"Back then, Uncle, you easily mobilized the Military Police to save Mikasa and me, yet you still say our family is marginalized and suppressed by the Royal Government. And I also suspect your relationship with Uncle Skog is not that simple, right?" I asked.
"Uh, well..." Hank scratched his head helplessly.
"This involves a secret organization. I am a high ranking member of it, and Skog is my deputy. For certain reasons, I cannot reveal too much to you right now. We will talk about it when you are older."
Hank clearly did not intend to say anything further. I was sensible enough to stop pressing the matter. We ended the conversation and focused on preparing for the hunt.
Hank and I gathered branches and leaves and made two ghillie suits, a form of camouflage gear. Wearing them, we slowly approached the flock of wild ducks.
At least, that was what Hank believed.
From my perspective, the main reason we had not been discovered was the Concealment Card I carried. The dry leaves on the ghillie suits rustled whenever we moved, which was far from silent. If not for the Concealment Card and a bit of luck, the ducks would have fled long ago.
The wild ducks had gathered at a small pond hidden in the woods. The pond was roughly the size of a basketball court. More than thirty ducks crowded the water, making the place look cramped and chaotic. Their constant quacking filled the quiet forest.
Hank and I crouched in the grass about thirty meters away. A large tree with thick foliage stood beside us, giving us extra cover.
Hank raised his gun and aimed toward the flock. Then he glanced at the bow and arrows in my hands and smiled.
"Jax, getting this close is probably the limit. How about a competition?"
I understood what he meant immediately.
The gun in Hank's hands clearly had a much longer effective range than my bow. Even without knowing his exact shooting ability, the advantage was obviously his.
I rolled my eyes.
"Uncle, you just do not want to lose face in front of Mikasa, do you?"
Hank only smiled and said nothing. He simply kept aiming at the ducks, which felt like silent confirmation.
I clicked my tongue and pulled a triangular armor piercing arrow from my quiver.
"I will try for a one shot kill," I murmured to myself.
I had never liked dealing with flying targets. They were difficult to hit, and even if you managed to wound them, finishing them off in midair was troublesome. Whether it was the vampires I had faced back on Earth or these wild ducks, the problem was the same.
Bang!
Seeing that I had not fired yet, Hank pulled the trigger first.
The loud gunshot startled the flock. The ducks flapped their wings wildly and burst from the pond, scrambling into the sky. Feathers scattered everywhere as the flock erupted into chaos.
I could not tell whether Hank had hit anything.
He quickly reloaded and fired again.
Bang!
This shot struck a nearby tree trunk instead, missing the ducks entirely.
At that moment, I noticed one duck reacting slower than the others. While the rest were already climbing into the sky, it was still struggling to gain height.
I drew my bow.
Aimed.
Released.
The arrow shot forward and pierced straight through the duck's right wing.
The duck cried out sharply. It looked toward its companions already in the air, then lost control and fell helplessly toward the ground.
Hank reacted quickly and fired another shot.
Bang!
The bullet struck its neck, finishing it instantly.
"Haha, Jax, your archery is quite good. Our cooperation was excellent," Hank said shamelessly.
I walked over and examined the duck's body carefully.
"Two gunshot wounds."
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