to doubt whether they possessed some degree of intelligence.
The range was still not far enough. If he had the one-hundred-pound bow, at two hundred meters, one arrow could have easily taken care of these cunning creatures.
"Guodong," the bald man's expression grew serious as he eyed the two Steppenwolves, "Do you think these two are signaling for reinforcements?"
"Likely," Chen Guodong replied gravely. "This is what I was concerned about from the beginning. Steppenwolves typically travel in packs. It's strange for just these two to be alone. Now that they're persistently following us, they're probably waiting for the main group to arrive."
"What!" The rest of the team exclaimed. "What should we do?"
Not only were two or three Steppenwolves manageable, but even four or five could be dealt with. Armed with weapons and outnumbering them, they would, at worst, suffer minor injuries. However, if a large group of more than ten or twenty appeared, it could turn dangerous.
Risking everything for a single prey was clearly not worth it.
Easy to say, but who would willingly let go of such a valuable prize?
For a moment, all eyes turned to Chen Guodong. It was time to see what the team leader would do!