Shot dead
The piercing alarm continued to blare on the Wristband. Lu Heng's heart tightened, and he quickly tapped the screen to bring Silk-Peeping Bug.
Snowflakes swirled wildly in front of the camera, and a sturdy, massive black shadow stood in the open space in front of the stone gate, its thick, long, curved tusks protruding from both sides of its mouth and snout. It was the Tusked Boar that had been fighting him for so long in the dense forest during the day.
It actually followed us all the way here.
Lu Heng's breath hitched slightly. He dared not make a sound as he slowly rose. The warmth of the fire still enveloped him, but it did nothing to soothe the tension in his heart. He first bent down to pick up the Black Iron leg guards he had just obtained from the box, then squatted down and tightly bound the heavy, tanned animal hide armor to his calves, wrapping the straps tightly and fastening the buckles. He was already wearing old animal hide armor on his upper body, and now he raised his hand to tug at the loose leather around his shoulders and neck, confirming that there were no gaps in his overall protection.
With a single- Hand Crossbow in his left hand and a row of newly crafted Leopard Fang Arrow tucked into his quiver at his waist, and Bone Dagger tucked at his side for later use, Lu Heng quietly ascended the wooden ladder to the second floor of the Shelter, having prepared everything.
There was only a narrow observation hole on the second floor. He pressed his fingertips against the wooden board and slowly pushed it open a crack.
The cold wind outside instantly rushed in through the narrow gap, the biting chill seeping into his skin through his collar, instantly dissipating most of the warmth from the fire. Lu Heng didn't care at all, half of his body leaning behind the wooden railing, his eyes fixed on the wild boar below.
Snowflakes fell incessantly to the ground, a thin layer of fresh snow covering the footprints he had left on his way back during the day. He had thought the snow would wash away the smell on his body, but now he realized he had been too complacent.
He knew that wild boars had a naturally keen sense of smell, but he hadn't expected that even in such harsh snowy weather, they could still follow the faint scent for miles and find their way to the Shelter halfway up the mountain.
The Tusked Boar below didn't rush to charge; it simply lowered its head, rubbing its enormous snout against the snow. It sniffed at a patch of ground on the left for a while, then strolled to the edge of the forest on the right to carefully distinguish the scent. Its movements were eerily quiet, without uttering a single angry grunt, like a hunter lying in ambush, gradually narrowing down the range of the scent source.
After a moment, it stopped its aimless pacing, turned its head toward the heavy stone door, and slowly approached the main entrance of the Shelter.
The upgraded stone gate was embedded in a recess in the mountainside, surrounded by snow. From a distance, it blended seamlessly with the frozen soil and rocks, providing a degree of concealment and making the entrance difficult to spot at first glance. However, the scent could not be hidden, and the wild beast had clearly locked onto this spot.
The Tusked Boar stood in front of the door, its nose pressed against the crack in the stone, sniffing repeatedly. Its limbs were firmly planted in the snow, and it stood quietly outside the door without making any rash moves, showing a posture of waiting for a long time.
Lu Heng's heart sank. This beast was far more patient than he had imagined. If this continued, he would have no chance of getting a good night's rest.
He lowered his eyes to the single-shot Hand Crossbow in his hand, his fingertips reaching into the quiver to draw out a Leopard Fang arrow. The crossbow could only hold one arrow, so he carefully slotted the arrow into the slot, steadyed the trigger, raised the crossbow again, and aimed the sights steadily at the boar's massive head.
He deliberately avoided the thick torso. Such heavy beasts had tough hides and flesh, their bodies covered in fat and flesh like heavy armor. If an arrow were to pierce them, it would at most cause a minor injury. If they were to flee in pain and fright, hiding in the surrounding dense forest to ambush him, he would have to be on tenterhooks every time he went out to explore, with endless troubles to come.
With such an excellent position before him, and his high vantage point giving him the advantage, he had to seize the opportunity, aim for the head, and finish off this beast that was following him, thus eliminating the threat completely.
The snow continued to fall, and the Tusked Boar downstairs kept its head down, sniffing carefully at the crack in the stone door, completely unaware that a cold crossbow bolt had already locked onto its life at the second-floor window.
Lu Heng slowed his breathing, minimizing the rise and fall of his chest to prevent his exhaled white mist from drifting out of the lookout and alerting the ferocious beast. His arm was firmly resting on the crossbow, his elbow braced against the cold wooden railing to maintain his balance, his gaze fixed on the soft, tender skull between the wild boar's eyes.
The distance wasn't short, and with the wind and snow constantly blurring visibility, a slight miscalculation could cause one to miss the crucial point.
He waited patiently, until the wild boar lowered its head and pressed against the stone gate again, its head completely still, before gently pulling the trigger with his fingertip.
A subtle vibration exploded in my palm with a "hum," and the sharp Leopard Fang Arrow pierced the cold wind, instantly traversing several meters.
With a muffled thud, the arrow pierced the wild boar's forehead precisely.
The thick fur did not hinder the penetrating power of the Leopard Fang arrowhead; most of the shaft was deeply embedded in the skull.
The Tusked Boar shuddered violently, its thick limbs suddenly kicking the snow, and a low, painful roar finally broke out of its throat. Its huge body spun wildly in place, its thick head swinging violently from side to side, trying to shake off the arrow embedded in its head, sending snow flying everywhere as it kicked.
Lu Heng dared not relax for a moment. He quickly lowered his head, reached into his quiver with one hand, pulled out a spare Leopard Fang Arrow, and swiftly loaded it into the crossbow.
The colossal beast below swayed for only a few seconds before its movements gradually slowed. Its massive head drooped heavily, and its thick limbs, unable to support its heavy body, crashed to the side in the snow in front of the stone gate with a loud thud. Its limbs occasionally twitched weakly, and its heavy breathing grew weaker and weaker. Warm blood mixed with the white snow, forming a dark red halo.
Only when the wild boar was completely still and made no further struggle did Lu Heng finally let out a long sigh of relief, his tense arms suddenly feeling sore and numb.
He didn't go downstairs immediately. Instead, he remained lying at the lookout point, quietly observing for a while. He scanned the surrounding woodland to make sure no other wild animals were attracted by the roars before gently closing the wooden planks of the lookout to keep out the cold wind.
As I stepped down the wooden stairs, the warmth of the fire enveloped my body once more, and my tense nerves finally relaxed. My back was already soaked with cold sweat, and the hot air sent shivers down my spine.
After a brief rest, Lu Heng picked up the Bone Dagger, raised his hand to unlock the stone door, and slowly pushed it open a crack.
The wind and snow lashed at him, and the carcass of a wild boar lay across the doorway, the stench of blood mingling with the snow vapors as it wafted into the Shelter. He looked around to make sure it was safe before striding out of the stone door and walking to the giant beast's corpse.
This Tusked Boar was far larger than ordinary wild animals, with thick skin and flesh, hard tusks, and its entire body was a useful survival resource.
Lu Heng raised his hand and tapped the Wristband on his wrist, bringing up the corpse decomposition interface. He lightly tapped to confirm. A pale white halo slowly enveloped the entire boar's body, and the massive body gradually melted away. The animal hide, the tusks with the hardness of Black Iron, the thick meat, and the beast's core were categorized and stored in the Storage Space. Only a shallow pool of blood remained on the ground, which would soon be covered by the continuously falling snow.
After cleaning up the remaining traces in front of the door, Lu Heng returned to the Shelter, closed the stone door, and locked it.
After taking stock of the materials I just acquired, I found that the animal hides could be used to make another set of armor, the fangs could be kept for forging arrows later, and the beast cores could be used to slightly improve my physique.
The near-death crisis in the dense forest during the day turned out to be an unexpected bonus tonight.
Lu Heng sat down by the fire, watching the flickering flames, and silently became vigilant.
The sense of smell of wild beasts in the snowy forests is far greater than expected. When we go out to explore in the future, we must find ways to conceal our scent before returning, and never give wild animals another chance to follow us.
He added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire, put the Iron Pot back on, and the water slowly heated up inside. The wind and snow continued to howl outside the window, but there were no more hidden dangers outside the door. Tonight, he could finally relax and cook a pot of hot soup.