Chapter 342: 342. Track
The broken carriage revealed anomalous information.
Lann wasn’t very sensitive to this information, but Henrik and Gascogne immediately tensed up.
Anomalies are information that exceeds common knowledge, and for hunters who rely on intelligence to plan their operations, it means danger.
"We need to find that creature; its level of beast transformation is quite high. It should have already started walking on all fours. Leaving it unchecked is too dangerous."
Henrik rose from his crouched position, adjusted his yellow mask, and made his decision.
Gascogne nodded silently, and Lann had no objections.
Every profession has its own ethics.
And the ethics of a hunter are: when an anomalous creature is discovered, the discoverer must complete the hunt. Even if they’re unable to do so, they must leave a conspicuous warning.
Other hunters passing by might not notice the anomaly, and if it’s left unchecked, it could lead unwary hunters into a monster’s ambush.
There’s a big difference between ambushing and being ambushed.
Take for example the beast-transformed patient Lann dealt with in seconds. If Lann hadn’t spotted it in advance, the battle would have lasted two to five minutes at least.
And Lann couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t get hurt.
That sudden attack could indeed be fatal if not careful.
Henrik discovered the anomaly’s presence, so he had to eliminate the ’anomaly’.
"Should we split up to find it?"
Gascogne transformed his long-handled axe into a hatchet and pulled out a bell-mouthed firearm from the strap on his back waist.
Different from the strategy used in teams, this was suited for solo action.
"The smell of blood here is too mixed; ordinary people, hunters, and beasts have all bled here... We can’t track that creature by scent."
His nostrils slightly twitched beneath the white bandaged eyes, making a judgment.
Henrik agreed, unable to find the target amidst the mixed scent of blood. Yan Nan people are sensitive to blood, but the sensitivity isn’t a supernatural sense.
Immediately, Henrik prepared to nod, suggesting the team disperse to search.
However, still squatting by the wreckage and occasionally pinching the jelly-like blood mass, Lann voiced a different opinion.
"Splitting up against a creature with anomalous behavior is quite foolish."
"What’s your suggestion, outsider?"
Henrik asked with a touch of sarcasm.
Lann stood up, his eyes’ cat-like pupils constantly contracting.
"Tracking doesn’t have to rely on blood; I happen to have some expertise in this area."
"I discovered its footprints; we can follow them."
"Footprints?" Gascogne asked cautiously, "Lann, should I remind you? We’re walking on cobblestone streets."
"Traces will always be left, even on cobblestone streets."
The Demon Hunter’s tone was calm and certain, a tone that usually occurs when a professional encounters a professional issue and has confidence in their ability.
Henrik and Gascogne exchanged glances after pondering for a moment.
Henrik also pulled out his Hunter’s Pistol, the saw blade in retracting mode.
"Proceed vigilantly, Lann leads the way."
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In the Demon Hunter’s supernatural senses, the scratches left by a beast’s claws crossing the ground were a vibrant red.
However, in the eyes of ordinary people or someone like Henrik, a Yan Nan Hunter, the scratches on the cobblestone road were merely the result of regular wear and tear over time.
They couldn’t distinguish if the traces were left half an hour ago or one or two months ago.
Lann didn’t stop walking, leading Henrik and Gascogne through alleys with Yan’an style.
Occasionally, they passed through dilapidated homes.
The residents inside were either dragged out and killed by the beast-transformed patients or were dragged out and killed by hunters once they transformed into beasts.
In any case, the scene wasn’t pretty.
Inside one of the homes, Lann noticed black gunpowder scattered across the floor, accompanied by remnants of several wooden barrels.
In Yan’an, people really would store barrels of gunpowder in their homes.
This reminded the outsider Demon Hunter once more—never play with fire in Yan’an.
Tracking is an incredibly time-consuming procedure in hunting activities.
In normal hunting activities, it might take ten minutes to kill the prey, but tracking traces could take ten hours.
The efficiency of the Demon Hunter’s supernatural senses is high, but Lann still led them in tracking for three to four hours.
Following the claw scratches on the ground, Lann’s gaze tilted upwards, sweeping along the walls on both sides of the alley.
"Can a patient with a higher degree of beast transformation still climb walls with their four-legged walking ability?"
Without turning, Lann asked softly.
Henrik, as the Old Hunter with the most experience in the small group, provided a definitive answer.
"They can climb walls, but it’s exhausting for them even to hang there outside of combat. But during quick-paced battles, they mostly stay on the ground."
If a monster could freely run on walls, it would mean the battlefield environment expands from a two-dimensional plane to three-dimensional, requiring immense changes in handling and thinking.
The information Henrik provided wasn’t immediately bad.
Lann slightly raised his palm, signaling the two behind him to pause.
The terrain now was a narrow alley leading to a wider alley.
The three of them stood at one end of the narrow alley, able to see through to the wide alley at a glance.
In the Demon Hunter’s perspective, the red claw marks extended from the narrow alley’s wall, but the walls in the wide alley were clean.
"It’s obvious; our ’friend’ is waiting at the wide alley’s corner."
Lann pulled out the Lady of the Lake’s Sword from his waist, instinctively spinning the blade.
Gascogne ground his teeth, saying, "Narrow terrain doesn’t allow much movement."
A hunter wielding a great axe indeed feels restricted in such terrain.
Henrik, having worked in such terrain many times, remained quite calm.
He checked the status of his Hunter’s Pistol and reloaded a bullet.
Lann noticed that the bullet wasn’t made of common brass but seemed more wrapped in... mercury?
Mercury? Wouldn’t the high temperature in the gun barrel evaporate mercury vapors?
The bullet was unprecedented and unheard of, but Lann had learned never to judge Yan’an using common sense. So he treated it as the local people’s unique craft.
When the two of them were done reloading their bullets and checking the gun status, the trio collectively moved towards the corner in the alley.
Henrik’s Hunter’s Pistol was more accurate than Gascogne’s blunderbuss, so he specifically aimed upwards, prepared to shoot the beast-transformed patient off the wall the moment it entered his sight.
Lann and Gascogne, on the other hand, remained alert to the surroundings.
According to Lann’s plan, it’s just a slightly peculiar creature. Once Henrik’s shot brought it down, the three of them could launch a sufficiently strong wave of attack to finish the monster.
But when the trio finally carefully advanced past the corner, with Henrik’s finger raised upwards and already triggering the gun... the Old Hunter’s squinted eyes suddenly opened wide!
"Scatter!"