A rapid thumping sound came from overhead.
Su Wei looked up and saw a helicopter painted with police markings hovering at low altitude through the windshield.
The enormous searchlight beams, like a white sword, sliced back and forth through the deep valley.
That's a law enforcement helicopter from the Fish and Game Department.
But it seems they don't dare fly too low.
Faced with a large-caliber rifle, that thin-skinned helicopter would be a sitting duck in the air.
At low altitudes, it's not impossible for them to be hit.
"Sizzle"
The car radio started ringing again.
" Black! It's Charlie! Have you arrived yet?"
The voice was filled with exasperation, and the background noise was nothing but the cacophony of electrical current and deafening wind noise.
Black picked up the microphone.
"At the mouth of the valley, are those your birds flying around in the sky?"
"Don't even mention it! That bastard's a lunatic!"
Charlie roared on the radio.
"He's shooting birds! He's using a.338 rifle to shoot at our helicopter! The pilot is afraid to land, and the thermal imaging is being interfered with by the trees, so we can only see the approximate location!"
"And..."
Charlie paused for a moment, followed by a loud banging on the table.
"He fired again. Just now."
"The fourth one is a young male deer."
Su Wei's knuckles suddenly bulged as he held the gun.
Those Roosevelt deer.
That was the first glimmer of hope he saw on this island.
That ethnic group that, even burdened with enormous debt, was determined to protect.
Now, in this poacher's scope, it has become a target for shooting practice.
This wasn't even about the money.
The antlers had already fallen off by this point, rendering the mother deer and fawn worthless.
This is a massacre.
A pure massacre, motivated by the gratification of desire.
"Our team has already entered to conduct the encirclement. If you want to go in, stay in touch. I will provide you with information!"
"Knew."
Black's voice was completely flat, eerily calm.
He cut off communications.
The tracked vehicle suddenly slowed down and slid into a dense thicket of bushes.
This is a blind spot.
There are rocks overhead to block the view, and trees in front to provide cover.
"Get off."
Black turned off the engine and removed the key.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
The only sounds were the distant hum of helicopters and the whistling of the wind through the treetops.
Su Wei pushed open the door and got out of the car.
He pulled a bullet from his pocket.
The brass cartridge case was ice-cold.
Pressing the spring.
One, two, three, four.
The magazine is full.
Load the cartridge.
The final, crisp click of the lock clicking shut was exceptionally clear in the snowy night.
Black is already preparing his gear.
He put on a white snow camouflage robe, making him almost blend into the snow.
"Put this on."
Black threw something black at him.
Su Wei caught it.
It's the headgear for the MK-3 thermal imager.
"The woods at the bottom of the valley were too dense; the helicopter couldn't see him, and he couldn't see the helicopter either."
But he can hear us.
Black pointed to his ear, then to Su Wei's feet.
There are dry branches under the snow here. Stepping on them will trigger an alarm.
"If you don't want to die, follow in my footsteps."
Su Wei nodded.
He put on the thermal imaging camera.
The world instantly turned black and white.
The surrounding trees were a cool, black hue, while the engine cover of the tracked vehicle, which had just been turned off, was a dazzling bright white.
And Black.
In thermal imaging, the old hunter appears as a clearly defined humanoid heat source.
He's hunting deer.
Black raised his gun, pointing it diagonally at the ground, and leaned forward slightly, like a wolf ready to pounce.
"Then we'll hunt him."
"Remember, this is Kodiak. Not his backyard."
Black took the first step.
Silently.
Su Wei took a deep breath, inhaling the cold air to cool his boiling blood slightly.
He gripped the Browning in his hand tightly, followed the footprint, and went after it.
Ahead.
That U-Shaped Valley resembles a gaping maw, waiting for its prey.
Or perhaps a hunter.
It was already afternoon, Kodiak Island was shrouded in gloom.
The sky grew darker.
Only the occasional muffled gunshots echoed through the valley, one after another.
Each sound was like a countdown.
Chapter 91 Living Bunker, Absolute Zero of Humanity
"Sizzle"
The sudden crackling of the walkie-talkie shattered the silence of the snowstorm.
Black stopped abruptly.
Without any warning, the old hunter slid sideways into the shadow of the huge granite rock on his left, his movements incredibly fast.
Su Wei was a beat too slow to react.
But his muscle memory had already been awakened, almost at the same time as Black disappeared.
He then used the edge of his non-slip boots to push off the ground and squeezed himself into the base of two intertwined fir trees.
The snow fell softly, covering the gun barrel.
" Black! It's Charlie!"