All Heavens Strategy Game

Eagle's beak.

Su Ming stopped, leaning on his broadsword. His breath condensed into a mist before his eyes, only to be quickly torn apart by the cold wind.

He raised his head.

The scene before us was completely different from the frozen world we had traveled through.

On both sides are almost vertical, towering gray-black cliffs, like a gate cleaved open by a giant, blocking out most of the raging wind and snow.

The wind here became low and mournful, and the snow became much finer, no longer a downpour of goose feathers, but a lazy, drifting snow.

Thanks to this natural barrier, the valley floor has an unusual "warmth".

Large areas of rock exposed where snow had not covered them, with even some hardy dark green moss and low shrubs stubbornly sprouting from the cracks.

The air was crisp and cool, but the bone-chilling cold was gone.

"Great place!"

Su Ming had been traveling through strong winds and heavy snow on Xiaochong Mountain, but he never expected that the Eagle's Beak location on Nanshan Mountain would be so "peaceful," like a paradise in the snow and ice.

What truly made Su Ming's pupils shrink were the agile, leaping figures on the cliff face.

They are grayish-brown and more robust than ordinary domestic sheep, especially their crescent-shaped horns that curve backward.

There were more than a dozen or twenty of them, scattered throughout the steep cliff face, like a few lively ink dots embedded in a gray canvas.

Some stand firmly on protruding rock ridges that are only wide enough for half a hoof, stretching their necks to gnaw on the dry grass stems between the rocks;

Some of them pawed at the rock face with their forehooves, sticking out their tongues and intently licking certain whitish rock surfaces—those were the "salt rocks" that Su Shunfa had mentioned.

Goats have an extreme craving for salt, and they are fearless even when climbing cliffs and risking death from falls. They are natural rock climbers.

For them, 90 degrees is a wall, 89 degrees is a slope, and they can climb any slope!

"There are many sheep, and quite a few of them are old goats."

Su Ming held his breath and hid behind a huge reclining ox rock to observe carefully.

He discovered that most of the sheep were old goats: perhaps this region was uniquely blessed with no natural predators, which allowed them to live to this age peacefully.

Simultaneously,

These goats are far more agile than one might imagine.

He leaned forward slightly, trying to find a better angle of observation, when the nearest goat suddenly raised its head and its bright black eyes instantly locked onto his direction.

The next moment, without even making a warning sound, the goat leaped lightly, its four hooves tapping the almost vertical rock face several times, and it had already risen more than ten feet, landing steadily on a protruding platform at a higher position.

The whole process was silent and as smooth as breathing.

The other goats seemed to have received some kind of invisible signal, stopping eating, looking up, and slightly adjusting their bodies to prepare for a breakaway.

Su Ming slowly shrank back.

"What a vigilant beast," he thought to himself.

They tried to approach stealthily from different directions, using different rock shelters, but the result was the same.

These goats seem to have eyes all over their bodies, always able to detect him before he gets too close to danger.

On his most recent occasion, he used a rugged ravine as cover to reach the edge of a pile of rocks below the cliff, where he was only sixty or seventy steps away from the nearest goat.

With his arm strength and the power of the black horn bow, he was already seven or eight tenths confident of success at this distance.

However, just as he slowly drew the arrow from behind, the goat that had been licking salt with its back to him suddenly turned its ears, turned its head without looking back, pushed off the rock wall with its hind hooves, and its whole body, like a gray lightning bolt, swept horizontally for several feet, disappearing completely from his shooting sight behind a patch of jagged rocks.

The speed is astonishing.

"It can sense me? Is it cheating?" Su Ming was secretly surprised.

Several attempts to get close failed.

He didn't try again.

He retreated to a more secluded spot and calmly assessed the situation.

Climb up?

Looking up at the smooth, mirror-like cliff hundreds of meters high with only a few tiny protrusions, Su Ming decisively rejected the idea.

In his previous life, he had practiced rock climbing, but that was a modern sport with professional equipment and leverage points.

This cliff face, almost an insurmountable barrier, is so steep that even these naturally bred mountain goats can only roam within certain areas. Forcing one to climb it would be tantamount to suicide.

A direct assault and a quick kill? As we just saw, this is their home turf.

They are familiar with every foothold and have an abnormally keen sense of danger.

If they make the slightest movement, they can easily escape to heights or blind spots that are inaccessible to arrows.

Even if you manage to hit one by chance, the fall from such a height will immediately scare away the entire flock, making a second chance virtually impossible.

"No wonder Wang Fugui said that ordinary hunters could not hunt them at all, and no wonder these sheep can reproduce here."

Su Ming leaned back on the cold rock, his gaze sweeping over the figures leisurely strolling along the cliff face, and concluded, "A direct confrontation won't work!"

If we can't get up there, how can we hunt sheep?

Faced with this situation, even the most experienced hunters would be helpless, which explains why these sheep can thrive here.

If you can't hit the target and can't climb up, you can only sigh at the sight of the sheep!

Other hunters might have given up by now, but luckily Su Ming had a solution. Who says you have to climb up to hunt sheep?

Since they can't get up there, let them come down on their own!

He wasn't too frustrated.

Just as he had thought before going into the mountains, he had not considered "climbing up to shoot" as his first choice.

Faced with such an almost unsolvable problem, what is needed is not stronger military force, but more ingenious thinking.

Su Ming unbuckled his backpack and took out a small bag that was carefully wrapped and tightly tied with oil paper.

Unwrapping the oil paper revealed some distinct grains of coarse salt, mixed with other miscellaneous ingredients.

He bought this at a general store yesterday after leaving the pharmacy in the city. It cost fifty coins, almost the price of half a regular sheep.

Salt is an irresistible temptation for any herbivore, especially mountain animals that live in salt-deficient environments year-round.

In this season when heavy snow closes the mountains and everything withers, the allure of pure salt is even more irresistible.

He rewrapped the salt packet, leaving only a small opening.

Then, he stood up, no longer trying to hide himself, and swaggered to the edge of the relatively flat, rocky area below the cliff, where goats often leaped across.

This action immediately caused a commotion among the sheep.

All the goats instantly stopped moving, turned their heads in unison, tensed their bodies, and assumed a posture ready to flee at any moment.

Su Ming seemed oblivious.

He took down the black horn bow and nocked a practice arrow with the arrowhead removed—the tip of the arrow shaft was carefully secured to the salt bag with thin vines.

He took a deep breath and slowly drew his bow.

The heavy bowstring of the Three Stone Bow was pulled back, producing a tiny, teeth-grinding "creak."

The goats on the cliff seemed to sense some kind of danger, pawing nervously and making low bleating sounds, but they did not immediately flee, perhaps puzzled by the strange behavior of this two-legged creature in their "territory".

It's now!

"go!"

He gave a low shout in his heart.

Su Ming's eyes narrowed, his bow was drawn to its fullest extent, and he aimed at a relatively smooth rock surface covered with a thin layer of ice in the middle of the cliff, about twenty zhang (about sixty or seventy meters) above the ground.

This height is neither too high for goats to easily be on guard at close range, nor high enough to make them feel absolutely safe enough to completely give up.

"Whoosh—!"

The arrow left the bowstring, carrying the small salt packet, and traced an arc before striking the icy rock surface with pinpoint accuracy!

"Snapped!"

The salt packet shattered instantly.

The fine white salt powder exploded into a white mist upon impact, most of it adhering to the cold rock wall, forming a conspicuous white patch, while a small amount fell off in a soft rustling sound.

The loud noise and the spray of white powder finally startled the flock of sheep.

A series of rapid bleating and the sound of hooves striking the rocks were heard, and a dozen gray figures darted upwards and to the sides at an astonishing speed.

In a blink of an eye,

The cliff face was now completely empty.

Only that one striking white patch remained, standing out starkly against the gray rock face.

Su Ming put away his bow, turned around, and strode away in the direction he had come from without looking back.

Footsteps echoed through the empty valley until his figure completely disappeared behind the rocks around the corner.

The valley floor returned to silence, with only the whistling of the wind as it swept through the crevices of the rocks.

Time passes little by little.

Half an hour later, in a thicket of bushes hidden behind a crevice on the side and above, far from the salt rock wall, Su Ming remained motionless, like a stone blending into its surroundings.

His eyes pierced through the gaps in the branches and leaves, fixed on the salt stain and the pile of rocks below.

"I refuse to believe you won't take the bait!"

Time passed by,

at last,

The first small, grayish-brown head cautiously peeked out from behind a rock higher up, its bright black eyes scanning the empty valley floor below warily, its nose twitching incessantly.

It was the goat that first discovered Su Ming and was also the first to escape; it seemed exceptionally alert and exceptionally greedy.

It observed for a long time and confirmed that the dangerous two-legged creature had indeed left.

Then it made a few short, low "baa" sounds.

Before long, two more heads emerged from different directions.

The three goats, positioned like horns, looked at each other and then stared together at the white temptation on the rock face below.

The scent of salt, in the crisp air, is as clear to them as a lighthouse in the darkness.

It was another long period of waiting and testing.

They moved slowly down the rock face, each step extremely cautious, ready to turn around and flee at any moment.

It took them almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they finally landed on a relatively gentle slope not far from the salt rock wall.

Here, it is still more than ten feet above the ground.

They stopped and stopped going down.

This height makes them feel safe.

Su Ming held his breath behind the bushes.

He could clearly see that the three sheep were all quite large, with long, curved horns, and were at least ten years old.

Two of them were positioned lower and close together.

The other one stood alone on a slightly higher, more prominent rock above the salt deposits. It was also the most robust of the three and seemed to be the alpha sheep.

The lead sheep, which was in the highest position, was the first to try.

Instead of licking it rashly, it brought its mouth and nose close to the salty rock wall and began to exhale warm breaths, "Ha-ha-".

White steam sprayed onto the cold rock walls and salt deposits, quickly melting the thin layer of ice on the surface and moistening the salt grains.

Seeing this, the other two sheep followed suit and breathed on the salty area below them.

They are clever; they know that if they lick the cold salt and ice directly with their tongues, their tongues may get frostbite or even stick. Instead, they choose to eat it after it has warmed up.

This patient and wise scene made Su Ming even more certain of the value of the target: What a clever animal!

He slowly and silently drew a real feathered arrow from the quiver, its arrowhead gleaming coldly in the shadow of the bushes.

The black horn bow was picked up again, the bowstring taut in the cold air.

His gaze shifted between the three sheep.

Initially, he targeted the one that was lowest in the position and seemed the easiest to hit.

This distance is already quite far; ordinary hunters simply cannot hit it. Their bows are too soft and weak to reach this distance. Only a three-stone strong bow has a chance.

Of course, it was only a chance; there was no absolute certainty of hitting the target.

But the moment his fingers touched the bowstring, he changed his mind.

Mental arithmetic can be performed electronically.

Shooting at the lowest point is certainly the safest bet.

However, the other two startled sheep, especially the lead sheep which was in a higher position, were likely to use the terrain to escape into the complex rock crevices in an instant, and would never have another chance.

Moreover, the sound of a sheep falling may not achieve the best effect.

His gaze was fixed on the lead sheep standing on a slightly higher protruding rock.

The angle is a bit tricky, but it's still within range.

More importantly, its location... is quite delicate.

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. Let's take a gamble!

If a hunter doesn't believe in the bow in his hand, then what kind of hunter is he?

"You only get one chance..."

Su Ming's eyes were as calm as an ancient well, his breathing almost stopped, and all his spirit and strength were concentrated on the invisible line connecting his fingertips and his gaze.

collapse!

The bowstring resounded, deep and violent!

The black arrow tore through the air with a piercing whistle, and with a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, it aimed straight for the back of the neck of the robust ram at the highest position!

"Meow—!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly shattered the silence of the valley!

The arrow pierced the side of the lead ram's neck with pinpoint accuracy, and blood spurted out instantly!

The immense impact and excruciating pain caused it to go limp and tumble down the protruding rock with a mournful cry!

And the direction it fell was precisely towards its two companions below, who were intently breathing on and licking salt, and looked up in alarm at the sound!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

"Bang! Crash—!"

The lead ram's heavy body slammed into a goat slightly below it, and the two rams rolled together, their pitiful cries mingling with the dull thuds of breaking bones.

The enormous impact also caused another goat, which was terrified and about to jump away, to stumble. Its hoof slipped, and the three gray figures tumbled and collided along the steep rocky slope amidst screams and howls, finally crashing down onto the hard pile of rocks below!

Dust mixed with snowflakes rose into the air.

The struggles and cries quickly faded.

Su Ming leaped out from behind the bushes, wielding a broadsword, and rushed towards the pile of rocks.

Three old goats lay sprawled among the rubble.

The lead ram, which was the first to be hit by the arrow, and the goat that it rammed head-on, were already lifeless, their necks twisted, clearly broken.

The other goat affected by the attack was barely clinging to life, its belly heaving violently and blood gushing from its mouth and nose; it was clearly going to die too.

Become!

Even with Su Ming's composure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion at this moment.

Three!

Far exceeding Wang Fugui's expectations!

More importantly, despite the perilous process, his plan was executed almost perfectly.

"A beast is a beast, only caring about immediate gains and ignoring hidden dangers. In the end, I won." Su Ming felt happy.

He crouched down and began to examine the prey, especially the largest ram, carefully pressing his fingers on its abdomen to try to feel for any unusual hard lumps of "goat jelly".

However, just as his fingertips touched the still-warm belly of the goat—

A sudden, chilling cold, like a fine needle, pierced the skin on the back of his neck without warning!

It's not the wind.

It's not snow either.

It's a kind of... feeling of being watched.

It was filled with primal, hungry, and chilling murderous intent.

The hairs on Su Ming's body stood on end in that instant!

It felt like my heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand!

Without any hesitation, almost instinctively, he slammed his left hand on the ground, using the recoil to roll awkwardly to the side and forward, while simultaneously sweeping the broadsword he had been holding in his right hand backward!

"Sizzle—"

The blade of the broadsword sliced ​​through the air and also through the low bushes behind where he had just been crouching.

Just as he rolled to the ground, his line of sight level with the bushes—

He saw it.

Behind the sparse branches of the bushes, several pairs of sharp, chillingly dark green eyes were staring intently at him without blinking.

Those are not sheep's eyes.

It's a wolf.

Moreover, there was more than one.

While he was focused on hunting sheep, these ferocious predators had already silently approached him, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment!

If I had reacted even a little slower, or if my senses had been even weaker, and if they had gotten even a little closer, I would probably be dead!

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Su Ming's inner clothes.