Chun Mian struck ruthlessly. Every blow of the stick hit flesh, and even bone. The wild boar was beaten so badly that its squeals grew increasingly shrill and miserable.
However, Chun Mian still hadn't delivered a fatal blow. The Interstellar Federation had no animal protection laws. In the interstellar era, many animals had mutated and possessed incredibly high Attack Power. On certain Desolate Stars in particular, anyone who landed there would likely be devoured as food by the local fauna. Therefore, the Interstellar Federation did not enforce any animal protection laws; unless someone had a death wish, an ordinary person would never actively provoke these beasts. Furthermore, interstellar animals held little commercial value, making hunters even rarer.
But Chun Mian had read a lot of historical data and knew that Earth once had laws protecting animals. This was why she hadn't gone for the kill yet. She had rummaged through Wei Shumei's memories for quite a while without finding any relevant protection laws. Was it because such laws hadn't been enacted yet, or did Wei Shumei simply not know about them?
"Is it illegal to kill this thing?" Chun Mian asked loudly amidst the chaotic fray.
By this point, Wei Qihai had already zoned out. His mind was buzzing with chaos, completely empty of any coherent thought. Hearing Chun Mian's sudden question, he stared blankly for a long time before raising his voice in reply. "N-No!"
Why would killing a wild boar be illegal?
Wei Qihai was a bit confused, but before he could figure it out, he heard a massive thud followed by an agonizing shriek.
THWACK!
That was the sound of Chun Mian's fatal strike.
SQUEAL!
That was the wild boar's dying wail. Wei Qihai felt like it echoed through half the village.
The way Chun Mian wielded the stick was incredibly eerie; she clearly had her own unique technique. Although the wild boar had been beaten to death, its skin and flesh weren't heavily mangled, and it barely bled at all. Chun Mian was simply afraid that a bleeding, dead boar would attract even more wild beasts. But to Wei Qihai, it just proved his sister really was a medical student who knew exactly how to strike without drawing blood!
Wei Qihai, who had inexplicably squeezed his legs together, stood frozen for a long while before finally snapping out of it. He cautiously took two steps forward. "Sister, is it dead just like that?"
"Yeah," Chun Mian replied with a nod. She paid no more attention to the boar and went to retrieve her basket hanging from a tree.
Seeing that Chun Mian was already getting ready to head down the mountain, Wei Qihai was stunned. He looked at the boar, then at Chun Mian, and asked in a small voice, "Sister, are we just going to leave it?"
Chun Mian shot him a puzzled look. This time, it was Chun Mian's turn to have a massive question mark popping up over her head.
Wei Qihai accurately interpreted the look on her face as asking what they would even do with it.
"This thing must weigh at least one hundred kilograms. Are we really just going to throw away all this meat?" Wei Qihai didn't understand if Chun Mian was abandoning it or if she planned to go down and fetch people to help haul it. But this was deep in the mountains! Ordinary people wouldn't dare venture up here. If it were up to Wei Qihai, he had absolutely no intention of making a second trip. It was too terrifying!
Hearing his question, Chun Mian suddenly realized something. In the interstellar era, the meat of wild beasts tasted dreadful, often carrying a sour and astringent flavor. Of course, the taste was only one aspect. The primary reason was that wild beast meat contained large amounts of harmful substances that would contaminate a human's spiritual power. For this reason, very few people ever ate such things. Even if they did, the meat had to go through multiple layers of purification and refinement first.
Because of this, Chun Mian had subconsciously assumed the wild boar was inedible. Now, reminded by Wei Qihai, it occurred to her that in this current era, even if wild boar meat didn't taste great, it was still hard-earned food. Pork was nearly four yuan per kilo at the market. No matter how poor the texture of wild boar meat was, it could still be sold for money!
"I was just going to grab my basket first." Not wanting Wei Qihai to suspect anything, Chun Mian lifted the basket in her hand to show him, then took large strides toward the wild boar.
Seeing her do this, Wei Qihai breathed a small sigh of relief. This was meat! How could they not want it?
"Then, Sister, let's go down the mountain and get some people..." Wei Qihai felt that since the wild boar was so huge, bringing it home wouldn't be easy; they needed to get help from the village.
He turned around as he spoke. As a result, the moment he turned back, he froze completely on the spot!
What on earth was he looking at?!
His sister, a young girl in her early twenties—well, a woman—who was just about as slim as him with an incredibly frail figure, had hoisted a plump, two-hundred-pound wild boar onto her shoulder! Yes, hoisted it right up and slung it over her shoulder!
Wei Qihai was so shocked that he immediately plopped onto the ground. Just then, a little green "cutie" slithered in a zigzag pattern right past him.
Wei Qihai's eyes widened in horror. He remained dumbfounded on the ground. At that moment, he didn't even know which was more terrifying: the little snake that had just slithered by, or Chun Mian!
After lifting the wild boar onto her shoulder, Chun Mian waited for a while but heard no movement. She turned her head and saw Wei Qihai sitting on the ground. Slightly perplexed, she asked, "Xiao Hai, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." Wei Qihai stood up in a daze and followed blankly behind Chun Mian.
He didn't even know how he made it down the mountain. Along the way, he kept feeling that something was off, but unfortunately, he couldn't put his finger on it until they reached the bottom. Because he was so spaced out, he also failed to notice how effortlessly Chun Mian was walking while carrying a two-hundred-pound wild boar. Even the most robust man in the village couldn't have pulled that off.
It was mid-morning, so many people were still out working in the fields. The only ones left at home were the elderly and the children who hadn't yet started school. Because Chun Mian was growing herbs in the backyard and the family was brewing liquor, Mrs. Wei felt uneasy. Terrified of attracting thieves, she had been staying away from the fields lately. Fortunately, the autumn harvest wasn't until the end of the month, so she still had some free time.
Carrying the wild boar, Chun Mian made a high-profile return home. With something so massive, Chun Mian never intended to sneak it back in.
The children playing in the village, as well as the uncles and elders taking a brief rest at the edge of the fields, were all flabbergasted when they saw Chun Mian returning to the village with a behemoth on her shoulder.
"Shumei, what are you..." Uncle Wei was the first to speak. Of course, before doing so, he first glanced behind Chun Mian. Seeing that Wei Qihai had returned safely, he felt slightly relieved and took the initiative to ask.
"I killed a wild boar," Chun Mian replied in a flat tone.
To Chun Mian, this was the most normal thing in the world. But to the villagers, even the most skilled hunter might not be able to bag a wild boar on the mountain, and might even lose their life trying.
But Chun Mian? With her scrawny arms and legs? However, if it wasn't Chun Mian, who else could it be? Wei Qihai? He was even scrawnier than Chun Mian!
Dumbfounded by Chun Mian's nonchalant attitude, it took Uncle Wei a long time to snap back to reality and let out a long, drawn-out, "Ah..."
In truth, he still hadn't fully processed it. Beside him, Wei Dama finally closed her gaping mouth and asked in a trembling voice, "Y-You killed it?"