Chapter 317 - 182: Unexpected Harvest! A Foraging Herd of Wild Deer? They Must Be Caught

Chapter 317: Chapter 182: Unexpected Harvest! A Foraging Herd of Wild Deer? They Must Be Caught

Although Chen Chong knew from his Identification Skill that the female Sika Deer at home was going to give birth to a male and a female fawn, that would still only bring their total to three.

Sika Deer couldn’t be inbred.

Doing so would result in an extremely high mortality rate for the offspring, along with deformities and weakened abilities to adapt to the environment and resist disease.

That was why Chen Chong had always wanted to capture a few more Sika Deer from different herds to bring home for crossbreeding.

But he’d had no luck finding any trace of wild deer.

His team members had occasionally spotted some, but the animals were as skittish as wild goats; they would bolt in a flash at the slightest glimpse from afar.

By the time the news was reported back to him, the opportunity would be long gone.

Now... he finally had his chance!

By now, Chen Chong and his group had nearly crossed the Rock Beach, arriving at the edge of a jungle where the two environments met.

Coincidentally, a large boulder stood there, perfectly concealing their figures from the wild deer ahead.

"Brother Chong, how are we going to catch them?"

The men crouched low behind the boulder, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they watched the Sika Deer feed.

"How to catch them..."

Chen Chong was momentarily stumped.

The terrain here wasn’t like the center of the Rock Beach, which was littered with boulders that offered cover. If they stepped out, the herd of wild deer would spot them instantly and flee.

An encirclement was clearly not an option.

And as for using the Blood Eye Blade...

Chen Chong glanced at the wild goats behind them, which were still trembling, not yet fully recovered from their earlier terror.

They were already scared witless. If he used its intimidation effect again, they would probably lie on the ground and piss themselves.

The chance of them ever recovering would plummet straight to zero.

Sacrificing over ten wild goats for a few Sika Deer was obviously not worth it.

Chen Chong would never make such a disastrously bad deal...

After a few seconds of thought, Chen Chong made his decision.

"We charge out and grab them!"

"Grab them directly?" Xu Jun was stunned. "Brother Chong, you mean a brute-force catch?"

"Right!"

This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision for Chen Chong. "The distance between us isn’t that great. The deer are fast, but we aren’t slow either. If we charge at full speed, there’s a high probability we can catch up."

"The only risk is that we’re not familiar with the terrain and might lose them."

"But even if we lose the adults, there’s no way those two fawns will get away. That’s a guaranteed catch at the very least. Of course, it would be even better if we can catch some adults too. In short... let’s see how lucky we are."

Xu Jun nodded, having no objections whatsoever. If that’s what Chen Chong said, that’s what he would do.

"Then we’ll do as you say, Brother Chong. We found them by luck anyway. It’d be great if we catch them, but if not, so be it!"

"Jia Wen, Zhang Meng, Huang Mao, you three stay here and watch the wild goats. Leave the rest to us."

"No problem!"

"In that case... go?"

"Go!"

The moment the word was spoken, Chen Chong, Xu Jun, Wang Biao, and Qi Zhen shot out, pouncing toward the Sika Deer like hungry tigers.

Charging out with them were the Tiger Striped Dog and the Rock Armor Eagle, which soared into the sky.

BANG!!!

The sound instantly alerted the deer.

Their innate talent for escape kicked in, causing them to abandon the tender green shoots before them in an instant and bolt into the jungle at top speed.

The two fawns also leaped into the undergrowth.

They were even faster than the wild goats from before.

The jungle was a different environment from the Rock Beach; it was more winding and concealed, making the chase far more difficult.

They had to keep their eyes glued to the deers’ movements, or they could lose them behind a tree or bush at any turn.

It was unclear if it was their natural fleeing instinct or if they weren’t a single herd and had just gathered to feed, but aside from the two fawns that followed one adult, the rest of the deer scattered in every direction.

This forced Chen Chong and his men to split up as well, chasing them in all directions through the jungle.

Chen Chong led the charge. With Jump Enhancement, his speed far surpassed the others.

But once deep in the jungle, the terrain restricted him from using it, forcing him to rely on the power of his legs alone for the pursuit.

His target was the largest stag!

Qi Zhen was right behind him.

As an A-Level Transcendent specializing in body strengthening, it wasn’t just his strength and physical fortitude that far exceeded others; his speed was also terrifying.

When he unleashed his full physical power, he was like a dirt bike, kicking up clouds of dirt and mud as he charged forward with explosive force.

He had his eye on a doe.

Wang Biao and Xu Jun were decent enough; their speed was passable, and they each went after a deer of their own.

The Tiger Striped Dog and Rock Armor Eagle weren’t idle either. With their high intelligence, they understood their master’s intent and went after another prey.

Interestingly, it was hard to say whether they had developed a tacit understanding from spending so much time together, or if Extraordinary Creatures could communicate with each other.

They actually chased after the same target together.

The Tiger Striped Dog sprinted across the ground, focused solely on closing the distance with their prey.

The Rock Armor Eagle followed closely from high above, letting out occasional cries as if to tell the Tiger Striped Dog the prey’s location and direction...

As ordinary humans, Zhang Meng, Jia Wen, and Huang Mao could only crouch where they were, holding onto the dozen or so wild goats and staring ahead.

As sounds and movements continuously echoed from the jungle, followed by the crash of several falling trees, the three of them looked at each other and then gave wry smiles.

Their smiles were a mix of exasperation at the commotion Chen Chong and the others were causing, and shame at their own inability to help.

’This feeling of being completely useless, of only being able to wait here, really sucks.’

Aside from the calm-minded Jia Wen, both Zhang Meng and Huang Mao made a silent resolution in their hearts.

’When we get back, we have to gorge ourselves on Blood-tooth Python meat. Even if we puke, we’ve got to stuff down every last piece.’

’Even if we can’t become full-fledged Transcendent, we have to at least become Pseudo-Transcendent!’

’Brother Chong looks out for us, giving us so much meat from Extraordinary Creatures that other members can only dream of. If, after eating all that, we end up only a little stronger than a normal person, how could we possibly justify his kindness?’

’Eat! We’ll eat our fill when we get back!’

...

「Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye...」

"Sigh—"

Besides Zhang Meng, Jia Wen, and Huang Mao, Xu Jun and Wang Biao now stood by the wild goats.

Their faces were gloomier than a thundercloud, and their sighs were constant.

It was because the Tiger Striped Dog and the Rock Armor Eagle had also returned.

Beside the hawk and the dog was a buck.

Though it wasn’t large, barely an adult, it was still a considerable prize.

In contrast, Xu Jun and Wang Biao had returned with nothing but half an antler... not even a single hair to show for their efforts...

"Brother Xu Jun, you should be content," Zhang Meng said. "At least you got to join the chase. We three only had the privilege of watching from here. We didn’t even qualify to participate!"

"Yeah, and Brother Biao, don’t be discouraged either," Huang Mao added. "Capturing things alive isn’t your specialty, after all. If this were a hunt, with your Archery, I guarantee not a single one would’ve escaped!"

However, these words not only failed to console them but had the opposite effect.

The two of them sighed even more heavily...

Xu Jun glanced at the wild deer pinned to the ground by the Rock Armor Eagle and the Tiger Striped Dog, a wave of melancholy washing over him.

’I never thought I’d be less capable than a bird and a dog...’

Xu Jun didn’t mean to look down on the Tiger Striped Dog and the Rock Armor Eagle; he was simply looking down on himself.

Wang Biao felt even more dejected than Xu Jun.

He stared at the broken antler in his hand, filled with regret.

"If I had just been a little faster, or used a little less force, maybe it wouldn’t have escaped. I’ve disappointed the Boss..."

"At least you have an antler. Even if you can’t use it as a decoration, you can use it as a fire poker to scrape the bottom of a pot. I didn’t even get an antler, and I got sent flying by a deer’s kick. I’m so ashamed of myself."

Xu Jun kept rubbing his chest. "That deer’s strength is fucking insane. It kicked me so hard I’m starting to wonder if it was an Extraordinary Creature. Even a Transcendent like me could barely take it. If that had been a normal person, they’d probably have a few broken ribs."

Wang Biao sighed again. "All we can do now is see what the Boss brought back..."

The words had barely left his mouth when a series of sounds echoed from the jungle. Chen Chong was back...

Not only had Chen Chong returned from the hunt, but Qi Zhen was with him.

"Brother Chong?"

The moment they saw Chen Chong and Qi Zhen, the men first stared in stunned silence, then broke into expressions of immense surprise.

"The haul is... this big?"

...