Chapter 212: Fun

"Damn, a wild boar... It's really a wild boar." Fu Yuan couldn't help but mutter quietly, staring at the wild boar confronting everyone in the distance.

At the same time, he pulled out his phone, clearly ready to take pictures.

"Is this wild boar here to drink water?" Jiang Hai asked softly, eyes fixed on the animal.

"Not likely. It might have been attracted by the smell of blood from these internal organs. I bet there are other animals nearby, lurking, but none of them dare approach. After all, we're a big group, all armed. Only this fool dares to come out." Will, standing next to Jiang Hai, explained in a low voice.

Pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat everything—grass, bark, roots, fruit, anything they can get. And, of course, they also eat meat.

In rural areas, people are cautious about feeding their pigs. No matter how hungry other animals are, they must ensure the pigs aren't left hungry.

Once a pig gets hungry, it will find food on its own. Chickens, ducks, and even small animals around the farm can become a pig's dinner.

There have even been instances of pigs attacking children. If domestic pigs are like this, wild boars are much more dangerous.

Wild boars in the wild eat snakes, bird eggs, frogs, and more. Small birds and pheasants are also on their menu. But like Will said, animals aren't stupid. Despite the strong scent of blood, even lions and tigers would avoid such a large group of armed humans. In fact, there aren't any lions or tigers around here. Just some foxes and coyotes—animals that would never risk showing themselves. If they did, they'd be shot.

Yet, this wild boar clearly didn't respect humans. It boldly strutted out.

"So, what should we do now?" Jiang Hai asked, swallowing nervously.

He had eaten wild boar meat before, but this was his first time seeing one in person.

There's an old saying in the mountains: "One pig, two bears, three tigers." The wild boar is known as the uncrowned king of the mountains.

Even tigers might not survive an encounter with a wild boar. With such a fearsome reputation, Jiang Hai felt a little nervous.

"What else can we do? Have you forgotten what Paul said? If we encounter a wild boar, we must kill it." Will laughed when he heard Jiang Hai's question. As his voice trailed off, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed in the air. Paul had already fired his Israeli Galil, and the wild boar, which had been arrogantly confronting them, staggered and collapsed.

"Let's go." Paul waved his hand, and everyone continued as if nothing had happened, walking past the stream. Only Jiang Hai and Fu Yuan exchanged looks. Was that it?

Fu Yuan had even turned on his camera to capture a battle between humans and wild boars, but the whole thing was over in a flash.

"Hey, don't you want this wild boar?" Jiang Hai quickly caught up with the group. Though the wild boar was dead, he was still very interested in the meat. His steaks were great, but sometimes, pork was a welcome change.

Plus, quality pork was hard to come by in the U.S.

"No one wants it... Wait, you want it? Well, it's yours." Paul turned, eyeing Jiang Hai's eager face. A small smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. To Paul, Jiang Hai was clearly a rich man.

The helicopter yesterday, the F750 today—though not ideal for the current environment, it was clearly an expensive and impressive car. And Jiang Hai had given away steaks without hesitation.

Paul was sure that Jiang Hai was wealthy, but his tastes were a little... odd. Not only did he want to eat venison that no one else was interested in, but now he wanted wild boar?

But it didn't matter. Paul and the others weren't going to eat it. Better to let Jiang Hai take it; at least it wouldn't go to waste.

Jiang Hai chuckled, not concerned with what they thought. He was getting that pork, no matter what.

After tossing the deer to Bell, Jiang Hai ran over and hauled the wild boar.

There are two types of wild boars: Asian and European. North America's wild boars evolved from European ones, and like other native animals, they are smaller than their distant cousins. This wild boar was no exception.

It was about two-thirds the size of the wild boar Jiang Hai had seen at the Ice City Zoo. Counting its snout, it was just over a meter long.

Weighing nearly 240 kilograms, it was quite heavy, but the mud clinging to its body made it feel heavier. With his strength, carrying it wasn't much trouble for Jiang Hai.

He dragged one of its hind legs and caught up with the group.

As they crossed the two rivers, the others found their deer getting heavier, but Jiang Hai's wild boar was lighter. The turbulent river had washed away most of the mud.

By the time they left the forest and reached the edge of the mountain, it was already after five in the afternoon.

The group had completed their objectives, so they were ready to head back. Although they were from different places, most of them lived in nearby states. They planned to drive to New York for the night and return home tomorrow. It was only about an hour and a half from here to New York, much closer than Jiang Hai's home.

Jiang Hai had no intention of joining them. It was too dangerous to be out at night.

After helping him load the deer into his truck, the group said their goodbyes. Jiang Hai, Bell, and Fu Yuan drove toward his manor.

The trip took over three hours, partly because Bell wasn't familiar with the route, and partly because they were following a convoy, which kept the pace slower. On the way back, however, Jiang Hai sped up on certain stretches without surveillance.

By 7:30 PM, just two hours later, they returned to the manor.

The cowboys who had driven the cattle back to the cowshed and the fishermen who had returned home came out to see the headless deer and the large wild boar, all a bit puzzled.

"Boss, what are you doing with these?" Robbins asked as he saw Jiang Hai get out of the car.

"Eat it. Want some? If you do, take a leg with you," Jiang Hai replied, grinning.

But Robbins and the others quickly waved their hands. They weren't interested in wild boar meat. "Well, let's leave it. We'll help you carry it inside."

Jiang Hai shrugged, glad that no one wanted to eat it. Less work for him.

With Robbins and Edward in charge, it didn't take long to get the deer and wild boar into Jiang Hai's ice storage. Before they could store it, however, the meat had to be properly prepared. The deer was already gutted, so they just had to skin it, remove the hooves, and hang it up.

The wild boar was more complicated—its blood had to be drained, organs removed, and skin peeled off.

By the time everything was done, it was after nine PM. Jiang Hai and the others ate a quick bite before heading to bed.

Because they'd had so much fun the previous day, Jiang Hai slept in. By the time he and Fu Yuan woke up, it was already past ten in the morning. They took it easy today, with Fu Yuan's second purpose of the trip—shopping in Winthrop—being fulfilled. The four of them grabbed a meal at a Boston-style Italian restaurant before heading back home.

This marked the fourth day of Fu Yuan's visit. On the fifth day, they went to Jiang Hai's pasture to ride horses. It was the first time Jiang Hai rode Xiao Xia.

Xiao Xia performed well, its gait faster than most horses' trots. When it ran, however... it was a bit overwhelming. It moved like a thousand horses galloping. With Jiang Hai's blood strengthening Xiao Xia's bones, it was much stronger than ordinary Shire horses.

While other Shire horses couldn't run, Xiao Xia could. The added strength made it feel like an earthquake when it moved, startling both the cattle and the workers.

Thankfully, it all ended safely, and the fifth day's activities concluded.

On the sixth day, Jiang Hai took Fu Yuan to fish for river fish in Winthrop.

On the seventh day, they visited Boston, a place Jiang Hai had only been to once... (To be continued.)