America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 107 Zoemi's New Story

"This is Baker, who has over ten years of experience hunting kangaroos, bison, and saltwater crocodiles."

Inside the club, the business manager introduced the hunting guide to Martin and his companions: "This is Molly, Baker's sister, with over five years of hunting experience."

Perhaps of British descent, Baker, only in his thirties, was already bald. He shook hands with Martin and the other three, politely saying, "It's an honor to serve you."

Martin held it in his hand and felt its calluses.

Molly was not yet thirty years old, with short, cropped hair and two hunting dogs tattooed on the outside of her strong arms.

After a brief introduction, the business manager called two pickup trucks and took the group to the club's private hunting grounds.

It takes more than three hours to drive there from the northern suburbs of Brisbane.

Australia is a vast and sparsely populated country. The business manager introduced the private game farm along the way, explaining that it was actually a large ranch covering nearly 100,000 acres. It was not far from the sea and, like many places in Australia, was plagued by an overabundance of wild animals.

Occasionally, saltwater crocodiles will enter the pasture's ponds and waterways.

Upon arriving at the ranch, amidst a large expanse of wooden houses, the guests included not only Martin and his three companions, but also more than a dozen tourists from other countries.

After a quick dinner, the business manager led the four of them to select hunting weapons.

Martin chose the Winchester M70 that he had used at the shooting range before.

This is a bolt-action shotgun. These people have temporary permits and are not allowed to use semi-automatic weapons.

"I want to use a gun too," Mene cried out, because he hadn't obtained the necessary permits beforehand, so he could only use a pulley bow or a crossbow.

Bruce got a Remington 700, while Zommy chose a lighter Wetherby shotgun.

Each of the four men was also equipped with a short hunting knife.

Back in their detached cabin, Molly briefly explained some precautions based on the video footage.

"Wild boars, rabbits, deer, wild dogs, bison, and red kangaroos—except for pregnant mothers—can be hunted freely." Molly specifically pulled up pictures of several protected animals: "Don't touch them; it will cause a lot of trouble."

She bluntly stated, "If you're not sure, don't use the gun."

After everyone prepared the items needed for the next day, they set off early the next morning in two large pickup trucks equipped with guardrails.

The pastures are mostly hilly, with ponds and streams, and the vegetation consists mainly of grasslands, shrubs and low trees.

Bruce consulted Martin and Zommy, and then said to Baker, "Let's go hunt large game."

Menne sat alone in Molly's car.

In one of the pickup trucks, Martin asked Baker, who was driving, "When are we going to hunt saltwater crocodiles?"

Baker said, "In the afternoon, when the sunlight is good, the saltwater crocodiles will come out to bask in the sun."

Molly, who was leading the way, stopped her car at the edge of a large patch of bushes, opened the back door, and jumped out with her hound.

Mene, clutching his crossbow, trotted over to the car and said, "I'd rather sit in the back here than over there; those dogs are terrifying."

Martin looked at his wet face: "They like you a lot."

Baker crouched down by the bushes, examining the animal droppings. He picked up a clump, squeezed it, and said, "There are wild boars nearby, Molly, chase them away!"

He then said to Martin and the others, "You guys get in the back of the truck, get your guns ready, and don't get out unnecessarily. Wild boars are dangerous."

Molly released the hounds, and the three dogs rushed into the bushes.

Martin climbed into the back of the pickup truck, leaned against the welded guardrail, inspected the firearms, and loaded them.

Bruce is a seasoned gunman; he's in no hurry to carry his gun.

"Is wild boar meat delicious?" Zomi asked.

Martin had bought one in his previous life, but it was farm-raised: "They supposedly have a fishy, ​​pungent smell." He beckoned to Menez: "Come on up, want a wild boar to pound your ass?"

Just as Menez was about to get into the car, he suddenly turned around, and a large red kangaroo jumped out from dozens of meters away.

When enemies meet, their eyes are filled with intense hatred.

"Red skin! Come here, your black-skinned grandpa is here!" Mene nocked an arrow, raised his crossbow, and was about to fire.

Suddenly, a dog barked, and a small black tank emerged from the bushes, crushing everything in its path.

Menez fired a random arrow and hurriedly climbed onto the carriage.

Martin reached out and pulled him: "What are you afraid of?"

Mene glanced at the large wild boar over there: "It's even darker than me, so my special move is useless!"

Martin said, "It's okay, you can charge it after it blows you up."

"Zurmi!" Bruce knew Martin was here to relax and socialize, so he naturally handed the first shot to the director: "The opportunity has arrived!"

The hunting dogs were well-trained and slowed down once they chased away the wild boar.

This wild boar is 1.78 meters long and runs like a small tank.

Zomi set up his gun, aimed through the scope, and fired the first shot.

He used to hunt, and his marksmanship was decent; he aimed for the neck but hit the wild boar in the belly.

"Hit!" Martin saw the spurting blood.

Zomi quickly pulled back the bolt and fired a second shot, the bullet piercing the wild boar's neck.

The wild boar collapsed, then tried to get up, but Zomi's third shot hit it in the head!

Martin praised, "Excellent marksmanship, every shot hits its mark."

Zomi was delighted and said, "I'm lucky. My accuracy wasn't this high before."

The gunshot startled the nearby animals; a herd of wild deer was running wildly in the distance. Baker ran over, and as he got into the car, he shouted, "Hold on tight, let's chase after them!"

Four people grabbed the guardrail as the pickup truck sped forward with a roar.

Martin glanced to his side and saw a herd of deer. He shouted, "Guys, how about we have a race?"

"Great!" Menez was an activist.

Martin pointed towards the deer: "Those who fail to catch their prey will be punished."

"What punishment?" Zomi asked.

Bruce had a great idea: "How about we find a small, large kangaroo and play boxing with it?"

Menez was the first to agree: "Great!"

Martin patted him on the shoulder: "It's not too late for you to back out now."

Menez practically patted his chest and declared, "I will never go back on my word."

Baker, being experienced, drove around to the front of the wild deer, parked the car, and called the four people out. After observing for a while, he led them to ambush the deer herd downwind.

The five people were scattered among the low bushes, which were about ten meters high.

Mene suddenly realized something was wrong. He looked at Martin, who was closest to him, holding a shotgun with a scope in his hand.

Then look at the crossbow with a scope in your hand.

How can you compare these?

As the herd of deer drew closer, Martin aimed at a sturdy buck about fifty meters away and pulled the trigger.

With a bang, a gunshot rang out, and the wild deer was shot in the chest and abdomen. It ran forward a few steps and fell to the ground.

Just as Martin fired his gun, Zamy and Bruce also fired, and two more adult deer fell.

At the same time, a carbon crossbow bolt pierced the low tree with a thud.

The remaining deer scattered frantically, giving Menez no chance to fire a second arrow.

Martin and his men just kept shooting, ignoring everything else.

The prey was handled by two professional hunters, Baker and Molly.

Martin asked, "Who missed their prey just now?"

Menez had already spoken too confidently, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "Let's go find the kangaroo."

On their way back to lunch after Baker and Molly finished processing their prey, they encountered a suitable large kangaroo.

He's at most 1.4 meters tall when he stands up, not very strong.

Too big or too strong won't do; Menez is no match for him, what if he gets kicked to pieces...

Menez jumped out of the car and walked towards the location, taunting as he went: "Red-skinned big tail, your brother slept with you and didn't pay me, now I'm here to collect my debt! Come on over! Why don't you guys have black fur? Kangaroos are all racist!"

The ultimate taunt was so scathing that even the kangaroo couldn't take it.

Bruce couldn't help but say, "Why is it that everyone you know, you piece of stinking shit, is an idiot?"

Martin didn't speak, he just stared at Bruce.

Bruce slapped his forehead: "I'm such an idiot."

During their mating season, the kangaroos are all quite aggressive; they'll charge at Menez and start fighting.

Worried about something going wrong, Baker and Molly followed behind to keep watch.

"Nobody can sleep with Uncle Mene without paying! Not even animals!" Mene, with his height and strength, beat the rather thin kangaroo until it fled in a sorry state.

Ten minutes later, a refreshed Menée returned to the car, clutching a handful of kangaroo fur: "This is a debt my brother owed!"

Back at the ranch, after lunch, the group went hunting saltwater crocodiles in the afternoon.

Even Bruce didn't dare to act recklessly in the face of the saltwater crocodile, and Martin and the other three stayed safely in the car.

Baker and Molly quickly found traces of the saltwater crocodile.

The group of six walked to a pond and climbed to a high point. From there, they could see clearly that a large crocodile, more than four meters long, was basking in the sun by the pond, just a few dozen meters away.

Even if someone is twice the size, they are nothing compared to a human armed with a hunting rifle.

Baker was considerate of his clients, saying, "Aim at the target, and when I say fire, fire together, three shots each."

Martin, Bruce, and Zomi loaded their bullets, and Mene picked up the crossbow.

"Ready!" Baker shouted, seeing that it was almost time. "Fire!"

Martin pulled the trigger, looked through the scope and saw the crocodile's neck skin burst open, pulled the bolt and fired again, firing three bullets before stopping.

The poor crocodile was riddled with bullets and died before it even saw its attacker.

Once the prey is brought back and the saltwater crocodile's teeth are removed, the hunting club, with all the necessary permits, can process it into souvenirs such as pendants and keychains.

A crocodile over four meters long, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, enough for four people to share.

Most of them ended up in the hands of Martin and Zommy.

Bruce and Menez are both isolated individuals.

In the evening, the club hosted a wild game barbecue party for all the guests at the manor.

Martin ate some roasted venison, then found Zomi sitting alone in a quiet spot and asked, "Too noisy?"

Zomi pointed to his head: "When I have free time, my mind just keeps racing."

Martin said, "Thinking about post-production?"

"I'm just a tool in post-production," Zammy said, seeing things clearly. "I'm thinking of a new story."

Martin half-jokingly asked, "What if a ferocious beast or a monster suddenly appears in the hunting grounds and wipes out our entire group of hunters?"

Jaume tossed a beer bottle to Martin, and the two clinked bottles together, each taking a sip before saying, "Before joining this crew, my friend David Johnson and I—he also studied film and worked as an assistant to director Darabont, and he's better at screenwriting—but he wasn't as lucky as me; screenwriting is tough."

He got back to the main point: "David and I went to Canada for a trip, and the locals told us a true story about a woman with dwarfism who pretended to be a teenage girl and killed her adoptive parents."

(End of this chapter)