Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 493 - 42: Poisoning
As the poachers returned to the camp, Chen Wen also followed along.
He noticed Xavier and another person packing up their things.
They even gathered the animals they had poached earlier.
It seems they’re planning to leave.
Chen Wen thought.
And judging by Xavier’s demeanor, he seems to want to take all the animals with him.
Thus, for the time being, Yan Bian and the others’ safety was still ensured.
But what Chen Wen didn’t know was that taking the animals away wasn’t the main reason Xavier didn’t act ruthlessly.
By leaving Yan Bian and the others behind, Xavier was actually guarding against a fleeting glimpse of the bear-form Chen Wen.
If that bear chased after them, the physically weak Yan Bian and the others would obviously be the best targets for an attack.
At that time, they could escape with the animals, leaving Yan Bian and the others to slow down the bear.
This time, Chen Wen’s actions directly killed several birds with one stone.
...
Soon it was nighttime.
Chen Wen brought out all the animals, after all, poisoning was something that had to be done with utmost caution.
After an afternoon of contemplation, Chen Wen refined that crude plan.
Now, the plan was quite suitable.
Chen Wen divided the animals into three groups.
The yellow-throated marten and wild boar were grouped together, staying outside the camp.
The crested goshawk was in a group by itself, responsible for communication.
Chen Wen, along with the clouded leopard and bobcat, started looking for opportunities to circle around to the tree at the center of the poachers’ camp.
It wasn’t difficult for the clouded leopard and bobcat to make their way around.
These two big cats were agile, and the clouded leopard had grown up in trees.
With their eyes closed, they could walk on the trees as if on level ground.
They climbed via the side trees to the canopy, then quickly scrambled to the tree at the center of the camp.
Chen Wen found it even easier than the two big cats.
He directly activated his feathered serpent form, and soon a rattlesnake flapping its wings flew to the canopy of the big tree.
In his feathered serpent form, Chen Wen searched all around the tree for a suitable foothold.
The tree was large, and he found a thicker branch about seven meters above the ground.
Chen Wen switched back to human form and opened the various hidden entries.
[Tree Assault], [Ambush], [Night Shadow]...
Plus, the sky was also completely dark.
From below, nothing could be seen.
Now, including his scent, Chen Wen had almost completely vanished from this world.
...
Under the tree.
Liu Hong was cooking.
Cooking in the mountains, the ingredients would certainly come from the mountains.
He put some smoked meat and a rabbit caught outside in the afternoon into a pot, adding clean water and some mushrooms collected in the afternoon.
He sprinkled in some seasonings and covered the pot.
A pot of delicious mushroom meat soup began to be made.
Chen Wen wasn’t in a hurry, he signaled the clouded leopard and bobcat with his eyes to hide well.
This time, he was responsible for the poisoning, while their role was to divert the poachers’ attention if the poisoning failed.
As time ticked by.
The aroma from the pot slowly drifted out.
Xavier, swallowing his saliva, urged, "Is it ready? Hurry up, hurry up."
Liu Hong sighed helplessly, "It’ll still take a while; this meat needs a long time to cook until tender."
"Then turn up the heat, I’m starving."
After a day of turmoil, Xavier was both physically and mentally exhausted.
At this moment, he was eager to sip a bowl of hot soup and then sleep and recharge.
Seeing Xavier so pressing, Liu Hong added some dry wood, then lifted the pot lid to poke at the rabbit meat with a stick, checking its condition.
Watching this scene, Chen Wen immediately tapped the crested goshawk beside him with his hand.
The crested goshawk understood and immediately took off.
In the air, it let out a series of cries, alerting the yellow-throated marten and wild boar to prepare.
The commotion of the crested goshawk naturally caught the attention of Xavier and the other person.
"What animal’s call is that?"
Xavier asked.
"Listening, it sounds like a goshawk’s call."
Liu Hong replied.
Upon hearing, Xavier sighed, "Too bad it’s too late, can’t spot its position. These critters are worth quite a bit. I remember a few years back, there was a buyer from the organization who offered ten thousand US dollars for a goshawk."
At this, Liu Hong quickly said, "Next time we enter the mountains, I can bring some specialized hawk-catching tools."
Still thinking about next time?
Chen Wen sneered, hooking his thumb downward.
If you can enter the mountains next time, I’m this!
...
As the fire intensified, the two eagerly took out stainless steel bowls and began scooping out the meat.
During the meat scooping, Liu Hong set aside the pot lid.
Hot steam wrapped in the aroma drifted upwards.
Chen Wen gently breathed in through his nose, involuntarily appreciating that Liu Hong was quite good at cooking.
The scent was genuinely enticing!
But he quickly refocused his attention on the uncovered pot.
To let the soup cool swiftly, after scooping the meat, Liu Hong didn’t put the lid back on the pot.
It’s your unlucky day!
Chen Wen once more signaled the crested goshawk, and it cried out again.
The wild boar and yellow-throated marten sprung into action.
The massive wild boar paired with the ferociously lethal yellow-throated marten emerges.
Around the camp, Xavier’s small animal alarms immediately sounded off.
The leopard cat even howled in fear.
The yellow-throated marten is a natural enemy to the leopard cat, with a victory rate of over ninety percent in encounters.
Hearing the disturbance outside the camp, the two poachers became instantly tense.
Xavier picked up a pistol, his eyes fixed on the outer darkness.
Liu Hong was even more jittery, grabbing a machete.
Their attention diverted by the wild boar and yellow-throated marten outside, they had no time to heed the soup beside them.
Seeing this, Chen Wen promptly seized upon this rare opportunity.
He extended his arm, employing a newly acquired entry—[Good at Climbing]
[Good at Climbing (Gold): Your arms are excellent at gripping, capable of bearing great weight during climbing]
[Note: Our species excels at climbing, it’s our greatest ability. Hope it serves you well—Western Black-crowned Long-armed Ape]
Under the effect of [Good at Climbing], Chen Wen’s arm clung tightly to the tree, controlling his body to descend slowly.
His bare feet also underwent changes.
[Ankle Joint (Clouded Leopard)], the function of this organ entry was now apparent.
Chen Wen’s ankles seemed to turn into dough, twisting almost one-hundred-eighty degrees.
His legs clamped the tree trunk, while both feet, in a curious arc, placed their soles onto the trunk.
Providing Chen Wen with ample friction.
Chen Wen descended slowly in an odd posture, positioned about three meters above the pot.
He snapped the bluish-green mushrooms into tiny pieces and tossed them into the pot.
With human hands incredibly dexterous, each throw hit the boiling pot accurately.
The sound of boiling water masked the sound of the mushrooms dropping in.
After tossing in about a small handful of bluish-green mushrooms, Chen Wen judged that the toxicity was just right.
He climbed back up with his unusual poise.
But just then, feeling something uncanny.
With things outside hesitant to come near, Xavier instinctively glanced upwards.
Chen Wen’s heart leaped into his throat.
Luckily, the bobcat tasked with covering Chen Wen reacted swiftly.
While Chen Wen operated, it slipped to the adjacent tree.
With a raspy, shrill cry, the bobcat suddenly darted down from the tree, escaping into the distance.
The sudden occurrence immediately drew Xavier’s focus.
"A leopard cat? Or a clouded leopard? Why so close to us?"
Xavier murmured a bit.
He took another glance upwards.
Just now, for some reason, he felt uneasy about the tree overhead.
However, by this time Chen Wen, utilizing the window of opportunity granted by the bobcat, returned to the branch he had ambushed from before, activating all entries related to ambushing and hiding.
Xavier saw nothing.
He shook his head, "Enough, I’ve been too tense these days; let’s eat quickly, sleep after."
Liu Hong immediately flattered, "Yes, these past days you’ve certainly been under strain, I’ll stand watch tonight."
"Alright, Liu Hong, after this trip, you’ll take half of what was supposed to be Old Xie and Xie’s share."
Xavier was also trying to win over Liu Hong.
Liu Hong was overjoyed, cheerfully replying, "Thank you, thank you! By the way, I’ve added quite a few fresh mushrooms to this soup, it has a great taste; let me serve you some."
Xavier happily passed his bowl over.
