Chapter 170: Chapter 167: The Setting Sun Glows Red

Round black pupils contracted to a fine line, faint light flitting within, reflecting the image of a goose.

Curling claws gripped the rock firmly, the predator looked down from its high perch at its prey.

The wild geese, never having lived in the wild, had no sense of vigilance and were oblivious to the impending danger, continuing to stroll leisurely in the snow-covered grass.

In the middle of the lake, Etienne was having a great time chatting with his online friends, just about to spill some embarrassing anecdotes about Elvan, when out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something moving’on the boulder.

It seemed… as if something big was shifting about on top?

“What is that…?”

Etienne looked up through the dense shade of the trees, where the sunlight, broken by branches and leaves, dappled and scattered, fell on hair as clear as snow.

Upon the rock, a nimble figure stepped forward, each movement an adjustment of muscle status, the hind foot landing perfectly in the imprint made by the front foot. It shook its body in the wind, the mane-like long hair fluttering like a battle flag, its backdrop a reddening sunset.

The sun gradually slanted westward, stretching the shadows long.

Daylight is short in the polar winter; it was only just past three o’clock, and in about half an hour, darkness would fall.

“Many felines prefer to hunt at dusk and dawn, and this is also a good opportunity for us.”

Bi Fang scrutinized one animal after another, patiently selecting suitable prey. “Don’t pick the leading doe, don’t pick the fawns. Reindeer are very timid; they only flee when faced with danger, but to hunt the two types I mentioned, you might encounter resistance, which is very dangerous, particularly with fawns because their mothers will go berserk!”

This point was clear to Shuiyou without explanation. Upon closer observation, the leading doe was simply huge, like a small horse, and with those long antlers, a single hit could be fatal on the spot.

We are going to catch the elderly deer and the young ones. Unless there is no chance at all, try not to go for the sick deer; high temperatures can kill bacteria, but that doesn’t mean they can remove toxins. Take Staphylococcus aureus, for example. The bacteria itself can die easily, but the enterotoxin it produces is highly heat-resistant.”

“Look, that one’s good.”

Following Bi Fang’s gaze, the viewers quickly spotted which one he was referring to.

A young reindeer, lifting its forelegs, trailed at the back of the herd, limping and moving unevenly.

Without a doubt, the best hunting target of the season had appeared!

The speed of reindeer is one of the slowest among cervids, only half that of the Tibetan antelope, but they can still reach nearly fifty kilometers per hour, almost twice that of humans. Therefore, a limping deer is the optimal choice, with no second thought.”

Bi Fang took off his black coat, leaving only the white lining, a dressing technique of his to blend into various environments for camouflage.

Without the black coat, Bi Fang gradually merged with the surroundings.

With his gaze firmly locked on the target, he began to move with the herd of reindeer, waiting for a sufficiently close distance.

Without his coat, Bi Fang’s limbs started to feel cold.

He was uphill, the reindeer downhill-a natural advantage. As long as he could close the distance to within ten meters, Bi Fang was confident he could catch up to and kill the limping reindeer.

But after waiting for over ten minutes, Bi Fang slowly realized something wasn’t right.

Reindeer were supposed to graze as they walked, so why did this herd keep running off to the sides to eat?

“This is a glacier!”

Upon closer observation, Bi Fang finally realized the herd of reindeer was walking on a glacier!

“This is troublesome. If I charge out now, it will only cause the reindeer to scatter in panic. The heavy trampling could cause resonance and shatter the ice.”

“The surface of this kind of glacier is extremely unstable, and the depth of the water below is difficult to predict. If you fall in, the zero-degree water temperature will instantly stimulate your cardiovascular system to contract, leading to accelerated blood circulation.”

“A large amount of blood rushing back to the brain could cause temporary dizziness, and if it’s someone with mediocre swimming skills, this is where they’re most likely to choke on water, flail about, and with the ice breaking up in large chunks, it’d be even harder to get ashore, ultimately leading to drowning!”

[Isn’t this very dangerous?]

[Maybe it’s better to give up?]

[Or maybe just scare them a bit? Shatter the ice surface? Take the opportunity to grab one?]

“However, ice breaking up is a low-probability event; this group of deer has been walking for so long without any problems, so the ice is likely very thick. Plus, reindeer are good swimmers; even if the ice was shattered, I might not catch anything.”

Bi Fang felt he could take the gamble, with his current physique even if he fell into the icy river, he shouldn’t pass out.

But the viewers in front of the screen were undoubtedly more anxious, as what they saw was not just an icy river, but a ticking time bomb!

The limping reindeer was now about forty meters away from Bi Fang, lagging at the very back of the herd.

“Looking downhill from the slope gives a natural advantage, I’ve said before that herbivores have a very broad field of vision, about two hundred and eighty degrees, but we can still get a bit closer.”

“Look at this wind, it’s a clear headwind, and the scent is in our favor.”

Bi Fang picked up a handful of dry snow and gently released it, as the snow drifted backward in the strong wind, clearly showing the direction of the wind. The strong wind would also help mask the sound of his footsteps in the snow.

Leaving the snow slope, Bi Fang ran swiftly below it. The sound of the wind covered his footsteps, and he quickly positioned himself behind the reindeer team, narrowing the distance between them to within thirty meters.

“Next, it’s time to wait, to wait for this reindeer to leave the herd to graze, then we seize the opportunity to throw the short spear! Even if we can’t kill it with one strike, we must inflict serious damage!”

“It’s a pity I don’t have a bow and arrows; if I did, I could shoot directly from this distance, no need to sneak up as cautiously as I am now.”

Bi Fang planned to make a long bow when he got back. During the month-long migration period, having a bow would greatly ensure their quality of life.

Gripping the short spear in his hand, Bi Fang began to regulate his breathing.

The sunset gradually pulled the sunlight from the earth, turning the vast red snowfield into a red-black expanse. Soon, nightfall would descend over Lapland, marking the last sunset this lame deer would ever see.

As time ticked by the second, the world was left with only the wind’s sorrowful whistle. It was getting late, and Bi Fang was so patient it was almost frightening, following the herd for nearly half a kilometer, not hurrying at all.

The quieter the environment, the higher the tension for the viewers. Without the drone, the image lost some of its artistic quality but gained in engagement.

The audience felt like they were a ferocious tiger, just waiting for the prey to reveal a flaw, then using their sharp teeth to bite through its throat!

Finally, the limping reindeer left the group to graze!

And it was on Bi Fang’s side of the riverbank!

The distance was closing again!

So thrilling!

“Damn, how did this lad just waltz up on the bank like that?”

In a dorm room, one of the guys yelled when he saw what was happening.

The majority of viewers had zoomed in on Bi Fang’s portion of the split screen, utterly ignoring Etienne; only a few who were watching both screens noticed the situation.

Cao Lifeng asked without understanding, “What’s up?”

“Switch back to dual-screen, Etienne has landed up on the bank with his glider!”

“What?”

The other guys in the dorm exclaimed and quickly switched back to dual­screen, indeed seeing Etienne gliding in toward the lakeside!