The system truly doesn't deceive me.
It said check-in at noon, and it was indeed noon.
A smile appeared on Xia Ren's face because of this.
He just didn't know what was inside the first check-in supply.
It was like opening a blind box, quite thrilling.
"Check-in."
Xia Ren commanded without hesitation.
There was no one else around, so he didn't have to worry about this secret being discovered by outsiders.
In the future, when checking in to receive supplies, he would also need to find a secluded place to do so.
While doing this might seem a bit too cautious, as the old saying goes, caution is the parent of safety.
The next second, a wooden box instantly appeared on the ground in front of Xia Ren.
He stepped forward and quickly took out everything inside the wooden box.
It was a modern military compound crossbow.
It also came with a quiver containing thirty crossbow bolts.
Additionally, there were many seasonings like green onions, ginger, and garlic inside the box.
"I was just worrying about not having a handy weapon, and this compound crossbow came at just the right time."
Xia Ren's lips curved slightly; this was truly like someone sending a pillow when one was sleepy.
During his years as a mercenary, he had practiced with a compound crossbow for a while, so when he saw that the first check-in supply was a modern compound crossbow, he immediately loved it.
While he couldn't guarantee hitting every shot, accurately hitting a target within a hundred paces was not a problem.
Xia Ren's hands itched to try out the compound crossbow.
He pulled the string into the nock, and a click sound was heard.
This compound crossbow had labor-saving components like eccentric wheels and pulley sets, which reduced the strength Xia Ren needed when pulling the string.
Then, he took out a crossbow bolt from the quiver and placed it into the crossbow groove of the compound crossbow.
Holding the compound crossbow with both hands, he stood upright facing forward, feet on the ground, spread shoulder-width apart, his left hand gripping the lower part of the crossbow body, and his right hand controlling the trigger mechanism.
Eighty meters ahead was a withered tree, and with the six-power scope on the compound crossbow, Xia Ren could even see the insects on the surface of the withered tree.
As Xia Ren pulled the trigger, the crossbow bolt shot out with a "whoosh" sound.
The next second, the insect Xia Ren had targeted was instantly pierced, and even the trunk of the withered tree was pierced by the crossbow bolt, with the cold, gleaming arrowhead emerging from the other side.
"Torque-driven, precise killing, hehe, it truly is a modern compound crossbow."
A satisfied smile spread across Xia Ren's face as he clicked his tongue in admiration.
This kind of powerful long-range killing weapon had an advantage over ordinary bows in terms of range, lethality, and accuracy.
With this weapon in hand, his family's future survival would have an added layer of security.
After putting all the items from the box into his basket, Xia Ren went forward to retrieve the shot crossbow bolts and put them back into the quiver, preparing to find and hunt prey as soon as possible, as the feeling of hunger was truly unbearable.
A moment later.
Xia Ren hadn't found any prey yet, but he did find some edible shiitake mushrooms in a lush grassy area.
It was a lucky encounter only possible deep in these mountains.
If he were within ten li of the village, let alone shiitake mushrooms, even intact tree bark was rare.
"Roasted shiitake mushrooms can also fill my stomach, and they taste good too."
Xia Ren thought to himself, then began to pick the edible shiitake mushrooms and other fungi in front of him.
There were many poisonous mushrooms around, but the experienced Xia Ren could tell at a glance which were edible and which were not.
Soon, the basket was filled with many shiitake mushrooms and other fungi.
Xia Ren roughly estimated there were about four or five catties.
After finishing this task, Xia Ren did not return.
Having spent over two hours entering the depths of the mountain, he had to hunt some wild game before going back.
An hour later.
Perhaps it was due to good luck.
Xia Ren found a withered chestnut tree, bearing many fist-sized burrs, with some burrs also fallen on the ground.
As long as the burrs were peeled off, the chestnuts inside could be obtained.
These were good things.
They could be eaten raw or cooked.
They could serve as one of the dry rations for tomorrow's escape journey.
Xia Ren put down his basket and compound crossbow, then skillfully climbed the chestnut tree like a monkey.
After a period of work, he finally used a branch to knock all the chestnut burrs from the tree onto the ground.
With a "thud."
Xia Ren jumped down from the tree, landing steadily, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.
"This body's physical condition is really too poor; I got so tired after just a little work."
Xia Ren picked up the chestnut burrs on the ground while lamenting in his heart.
He decided that after returning, he would train more diligently.
He had to improve his physical fitness by several times.
Under the tree, in the grass, under the leaves.
All the chestnut burrs he saw were put into the basket.
Fortunately, the basket was large enough to hold all the chestnut burrs.
Looking at the basket full of chestnuts, Xia Ren estimated that after removing the burrs, he should be able to get more than ten catties of chestnuts.
Including the shiitake mushrooms and other fungi, these foods would be enough to feed the family for several days.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xia Ren's face.
At this moment.
Xia Ren noticed movement behind him.
Deep in the mountains, there were inevitably jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, so he had not let down his guard at all during his journey, always keeping an eye out for these wild beasts.
He immediately picked up his compound crossbow and entered a combat stance.
He originally thought it was a fierce beast, but only after turning around did he realize that the movement had come from two pheasants standing on a tree branch.
Seeing this, Xia Ren suppressed the joy and excitement in his heart.
He cautiously moved forward, trying not to disturb the two pheasants.
When he was less than a hundred meters away, Xia Ren, hiding behind a tree, raised his compound crossbow, and the crosshairs of the six-power scope locked onto one of the pheasants.
Xia Ren pulled the trigger, and the crossbow bolt shot out with a "whoosh."
In an instant, one of the pheasants, struck by the crossbow bolt, fell from the tree branch, letting out a hysterical shriek, but it only struggled for a moment before falling silent.
The other pheasant, startled, immediately spread its wings and fled.
Xia Ren would not let go of the pheasant that was about to be his.
He pulled the string and placed the arrow.
His movements were fluid, as if done in one breath.
Xia Ren ran at full speed and quickly caught up.
When he was about eighty meters away from the pheasant, Xia Ren held his breath and aimed the compound crossbow at the fleeing prey.
"Whoosh!"
The crossbow bolt was fired.
One arrow struck the moving prey.
The powerful force of the crossbow bolt caused the pheasant to be pinned to a tree on the spot.
"We'll have meat to eat when we get back."
Xia Ren was beaming.
Thinking of Jiang Wan'er and his three daughters' happiness when they saw the pheasants after he returned, Xia Ren's heart was filled with pride and joy.
He went forward and put both pheasants into the basket, also retrieving the two crossbow bolts and placing them back in the quiver.
This trip into the mountains was not in vain.
He could now go back and share the joy with his family.
On the way back, Xia Ren remained vigilant of his surroundings, so the compound crossbow in his hand was still in the firing state; he could fire a crossbow bolt by simply pulling the trigger, to deal with any sudden situations.
At five in the afternoon, Xia Ren arrived at the hillside outside the village.
He was less than a kilometer away from home.
And standing on the high ground, he could now see his home at a glance.
But at this moment, Xia Ren's pupils suddenly trembled violently.
Because he saw a raging fire burning in his home, with thick smoke rising into the sky.
Xia Ren's face was filled with worry, his mind uneasy, and he immediately turned around, running frantically towards his home at the fastest possible speed.
He kept praying in his heart, hoping that they were all safe.