dmims Chapter 62 Planning
Chapter 62 Planning
He walked from the east side to the front of the rock platform, stopped, placed his front paws on the most crucial stone among the several stone edges, pressed down, and felt it.
The stone ridges are movable, embedded in the cracks on the rock surface, and have not been completely fixed over the years.
He slightly spread the tips of his front paws, gently concentrating the heat towards his fingertips, found the right angle, and flicked them outwards.
The stone ridges loosened.
He nudged it again, and the stone edge shifted outward by about two centimeters. The stable support point that was originally stepped on became a sliding block. It looked unchanged, but it could not actually bear any weight.
He retracted his front paws and examined the other two stone edges beside him. One of them was also movable, and he treated it in the same way. The other one was fixed in place, so he didn't move it.
Moving one piece is enough.
When humans set up equipment on unfamiliar rocks, they first test the stability under their feet, but the testing order often starts with the most prominent rock edges, which are the two rocks they are dealing with.
After finishing his task, he stepped back from the rocky platform and headed towards his landing spot.
A very narrow band of blue-gray light began to emerge on the eastern horizon; it wasn't bright, but rather the feeling of the night light fading slightly on its outermost layer.
There's still over an hour until sunrise.
He needs to return to his lodgings before dawn and change the position of the head.
He did two things along the way before he left.
First, on the route south of the water source leading to the survey team's camp, two relatively dense grassy areas were selected. The team pressed their bodies into the grass several times to leave their scent, but the amount left was very restrained. It was not a marker scent, but an activity scent, so that the survey team's instruments could sense that large animals had been active there, but could not find specific individuals.
Secondly, about 150 meters outward from the eastern edge of the northern water source, there is a reed bed where birds gather. After dawn, a large number of birds fly up and down in this reed bed. When thermal imaging encounters groups of birds, it often generates a lot of interference signals, making the picture noisy and making it difficult to identify individual targets.
He took a short detour, approached the reeds, and gently flicked his tail twice. A flock of birds in the reeds took flight, but not all scattered. Half of them flew away and then returned, raising the activity level of the area to a new level.
After daybreak tomorrow, as long as the survey team directs thermal imaging here, the data obtained in the first half of the period will most likely be noise.
He retracted his tail and turned to leave.
The sky continued to brighten.
A place to settle down.
Big Head is dreaming.
He dreamed of wildebeest.
It wasn't a whole wildebeest, but a wildebeest leg, a single, thick hind leg, running right in front of him. He chased after it, always just a step behind. He chased for a long time, the wildebeest's leg getting further and further away, and he could no longer catch up. In his anxiety, something rose in his throat, and then...
Snapped.
He got a claw hit on the head.
Big Head sprang up from his dream, his head buzzed, he opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything clearly, only a silhouette much larger than himself standing in front of him.
It's Chen Fei.
Chen Fei nudged his head with his nose, facing north, then nudged it again, harder, clearly trying to get him to get up and walk that way.
Big Head opened his eyes, still half asleep, his mind still filled with the lingering image of the wildebeest's legs. He shook his head, stood up, his hind legs buckled for a moment, but he steadied himself.
He looked around. It was still dark, and the outlines of the grass and bushes were blurry. The stingy guy was still lying next to Sel without moving, and Meimei was also still there. Wanderer A and Wanderer B were still in the northeast corner.
He didn't quite understand why they had to go north.
What's to the north?
He sidled closer to Chen Fei, sniffing at him and catching a whiff of unfamiliar plant scent mixed with the damp smell of earth—a scent emanating from a place he'd never been before.
Chen Fei ignored his nudging, nudged him again with his nose pointing north, then took two steps ahead, stopped, and looked back at him.
Big Head understood.
The instruction is to have him follow.
He took a step and followed behind Chen Fei. His steps were still a little unsteady, and his mind was still half-awake. His hind legs would occasionally kick the grass stalks beside him, making a soft rustling sound.
After walking about two hundred meters, Chen Fei stopped.
This is the edge of a low earthen slope on the north side of the settlement. Several thick clumps of grass, taller than the back of an adult male lion, grow on the slope. Their stems and leaves overlap, forming a semi-circular natural sheltered area, making it almost impossible to see what's inside from the outside.
Chen Fei took two steps up the earthen slope, found a spot in the sheltered area to lie down, and rested his head on his front paws.
Big Head looked around, went inside, found a spot next to Chen Fei, and lay down as well.
This place was a bit more spacious than the thorny spot where he used to sleep, and the wind wasn't as strong. The grass on the ground was soft from being compacted. He rested his chin on his front paws, yawned, kicked his hind legs, and closed his eyes.
He slept for about three minutes, then opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Chen Fei.
Chen Fei wasn't asleep; his eyes were half-open, and his ears were slowly turning as he listened to the sounds outside.
Big Head put his head back down and closed his eyes.
He didn't know why his brother moved him here, and he didn't understand most of the things his brother did, but it didn't matter if he didn't understand most of the time, he just followed along.
Anyway, it's more comfortable to sleep here than before.
He flicked his tail twice and fell asleep again.
Chen Fei turned his ear slightly to the southeast.
About three kilometers in that direction, the generator at the survey team's camp had just been restarted.
Preparations for departure have begun.
He mentally reviewed the terrain of the water source area to the north one last time.
Three gaps have been identified; the rock platform has been addressed; the reeds have been cleared of disturbance; and traces of odor activity have been left.
The rest is up to them to decide.
He checked Da Tou's position; Da Tou was lying about a foot away from him, its head tucked under its front paws, snoring more evenly than before—it was fast asleep.
This morning, you won't see Big Head in the area of the eastern hunting grounds.
When the survey team reached the east side, the equipment failed to activate and there was no target. They could only continue along the predetermined route, heading towards the water source on the north side.
Then came the noise from the reeds, the hidden pits on the rocky platform, and the scent traces of his deliberate activity. He was constantly led astray by interference signals throughout the morning, only to obtain a bunch of worthless data.
He slowly closed his eyes.
As the sunlight rose, the outline of the grass began to become clearer.
Beside him, Big Head kicked with his hind leg, striking his side.
Chen Fei did not move.
[Host: Chen Fei]
[Identity: Sub-adult male lion]
[Energy Points: 882↑]
The scent from the south drifted in on the morning breeze from afar, passing over the edge of the earthen slope and the leaves of the thick grass, getting in a little before being suppressed by the grassy smell of the sheltered area.
The distance remained the same.
Less than one kilometer.
The camp is at 6:00 AM sharp.
Marcus pressed the latch on the last equipment bag, stood up, and patted the mud off his knees.
"You can go now."
Morris folded the topographical sketch, stuffed it into his breast pocket, and nodded to Culler.
Kale was already standing at the camp exit, holding a probe in one hand and a compass in the other. He checked the direction and started walking in the northeast.
The five people set off one by one.