During his time in the Literary Salon, although Zhang Heng would accompany Hemingway to hunt every week, as he said, it was difficult for him to get any enjoyment out of it.
Other than the fact that he could no longer feel too much emotion, it was also because hunting posed almost no challenge to him.
It was just like taking on a quest to collect a certain number of (Newly Ripened Wild Fruits) or (Broken Armor). The process of completing the quest itself was just a mechanical repetition. If it weren't for the reward at the end, no player would do it.
But this time, the hunt was different. Zhang Heng felt the pressure and challenge.
He got up early in the morning, put on his clothes, took his shotgun and bullets, and walked out the door.
Zhang Heng first went to the restaurant for breakfast. At this time, the sun had just risen, but Hemingway and the others had been waiting for him on the lawn outside the house for a while. Even the fantasy best-selling female author, who usually had no interest in hunting, was there. There were almost thirty of them.
No matter what era they were in, this group of people would probably cause a bloody storm in the literary world. Standing on the street, the number of readers who came to ask for autographs would probably stretch from the city to the suburbs. But this time, they were not the protagonists. They were just spectators, and they were all talking about the upcoming hunt.
"Who do you think will win, Gardner?" Agatha asked a slightly chubby man wearing a cowboy hat and glasses beside her.
"We have all seen Zhang Heng's marksmanship. It can almost be said that he never misses. No prey can escape from his muzzle. So … I choose that girl." Gardner, who was also a member of the Reasoning Society, thought for a while and said, "Since she is Zhang Heng's shooting teacher, her marksmanship must be better."
He originally thought that Agatha would agree with his opinion, but he did not expect the Reasoning Queen to shake her head. "I think the opposite of you. I think Zhang Heng will win."
"Why?" Gardner's interest was piqued. "Is it because we haven't seen the girl shoot before, so you don't believe that her marksmanship is better than Heng's?"
"It's not because of that. In fact, I believe that her marksmanship must be very good as well. However, this competition isn't just about marksmanship. Stamina and strategy are also very important. We all know how smart Zhang Heng is. Other than that, the girl's biggest disadvantage is her stamina. I can see that she has also received some military training. Her speed, strength, and endurance are far beyond ordinary people. However, her opponent is no ordinary person either. There is a natural gap between men and women in terms of physical fitness."
Agatha voiced out her reasoning and observation, but Conan Doyle smiled. "I also think that girl can win."
"Did you see something that we didn't?" Gardner, who was about to be convinced by Agatha, asked again after hearing Conan Doyle's words.
"It's simple. She's a hunter to begin with. Isn't it normal for her to win this kind of hunting game?" Conan Doyle said leisurely.
"…"
The rules of this hunting competition were very simple. The manor had prepared three colored ribbons, ten red ribbons, and twenty black ribbons. Thirty-three wild animals were caught in the forest with tranquilizer guns two days in advance, and the ribbons were tied to their bodies. After that, these wild animals were released into the forest.
When the hunting competition began, obtaining a colored ribbon could get you 20 points, a red ribbon could get you 5 points, and a black ribbon could only get you 2 points. At the end of the hunting competition, the person with the most points would win.
However, only two people participated in this hunting competition in the end. Because the others knew very well that it would be pointless for them to participate in the competition, they simply gave up the stage to the main character. Even Hemingway, who was the most addicted to hunting, did not sign up this time.
The Hobbit housekeeper walked up to Zhang Heng. "She has already drawn a lot. She will enter the forest from point A, so you can only go to point B."
Zhang Heng nodded. "Okay."
"The carriage will send you there. The fireworks are the signal to start. Once you see the fireworks, you can enter the forest. When the sun sets, the hunting competition will be over. At that time, you just need to come out from the place where you entered the forest. Naturally, there will be a carriage that will take you back to the manor. We will count the colors and number of ribbons you got, calculate the points, and decide the final winner."
"It won't take that long." Zhang Heng checked the shotgun in his hand for the last time without looking up.
"What?"
"I mean, it won't take until the sun sets. There are a total of 150 points. That means as long as someone gets 75 points, the competition will automatically end."
"In theory, yes," the Hobbit housekeeper retorted.
"Then let's get started. I still want to come back for lunch," Zhang Heng said.
…
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped at a place in front of the forest marked with a capital letter B with red spray paint. Zhang Heng got out of the carriage and waited for less than five minutes before he saw fireworks rising into the sky behind him.
And this signified the official start of the hunting competition!
After that, the coachman saw Zhang Heng's figure disappear from where he stood. He ran into the forest in front of him like a cheetah.
Zhang Heng was in luck today. After running for less than two hundred meters, he encountered a wild boar.
One had to know that this was the edge of the forest. Generally speaking, wild animals rarely came here. Besides, the wild boar's hind leg was wrapped with a red ribbon. Zhang Heng stopped in his tracks, skillfully aimed his gun, and pulled the trigger.
The Lv.3 shooting skill made the battle without any suspense.
As the bullet was fired, the unlucky wild boar fell to the ground!
Zhang Heng, on the other hand, had five points in his account. He untied the ribbon from the wild boar's hind leg. As he was worried that it would be a waste of time, he did not do anything else to the carcass and continued to walk forward.
Previously, when Zhang Heng accompanied Hemingway to hunt, all he had to do was to slack off and get a good harvest. But this time, the opponent he was facing forced him to be 120% vigilant. Zhang Heng knew very well that if he let his guard down, he would definitely lose.
Although Zhang Heng did not really care about winning or losing the so-called hunting game, he just remembered that he had not had a good time with the girl. So, he wanted to give it his all so that the girl could have a good time. Even if it was their first time having fun, it might seem a little strange to others.
But whether it was Zhang Heng or Simone, they did not really care about what others thought of them.
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