Chapter 150: Indirect Approach
Yan Xi Nian and the others didn’t push too hard in their persuasion.
Everyone has their own path, and they weren’t keen on taking responsibility for others, so their persuasion was limited.
They had sold all their goods publicly and couldn’t continue selling.
The next day, they didn’t go hunting but rested at Xiong An Tian’s place.
After a good sleep, the four of them woke up late the next day.
Around noon, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu went out for a walk, scouting the area and gathering information.
The locals didn’t seem hostile towards them, but there wasn’t much friendliness either.
It was the typical cautious curiosity towards strangers.
Yan Xi Nian had a friendly face, always smiling, which made it easy for him to gain people’s favor.
By the end of the afternoon, they had gathered quite a bit of information.
Meanwhile, Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi, who had wandered elsewhere, were mostly just exploring aimlessly.
When the two groups gathered at night, they came to some interesting conclusions—for instance, there were no infants or toddlers outside of the Black Gold Base.
Sitting by the small table, Xia Lu Nong sighed, “There are at least a thousand people in this area, all young men and women, and yet there’s not a single child. That’s really disturbing.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “The environment is too harsh. Adults can barely survive, so there’s no desire to raise children.”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and countered, “But reproduction is like any other desire. No matter the circumstances, there should be people who want children. Plus, with contraception hard to come by, it’s odd that no babies are being born.”
Their base had started seeing newborns by springtime, once their crops began yielding more. The number wasn’t large, but there were at least some births.
Glancing at the window, Xia Lu Nong rested his elbows on the table and lowered his voice, “I wonder if human fertility is being affected.”
Unlike their base, the people here were used to staying in semi-beast form.
Since this form wasn’t fully human, who knows if it might interfere with reproduction?
Xia Huo Qu tapped his fingers on the table and said, “Speculation won’t get us far. At most, we can inform the other bases and wait for their investigation results.”
Xia Lu Nong sighed, “True.”
Yan Xi Nian put away his notebook and said, “Let’s focus on the present. Get some rest, and tomorrow, we’ll head to the black bear’s base again to see if we can retrieve any of the resources left behind.”
They had already traded with the locals once.
The people here weren’t willing to exchange any valuable items with them.
Or rather, no one wanted to bring out their more valuable goods for trade.
It was even worse within the Black Gold Base.
Those with high-value tech products wouldn’t trade unless the price was steep.
Xia Lu Nong raised his hand, “My powers have almost fully recovered. Tomorrow morning, we can go outside, and I’ll plant another batch of spatial bamboo.”
Bear meat was highly energizing, and after consuming it, Xia Lu Nong’s ability recovery sped up significantly.
What normally took four or five days to recover now took only two or three.
The spatial bamboo tubes were incredibly useful.
Growing another batch would be a great advantage.
Yan Xi Nian looked at him, “Are you sure you’re fully recovered?”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, “No problem. I’m good to go, and my abilities are ready for use.”
Yan Xi Nian started packing, “Good. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll drive out, plant the bamboo, then head downstream to the river near the bear territory to fish. Once your powers have recovered a bit more, we’ll head into bear territory.”
Kong Zhi added, “We’ll need to bring more weapons this time.”
Yan Xi Nian nodded, “We’ll double-check everything later. The bears are huge, so this time, we’ll focus on sneak attacks. If we can use firearms, we will.”
After discussing the plan, they pulled out a map for confirmation, wished each other goodnight, and prepared for rest.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian opened the door and returned to their room.
Xia Lu Nong walked to the door to see them off.
Once the door closed, Xia Lu Nong turned around, leaned against Kong Zhi, and gave him a quick kiss. Yawning, he said, “Let’s go to bed.”
He blinked sleepily, his eyes tearing up from drowsiness, making them glisten even more as they reflected Kong Zhi’s image.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Suddenly, Kong Zhi grabbed Xia Lu Nong’s chin and kissed him deeply.
When the kiss ended, Xia Lu Nong’s breathing was a bit labored.
He felt a tingling in his heart, glanced at the clock hanging in the room, took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and said regretfully, “Too bad we’ve got work tomorrow.”
Kong Zhi gave his ear a gentle kiss and murmured, “We could keep it simple.”
Even keeping it simple wasn’t that simple.
The two ended up staying up quite late that night.
When Xia Lu Nong woke up the next morning, he still felt weak and a bit drained.
Kong Zhi had woken up before him. After washing up, he brought a cup of honey honeysuckle tea into the room just as Xia Lu Nong was getting up.
Xia Lu Nong downed the tea quickly, then flopped back onto the bed, rolled himself up in the blanket like a cocoon, and said, “Still so tired…”
Kong Zhi knelt on one knee on the bed, kissed him, and fished out his outer coat and pants, saying, “We’ll sleep in the car later.”
Their breakfast was the same as usual: pan-fried bear meat and fish.
Mai Dong and his group sat at the next table, casting them rather complicated looks as they came downstairs.
Xia Lu Nong sipped the soy milk specially prepared by Xiong An Tian and gave him a smile.
When Mai Dong glanced at Xia Lu Nong’s face, his expression softened a bit involuntarily.
There was no snow today, and the sun had come out.
But it was even colder outside. The white sun looked like the light in a refrigerator, and the wind blew so sharply it felt as though it might shave off the tips of their noses.
Xia Lu Nong covered his nose with his hands and pulled up his mask, but after a short while, he felt the mask was filled with condensed moisture.
Feeling uncomfortable, he pulled down his mask and simply used his hands to warm his nose instead.
The car was right outside.
Once everyone got in the car, they took off their masks and headed out.
Their trip went pretty smoothly.
The truck quickly drove out of the settlement area and reached the riverbank.
They found a spot to shovel away the snow, revealing the ground beneath. Then they built a fire to thaw the frozen soil.
Xia Lu Nong loosened the soil, mixed in the fermented fertilizer they had traded for, and planted the bamboo seeds, watering them with warm water. He then used his ability to accelerate the growth of the bamboo.
The temperature, moisture, and fertility of the soil all affected the bamboo’s growth.
After many experiments, Xia Lu Nong had gained plenty of experience.
He skillfully controlled the output of his ability, slowly expanding the space inside the bamboo.
His work was meticulous, and it took from morning until noon to fully grow a single stalk of bamboo.
Meanwhile, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian went fishing and scouted the surrounding area.
Kong Zhi kept watch nearby while also preparing lunch.
He pan-fried bear meat and brewed some honey honeysuckle tea.
Xia Lu Nong finally finished growing the bamboo and, feeling exhausted with a pale face and drooping eyelids, ate some meat while drinking tea.
As he ate, his nose twitched. He sniffed the air and looked up in a certain direction, suddenly saying, “I think I smell something strange.”
Kong Zhi paused while holding the spatula over the frying pan and asked, “Isn’t it just your brother and brother Xi Nian coming back with the fish?”
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Xia Lu Nong replied, frowning slightly. “It smells like… a bear?”
“I’m not sure if I’m really smelling it or just imagining things,” Xia Lu Nong added, holding his plate.
Kong Zhi took the pan off the makeshift stove and placed it on the snow, scooping the bear meat onto Xia Lu Nong’s plate. “You keep eating; I’ll fly up and take a look.”
Kong Zhi undressed quickly and efficiently, and in just a few seconds, a neatly folded pile of clothes was lying beside Xia Lu Nong.
A giant golden eagle soared into the sky, spreading its enormous wings.
Xia Lu Nong chewed on the bear meat, gulped down a cup of honeysuckle tea, and put the pan back on the stove, continuing to fry more meat.
By the time he was frying the second piece, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu had returned.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Did you spot something? Why did Kong Zhi fly up?”
“I suspect a bear is quietly approaching us,” Xia Lu Nong calmly replied, serving them each a plate of bear meat from the pan. “But I’m not sure if it’s real or just a false alarm, so Kong Zhi flew up to check.”
Kong Zhi circled the sky and soon retracted his wings, descending to the ground.
Once he had shifted back into human form, he said, “There are five bears quietly approaching us. I’m not sure if they’ve caught our scent or what, but we need to pack up and retreat immediately.”
Bears aren’t slow runners.
Even with a truck, it would be difficult to outrun them.
Yan Xi Nian asked, “How far away are they?”
“About four or five kilometers,” Kong Zhi replied. “And they’re moving fast.”
At that distance and speed, there was no need for further discussion. They quickly packed their belongings into the truck and drove off.
A few minutes later, they heard distant bear roars.
By this time, they had already left the bear territory, and the bears didn’t continue to chase them.
Kong Zhi flew up again and saw the five bears lingering on the edge of their territory, pulling up the fishing nets they had set and eating the fish.
He returned and described the situation, leaving the group deep in thought.
Warming his hands with his cup of honeysuckle tea, Xia Lu Nong frowned. “I think the bears have some other source of information. Otherwise, they shouldn’t have found us so quickly.”
Xia Huo Qu added, “It could be an evolution of their sense of smell or hearing. To them, our scent must still be very obvious.”
Yan Xi Nian remarked, “Whatever their source of information, it’s making our ambush plan much harder to carry out.”
The situation was complicated.
Yan Xi Nian tapped his knee thoughtfully.
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him, then at his brother, and exchanged a look with Kong Zhi before cautiously suggesting, “How about we give up? We’re not exactly short on supplies.”
But as soon as he said this, all three of them disagreed.
Kong Zhi calmly replied, “We don’t lack bear meat, but among the bears’ loot are several items unique to the Black Gold Base. Instead of trading our prey with the Black Gold Base for supplies, it would be much easier to take them directly from the bears.”
Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Using the bears’ loot gives us a rare glimpse into the technological development of the Black Gold Base.”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and then had an idea. “What if we drug the bears?”
Yan Xi Nian shook his head. “The bears’ sense of smell and taste are sharp enough that drugs probably won’t work.”
“Then how about using firearms?” Xia Lu Nong suggested. “This is a critical moment, and it’s time to use our best weapons.”
“Firearms could work, that’s one option,” Kong Zhi said. “But I’m thinking of another way—”
Kong Zhi glanced at the others. “What if we distract the bears with food while we sneak into their lair and take whatever’s inside? From what I’ve observed, this group doesn’t have any cubs, so they shouldn’t be too sensitive about us entering their den.”
Xia Lu Nong was the first to agree, saying, “Luring the tiger from the mountain could work. Let’s try that first.”
After a brief moment of thought, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian agreed as well.
The group made their plan, took a short rest, and hid the truck. They placed fish at several points where the bears might pass, then gathered bear droppings to mask their scent.
Kong Zhi shifted into his animal form and circled in the sky as a lookout, while Xia Lu Nong rode on his back, maintaining contact with the others through a walkie-talkie.
Meanwhile, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu, both in their beast forms, carried bamboo containers and gasoline, sneaking towards the bear dens.
The bear droppings helped mask their scent, and with Kong Zhi and Xia Lu Nong keeping watch from above, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian successfully avoided the bears and reached one of the bear dens.
The first den reeked, and there wasn’t much of value inside.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned to their human forms and stuffed anything useful into their bamboo containers before moving on to the second den.
By the time they reached the fourth den, one of the bears had already discovered that its lair had been looted and started roaring angrily outside.
The roars, coming from afar, were intense and urgent, making the tension rise like thunder.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian exchanged a glance and quickly sped up, scavenging the den before making a swift escape.
After raiding several dens, both of them were covered in the bear’s scent, which effectively masked their own.
Even with the bears’ sharp sense of smell, they couldn’t easily distinguish the two.
From high above, Xia Lu Nong used the walkie-talkie to communicate with them. “Are we heading to the last location now? The bears are closing in fast; we need to hurry.”
Xia Huo Qu’s calm voice came through the walkie-talkie, “Yes. We’re moving to the next spot. How far are the bears?”
Xia Lu Nong peeked down. “Six or seven kilometers? It looks like they know we’re here and are coming from all directions, trying to surround us.”
“They’re still far. If we go now, we’ll make it.”
The last spot was a battle site.
From above, Xia Lu Nong could see a convoy of seven vehicles. It seemed they had faced the bears head-on and lost the battle, fleeing in the end.
Judging by the scorched trees nearby, they had probably used firearms and other heat-based weapons.
The retreat had been rushed, so there were likely a lot of valuable items left behind.
The group held high hopes for this location.
From his position on Kong Zhi’s back, Xia Lu Nong couldn’t see clearly, so he used his walkie-talkie to ask, “Brother, can you see anything? Are there good things inside?”
Still in wolf form, Xia Huo Qu let out a light growl, and the sound was clearly transmitted through the walkie-talkie.
Xia Lu Nong knew from this growl that the answer was affirmative.
Soon after, Xia Huo Qu transformed back into his human form, putting on his clothes and calmly responding over the walkie-talkie, “There’s a lot. I even saw some backpacks left behind in the cars. Keep watch for us; we’re going to start checking things out.”
Xia Lu Nong scanned the area again and, seeing that the bears were still far away, replied nervously, “Alright. I’ll let you know if anything happens. Brother, are you sure you don’t need me to come down and help?”
“No need. Your powers aren’t fully recovered yet, and you’re more useful up there.”
