Livestreaming the Hunt - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Lethal Dose
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hunting live prey!
Those words caught the livestream audience by the heart once spoken, and the very sound of it was terrifying.
“Generally speaking, purebred wolfdogs are specialized working dogs usually employed by the military or the police to detect drugs, as well as for sentries or searches. It is the most excitable amongst canines, but irregular breeding that developed irregular specimens and extended confinement by their owner would mold violent animal instincts in them.”
“Judging from this wolfdogs’ crazed diet, it was not fed regularly, or it was arranged so that it would have to compete against the other wolfdog for food. That means that they would go hungry for one period, and be full the next, keeping them dangerous for a long time so that they would regard any strangers with hostility. Most frighteningly, their owners had trained them in pouncing and hunting—and they were rewarded for successful hunts. As such, they are highly aggressive and would start pouncing and biting once they smell blood.”
“You have to know that only professionally trained hunting dogs are capable of hunting living prey. Under an average person’s employment, it could easily turn into ruthless killing mission with a bloodlust that can’t be controlled!”
The viewers were unable to stay calm for a long time at those words.
The dog was not guilty. Its owner’s ignorance, however, was what had led to such tragedy!
[I suddenly feel sympathy for that wolfdog!]
[Sigh. This incident has to be made a strict example of!]
[Shouldn’t we bring in the wolfdog’s owner and punish them?!]
[Old Kui, you must be careful if that wolfdog is that dangerous!]
***
As it was almost noon, most livestream audiences were now up and about. They had quickly logged in when they remembered that the hunt would continue today, and they became slightly worried after watching Wang Kui’s analysis.
He felt warm and fuzzy when he saw the comments that worried about him too. “Thanks every… Blargh…”
Just as Wang Kui was about to thank his audience, a vile stench struck his nose, and he almost puked his guts.
“No, this stinks a lot. I need to wash my hands or I’ll faint!”
He had not felt anything just now since his nerves were on high alert and his mind was totally focused on studying the wolfdog.
However, once he had relaxed, the stench of the dog feces hit him straight in the nose.
[Lol! Stop making me laugh, Old Kui!]
[Haha! That cool impression did not last for more than three seconds!]
[Craggy Monster gifted streamer Bank Card x2—lol! Hunting a dog is really not easy!]
[CE gifted streamer Rocket x2—Whoa! I just came in to find our streamer lethally overdosed?]
Running back to the stream, Wang Kui cleaned his hands and returned for his flint spear. “Now that we’ve tracked down the wolfdog, we’ll just have to follow its trail. The fact that it peed and took a dump here means that we’re already within its territory!”
He joked around and soon brought the conversation back to the hunt.
With a definitive target acquired, the hunt was now much easier.
As Wang Kui continued following the trail of footprints, he could hardly imagine that the straight, determined tracks had been left by a domesticated dog if he had not seen its dung with his own eyes!
By noon, Wang Kui had entered deep into the mountains. Despite the searing noontime sun, the foliage of the towering trees around him interweaved, looking just like layers of giant nets above the dark green depths of the ocean, allowing only thin rays of light through.
He was now venturing further away from the village at Mount Sigou—in other words, further away from human civilization.
“The dog’s tracks are getting jumbled from here: new ones, old ones, they are heading toward every direction. This means that it is very active around this area, and we could set a trap to catch it!”
In the full set of skills granted by his hunter class card, one of the specialties was setting traps.
“There are many different types of traps. Simple ones would be a snare trap with an elastic sapling which tends to have a high success rate. Since our target is over forty catties… we will need a strong tree.”
After looking around for a long time, Wang Kui found a small tree that was slightly thinner than a wrist.
He took out his 550 cord from his backpack and pressed down the tree crown, tying his rope on it with a dead knot. Then, he found three branches, two of which were twigged, and he stabbed one into the ground as the base and the other as the upturned hook.
Lastly, he tied the other end of his 550 cord into a notched trigger beside the twig of the level branch, and a snare trap was hence complete!
The trap was triggered easily, and the audience could easily understand the principle even if they did not know how to make one.
The base would shift once something touches the rope, triggering the trap and releasing the tree. Once loose, the elasticity of the tree would cause it to rebound, stringing up the quarry!
“Just a little more until we reach perfection!”
Wang Kui’s lips split into a smile. He took out the wild rat’s innards which he had kept wrapped with dried leaves in the side pocket of his backpack, keeping it at the edge of the noose. “I am very sure the dog would take the bait with this!”
After being buried for a night, the innards stunk so much that its smell was unbearable, but it would undoubtedly be a lethal lure for the hungry dog!
[That’s so toxic of you, Old Kui!]
[You can tell at once that Old Kui usually tricks people a lot!]
[One must use food when it comes to handling a glutton!]
After everything was ready, Wang Kui found a bush that was very close to the trap and dropped to a crouch. Holding on to his flint spear, he waited for the wolfdog’s arrival.
A dozen minutes passed, however, there were no unusual movements from the nearby forest.
Wang Kui lowered his voice to a whisper as he spoke into the camera lens, “It seems as though we need to take the initiative. Sometimes, you can use animal calls to lure in your quarry. Different sounds attract different targets, and for example, the calls of rabbits or fawn are a lethal lure for hungry predators, while some adult predators would come to the rescue of young ones of their own species when they hear their distress call. On the other hand, a challenging roar of an adult predator would draw the top dog of an area to you!”
“Although you can tell that these voices are all used against carnivores, the wolfdog’s training would have awakened its hunter instincts, and this trick could work against it too!”
Professional hunters often came across such animal sounds and naturally have an easy time imitating it.
Clearing his throat and warming it, Wang Kui held on to his vocal chords as he let out a shrill but meek cry, “Squeak—! Squeak—!”
[Chirp, chirp, chirp?]
[I’m dying! Isn’t that just too cute?!]
[Could Old Kui actually be a crybaby?]
[Legend has it that there’s an ancient beast called ‘Loli’, which often cries out. Punch it, and it will cry even longer!]
***
When he saw the comments on the screen, Wang Kui explained, “That was the sound that rabbits or fawns make after getting hurt. If that wolfdog has hunted frequently, it would know that a fawn’s size is enough to keep it full for two days. It definitely would not miss out on this chance!”
Hence, he cried out several more times.
Minutes passed.
While the audience were doubting the effectiveness of his idea and Wang Kui himself was about to cry out again, there was movement from the forest ahead to the right!
“It’s here! It’s here!”
Wang Kui shushed at the camera.
The bushes were moving!