"!!"
Chen Fan, who was crawling in the grass on the other side, dared not make a single sound. In this profound stillness, any movement in the grass could be magnified infinitely, potentially alerting the antelopes to their presence.
If any of the antelopes sensed that they were under attack, they would undoubtedly bolt without hesitation.
Chen Fan had no choice but to observe his father and the others' actions.
"Don't panic," Chen Guodong whispered, sweat rolling down his forehead. "Right now, their vigilance is just heightened. They'll only become hostile once we get within tens of meters. Let's move a bit farther away."
Nodding in agreement, the group did their best to move with utmost care and maintain a safe distance from the antelopes.
The antelopes, after a few minutes of watching the group, gradually returned their focus to grazing. Finding fresh, delicious grass wasn't easy for them.
However, the sentinel antelope continued to keep an eye on them.
"They seem to have relaxed," Gao Yang whispered, still feeling like they were traversing the gates of hell.
"Yes, let's maintain this distance and circle around them," Chen Guodong said with a sigh of relief. They had done everything they could, and now it was up to Chen Fan.
On the other side, Chen Fan did not disappoint them. Seizing the opportunity, he began closing the distance: 300 meters, 280 meters, 260 meters, and 240 meters were all within striking range.
"Come closer," Chen Fan silently urged.
The closer he got, the more time he would have to take his shot. But just as he neared the attack range, the vigilant antelope suddenly turned 180 degrees, fixing its gaze in Chen Fan's direction.
"!"
Chen Fan froze, quickly lowering his body and remaining absolutely still. Had the antelope seen him? It shouldn't have, right? Maybe it heard some faint noise or detected a scent.
What should he do? Should he release his arrows immediately, or should he feign death and hope to go unnoticed?
Holding his breath, he gazed through the gaps in the grass at the antelope herd. If the herd decided to flee, he would act without hesitation.
At the same time, Chen Guodong and the others watched with bated breath.
"Has Chen Fan been spotted?" someone asked, their voice trembling.
"Probably not. If he had been discovered, the sentinel antelope would have alerted the others," Chen Guodong replied.
"Let's continue and try to divert its attention," he added.
For Chen Fan, every second felt like an hour. Fortunately, there was no immediate danger. The antelope might not have seen him, or perhaps it had mistaken him for a piece of wood in the grass. Moreover, Chen Guodong seemed to be gradually closing the gap again, shifting the antelope's focus away.
With a sigh of relief, Chen Fan resumed his slow approach, reducing the distance step by step: 220 meters, 200 meters, down to 180 meters.
The antelope seemed to sense something amiss, its hooves nervously shuffling on the ground, emitting a soft noise.
Over a dozen other antelopes, previously engrossed in their grazing, now lifted their heads as if bewildered by the situation.
But suddenly, a figure sprang up from the grass with lightning speed, drawing a bow and shooting an arrow towards the herd of antelopes.
His speed was astonishing, closing a ten-meter gap in a mere second or two. The confusion among the antelopes was evident—they seemed momentarily baffled by the situation.
And then, it happened.
With a swift "swish," the sound of a sharp arrow slicing through the air pierced the stillness. The distance of over a hundred meters was traversed in an instant, closing in fast.
The antelope's neck was pierced directly by an arrow as thick as a finger, blood spewing forth. The arrow itself flew several tens of meters before deeply embedding into the ground.
However, Chen Fan didn't spare a second glance. As soon as the first arrow was loosed, the second was already nocked. His rapid-fire archery technique, combined with his physique of over 40 points, allowed him to fire four consecutive shots within just 5 seconds. And that was with the first two shots taken without fully drawing the bowstring, making them even faster.
"Phew!"
"Phew!"
There were two more piercing sounds.
The two antelopes at the end were shot by arrows, one after another, and under the force of their running, they rolled forward for more than ten meters before coming to a halt.
However, in less than two seconds, this group of antelopes covered nearly 100 meters. In comparison, cheetahs in his previous life required more than 3 seconds to run 100 meters from a standstill.
Chen Guodong and the others, observing from a distance, were left in a state of shock and speechlessness.
Initially, when they witnessed Chen Fan leap into action and bring down two antelopes with two arrows, they erupted into enthusiastic applause. Indeed, given the abundance of such a rich prey, any effort expended to divert the antelopes' attention was worth it, far preferable to contending with those fierce creatures.
But the astonishment continued.
As they marveled at Chen Fan's impressive archery skills, two more antelopes were swiftly dispatched, bringing the tally to four, four in total!
This marked a day of unprecedented harvest since the establishment of the settlement.
However, the spectacle was far from over.
The antelopes raced wildly, sending mud flying in their wake. Chen Fan aimed his arrow at the rearmost antelope, drawing the bowstring to its full extent.
In that moment, he felt an unusual sensation, a surge of adrenaline coursing through him.
"Snapped!"
A deafening crack!
The arrow soared like a meteor, tearing through the air with a shrill sound. It traversed a distance of nearly 300 meters, piercing through the back of the antelope.
The wounded antelope let out a piercing cry and collapsed to the ground, its desperate gaze fixed on its retreating companions, which gradually became small black specks before disappearing entirely.
"Hoo..."
After releasing the arrow, Chen Fan panted heavily. Strangely, his arm felt fine, yet he experienced an overall weakness that nearly caused him to lose his balance.
"What's going on?" He wondered aloud.
Logically, his arm should have lost its strength by now.
Could it be?
The thought of that last arrow gnawed at him, as if it had unleashed a surge of energy and focus that gathered in his arms. The bowstring was drawn fully with effortless ease. Moreover, everything around him seemed to move in slow motion, like a scene from a movie.
However, he couldn't summon that feeling now, no matter how hard he tried to recall it.
Nevertheless, the lingering discomfort in his body reminded him that something extraordinary had occurred. Fortunately, he had managed to endure it without any immediate danger, leaving him a chance to explore it further should the need arise.
In case there was an opportunity to use it in the future.
Meanwhile, Chen Guodong and the others rushed over from a distance, their mouths agape as they stared at the several antelopes strewn nearby, some near and some far.
"Xiaofan, am I dreaming?" Chen Guodong asked incredulously.
The bald man gaped around. "Five, five prey?"