Mysterious Hunting Ground

Chapter 60 60. Overnight
The weather was clear and cloudless.

Bronco rolled up waves of dust and shuttled on the endless, wide and straight I-15 interstate highway, and Uncle Ya's ecstatic "Mom" echoed in the car on the tape recorder.

The wind through the car window gently slapped Dean's face in the driver's seat. He narrowed his eyes slightly and observed the scenery on both sides from the corner of his eye. The windmills and street lights that appeared from time to time added a touch of interest to the long journey.

Behind the street lights is a wide and flat field, which looks golden in the weather in late July. The mountains farther away are generally not high, and most of the area is covered with yellow grass, occasionally dotted with lonely shrubs and small bushes.

Just over an hour from Las Vegas, they entered California from Nevada.

The scenery has changed slightly, gathering places and gas stations have increased, and warehouses with triangular roofs can occasionally be seen on the side of the road, but the warm-toned scenery is amazing at first glance, but after a long time, it is a bit barren and monotonous.

Abby and Gretchen in the back row listened to the music with the tape recorder in their hands and didn't speak much.

Dean couldn't help yawning,

"Where are we going camping this time?"

"A certain section of the Sierra Nevada." Gretchen explained softly,
"I heard that there is a Yosemite National Park nearby, which is very suitable for viewing and camping. Why don't you go there?"

"You can see the best scenery in spring." Gretchen shook her head. "But it's a bit late now, and Yosemite only allows camping in certain areas. I've been there several times, so it's not interesting."

"This time, there are canyons, forests, and lakes in another place. I promise not to disappoint you."

"Sounds good." Dean turned to look at the monotonous sand outside the window, and yawned again.

"I-15 is a bit boring. When we return from Santa Monica Beach, we can try Route 66 'Mother Road'. The scenery will be better." Abby took the initiative to talk,
Dean nodded, looking out of the car window at a clumsy bus with a Mercedes-Benz gray greyhound painted on its side, and abruptly changed the subject, "What kind of car is this?"

"The Greyhound bus looks like the one from Las Vegas." Abby explained, "Going to and from Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. If we don't want to stop halfway to climb and camp, we can also take this bus." Take the bus."

"But it's better not to sit on it." Gretchen interrupted suddenly, "This kind of bus has a lot of space inside, but it has few passengers, strong concealment, and a long journey. If some pervert wants to do something bad to you, it will hurt your throat No one is coming to save you."

"Haha."

……

The two girls had good personalities, and they opened up the chatter box, and they didn't care about Dean's previous bad misunderstandings. During the chatter, the silent and awkward atmosphere in the car became harmonious.

……

"Two ladies, you will enter the 12th grade next semester, have you chosen your favorite university yet?"

Dean glanced out the window, the car happened to be passing a thousand-acre vineyard, on both sides of the khaki-yellow road, the leaves in the vines were swaying, like waves in the green sea, and the air was filled with sweet The breath makes one's heart clear.

"I don't have good grades, and I don't have athletic talent," Abby said with some shame. "I don't plan to go to college. I will go back to inherit my supermarket after high school."

Dean's eyelids twitched, it turned out to be a hidden rich woman.

"Here again, Abby, don't say such depressing words, why don't you have talent, don't you often contribute to books and magazines?" Gretchen Lou shook her shoulders and showed off to Dean, "Abby Bee is already a contributor to a well-known local fiction magazine in Las Vegas, and has published five novels, which are well received by the public."

"That's amazing, what's their name, I'll buy it in advance and collect it, and then I'll ask you to sign it." Dean turned back and smiled at Abby, "When you become a great writer, it will be worth a lot of money. "

Abby's face was flushed and the pimples on her face were more obvious.

"I have a very unique vision, and I think so too." Gretchen was pleasing to the eye so much that Dean nodded.

"You two have a great relationship."

"Of course, we have been good sisters for more than ten years, and we have been neighbors since birth," Abby said with a smile. "If it wasn't for her going to college, I would be reluctant to separate."

"Which college did you go to, Gretchen?"

"I like sports, and I dream of wearing a police uniform and fighting criminals." The hearty girl raised her chest, and the surging waves under the blue T-shirt flashed in the rearview mirror, and Dean was dazzled, "I'm working hard to apply for the exam Police Academy in Nevada."

"You must be fine... Your cultural achievements, outstanding sports achievements, cheerful and lively personality, everyone likes you." Abby's red face is stuck to Gretchen's pretty face, the tomboy with acne is just like a big star The beauty of the prosperous age, the contrast is so sharp that Dean is a little uncomfortable. At the same time, he has a question in his heart, how can girls with such a big gap in appearance become good friends.

"What's more, she is still a daughter inheriting her father's job." Abby turned to Dean, "Gretchen's father is a police officer in the LVPD, Thomas Allen, she will apply for the LVPD after graduation, and then go to the police academy for further study."

"Thomas Allen?"

Dean suddenly saw a fat police officer with a bright smile and licking cream off his fingers.

"You know my father." Gretchen saw something.

"I happened to meet him when I went to LVPD for business not long ago, and his enthusiasm and friendliness were impressive."

Gretchen grinned, her gums showing, and she talked to Dean about all kinds of policing.

And Dean spent the last month in the ward studying volunteer materials, and chatted with Gretchen in a decent manner.

Four hours after departure.

The three vehicles passed a huge wind farm, then turned from the I-15 interstate highway to another state road, and came to a gas station at the starting point of the campground.

The group got out of the car for a short rest, bought lunch, checked and packed their luggage, and Gretchen left a record at the convenience store——if they didn't return within 72 hours, the owner would help report the crime.

Afterwards, they changed into mountaineering equipment and entered the plain area beside the road.

……

At noon, the golden sun rose to the center of the sky.

Jiudao, carrying a large hiking bag, shuttled through the wilderness on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. He was wearing uniform hiking boots and functional clothing made of breathable material. His movement speed was not fast, but his steps were steady, almost maintaining a constant speed. Even the weakest-looking Ashley can also follow with ease.

Gretchen as the guide is at the front, followed by Dean and Abby... Baker and Jenny are at the rear.

The weather is close to late July, and the temperature on the side of the Sierra Nevada where they are located is still a bit high, and they feel a little hot and dry wearing thin coats.

After entering this wilderness himself, Dean discovered that it is not as vast and barren as he saw on the highway. It is full of low shrubs, Joshua trees, golden rods, and even cacti in various shapes. Small animals inhabit these plants, making this seemingly barren land glow with charming vitality.

Dean slowed down and turned his gaze to a cactus on the right, where a palm-sized lizard with green skin covered with patterns was squatting quietly, staring at the group of uninvited guests like a statue with wide-eyed eyes. It's naive.

"Look there." Gretchen pointed to the left, and everyone followed the trend,
I saw 20 meters away, under a clump of green bushes, a rabbit with taupe fur was chewing grass roots, its ears were erected and shaking, and it was in a state of alert.

"Desert cottontail rabbit, as the name suggests," Abby explained in a low voice, "the tail is like a looped cotton ball, isn't it cute?"

Dean nodded solemnly, thinking about taking a few steps closer quietly, whether it would be possible for "Shadow" to drive the plank and shoot the little guy without anyone noticing.

And Rust quietly took out the Nikon F3 in the package and handed it to Britney who looked excited.

"Crack" sound.

The camera accurately captures the cuteness of the little animals.

But the alert Cottontail Rabbit was alarmed by the sound of the shutter, and turned to look at the group of humans who were staring at them. With a kick of its hind legs, it turned into a gray lightning and disappeared deep in the vegetation.

Its fur is the most perfect camouflage, hiding in the vegetation, it is difficult for the most skilled hunter to find it.

"The little thing runs pretty fast." Baker laughed, "Next time I'll bring a gun and hunt a few for a taste."

"Remember to bring your night vision goggles," Gretchen said. "Only cottontail rabbits are hunted at night in this area."

……

The crowd continued to move forward, the terrain was ups and downs, and the cycle continued from small hills to valleys. Gretchen stopped from time to time with her hands on her hips to introduce the animals living in this wilderness to her companions, the alert Jack Rabbit, and the silly gopher , The leopard cat with a mysterious track... Suddenly hovering over the heads of everyone like a bear child, acridine called the crow who cast curious eyes.

She will also use a pleasant voice to tell some first aid knowledge in the wild: which plants can be smashed to reduce inflammation and pain, which can be eaten in a small amount when hunger and thirst are mixed, and some hiking tips: choose harder ground to walk on than Soft ground saves energy more.

Abby looked at her good sister with admiration.

Everyone's affection for this lively, cheerful, heroic, and eye-catching guide doubled.

After walking for three hours without knowing it, the sunlight in the sky gradually softened and the temperature began to drop. They stood on a ridge overlooking the wilderness below. The green gradually replaced the withered yellow, and the green bushes were like water. Onion-colored satin is spread on the ground.

And further away, the terrain rose abruptly, forming a lush and lush mountain forest. They finally left this khaki-colored wilderness and climbed towards the other side of the mountain range.

"The rain runs through here."

Gretchen led everyone to the green bushes, and found a pile of black feces under the leaves.

"Coyote poop."

"Wait, are there wolves around here?" Ashley's face turned pale and she was startled, "Will they attack us? Is it dangerous?"

"Don't worry, according to my hunting experience, unless you're delirious with hunger, coyotes will only be more scared when they see a group of people than you are now." Baker patted his hairy chest, "not to mention we boys are in front , it can't hurt you."

"I will protect you, dear." Lang wrapped his right hand around Ashley's shoulders, and patted his bony chest with his left hand, with an awe-inspiring look on his face, ready to sacrifice for love at any time.

Ashley hugged his arm tightly with a look of emotion.

"Don't worry too much about coyotes. The cold is much more terrifying than beasts." Gretchen unwrapped the package and began to take out a thick warm coat. "Put on thick clothes."

"I feel like I can still hold on." Baker opened his hands disapprovingly and turned around, feeling the temperature and wind speed of the air.

"What do you know?" Abby gave him an unhappy look and explained, "The temperature will get lower and lower and the humidity will be higher and higher after entering the mountain. Guess what, before you know it, your skin will Evaporates moisture from clothes and takes a lot of body heat away. If you are exposed to wind, you will lose too much heat very quickly. When the core body temperature is below 28 degrees, even God can’t save you.”

"It's so serious, you didn't mean to scare me on purpose, did you?" Baker said stubbornly, but his hands were not slow at all. He quickly took out a thick blue down jacket and wrapped it around a slightly thin functional clothing.

After a few minutes.

The group of people changed into warm clothes, took out their trekking poles, and walked towards the forest.

As soon as he entered the forest with towering ancient trees, the originally wide field of vision became narrow in an instant.

And because of the rising terrain, the ground became soft and difficult to exert force on, and the speed of physical energy consumption increased greatly.

Di'an's 11.6's physique is much stronger than normal people's, and he walks with ease, even a bit unsatisfactory. This level of exercise can't consume the energy he has accumulated in a month of recuperation.

He looked around comfortably, admiring the various fungi at the roots of the trees, the various shrubs full of berries, the crystal spider webs among the branches, and the chirping birds on the branches, observing this vibrant mountain forest from the perspective of God.

The vegetation in the mountain forest is lush, the air is fresh, and there are more animals than in the wilderness before. In many places, you can smell the smell of urine that they deliberately left to divide their territories.

"This place is suitable for hunting."

"Guys, how long is it until we get to the campsite? My feet are so sore that they won't belong to me anymore."

On the other side, Ashley complained profusely with sweat, while Lang nodded with a stiff face.
"Persevere, there are still two hours before the sun sets, and we must reach the mountainside before then. There are houses specially prepared for climbers." Gretchen encouraged,
"It's getting dark, and there are not only wolves in the woods." Baker and his girlfriend Jenny made a terrifying pose at the little girl-like Ashley, "There are also some mysterious monsters in legends, such as Wendigo, werewolves, only eat a little girl with thin skin and tender flesh like you!"

"what!"

Ashley screamed and turned pale.
"If you deliberately scare people again, believe it or not, I will sew your mouth shut!"

A group of people condemned Baker and Jenny at the same time.

The two raised their hands in surrender.

……

Halfway up the mountain.

A dilapidated log cabin appeared under the fir tree not far away. The wooden walls were covered with green vines and moss, and the glass windows were covered with gray curtains, which looked very old.

"Wow, liberated, I'm going to lie down, I'm going to lie down for a day, I don't want to move for a second!"

Ashley threw her backpack to her boyfriend and rushed over, yelling.

"Slow down, there are people inside."

Dean lifted God's perspective and stopped her.

With a creak, the closed door of the wooden house was pushed open, and a man wearing denim overalls and a wide-brimmed hat came out. He had a rough appearance, heavy auburn beard, and big and bright eyes, like a pair aiming at Sweeping the crowd like a mirror,

"Come to climb the mountain?"

"Yes, hello, sir. We climbed all the way up and wanted to find a place to rest temporarily. I didn't know that there were already people in the house."

"Young man, this is not a private house, just stay here if you need it." The man beckoned, with a hearty smile that made people feel good, "If you don't mind, come in and squeeze. It's getting dark, just a few tents and sleeping bags But it can't keep warm."

Gretchen exchanged glances with everyone, except Dean, a group of people nodded impatiently,
Baker even bulged his well-developed biceps, and his eyes were full of confidence.

……

There are no partitions in the [-]-square-meter wooden house, only a hall with simple furnishings and dim kerosene lamps.

The fire in the stone and clay stove was jumping, and the broth in the iron pot hanging above was boiling, and a strong fragrance filled the air.

After expending a lot of physical energy, everyone who was hungry showed eager expressions.

There was a second person sitting in the room.

Dressed in a black winter jacket, his facial features are as cold and rigid as the escorts in western movies. He sits quietly beside the wooden bed, unsmiling, as if he is not easy to touch. He carries a Winchester M1897 shotgun in his pocket and keeps wiping it. Did not see this group of visitors.

The atmosphere in the house suddenly fell into silence.

Dean quietly called out "Shadow" just in case.

And Lang looked at the swarthy shotgun, and made a "grunt" sound, swallowing his saliva very obviously.

"Man, don't put the gun away, you're scaring the guests." The bearded man roared, and the companion silently put the gun into the backpack, and then kept looking at everyone with a pair of small eyes.

"Sorry, Sam is not good at words, but he is a good person like me. This gun is for hunting, so don't worry."

The man took off his cowboy hat and smiled apologetically, wiped his muddy palms carelessly on the cowboy straps, and shook hands with everyone one by one.

"Sit down, the house is simple, you can only make do with it."

Dean sat down next to Tom, smiled at him, and began to check their backpacks and weapons from the perspective of God, without full automatic.

Seeing this, the other teammates sat down one after another.

"I'm Owen, and this is Tom, from San Francisco. You still look like students?"

The man glanced across the green cheeks, stopped at Gretchen's bright face, and then swept her full chest covertly,
"Ah."

"which school?"

"Sacramento, Lewis High School graduate, currently at graduation camp."

Gretchen looked calm.

Sacramento is in central California, not far from their campsite.

Lang wondered why his companion was lying, and when he turned around, he found Dean, who was sitting across from him, gave him a sharp look.

He was inexplicably afraid and swallowed the question in his stomach.

"If we had known that the two of you were using this house, we would have climbed to the top from the other side of the mountain with other students."

Gretchen raised her mouth.

"Oh, there are other students?" The fat man got up and took a bowl of steaming stew from the iron pot, tasted a few mouthfuls with a spoon, showing a satisfied expression,

"Well, sixteen students... We have an appointment for a mountain climbing competition. If you lose, please go to Santa Monica to have a seafood dinner."

Everyone tacitly did not expose Gretchen's lie.

"Young people are full of energy, just like my nephew in high school, but after climbing for so long, you have already starved, right?" The fat man handed the soup bowls to everyone, "Come and taste it, I hunted it down the mountain early this morning. Cottontail rabbit, stewed just right."

People here don't have so many polite things to say, seeing that he drank more than half of the bowl, they scooped up a bowl each, and ate around the campfire.

"Well, sweet potatoes, onions, and corn kernels are stewed, the meat is soft and rotten, and the taste is delicious." Baker praised, "Your craftsmanship can open a stew restaurant in San Francisco."

Fatty burst into laughter when he heard this,

"Eat with your belly open, there is plenty in the pot."

People from the two parties gathered around an iron pot for dinner and exchanges, and the students shared the snacks, drinks and beer in their backpacks.

But Hunter Tom disliked the beer being bland, and handed his jug full of vodka to the boys in the team. Except for Dean who didn't drink, Ruster, Baker, and even Lang, who was like a little skinny chicken, all went to After taking a few big gulps in his stomach, his face was drunk and his whole body was warm.

Owen, a bearded man with a greasy face, began to eloquently tell all kinds of interesting stories encountered during the hunting. The level of storytelling was very good, with ups and downs, which attracted the young people's attention.

"Uncle Owen, you are so well-informed, do you know that there is a Wendigo in this mountain?" Ashley asked timidly when she thought of what Baker had said to scare her.

The bearded man smiled and said, "That thing only appears in the cold winter, and now it's almost summer, and it's hiding in a cave to sleep."

"Currently there are only wild boars, rock goats, American badgers, ferrets, red cats, flying squirrels, and badgers in the mountains... When it comes to badgers, they usually come out at night."

The bearded man stood up amidst the astonished eyes of the crowd, and looked at the sky outside the window, the moonlight was falling into the courtyard outside the house like flowing water.

"It's a pleasure to have dinner with such young and energetic students as you, but happiness is always short-lived. When the hunting time comes, the house will be left to you."

The two hunters carried heavy mountaineering bags on their backs, hung a Remington M1100 on their left shoulder, and another AR15 on their right shoulder.

"Goodbye."

The bearded man waved his hand and left the gate with his companion without hesitation.

……

After a long time, the two figures disappeared under the moonlight outside the window, and Gretchen held her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

"Did you watch too many horror movies and see that everyone is a bad guy? Why don't they just use those three guns to threaten us if they have bad intentions?" Baker's flushed face, drunk with vodka, was full of confusion, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the two The hunter complained, Jenny and Ashley nodded.

"Bai grows so big, hasn't his brain absorbed any nutrients?" Luster tapped his head, "Who would write bad guys and perverts on his face? And that Tom has been sneaking lewdly glances Girls don't look like nice people."

"How do I remember that you drank several sips of vodka and ate several bowls of stew? Are you not afraid that they will poison you?"

"You think I'm as careless as you, they slammed first, and then I ate."

"Okay, stop arguing." Gretchen stared at the darkness outside the window and muttered, "Safety comes first when you go out, and the most important thing is people. Don't camp outside tonight, put sleeping bags in the house, and take turns to watch the night , take the flare gun and trekking poles."

"I'll watch the night tonight." Dean said in a deep voice,

He doesn't want to sleep soundly and be beaten with a stick. With the support of iron man talent and balance meditation, it's not a big problem if he doesn't sleep all night after climbing a mountain for a day.

"Relax and sleep."

(End of this chapter)