Chapter 74: Chapter 61: Hunting Strategy—Cowboys and Lassoing
Old Duncan spoke in a deep voice. At his command, two teammates behind him immediately set down the cart, took out ropes, spread out to the left and right, and formed a formation.
A good match for the captain on the mountain bike.
Before the action, they tied three-pronged hooks to the ends of the ropes they carried, similar to an enlarged version of a treble hook for lure fishing, and handed them to Old Duncan and Lisa.
They paired up with the experienced Old Duncan.
On the side, Lisa said to the four people on Lin Feng’s side:
"I’ll team up with you. Since it’s your first time and you lack experience, carefully explore and run ahead, following my teammates to limit the herd’s escape direction, so they can only run up the slopes on either side. I’ll be in charge of the capture with the captain at the back."
"The target for this hunt is that herd of Rock-Horned Horses three hundred meters ahead, which have just climbed up and are grazing. They have ten or so newborn young, which are our potential targets."
"When the time comes, I’ll ensnare the targets, and you will be responsible for tying their limbs tightly to restrict their movement."
"We’ll split the rewards evenly among us."
Then she specifically reminded them:
"Be careful, do not push them too hard. If the Rock-Horned Horse Herd charges frantically, immediately back off. Opportunities are ample, but we only have one life."
Lin Feng nodded, watching Lisa deftly knot a slipknot into a noose with the rope in her hands, roughly guessing their capture methods.
Just like the cowboy days in the United States, using lassos to capture cattle and horses.
Experienced cowboys could lasso precisely, subduing their targets with accuracy.
Lisa and Old Duncan each had three ropes, several dozen meters long, made of woven fabric strips and extremely tensile.
The three-pronged hooks tied at the end serve as anchors to secure the rope and prevent the Rock-Horned Horse from escaping after being caught.
The two teammates on foot serve as auxiliary team members to limit the herd’s escape direction, and Lin Feng’s group was to follow them closely.
First, they were to walk close and ambush on the main escape route of the Rock-Horned Horse Herd, then scare them into retreating onto the left and right slopes.
Not being able to quickly escape through the shortcut of the gorge, the Rock-Horned Horse’s speed would naturally decrease significantly while climbing the slopes. Then, Old Duncan and his partner, who would be on standby, could find an opportunity to strike with precision.
It didn’t sound very difficult, but for Lisa and Old Duncan, who were to make the direct capture, it required a wealth of roping experience to lock onto a target and hit it accurately within a matter of seconds.
However, daring to take this mission meant they were well-prepared.
Lin Feng thought for a while and decided to let Liu Qian stay on the bike while he, Liu Mingfei, and Ah Lian went to cooperate with Lisa.
There’s no time like the present, so they began the action.
Lin Feng and the other two followed the Duncan Squad members, crouching, using rock piles as cover, circling around, reaching the Rock-Horned Horse Herd which was still searching for fresh green grass among the city ruins.
Far in the back, Duncan and his partner used binoculars to confirm that the auxiliary personnel were in position. Duncan then drew his pistol and pedaled the mountain bike, launching a charge.
When they were within less than a hundred meters from the herd, about to be discovered, Duncan raised his gun, aimed at the Tier One Male Rock-Horned Horse leader, and pulled the trigger.
An ordinary pistol bullet’s lethality couldn’t cause any damage to a Tier One Rock-Horned Horse.
The bullet, after hitting the target, was even deflected by the Rock-Horned Horse’s side Rock Armor.
But what Old Duncan wanted was to use this bullet to startle the entire herd, especially when the leader became stressed after being attacked. All the Rock-Horned Horses would become extremely chaotic, following the leader in a panicked escape.
The direction of their escape was precisely toward the canyon entrance where the group had preemptively ambushed.
This place used to be a river estuary, with flat terrain, and higher-altitude city ruins on both sides. Only through the old river bed could they quickly escape.
In the 200-meter-wide river bed, Lin Feng and four other auxiliary personnel had completed their ambush.
With intervals of forty to fifty meters, they hid behind rocks, waiting to prevent the panicked herd from continuing their mad rush forward.
Lin Feng drew out a holster gun from his waist. Currently, he wasn’t particularly interested in capturing a live Rock-Horned Horse.
He just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to successfully kill a Tier One Rock-Horned Horse, hoping to advance to a Tier One Evolver.
As he stealthily came over, Lin Feng had observed the situation.
This Rock-Horned Horse Herd, aside from the largest Male leader, contained two other Tier One Female Rock-Horned Horses, each accompanied by two cubs.
As long as Duncan and Lisa ensnared the young by their sides, the two Female Rock-Horned Horses would surely hesitate, trying to rescue their offspring.
That moment would be the best opportunity to strike.
Now Lin Feng, as a Level 9 Enhanced Person, had strengthened vision capable of seeing objects a kilometer away, locking onto targets within 800 meters, and hitting moving objects within 600 meters with precision.
Therefore, at a distance of two hundred meters, with time for pre-aim, it’s not an exaggeration to say he could hit every shot.
But while dealing with same-level Level 9 Rock-Horned Horses was easy, killing a Tier One Rock-Horned Horse required several consecutive hits at the same spot to break through its defense.
This means hitting a target four-fifths of the size of a fist at two hundred meters consecutively on a bull’s-eye rating.
Considering the recoil and the impact of the complex outdoor environment, in pursuit of a one-hit kill, minimizing the possibility of failure, Lin Feng decided to adopt the second killing plan.
That’s to use the precision locking of a Precision Pistol, with red dot assistance, to aim at the most vulnerable part of the prey:
The eyes.
There, the Rock-Horned Horse had a rare exposed area with no Rock Armor. As long as a bullet penetrated the eye sockets, it could shatter the brain inside.
Enough to achieve a one-hit kill!
The eyes of the Rock-Horned Horse are the size of eggs, appearing as black dots from a hundred meters away. To accurately hit them while the target is moving requires absolute focus and prediction. The best opportunity is when the prey is still.
So Lin Feng must wait for the right moment...
Wait until Old Duncan and Lisa successfully capture the young Rock-Horned Horses, forcing the females to halt their escape and turn around.
Very soon, the panicked Rock-Horned Horse Herd reached close to Lin Feng’s group by following the dry riverbed.
From 200 meters away, more than thirty Rock-Horned Horses were charging recklessly.
Their speed wasn’t fast; on one hand, they carried a large amount of stored fresh water in their bellies, and on the other, they needed to look after older members of the group.
Moreover, they were simply startled, not facing mortal danger, so their top speed of ten meters per second hadn’t been unleashed.
Lin Feng peeked out, estimating no more than five meters per second, with a speed of about twenty kilometers per hour, barely faster than a mountain bike chase.
"That’s about right, take action!"
Two auxiliary members of the Duncan Squad calculated the arrival time of the herd, and when they were still a hundred meters away, spoke to Lin Feng and the others.
After speaking, they stepped onto the rock, drew their long knives from their waists, and hit the iron shoulder armor of their combat suits with the back of the knives, making a crisp crashing sound while shouting.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Roar! Roar! Ha!"
The metal clashing, combined with human roars, generated immense penetration power. Along with people standing on boulders, to the nearsighted Rock-Horned Horses, they appeared as five three-meter-tall giant beasts, ready to attack.
Even the Tier One Rock-Horned Horse leader at the forefront fell into chaos, hurriedly halting its advance, leaving two black marks on the ground with its fore-hooves.
Lin Feng and the others imitated this, appearing as if performing a primitive battle dance.
Unexpectedly, it worked!