Training was over; it was time to hunt for prey.

Deep in the Taihang Mountains, wild animals were abundant. Among the small animals, pheasants and rabbits were the most common, while among the larger animals, wild boars were the most prevalent—one could even say they were overpopulated.

Roe deer were relatively rare, but Henry Clark was certain there were roe deer here, because he had already seen them twice.

Henry Clark's hunting targets were wild boars and roe deer. He had set many snares, but after nearly two months, he hadn’t caught any prey.

Henry Clark wasn’t anxious, because he knew he wasn’t a hunter yet, so he still needed to fumble and learn how to hunt. This would take time, and time was something he had plenty of.

It was worth mentioning that hunting was no longer illegal, because ever since the aliens arrived, the only species on Earth that needed protection was humanity.

With a spear in his left hand, a long hunting knife hanging from his belt, an axe and a saw in his backpack, and a stone in his right hand, Henry Clark was well-armed.

Checking all the snares he had set required a long trek, and he had to climb up and down through pathless mountain forests. At first, this had been very painful for Henry Clark, but he adapted quickly, and by now, long journeys no longer troubled him much.

Winter had already set in, and the temperature in the mountains was very low. Most of the leaves had fallen, but the MC all-terrain camouflage still worked excellently against the brownish-yellow background, making it hard for anyone to spot Henry Clark in his camo as he moved forward.

He hadn’t gone far after setting out, just after turning a corner of an abandoned mountain field, when Henry Clark suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A flock of pheasants—at least a dozen. The nearest rooster was less than ten meters from Henry Clark, its head down, foraging in the grass.

Without thinking much, Henry Clark raised his arm and quickly hurled the stone he’d been holding.

The pheasant suddenly looked up, only to be struck on the head by Henry Clark's stone.

The hit pheasant collapsed to the ground, while the rest, startled, flapped away in a flurry. Henry Clark immediately ran toward the pheasant he had struck.

The pheasant wasn’t dead yet and was still struggling. Henry Clark ran over, stepped on it, then bent down and grabbed its head. As the pheasant flapped desperately, he flicked his wrist, spinning the bird in the air, and with its neck twisted, the pheasant instantly stopped struggling.

This wasn’t the first time Henry Clark had seen a pheasant, nor was it his first time trying to hit one with a stone, but it was the first time he’d actually succeeded.

One can imagine how excited Henry Clark was, but what made him happiest wasn’t that he’d have pheasant to eat today, but that the skill he’d practiced so hard had finally paid off.

At last, Henry Clark had, for the first time, truly caught his own prey.

The first prey was in hand, but the hunt had only just begun. It seemed luck was on his side today—maybe there would be more to gain.

That’s what Henry Clark thought, and after more than half an hour, he found that his luck really was good today.

Just as he reached a mountain spring that hadn’t yet frozen over, Henry Clark noticed a bush shaking, right where he’d set a trap specifically for roe deer.

He’d caught something!

Henry Clark immediately dropped the stone in his right hand and ran over with his spear at the ready.

Then, something unexpected happened.

One end of the wire snare was firmly tied to a small tree, and inside the snare, a wild boar was struggling desperately.

Seeing the wild boar surprised Henry Clark, because the snare was meant for roe deer, but now there was a wild boar in it. Although this wild boar wasn’t very large, it still weighed over a hundred jin.

Why was this unexpected? Because this was a snare for roe deer, not for wild boar.

Is there a difference?

Of course there’s a difference—a big one.

A wire snare is enough for roe deer, but for wild boar, you must use a steel cable snare.

But now, a wire snare meant for roe deer had caught a wild boar that was already quite dangerous. What would happen? The wild boar could break the snare!

No matter what, with a wild boar right in front of him, the shocked and delighted Henry Clark didn’t have time to think. Instinctively, he lunged forward and stabbed with his spear.

It was his first time trying to kill a living creature with a spear, and Henry Clark subconsciously held back—simply put, he hesitated.

Henry Clark aimed for the area under the wild boar’s front leg, where the heart and lungs are in all animals. If the spear hit there, the boar would die quickly, maybe even instantly.

But the wild boar was thrashing about, so Henry Clark missed and stabbed it in the rump instead of the heart and lungs.

The wild boar had almost broken the wire already, and now, wounded and struggling desperately, the snare snapped silently in an instant.

The spearhead was still in the boar. Before Henry Clark could retrieve it, the boar jerked its head and charged straight at him. At that moment, Henry Clark was still gripping his spear tightly, and with both of them pulling in opposite directions, the spear shaft snapped with a loud crack.

The wild boar was now out of control, and Henry Clark was left holding only half a spear shaft.