Chapter 103: Grandfather's Birthday Gift

There was no gushing blood or splattering of blood everywhere.

Experienced old hunters don't cut arteries just for the sake of cinematic effects. Although Carter wasn't an experienced hunter, his actions were all guided by the old hunters, so as long as his hand didn't shake and he followed the spot shown by Leven, there couldn't be any mistakes.

The muffled sound of "pu chi" was just the sound of the wild boar's trachea being cut open, causing the air inside the less pressurized trachea to be expelled.

Accompanying the expulsion of air from the trachea, there were also small blood bubbles surging at the wound. Although there was no splattering or gushing of blood, the scene before Carter, who had never seen such gore before, was still quite impactful.

After Oni and the others took over Carter's work and continued to process the wild boar, Carter took a moment to recover before shaking off the image from his mind.

"Ha ha ha, well done! Carter, this is what it means to be a Blake! Come on, let's move to the next spot. The smell of blood here will quickly drive away the nearby wild boars, so there's no point in staying here any longer. Wild boars have very sensitive noses, and they can smell the metallic scent emitted by ordinary traps. If the trap is not placed on their main path with no escape space on both sides, it's generally difficult to catch these cunning wild boars."

After sitting back in the car, the enclosed cabin gave Carter a sense of security. As the headlights turned on, Carter took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed them out to everyone. After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Carter replied to Victor's words with a bitter smile:

"Ah, this isn't the kind of hunting I imagined. In the wilderness, cutting open the throat of prey in the darkness... I always have this strange feeling: What if one day I become someone else's prey, or the prey of another animal, and then have my throat cut or bitten?"

These were Carter's inner thoughts, and they were also the feelings many hunters (like me) have after their first hunting experience. If cities could be embraced, few would want to dwell in the wilderness for long.

In fact, in the future Texas, real hunters are becoming fewer and fewer, to the point where they are almost impossible to find. More often, it's tourists with no hunting experience who enter these hunting grounds seeking to experience the thrill of the hunt.

And these people, well, they have professional hunting guides leading them, helping them find prey, and even their way of finding prey has become reliant on technology rather than experience and traditional techniques.

These so-called "hunters" need only lift their guns and pull the trigger. Originally, this wasn't a big deal, as the hunting profession was destined to be phased out as time progressed.

Hunting has evolved from a necessity for survival to an experience, a tourist attraction, which is a continuation and development of hunter culture in a different form. There's nothing wrong with that, and even the future Carter has entertained the idea of participating in legal hunting activities.

But now it seems that those hunting tour groups that were promoted as extremely professional and high-end were all talking nonsense. For example, hunting wild boars, which are rampant in the United States, is the prey of choice for most hunters.

There are no restrictions on hunting time; you can hunt all year round. There are also no regulations protecting the young from harm. Whether large or small, whether pregnant or not, wild boars are allowed to be shot.

The hunting tour groups designated wild boars, animals with unrestricted hunting, as their hunting targets, which was fine. However, damn it, these wild boars are nocturnal animals, while most of the advertised hunting times of these tour groups are during the day.

It's downright ridiculous!

"Hehe, I understand how you feel. Back then, Leven, your Uncle Oni, and I were all like you, and even worse. Leven used to vomit a lot when he saw the entrails of the wild boar. The first time we entered the night forest, if there wasn't someone accompanying us, we wouldn't dare to step foot in it or take an extra step forward. But after growing slowly, we can all now endure the loneliness of the wilderness, face the vast darkness alone, and be vigilant against all potential dangers alone."

"And in this process, achieving our goals, defeating our enemies! Actually, this is what we want to tell you, what we want to teach you."

The cold wind blowing in through the car window caused Victor's cigarette to flicker on and off. In the slightly dark cabin, Victor's eyes twinkled with wisdom:

"Hunters are already outdated, not to mention you young people. Even I, Oni, and even your grandfather no longer need to hunt to sustain ourselves. How much hunting skill you can learn actually doesn't matter. If you can enjoy it, that's even better, because we still love hunting, we still have a passion for it, and if you like it too, we'll have one more shared hobby. We love it because besides the joy of getting the prey, and the natural beauty we can see along the way, hunting can also bring us many qualities that will be useful for a lifetime."

"Carter, you and Leven are still young. Your future is long, and Oni and I won't be able to accompany you. Even if you brothers can support each other in the future, there will always be various factors that will require you to face your problems alone for a period of time."

"And in ten days, it's your birthday. This hunting activity is a birthday gift specially prepared for you by your grandfather. He hopes you can grow in hunting and gain the courage to face all the darkness in the future alone."

Carter fell silent upon hearing this.

He originally thought that Victor and the others were so eager to take him hunting because they wanted to catch the hunting season. Before the arrival of spring in the winter, it was the time when many prey were allowed to be hunted legally. Animals like white-tailed deer and axis deer had legal hunting seasons that lasted only a few months. He never thought that there would be such profound meaning hidden in a simple hunting activity.

"Thank you, thank you."

"Ha ha ha, among family, there's no need for thanks! You helped Leven get the job with the police, and we never said thank you to you! Similarly, don't say thank you anymore in the future, just enjoy your hunting! You're the star of today!"

Victor laughed heartily, then drove the car to another area, parked, and turned off the engine and lights. Then, he took out the whistle from his pocket again.

"This is a caller, it can mimic the sound of wild boars to attract their response, making it easier for us to find and locate the prey. Wild boars have many kinds of sounds, and they also communicate with each other. Mimicking the distress call of a piglet is the most effective, so later I'll blow this kind of sound, and then you can locate the position of the wild boar."

"This is your hunting, Carter! Perform in your hunting ground!"

"Of course, if you have any questions, can't make up your mind, or don't know which way to go, you can ask us anytime, no need to be embarrassed."