Chapter 35: Hunting the "Big Guys
After adding some traps to the water source valley.
Chen Wen carried the kittens to their nest valley.
Back in familiar surroundings, the kittens were very excited.
They kept pawing at the backpack, trying to climb out.
Chen Wen placed the backpack down, took out the two kittens, and set them on the ground.
The kittens immediately started frolicking, their four short legs paddling as they ran.
Chen Wen wasn't worried about them running off, after all, now he and the two kittens shared an indescribable bond.
Unless their mother calls, they won't leave Chen Wen.
Chen Wen looked around at the terrain in the valley, judging which areas the roadrunners liked to pass through.
Soon he found some suitable places to set traps.
After carefully setting traps in these areas, Chen Wen found the two kittens and planned to leave with them.
But as Chen Wen picked up the second kitten, it suddenly struggled.
Chen Wen was taken aback.
After the mother cat entrusted them yesterday, the two kittens had already considered him one of their own.
Whether last night or today, the kittens hadn't acted this way.
Could it be...
Chen Wen put down the struggling kitten, and it eagerly led Chen Wen towards the nest.
Parting the bushes, the scene inside was as Chen Wen expected.
The bobcat that left last night was quietly lying there, seemingly dead.
The two kittens climbed next to the bobcat, meowing and even licking its wounds.
"Looks like it's already dead."
Chen Wen shook his head, just as he was about to pick up the bobcat for burial.
The bobcat's leg suddenly twitched.
Not dead?
Chen Wen was surprised and reached out to feel the bobcat's belly.
Warm! There's a heartbeat!
The bobcat seemed to feel the touch and opened its eyes.
It seemed surprised to still be alive.
Chen Wen said no more, directly picked up the bobcat: "Since you're not dead, let's go to my shelter to recuperate."
The bobcat remained silent, only looking at its two children.
The bobcat being alive was good news for Chen Wen and many assistants.
They didn't wish for the bobcat to just die like that.
Though the bobcat was left with only three legs to walk on, following Chen Wen was no slower.
Chen Wen said, "Since you're alive, eat more; I plan to explore south next to see if I can find prey."
Upon hearing Chen Wen's words, the assistants merely thought he was venting loneliness.
Unbeknownst to them, Chen Wen was communicating with the bobcat.
At this time, the bobcat slowly started to have hope for survival.
It leisurely said, "Your body is quite big, I think we can cooperate to hunt."
Cooperate?
Chen Wen smoothly turned off the audio equipment; honestly, he felt turning off equipment was getting more effortless.
"How to cooperate?"
Chen Wen asked.
The bobcat thought for a moment and said, "These days, I've been hearing the sounds of those big guys fighting; I think we can focus on them."
"What are the big guys?"
Chen Wen asked.
But the bobcat couldn't explain, only told Chen Wen to follow it.
The bobcat staggered ahead as the guide, Chen Wen followed behind, turning on the audio equipment.
After walking about ten minutes.
Chen Wen suddenly heard some peculiar sounds.
Like the sound of using a hammer to strike rock.
"This direction... could there be a mine?"
Chen Wen couldn't help but wonder.
Then he thought, this place is far from villages, shops, without even a highway, how could there be a mine?
Then, the bobcat resolved Chen Wen's doubt: "These are the big guys; these are the sounds of their fighting."
"I've seen these big guys before; they fight on the rocky cliffs, and the loser gets chased to the bottom of the rocks, which is our chance."
Rock, fighting?
Chen Wen furrowed his brow, seemingly thinking of something.
"To see the big guys, we need to go a bit further; crouch down, and I'll rest for a while, then we'll hunt together when we get there."
The bobcat said.
Once Chen Wen squatted down, it agilely jumped up, landing on Chen Wen's neck.
The bobcat scarf was rather comfortable.
Following the bobcat's guidance, Chen Wen started looking for the creatures making the sound.
...
"What's that sound?"
Lin Jiawei asked.
Adam's other assistant, a white woman, said, "Seems like the sound of bighorn sheep."
"Specifically, Canadian bighorn sheep, only the wild populations in Mexico are protected."
The guide also walked over: "They're the largest mammals in the desert and the biggest game allowed for hunting."
Lin Jiawei was taken aback and recalled what Chen Wen said while reviewing a report.
At that time, Chen Wen saw information on Canadian bighorn sheep and said that if he could hunt a bighorn sheep, he would gain a significant advantage this time.
"Are they easy to hunt?"
Lin Jiawei's words made the guide smile and some assistants knowledgeable about Canadian bighorn sheep also laughed.
Though all friendly smiles, they still made Lin Jiawei a bit embarrassed.
After laughing, the guide explained: "Hunting them is very difficult."
"Bighorn sheep live on rocky cliffs and can run and leap on sheer cliffs, coming and going freely."
"Their vision, hearing, and smell are sharp, they're vigilant, and even have sentinels when resting."
"In this desert, grown bighorn sheep can only be hunted by coyotes, but coyotes rarely hunt them as it's too dangerous; the effort doesn't match the reward, so coyotes only hunt their young and small females, bobcats do the same."
"As for humans, hunting them requires the cooperation of hunting dogs and long-range weapons; hunting empty-handed... is nearly impossible."
What the guide meant by empty-handed is the current situation of Chen Wen.
Upon hearing, Lin Jiawei shook his head.
Looks like Chen Wen's trip was in vain.
...
Back at Chen Wen's side.
As the distance decreased, he also knew what his target was.
"It's Canadian bighorn sheep; I can clearly hear the sound of their horns clashing now."
Chen Wen said, introducing: "The breeding season for Canadian bighorn sheep starts each year in November, but as early as August and September, rams will try to drive away other rams, and the way they do it is quite simple, they use their horns to clash with each other; this clashing process can last nearly hours."
"Looks like we're lucky to have encountered Canadian bighorn sheep driving each other away, which is a great opportunity for me."
"I can take advantage of the rams being chased off and hunt the losers with the bobcat."
After speaking, Chen Wen casually turned off the audio equipment, and continued to communicate with the bobcat: "I already know the big guys you mentioned, they're hard to hunt."
The bobcat nodded.
It once tried to chase the big guys' young but was scared off by the other's horns.
"Do you have any method?"
The bobcat asked.
It brought Chen Wen here, counting on Chen Wen to come up with a method.
Chen Wen nodded: "There's definitely a method, but it can only be implemented once this fight over breeding ends."
"We'll find a place to hide first and watch how things unfold."
"Alright."
The bobcat agreed with Chen Wen's suggestion.
It cautiously jumped down and started sneaking through the bushes.
Chen Wen also crouched down, placed the two kittens in the backpack.
Canadian bighorn sheep's senses are very keen, the two kittens might ruin everything.
The bobcat didn't mind, only gestured Chen Wen to follow it.
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