Chapter 722: Chapter 64: Hunting the Warrens Rabbits
After treating Fred’s injury with the last desert rose,
the three of them sat in the camp to rest.
Fred was quite shaken, lying on the ground squinting his eyes to rest.
Chen Wen, on the other hand, was looking at the still writhing desert whip snake.
He seemingly asked unintentionally, "This snake... can it be eaten?"
Upon hearing this, Dennis was taken aback.
He scratched his chin and said, "Theoretically, it can be eaten, but I’ve never heard of anyone trying it, are you sure you want to give it a go?"
Chen Wen rubbed his hands and chuckled, "Being the first to try something new isn’t a bad thing, don’t you think?"
This piqued Dennis’s curiosity.
He hesitated no more.
Survivors are not picky eaters; many will even swallow their waste to survive and complete the Eight Extremes Challenge, much less eat a snake.
Dennis picked up the desert whip snake and skillfully began to prepare it.
He cut off the snake’s head and buried it deep in the sand.
Then he deftly removed the scale armor, took out the snake’s viscera, leaving only the snake meat.
Watching Dennis’s skillful handling, Chen Wen couldn’t help but ask, "Have you handled snakes before?"
"Ahem, that’s not something to say carelessly."
Dennis gave a dry cough, a bit embarrassed.
After all, in Australia, most snakes are protected.
But when he went hunting with his dad, they’d occasionally deal with venomous snakes and turn them into snake stew.
Chen Wen understood and didn’t ask further.
As long as they could eat the snake meat.
At this moment, Hua Yun also came over, and after hearing from Chen Wen about what happened, she hesitated and asked, "Won’t the snake have a lot of parasites?"
"Just cook it for a bit longer."
Chen Wen replied casually, which was echoed by Dennis.
Dennis put the chopped desert whip snake into a large pot, added water, covered it, and put it on the stove to simmer.
During this time, Chen Wen talked about seeing an European rabbit warren.
Dennis was also interested in the European rabbits.
The two of them planned to catch a few to try in the afternoon, and at this time, Adam returned as well.
Upon hearing their plan, he immediately expressed his desire to join.
The three agreed in no time.
...
Noon.
Everybody enjoyed a rather sumptuous lunch.
Snake stew served with camel meat and soft-cooked oatmeal porridge.
With both meat and grain, it was considered the top-notch lunch one could have in the desert.
Since the oatmeal was processed, it didn’t count in the entries.
Chen Wen only gained the desert whip snake entry.
[Swift Attack (Golden): Greatly increases attack speed and reaction speed during combat, your attacks will become faster, and your reactions will become quicker.]
Wow!
The Blade of Ruin King!
Looking at the desert whip snake entry, Chen Wen couldn’t help but shout in his heart.
No other reason, the entry has such a strong sense of déjà vu.
After seeing this entry, the other two lost their meaning.
Additionally, Chen Wen realized that this entry could be said to be a superior version of [Swift], truly a superior version.
Chosen!
Having chosen the entry, Chen Wen couldn’t wait to try it out.
Just after lunch and a bit of rest, Dennis and Adam excitedly came looking for Chen Wen.
They wanted to hunt European rabbits!
...
"Burrowing rabbits are social animals and are very skilled at digging tunnels; that’s why they’re called burrowing rabbits. They’re active at dawn, dusk, and nighttime, and during the day they hide in their intricate tunnels."
Chen Wen and Dennis were discussing the information they had on burrowing rabbits.
Adam nodded.
Although he knew of the burrowing rabbits, he wasn’t as familiar with the detailed information as Chen Wen was.
Dennis also gave Chen Wen a surprised look.
This guy Chen Wen knew almost as much as he did, a local person who had hunted burrowing rabbits since childhood.
Quite impressive!
Receiving the surprised glances from Adam and Dennis, Chen Wen continued, "However, the wild kind and the domesticated kind of burrowing rabbits have quite different temperaments. In the wild, burrowing rabbits are very aggressive, and fights between male rabbits can result in serious injury or even death."
Dennis nodded, agreeing, "That’s right, I’ve seen two wild male burrowing rabbits fight to the death. They kick each other’s stomachs with their strong hind legs and also use their teeth to bite or use their forepaws to scratch the enemy."
Listening to Chen Wen and Dennis going back and forth, Adam held his head, feeling that he needed to go back and frantically catch up on related knowledge.
This feeling of having two people around who are constantly discussing the habits of burrowing rabbits, while not getting a word in himself.
Adam was thoroughly fed up.
As they talked, Chen Wen had already led them to the burrowing rabbit warren he discovered.
Looking at the holes on the ground,
Dennis nodded, "Just as Chen Wen said, this is a burrowing rabbit warren, and it’s an active one. So, tell us, what should we do?"
Chen Wen didn’t rush to make a suggestion.
He asked Dennis, who came from a family of hunters, "How do you local hunters catch burrowing rabbits?"
Dennis thought for a moment and said, "Traps and shotguns."
Alright, local experience won’t help.
Whether it’s traps or shotguns, they don’t have those conditions.
Traps take time, and they’re only staying at the oasis until noon tomorrow.
They don’t have any shotguns at all.
"Why not let your taipan snake give it a try?"
Adam looked at the narrow rabbit tunnel and couldn’t help but suggest.
Before Chen Wen could speak, Dennis vigorously shook his head in refusal, "No! Eating burrowing rabbits bitten by a taipan snake is too dangerous!"
Hearing this, Chen Wen was a bit tempted, "Theoretically, if boiled thoroughly..."
"No! Definitely not!"
Dennis interrupted Chen Wen’s thought, "We don’t have to eat these burrowing rabbits. If the taipan snake’s involved, I’d rather eat my waste than touch them!"
Fine.
Chen Wen shook his head, indicating he wouldn’t let the taipan snake get involved.
It was only then that Dennis breathed a sigh of relief.
The discussion returned to hunting burrowing rabbits.
After discussing, they decided to use Chen Wen’s method—each person would keep an eye on a certain hole, block some of the holes, and then use smoke to flush the burrowing rabbits, with Chen Wen using the long spear for hunting.
Adam would also use a bow and arrow to hunt the flushed-out burrowing rabbits.
The plan was okay, and no one had any objections.
Moreover, rocks were the most abundant in the stone desert.
After busying for about half an hour or so, they found enough rocks to block some of the rabbit holes.
While placing the rocks,
Chen Wen had already heard the commotion of the burrowing rabbits underground.
These burrowing rabbits had already sensed that their home entrance had uninvited guests.
Although they’re fierce, this ferocity is more directed at their own kind.
Facing strong, unfamiliar humans,
the burrowing rabbits could only shiver in their holes.
After blocking the holes,
Chen Wen took out the fire starter and ignited some camel dung Dennis brought over.
Dennis placed the camel dung within the wet wood Adam had gathered. Soon, thick smoke rose.
Adam set the pile of wood at one of the holes, letting the smoke backflow into the burrowing rabbit tunnels.
Before long, smoke billowed out from several other holes.
"The rabbits below can’t hold on much longer!"
Hearing the rustling in the hole, a look of excitement flashed across Dennis’s face.
He looked at Chen Wen, signaling him to prepare.
After giving an okay gesture, Chen Wen picked up the long spear, fully activating his entries, and focused intently on the nearby rabbit warrens.
The hunt was about to begin!
