Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Before dawn, the group was fully prepared to depart.

Li Xiangyang slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, checked the bullets, and the black cat had already nimbly leaped onto his shoulder.

“Boss Ma,” Li Xiangyang nodded to Ma Laosan, “Altai, Langke, and I will go up the mountain first. Once we find traces of the bear, we will send someone back to report.”

Ma Laosan was somewhat unwilling: "How about I go with you?"

“No,” Altai refused decisively. “Bears are ferocious, and they’ve gone even crazier after seeing human blood. Each additional person increases the risk.”

Langko added, "The three of us working together is enough. You can wait for news at the camp."

Ma Laosan sighed and gave up.

Three men, carrying guns, began searching along the site where the workers had died.

The black cat led the way, stopping every now and then to sniff the marks on the ground.

The cold wind howled, and the snow was knee-deep.

The three of them walked very carefully through the snow.

Every suspicious place we passed was carefully examined.

Li Xiangyang was in charge of searching the area to the south.

He carefully examined the roots of each tree, the snow on the ground, and any traces that might have been left in the bushes.

He crouched down in front of a tall pine tree and brushed away the pine needles and snow.

There were several fresh scratch marks at the base of the tree trunk, clearly left in the last two days.

He looked up along the tree trunk and found that more than two meters above the ground, the bark had been completely torn off, revealing the pale yellow wood underneath.

These scars were definitely left by a black bear.

"Found it, look!"

At Li Xiangyang's call, Altai leaned closer to take a look: "Indeed, fresh, two days at most."

Langko nodded: "It seems it really didn't hibernate."

The three continued forward and soon discovered several more similar traces.

These traces gradually became clearer, outlining a route.

“It’s looking for food,” Li Xiangyang whispered. “These trees are where squirrels like to store food. Look at this spot, with cliffs on both sides, it must pass through here often.”

Altai looked around: "It's definitely a good place. This bear has to go through here to find food."

“We need to hurry,” Ranko glanced at the sky, “before it comes back.”

The three immediately divided the work.

Li Xiangyang and Langke were in charge of digging the traps, while Altai went to cut down the wooden stakes.

The black cat crouched to one side, keeping watch and paying attention to the surrounding movements.

The snow was very deep in this area, making it difficult to dig a hole.

The two took turns using tools to clear the snow and then dig the soil.

The trap must be dug deep and wide enough to trap an adult black bear.

Altai soon returned with sharpened wooden stakes.

Li Xiangyang carefully checked the depth of the pit and, after confirming it was more than three meters deep, began driving in the stakes.

Each stake had to be driven very deep to ensure it could withstand the impact of a black bear.

“We need to set up the surrounding area as well,” Li Xiangyang said, wiping his sweat. “If it spots a trap, it will definitely take a detour.”

Ranco nodded, took out a rope, and began to set up a noose around the area.

Each snare had to be carefully disguised to ensure that the black bear could not spot it.

Altai was responsible for collecting pine needles and tumbleweed, which he carefully covered the traps with.

The three of them worked for most of the day and finally finished setting up the trap.

"All that's left is to find a firing position; we need a high vantage point."

Suddenly, the black cat jumped off Li Xiangyang's shoulder and ran lightly to a big tree.

The trunk is thick and sturdy, and most importantly, it has two forked branches, which can be used to hold a gun.

“This cat is truly intelligent,” Ranco exclaimed in amazement. “This spot is indeed excellent.”

The three men found their shooting positions and waited patiently.

As darkness fell and the cold wind howled, they remained motionless, afraid of disturbing their prey.

Li Xiangyang slowly adjusted his breathing, making his heartbeat as slow and even as the sound of the wind.

He was all too familiar with this kind of waiting; the most important quality of a hunter is not marksmanship, but patience.

As the sun gradually sank in the west, the light in the woods dimmed.

The snow reflected the last rays of sunlight, casting a hazy, bluish-gray hue over everything in sight.

The cold wind whistled through the treetops.

Suddenly, the black cat's ears twitched, and its fur gradually stood on end.

Li Xiangyang followed its gaze and saw the bushes in the distance begin to sway.

Soon, a huge dark shadow appeared in the field of vision.

It was an enormous black bear.

When it stands up, it is almost three meters tall, and its muscles bulge like iron blocks under its fur.

With each step, the thick snow crunched with a low, resonant sound.

Even in the dim light, Li Xiangyang could clearly see its glossy fur gleaming with a faint light, and several deep scars on its thick neck.

This is clearly an old beast that has experienced countless battles.

The black bear walked slowly, occasionally lowering its head to sniff the ground.

It moved step by step toward the trap, completely unaware that it had entered the firing range of three hunters.

Li Xiangyang held his breath and gently placed his finger on the trigger.

An adult black bear's skin can be five centimeters thick. Unless a bullet hits a vital spot, it is unlikely to be fatal. Firing a shot rashly will only provoke it.

Suddenly, a mountain wind blew by, and the black bear abruptly raised its head, its nose twitching incessantly.

It seemed to have sensed something unusual and began to become restless.

Just as it was about to turn around, its front paws stepped into a rope snare.

The rope tightened instantly, and the black bear let out a deafening roar.

It struggled frantically, the thick rope stretched taut and on the verge of snapping.

Just as it was about to break free, it stepped off the edge of the trap while retreating.

Its massive body crashed into the deep pit, the wooden stakes piercing its flesh.

But the black bear did not die. It struggled frantically in the trap, its claws tearing at the surrounding earthen walls, emitting a chilling roar.

Its blood-red eyes gleamed with a savage, ferocious light, and every breath it took carried a heavy, bloody stench.

Although the stake pierced its body, it also completely unleashed its ferocity.

"Bang! Boom! Boom!"

Just as the black bear was about to struggle to climb out of the trap, three gunshots rang out almost simultaneously.

The bullets struck the black bear's thick fur, leaving only a few bloody holes.

The enormous creature shook its head and roared angrily upwards.

Its roar shook the leaves and caused the snow to fall, echoing throughout the entire mountain forest.

Li Xiangyang saw the black bear's front paws gripping the edge of the trap, its sharp claws deeply embedded in the frozen soil.

Its strength was astonishing; it was even able to climb upwards while injured.

"Head! Aim for its head!"

"Bang!" Li Xiangyang fired first. The bullet grazed the bear's ear and hit the earthen slope behind it.

"Bang! Bang!" Altai and Langko's bullets were fired one after another.

A bullet hit the black bear in the forehead, but the angle wasn't sharp enough, and it bounced off its thick skull.

The other shot went completely off target.

This round of shooting not only failed to subdue the black bear, but also completely enraged it.

Suddenly, it pushed off the ground with its hind legs, and its massive body shot out of the trap like a cannonball.

The wound on its abdomen was torn wider by the violent movement, and blood flowed down the wooden stake, but it seemed to feel no pain at all.

Li Xiangyang was startled.

In all his years of hunting, he had never seen such a fierce prey.