America: The Gear-Up Detective

Not far away, several farmers were gathered together, including John and Evanson. One of them looked at the sky, frowned, and said, "Damn it, it's getting dark. We don't have night vision equipment. Are we just going to have to give up today?"

Another middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap and sporting a beard said, "It's all because these coyotes are too fast. They seem to be on someone's orders, wasting a lot of our time."

The other ranchers also sighed in hushed tones. Every extra day they caught the hunters meant an extra day's wages. The cowboy hunters and even the CDFW officers were eager to take it slow, but the ranchers who were paying were not happy about it.

In the distance, Rhodes lay on the ground, scanning the surroundings through his binoculars.

There weren't many wolves in sight, maybe a dozen or so, but according to John, there were at least thirty coyotes in this area, so it seemed the others had all gone into hiding.

Rhodes thought for a moment, then picked up the gun, ready to test its feel.

Thanks to the four CDFW officers present, they were allowed to mount silencers on their shotguns while on duty, and the M70 bolt-action rifle in Rod's hand at that moment was equipped with a black silencer.

This allowed Rhodes to shoot with peace of mind, without worrying that the gunfire would disturb the wolf pack.

.243 Win口径的温彻斯特M70步枪最适合狩猎郊狼等小型野兽，有效射程可以达到500码（约457米），极限射程可以到600米左右。

Rod looked at a coyote in the scope, aimed the crosshair at its head, took a deep breath, and gently pulled the trigger with his index finger.

"puff"

A crisp, faint gunshot rang out, and a coyote about two hundred meters away fell to the ground. A coyote not far away merely looked up, and after finding no movement, lowered its head again.

Rhodes frowned slightly as he looked at the results. He had aimed for the head, but hit the neck instead. Although both were fatal wounds, Rhodes had specifically chosen a coyote that was stationary this time.

"It seems that experience is one thing, but you still need to fire a few shots yourself to get a feel for gun shooting."

Rhodes lay on the ground and began searching for a new target.

"Pfft" "Pfft" "Pfft"...

In three or four minutes, Rhodes fired more than a dozen shots, each shot killing a coyote.

Rhodes's commotion finally attracted the attention of others.

About fifty meters to Rhodes' right, two hunters in camouflage lay prone on the ground, witnessing almost firsthand Rhodes' achievements over those few minutes.

One of the middle-aged men, wearing tactical goggles and sporting a large beard, remarked with a hint of amazement, "Is that a sniper who just retired from the army? A dozen shots, and not a single one missed!"

Another slightly younger man, wearing his hat backwards, muttered, "Looks like he won't get any overtime pay. He's almost wiped out this pack of wolves all by himself."

Because California law prohibits the use of bounties as payment for hunting, these people were basically paid by the hour and didn't mind having Rod steal the wolf's head.

Having gotten used to the feel of the gun, Rhode stopped shooting and focused on finding the wolf king.

Since it is the alpha wolf, it must be different from other coyotes.

Rod searched patiently.

Not far behind, Rod's gunshot also attracted the attention of several farmers who had gathered together.

John, holding his binoculars and looking in the direction of Rhodes' gun, remarked with admiration, "Edgar's grandson is quite the marksman!"

Another farmer chimed in, "What does this kid do for a living? He seems to have better marksmanship than those veterans on my farm. He fired over a dozen shots in four minutes, and every single one hit his target."

Rod was still searching, but perhaps because the commotion in the last few minutes had been too great, he had seen very few coyotes.

A few minutes later, just as Rhodes was about to give up, a golden wolf head emerged from the bushes at a distance of about four or five hundred meters away.

This wolf looks much larger than the other coyotes, making it undoubtedly the alpha wolf.

Rhodes held his breath, positioned the scope's crosshair slightly above the wolf's head, and gently exhaled, "Pfft!"

Five hundred meters away, a string of blood spurted from the wolf king's head, and then it collapsed.

Looking at his achievement, Rod grinned, "I did it!"

Side Quest Completed: Wolf Pack! In the wild where coyotes roam, there seems to be an unusual alpha wolf. Solve this problem to receive a reward.

Completion Reward: Equipment: Wolf Fang Pendant *1

Through the telescope, Rhode saw the golden light that had been emanating from the wolf king's corpse slowly dissipate, then turn into wisps of golden smoke that drifted toward Rhode's pickup truck.

Seeing this, Rod stood up, preparing to go back to the car to check, only to find that a crowd had gathered not far behind him.

John stepped forward, patted Rhodes on the shoulder, and exclaimed, "Rhodes, you should have said you were such a good shot! If I had known, I would have had Edgar invite you over sooner, and we wouldn't have wasted this afternoon."

Rod shrugged and didn't say anything.

After exchanging pleasantries with the group for a while and returning the gun, Rod made an excuse to shake off the enthusiastic farmers and returned to his car, where he began searching for items.

Finally, in the passenger-side storage compartment, they found a pendant that gleamed with gold.

Four yellowish wolf teeth, about the size of an adult's thumb, were wrapped with silver wire at their roots and hung from a thin rope woven from an unknown leather. The surface of the teeth was covered with fine cracks and scratches, as if they had survived countless life-and-death battles.

Wolf Fang Pendant: The wolf cub, having fought countless battles, finally emerged victorious and became the wolf king of the tribe, but ultimately could not withstand a single bullet.

When equipped, all attributes increase by 0.1.

effect:

1. Wolf Spirit Sensing: The wearer can vaguely sense the approximate location and number of all "hostile" creatures within a 10-meter radius.

2. Lone Wolf's Fighting Spirit: The wolf's will never run dry, Spirit attribute +0.5.

Then, Rhodes's panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Rod Lee

Age: 25

[Height/Weight: 186/83.7]

[Position: Detective (Murder and Heist Division)]

【property:

Strength: 10.3 (+1)

Agility: 9.9 (+1)

Constitution: 9.1 (+1)

Spirit: 13.1 (+2.5)

【Equipment slots (4/3):】

1. Detective Badge

2. Glasses full of love

3. Joker card

4. Wolf Fang Pendant (Unassembled)

[Available Experience Points: 88]

【Skill:……】

Rhodes spent 1,000 experience points in the system shop to buy an equipment slot.

All attributes +0.1, Spirit attribute +0.5

"Equipment that adds stats is always a good thing!"

With these improvements in his physique, even Rhodes' weight has increased by one kilogram. [Height/Weight: 186/84.7]

Rhodes nodded, "Ten points in physique are just around the corner."

......

When we returned to the ranch, it was almost midnight, and Grandpa and Liu Qingxi were already resting.

There were many bedrooms in the house, and Edgar casually assigned one to Liu Qingxi.

After a quick wash, Rod also began to rest.

The next day, early morning.

Rod and Liu Qingxi sat at the dining table eating breakfast, while their grandfather Edgar, who hadn't been sleeping in a long time, chatted happily.

"Buzz buzz buzz~~~"

The incessantly vibrating phone interrupted Rod's pleasant mood.

The caller ID reads "Hank".

"Hey Rod, good morning."

"It's Saturday, Hank. What's up?" Rod asked, a hint of unease creeping into his voice. Hank usually wouldn't call him unless there was a reason.

"Rhodes, there's a new case."

A UCLA student has been missing for several days. His parents have reported him missing to the police, and our team has taken him in.

Don't worry, the team leader said that the other teams have been too busy lately, so we're a bit more relaxed. This is considered overtime for us, and we'll get paid leave afterward.

I've sent you the missing person's information.

Rhodes sighed, quickly finished his breakfast, and opened the file Hank had sent him: "Evelyn Brooks..."

Upon hearing the name, Liu Qingxi paused slightly, then asked, "Who?"

"Evelyn Brooks, she's missing. She's a student at UCLA, you know her?"

"She's my roommate!"

P.S.: Today is Tuesday, so please scroll to the last page and read on. Thank you!