Livestreaming the Hunt - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Conservation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Even before Wang Kui had finished speaking, one out of the three passersby had left in the blink of an eye.

[For real?]

[Professional hunter?! Hahahaha…]

[The streamer has a late-stage eighth-grader syndrome and is an idiot. Diagnosis complete, everyone dismissed!]

‘Are they doubting me?’

Lifting a brow, Wang Kui was about to whip out his phone to show everyone his official hunting permit when a black wooden electric pole at the bridge over the stream ahead caught his attention.

He quickly ran up to it.

“An incident of a dog eating a human had occurred at 9 am on the 23rd of July 2022 in a village on Mount Sigou, located near Jiliang city at the Fangshan county. One of the wolfdogs has currently fled behind Mount Sigou. Children, old folks, and the ill are advised not to head to the back of the mountain.”

“Moreover, the public is requested to provide further information, and official organizations will offer a reward of around two thousand dollars for detailed information or the capture/killing of any of the two wolfdogs responsible. Contact person: Officer Zhao, Contact number: …”

Beneath the text was a blurred black and white photo of the wolfdog.

As Wang Kui turned the lens of his camera toward it, the large head of the wolfdog was immediately streamed in the broadcast room—it had two ears, discolored teeth, and a fearsome glare that gleamed, making it appear just like a ferocious demon in the black-and-white hue!

[What the hell! It was real?!]

[That really startled me!]

[Sorry for disturbing. Evil spirits, begone!]

Soon, more passersby arrived.

Wang Kui then tore off the bounty notice for both dramatic effect and as evidence so that he wouldn’t have to explain it to the people arriving later to his livestream.

“Of course I wasn’t lying! You can check it on the news at any time since it happened just three days ago!”

“There were two wolfdogs responsible for the incident. One was killed on the spot by the villagers stumbling upon it, while the other is on the run—which is also the one I’m hunting right now.”

Just as he crossed the village and arrived at the wildlands, an old man holding a cane cast a sideways glance at Wang Kui and asked in Jixi dialect, “Young man, what are you doing here?”

“I’m from out of town, gramps! I’m here to catch the wolfdog!”

Wang Kui recognized this elderly man as the one who had been walking his cows, and he prepared to ask for some information about the wolfdog.

“Eh?! You may be young, but don’t fool around! That wolfdog is so fierce that no one dares to head up Mount Sigou now! Can’t you see how the youngling of Old Li’s family was torn into pieces?!”

“Just the day before yesterday, Old Li himself decided that he couldn’t live with it and went up the mountain again with Old Chai to avenge his son. However, he ended up failing to find the wolfdog and got bitten by an actual wolf instead! Now, he’s at home recovering!”

Wang Kui’s eyelid twitched. “There are wolves on the mountain?!”

“Yes! Why not? There’s everything from wolves, boars, to snakes!. We don’t usually go far inside and just loiter around the front of the mountain since the back belongs to the government anyway. Usually, the forestry department would bring their staff to harvest stuff!”

“So, young man, don’t hurt yourself over the thousand over bucks. It’s just not worth it!”

The elderly man advised him with heartfelt sincerity.

Wang Kui, however, laughed and gave his chest a hearty thump as he said, “Don’t worry, gramps! I’m a professional hunter!”

“Professional hunter?! It won’t do even if you’re a professional killer—the hills are very dangerous!”

The old man ignored whatever Wang Hou had said and kept trying to dissuade him.

Likewise, the passersby in the broadcast room immediately commented when they heard the old man.

[Lol, ‘professional killer’! That showed me!]

[At first, I was frightened by the incident, but now, I’m laughing!]

[Good job upstaging him, old man!]

[User ‘Cows, Goats, Horses’ has gifted Glowsticks x5!—I knew that old man was a troll the moment I saw him!]

[User ‘Hogback Invader’ has gifted Bank Card x1!—It hurts to hear about the kid. I’m backing this streamer to avenge him!]

Wang Kui glanced at the screen to find that there were already nine people online, and four had already subscribed to him, even giving him his first gifts.

The Glowsticks were free gifts that helped a channel gain traction by increasing its ranking in its respective category. The Bank Cards costs six bucks each with the streamer getting half the amount, while the commenters would be awarded the channel’s exclusive fan badge.

As a matter of fact, Wang Kui had set his fan badge title to ‘Hunter’ when he applied for a broadcast channel.

“Thanks for everyone’s support. Gramps here is just being concerned, but we’re going right now. I, Old Kui, will be taking down the wolfdog in two days for righteous justice, and I will take revenge for the youngling! Gramps, don’t worry, I’ll be going!”

After parting ways with the old man, Wang Kui started to head for the back of Mount Sigou which he had spoken of.

The back of the mountain was westside from the mountain village.

It was obvious that the old man was not lying either—the further west Wang Kui walked, the fewer spots there were to rest his legs. The grass was taller here as well, having clearly not been trodden upon.

Fortunately, the equipment provided by the System was sufficient.

His clothes were tearproof from the grass, and Wang Kui also had a pair of shock-dampening hiking shoes that had a strong grip.

[The lens looks so comfortable and stable!]

[I heard the old man say that there are wolves and boars. Did our streamer bring any weapons?]

[Yes, safety first! Got a gun or a blade?]

***

[Beep! You have entered the hunting zone. Quest countdown commencing!]

A sudden notification jingle rang in Wang Kui’s mind as he read the screen comments.

A timer that read ‘1 day, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 53 seconds’ actually appeared over his System panel at that time.

The System had appraised that the difficulty of this hunt was merely one star, which was safe and would not threaten his personal safety. Interestingly, the said difficulty was categorized according to the animal species, so, in other words, the ranking of taxonomy, with three stars dividing each difficulty tier.

For some reason, Wang Kui felt pressured once the countdown timer appeared.

It felt as though he was about to take an exam for a subject he had revised for a long time.

Still, Wang Kui soon composed himself.

The worst taboo in hunting was impatience.

Then, he turned to his viewers and replied.

“I did not bring any weapons even if I do have a hunting permit. This is my first livestream after all, and officials are not that familiar with me, so it would be inconvenient to carry a blade out in the open, let alone a gun.”

The System did not offer an explanation for having Wang Kui stay unarmed, but he imagined that it would most likely be the reason for it.

“Most importantly, I want to show everyone some techniques for surviving in the wild without equipment.”

“Therefore, aside from the necessary livestream equipment, batteries, and backpack, I came without any food, water, or weapons.”

“However, I strongly insist that no one imitates me. You could learn my outdoor survival skills and knowledge about wildlife, but I do not suggest imitating my hunting trips without strong specialist skills.”

“Moreover, the nation maintains strict supervision against illegal poaching. Do not hunt animals on a whim, but learn to preserve them and their environment. Let’s start with ourselves—come, brothers, type the word ‘conservation’ on the screen!”