Liu Tiezhu said, "Uncle, this thing can fire six shots in a row, but its lethality is still a bit lacking."
"Still, given our current limitations, this will have to do."
Compared to the military crossbows he used as a mercenary in his past life, this compound crossbow's killing power was far inferior.
Er Gouzi's face lit up with excitement. "Brother Zhu, with these, we can head into the deep mountains."
On the way back, Liu Tiezhu had told him the compound crossbow could achieve six consecutive shots with increased lethality.
But only after seeing the modified crossbow's actual power did he grasp just how much it had improved.
Based on its current lethality, even if they faced a full-grown wild boar, six arrows could take it down on the spot.
"With just these two compound crossbows in hand, we can't venture into the big mountains yet."
"In the future, if we want to go deep, we'll need them."
Liu Tiezhu said this, pointing to the nine puppies in the bamboo cage at the corner of the yard.
After two days of careful care, these little creatures had recovered somewhat but still looked frail and weak.
"Zhu, are these pups really as amazing as you say?"
"Can they be trained to help with hunting?"
Though Liu Tiezhu had explained it clearly last time, his uncle remained skeptical.
He could believe they'd grow up to guard the house.
But training them to assist in hunting—he'd never heard of such a thing.
"Uncle, you'll see the results soon enough."
Liu Tiezhu pointed to a black-and-white puppy. "Look at Big Potato's nose. With proper training, it can track animals by scent, saving us a lot of time hunting."
"Now look at Flag Spear No. 1, Flag Spear No. 2, and Flag Spear No. 3."
"They have strong limbs and wide mouths—typical biting-type dogs."
"If they're well-trained, five or six working together can take down a wild boar."
His uncle listened, bewildered, still not understanding.
But he trusted his nephew's mind.
While chatting with his uncle, his older brother and Er Gouzi finished their preparations.
Since tonight's chosen spots were the bamboo grove and cornfield behind the house, his brother decided not to stay and guard the place.
The four of them took the newly modified compound crossbows, slung sacks over their shoulders, and split into two groups heading for the bamboo grove behind the house.
The snow had melted, making the path much easier.
What usually took over an hour, they covered in just thirty minutes.
Liu Tiezhu signaled everyone to stop and started a fire.
"It's still early. Let's wait until it gets darker before going in."
"Gouzi, you and Uncle take the cornfield. My brother and I will go into the bamboo grove."
"If anything happens, light a fire as a signal."
"We'll work hard tonight and hunt through till dawn. A snowstorm is coming tomorrow."
At the mention of a snowstorm, everyone's faces turned serious.
His uncle didn't know how Liu Tiezhu could be so certain.
But at that moment, he fully believed his nephew's words.
Liu Tieshan tossed a few sweet potatoes into the fire and then asked, "Zhu, is the snowstorm for real? Won't the weather warm up quickly?"
"Brother, don't you think the weather over the past three days has been a bit unusual?"
"Why are the animals in the mountains coming out so often? Because they sense the climate change and are coming out early to fill their bellies."
"This is a sign that a snowstorm is coming." Liu Tiezhu said seriously.
His uncle grew a bit scared and pressed on, "How long will this snowstorm last?"
"The first one will probably last over ten days."
Hearing this, his uncle's face turned even paler.
If Er Gouzi hadn't gone hunting with Zhu, their family might starve.
After roasting by the fire for half an hour, the sweet potatoes were done.
Everyone split two sweet potatoes, then geared up and set out.
Knowing the snowstorm was imminent, Er Gouzi was especially focused tonight, diving into the cornfield and searching nonstop.
Once Liu Tiezhu entered the bamboo grove, he told his brother to stay behind him.
Relying on his memory from last time, he quietly crept toward where the bamboo chickens were hiding.
A few minutes later, a series of clucking sounds made the brothers stop.
Liu Tiezhu shone his flashlight ahead. Six bamboo chickens were lying in their nest, enjoying the bamboo frogs they'd caught.
The flashlight beam hit their eyes, momentarily blinding them.
Seizing the chance, Liu Tiezhu quickly pulled the trigger.
In a matter of seconds, the compound crossbow's bamboo arrows were spent.
Looking at the nest, three bamboo chickens were pierced through.
The remaining three, startled, flew off into the distance.
His brother aimed the flashlight, ready to chase, but Liu Tiezhu stopped him.
"Brother, don't bother chasing. These bamboo chickens won't fly far."
"We'll circle back later, and they'll definitely return to the nest."
The bamboo grove was full of green bamboo snakes, and one careless step could lead to a bite.
Though these snakes' venom wasn't fatal, it was nothing to scoff at.
If bitten, the flesh would quickly swell and then fester.
At best, you'd be bedridden for over ten days; at worst, infection could be life-threatening.
He wasn't about to let his brother take that risk for a few bamboo chickens.
"They'll come back?" Liu Tieshan found it hard to believe.
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "Trust me, they'll definitely return."
"Bamboo chickens have a habit of not leaving their nest. I tested it last time."
After stuffing the three bamboo chickens into a sack, Liu Tiezhu marked the nest and led his brother deeper in.
Another dozen meters on, a creaking, grinding sound reached their ears.
Hearing this, the brothers weren't scared but smiled instead.
That sound of bamboo rats gnawing on tender bamboo shoots was all too familiar.
"Brother, wait here. I'll sneak over first."
Liu Tiezhu gave the order and crouched low.
Bamboo rats were extremely alert and fast.
The slightest noise would send them fleeing.
After a few dozen steps, Liu Tiezhu slowly raised his flashlight.
But he didn't shine it directly at the rats, angling it to the side instead.
To avoid startling them with sudden light.
Following the beam, Liu Tiezhu froze.
Good heavens, there were over thirty bamboo rats scattered across the bamboo stalks ahead.
Each one weighed about five pounds, their round bodies making Liu Tiezhu's heart race with excitement.
He slowly moved the compound crossbow, aimed at a rat on the edge, and decisively pulled the trigger.
From seven meters away, the bamboo arrow easily pierced the rat's body.
Squeaking cries immediately made the other rats stop.
They stood up, looking around, and when they saw no other threat, went back to gnawing on the tender bamboo.
Liu Tiezhu couldn't suppress his grin as he raised the crossbow again, aimed, and fired.
Shooting and pausing like this, within minutes, he'd killed thirteen bamboo rats.
The remaining rats, still unaware of the danger, quickened their pace of eating.
Liu Tiezhu wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity, raising the crossbow once more.
After the time it took to smoke a cigarette, another eight rats lay dead.
Finally, the survivors caught on and vanished in a flash.
The rats were too fast, giving Liu Tiezhu no chance to pursue.
But twenty-one rats, totaling over a hundred pounds of meat, left him more than satisfied.
"Brother, you can come over now."
Liu Tiezhu called out, pulling out a short knife to bleed the rats.
Liu Tieshan arrived and saw the ground littered with rats, his grin harder to suppress than an AK.
They'd been in for less than half an hour and already bagged hundreds of pounds of meat.
At this rate, hunting all night would yield nearly a thousand pounds?
After they processed the rats, Liu Tieshan suggested carrying the meat back first and returning later.
Liu Tiezhu didn't object, telling his brother to be careful as he ventured deeper with the crossbow.
A few hundred meters in, a crackling sound ahead made him stop dead.
That was the noise of bamboo being crushed—only a very large animal could cause it.