Chapter 82 - 78: Encounter Battle

Soon, many people started pouring into the live stream, and it quickly grew lively.

Jiang Jianguo and Li Yucheng didn’t much like being on camera. Whenever Li Xiang looked their way, they would turn their faces, looking rather uncomfortable.

As for Li Xiang, well, the camera on top of his head couldn’t capture him anyway. And even if it could, he was already used to it from being a content creator.

The fans were all chiming in with suggestions, but the three of them had little time to pay them any mind. They were in the middle of an intense discussion about their strategy.

Li Yucheng suggested setting a trap in the boars’ path. It would consist of six hunting clamps, buried along the route they were taking.

How to place them, how to conceal them, and how to ensure a high probability of the boars stepping on them—all of this required a great deal of experience. Li Yucheng was an old hunter and an expert in this area, so the task was left to him.

The three of them left their heavy supplies behind and proceeded with light packs.

As for the location of the ambush, Li Yucheng already had a spot in mind. He was an old hunter who had patrolled these mountains year-round in his youth, so he was very familiar with the area. He quickly led Li Xiang and the other man to their destination: a valley.

Li Yucheng began setting the hunting clamps while Jiang Jianguo operated the drone, continuing to closely monitor the boars’ movements. Right then, the boars were only six or seven hundred meters away—just over the next ridge—and would be arriving shortly.

Li Xiang took the Hunting Net and scouted the area. A few dozen meters away, he spotted a hollow in the mountainside, roughly twenty feet in diameter and surrounded by a few large trees. He wrapped the net around the trees, tying it tightly to the top and bottom of each trunk to create a makeshift "Pig Guard."

Any angler knows about a keepnet for fish; this was our "Pig Guard." By leaving an opening, we were "inviting the pigs into the pen."

To capture ten wild boars alive, they would first have to pen them up. The large iron cage was still on the sled, which they hadn’t brought with them. Even if they had, they couldn’t have transported all the boars at once. The cage on their empty sled could hold at most three adults, or two adults and two or three piglets.

’Looks like we still didn’t prepare enough,’ Li Xiang thought with resignation. They were just too short-handed.

While his System Space could hold them, it was inconvenient to use. Plus, any boar put inside would surely die, which would cut the bounty in half. The price for a live boar was double that of a dead one.

The Hunting Net was about five feet high. After Li Xiang quickly dug the snow out of the hollow, its depth was another four and a half feet. The total height was nearly ten feet; the boars shouldn’t be able to jump out.

More and more fans were tuning into the live stream. It happened to be the weekend, so many people were off work and watching Li Xiang hunt boars first thing in the morning.

He Zhixiang also showed up. After watching for a bit, he thought Li Xiang and his team were doing a great job and seemed quite experienced. Pleased, he sent several gifts with a total value of around ten thousand yuan.

This flurry of gifts immediately drew out "Top Aunt," who instantly sent enough gifts to overshadow He Zhixiang’s—about twenty thousand yuan’s worth. She even sent an emoji of a "sky lantern" gesture.

Most people wouldn’t know what this emoji meant, but He Zhixiang understood. ’A gentleman doesn’t compete with a lady,’ he thought. ’Do whatever you want. I’ve shown my support, and that’s enough for me.’

At the same time, he grew very curious about this "Top Aunt." ’Who in the world is she? Should I have someone look into her?’ But then he considered that she might want to be Li Xiang’s sugar mommy, so he dropped the idea. ’Can’t get in the way of my bro’s good fortune.’

However, after looking at "Top Aunt’s" profile picture, He Zhixiang secretly offered a moment of silence for Li Xiang. ’A sugar mommy is great and all, but what a shame she’s old and ugly.’

In truth, even if he had tried to investigate, he wouldn’t have found anything. Luo Feifei’s alt account was registered using the ID of an actual old woman—a long-serving nanny in her household. She had worked for the Luo Family for so many years that they were already planning to provide for her retirement.

Li Xiang paid no mind to the live stream; he had no time to spare.

Just as he finished setting up the entrance to his "Pig Guard," a warning came from Jiang Jianguo. "This is bad! The boars changed direction. They’re veering away from our ambush point."

Li Yucheng said, "It’s fine. I’ll take the dogs and drive them back." Things rarely go 100% according to plan when hunting. There was still time to make corrections.

Li Xiang said, "I’ll go too."

Since Jiang Jianguo had to operate the drone and monitor its feed from his laptop, he found a concealed spot and took cover.

Li Xiang activated "Bright Pearl Darkens," suppressing his aura as he circled around from behind. Even as he drew near, the boars failed to notice him.

When he was within about ten meters of the boars, the system prompted him: "Discovered one Tier Four Mutated Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast and one Tier Three Mutated Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast."

Li Xiang considered this. ’The Tier Four is most likely the boar, and the Tier Three is probably one of the sows.’

He drew his High-Density Blade, leaped out, and let loose a thunderous shout. The startled boars bolted in the exact direction Li Xiang wanted. As they ran, Li Xiang constantly shifted his position to "correct their trajectory," while Li Yucheng arrived with three Hunting Dogs to help.

Soon, the herd of boars charged toward the spot where the hunting clamps were laid.

The clamps were buried just beneath the snow. A sow and four piglets instantly stepped on them, letting out piercing squeals before collapsing, unable to run any farther.

"Perfect!" Li Xiang gave a thumbs-up. ’Uncle Yucheng is amazing,’ he thought. ’His placement was so strategic. Only one clamp was missed.’

He moved like a flash, herding the escaped boar, two sows, and two piglets toward his "Pig Guard."

Li Yucheng and his three dogs ignored the five trapped animals, coordinating with Li Xiang to drive the remaining five boars into the "Pig Guard."

The boar was smart. When it reached the Pig Guard, it tried to go around. Seeing Li Xiang—this two-legged beast—blocking its path, it let out a snort. Its eyes turned red, and it entered a Frenzy, charging straight at him.

Through the camera lens, the boar looked ferocious, its presence incredibly menacing.

This personal combat camera helmet was actually quite good; the video quality was excellent. The image only blurred on the rare occasions when Li Xiang moved too quickly. But now, Li Xiang stood motionless, blade in hand.

The live stream chat erupted. Many viewers shot to their feet, tense and excited.

When they had watched his previous videos, it was all after the fact, so it didn’t feel nearly as intense. Nothing could compare to the thrill of a live broadcast!

Even Luo Feifei sat up straight. A moment ago, she had been lounging on a large sofa in her mansion, lazily enjoying the central heating and eating tasty snacks. Now, she was wide awake, her eyes glued to the big screen.

Yes, she wasn’t watching on her phone. The stream was connected to the 150-inch, 8K high-definition television in her living room.

She was a bit puzzled. ’Ever since I had those strange dream fragments,’ she mused, ’I feel like I’m not only unafraid of bloodshed, but I actually... really like it.’

"It’s time for the hunt! Brother Xiang, if you put on a good show, your Auntie will let you experience Carnival freedom today!" A captivating smile touched the corners of Luo Feifei’s lips.

Her mother, coming downstairs, saw this and couldn’t help but shake her head. ’This daughter of mine... her hobbies are getting stranger and stranger. What kind of fairy princess enjoys watching people slaughter wild boars?’

’This has to be kept secret,’ her mother thought. ’If word got out, her fan count would plummet.’ Luo Feifei was currently a top starlet with immense popularity, the kind who was drowning in lucrative offers and opportunities.

’A Tier Four Mutated Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast!’

Facing the fiercely charging boar, Li Xiang knew what it represented: Achievement Points and a Mutated Spiritual Medicine. ’This beast cannot be allowed to live,’ he decided. Although a live boar was worth more, Achievement Points and Spiritual Medicine were things money couldn’t buy.

He would only get the system’s rewards if he killed it himself.

And so, in the instant the boar reached him, Li Xiang’s figure flashed to the side. The High-Density Blade in his hand swung down viciously. A cold light glinted, and crimson blood sprayed out like a curtain of rain. The boar was decapitated in a single strike!