America: The Gear-Up Detective

Upon receiving Laura's call, Rod immediately drove to his grandfather's ranch.

Liu Qingxi understood the seriousness of the matter, but Rod felt it was getting late and it wouldn't be good to leave a girl out alone, so he took Liu Qingxi back to Edgar's ranch as well.

By keeping the speed limit down, Rodman made it back to the ranch as quickly as possible.

Outside the house, two old brown pickup trucks were parked.

Rhodes pushed open the door and entered the room. He saw Edgar with his left leg wrapped in a thick bandage, his leg propped up on a raised stool. Edgar was sitting on the sofa, drinking and chatting with two other men who also looked quite old. They seemed to be doing well.

"Grandpa, are you alright?"

Rhodes stepped forward and carefully examined his grandfather. Edgar's face was even redder, perhaps from drinking too much.

Edgar laughed and said to the other two beside him, "This is my grandson, Rod."

"Rhodes, these are two old friends of mine, Evanson and John."

Rod nodded to the two of them, then asked, "What exactly happened? Mom called to say you were bitten by a coyote?"

Upon hearing this, Edgar burst into laughter again, tilting his head back as if he wanted to reach the ceiling.

John, who was standing to the side, explained to Rod with a smile: "Your grandfather is as dashing as ever. He was indeed bitten on the left leg by a coyote back then."

But Edgar simply sat down, hugged the wolf to his chest, drew his dagger, and stabbed the coyote to death.

Evanson also gave a thumbs up.

Seeing Edgar's proud expression, Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief.

Behind him, Liu Qingxi, who had been silent all along, was dumbfounded. What did it mean to hold the wolf that was biting him in his arms and then stab it to death?

Are all the Rhodes family members this fierce? That move looks so cool, can I learn it?

Edgar, who had been looking down, then noticed Liu Qingxi standing behind Rhodes and asked, "Who is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce her. This is my friend, Liu Qingxi. She's Chinese and studying for her master's degree at UCLA. We were shopping together just now, and she came straight back after hearing the news."

Rod explained.

"Hello..." Liu Qingxi didn't know how to address Edgar. Should she call him Grandpa? That didn't seem quite right.

Edgar nodded, indicating that he should sit down and talk.

After chatting for a short while, Evanson and John prepared to leave.

"We've assembled a large group of hunters and licensed cowboys from nearby farms to hunt wolves tonight, so we won't disturb them any longer."

Upon hearing this, Rod's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "You've located the wolf pack?"

John nodded, put on his coat, and explained, "We've been tracking this pack of wolves for the past few days, and we found them around noon."

Rod thought for a moment and tried to say, "Are you short-handed? I can help out."

Evanson glanced at Rhodes, pondered for a moment, and nodded. "Alright, more people mean more strength. Edgar's grandson is trustworthy."

Rhodes looked at his grandfather, Edgar, who simply nodded and said, "Be careful and follow orders."

Rod settled Liu Qingxi in for the time being, then followed Evanson and John to the location of the wolf pack.

The three of them drove along a winding road, with dust billowing everywhere.

Before long, Rod saw a group of people holding shotguns gathered together.

Not far away, two black Dodge Durango police patrol cars with the letters CDFW were parked.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is the state's official agency under the Natural Resources Agency responsible for managing the state's fish, wildlife, and natural resources.

Rod understood. It seemed that these farmers weren't all uneducated; they even knew to seek endorsement from relevant departments.

If any trouble arises, such as animal rights organizations that smell the scent causing trouble, they can shift the blame to the government.

Rod stopped his car a short distance away, listening to the occasional gunshots. Four police officers, also wearing police jackets with the letters CDFW on them, leaned against the police car, smoking and chatting, showing no interest in the hunting situation of the cowboys and hunters.

While California law allows farmers to deal with coyotes that intrude on their farms, there are specific regulations regarding the methods and number of wolves allowed. This is why the CDFW officers are here.

However, it seems that the owners of these nearby farms have already "taken care of things".

John walked up to Rhodes and handed him an identification document. "This is your ranch cowboy pass. During the hunt, you're my ranch cowboy. Keep it safe."

Rhodes nodded in understanding.

John then handed Rhodes a camouflage .243 Winchester bolt-action rifle.

California hunting also has requirements for firearms, including the use of non-lead ammunition, and the prohibition of the use of bait and rewards, as well as the use of any toxic substances for hunting and the ban on artificial light sources to attract prey.

Therefore, the Winchester rifle, which is simple to use, has sufficient range, and meets the requirements, has become a favorite among hunters.

Rod took the rifle, wiped the barrel, and checked the sights and ammunition, his movements slightly clumsy.

Unfortunately, although the original owner of this body could also use a rifle, Rhode has only practiced pistol shooting since transmigrating, and hasn't had time to practice rifle shooting yet.

After thinking for a moment, Rod returned to his car and took out the white jade calligraphy brush he had bought in Chinatown not long ago.

Equipment recycling

Then, the faint golden light clinging to the brush, like fireflies, scattered and drifted away, disappearing without a trace, and the white jade brush turned into an ordinary brush.

[Successfully recycled equipment, gained 729 experience points.]

Current experience points: 1260

Then, Rhodes looked at the system skill display: [Rifle Shooting: lv2 (328/500)].

With just 172 experience points invested, you can upgrade your rifle shooting to level 3, which is enough for this operation. You'll also have over a thousand experience points left over, which is just enough to buy a slot in the shop.

The plan was perfect, and I also have to thank Liu Qingxi for helping me obtain a piece of equipment that could be recycled.

[Rifle Shooting: lv3 (0/1000)]

Instantly, Roald pictured himself practicing shooting with various rifles at the firing range.

A few seconds later, Rod opened his eyes and expertly checked the guns again.

Then, another message popped up in the system.

[Pistol Shooting Lv3 and Rifle Shooting Lv3 can be combined into one skill.]

[Gun Shooting lv2 (1/500)]

Rhodes raised an eyebrow, recalling some simple shotgun and sniper rifle techniques. He didn't have much experience, but he was fairly proficient, saving him several months of hard practice.

"Skill merging has this effect?"

Then, Rod greeted John and Evanson, took two boxes of ammunition and binoculars, found a high spot, lay down, and observed the wolf pack not far away.

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