301: Chapter Two Hundred Ninety-Nine: A Bullet Casing 301: Chapter Two Hundred Ninety-Nine: A Bullet Casing Gao Yang didn’t know how to explain to the pilot that his search for a primitive tribe was more like visiting relatives than conducting any sort of research.
If he really had to explain, how he was related to a primitive tribe would take a long half-day to clarify.
Originally, Gao Yang had planned to fly to the coordinates where he and Akuri’s tribe had parted ways, and then start circling from there to check for any signs of human activity.
If he found something, that would be great—if there was a suitable place for the plane to land, they would just land nearby.
If landing wasn’t possible, they would mark the coordinates, fly back, and drive over for another attempt.
But if the pilot had seen a village of a primitive tribe before, things would be much easier.
“Are you sure you’ve seen a village of a primitive tribe?
Where is it?
Let’s go check it out right away.”
After glancing at the GPS a few times, the pilot scratched his head and said, “I have flown in that area, but it’s impossible for me to pinpoint the location right away.
It seems—I only seem to remember it’s around that spot.
Flying in the air and driving on a road are not the same.
If it’s not a fixed route, then I can only try to search by trial and error.”
Feeling helpless, Gao Yang said, “Then why did you say we could go there directly?”
“What I meant was, to fly directly to the route I’ve taken before.”
Gao Yang waved his hand and said, “Alright, let’s fly to the route you know of.
If we find nothing, then we’ll head back to our intended destination.”
The pilot took control of the plane again, and after a change in direction, they flew toward the route the pilot had mentioned.
The scenery on the savanna was monotonous to begin with, especially from the air.
It was nearly impossible to determine one’s location by landmarks on the ground, and they had to rely on the various navigation instruments on the plane.
After reaching the route in his memory, the pilot flew for about an hour.
Gao Yang noticed they had overshot the area he had intended to go to, but there was no sign of the primitive tribe the pilot had mentioned.
Gao Yang was starting to lose patience.
The pilot too began to doubt his memory.
Before long, the pilot shook his head and said, “This won’t work, we’ll have to circle nearby a few times.”
“As you say, you decide what to do.”
Aerial searches typically follow two patterns: one is a Z-shaped flight route, which is usually used when multiple planes work together in a search, with each flying a pre-determined route; the other involves circling in a predefined area and gradually expanding the circles.
It was clear that circling in the target airspace was more suitable for Gao Yang and his team.
The pilot began circling, gradually broadening the search area.
After about twenty minutes of circling, Gao Yang felt that the searched area was sufficiently covered, yet no sign of a primitive tribe had been identified.
Just as he was about to ask the pilot to proceed to the original destination, the pilot, who had been observing the left side, suddenly shouted, “Look over there!”
Gao Yang immediately looked in the direction the pilot was pointing and saw several dark shapes in the distance that looked like thatched huts.
Without waiting for Gao Yang’s instruction, the pilot had already steered the plane towards what could be the primitive tribe.
Soon enough, Gao Yang could see clearly that under several closely neighboring large trees, there were five conical huts made of intertwined branches on the ground.
The plane circled less than fifty meters above the huts, and everything on the ground was visible.
Gao Yang’s heart pounded; the rustic thatched huts were exactly like those of Akuri’s tribe.
Though it could be another tribe, it was certainly one of the same kind as Akuri’s tribe.
However, Gao Yang preferred to believe this was Akuri’s tribe.
Although it wasn’t yet certain, there was a high chance it was Akuri’s tribe.
Finding it so quickly filled Gao Yang with triumph, but soon after, he felt puzzled.
Akuri’s tribe lived primitively, with the adult men going hunting during the day and the women and children gathering food.
But there should be at least a few people in the village.
The plane had been circling in the sky for quite a while, and Gao Yang didn’t believe that if there were people in the village, none would come out to have a look.
Gao Yang directed his gaze towards the area around the huts, but likewise, he saw no signs of human activity on the savanna.
This disappointed him, as he feared that the huts below might have been abandoned.
After looking away, Gao Yang shouted, “Is it possible to land?”
The pilot looked around and shook his head, “Not nearby, too many trees, and it’s not flat enough.
Do we need to land?”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Land.
The village below might have been abandoned, but I need to check to be sure.”
The pilot shouted, “Alright, I’ll find a place.”
Although the landscape was still the Sparse Tree Savanna, the area where Gao Yang and his team were located already had comparatively more trees.
It wasn’t easy to find a place nearby with no trees or water, flat enough, and with sufficient distance.
The pilot searched the sky for over ten minutes, and each time he found a spot that seemed suitable, he realized there were various problems when he actually flew closer.
When he finally found a suitable place to land, it was at least ten kilometers from where they had spotted the grass huts.
As soon as the plane stabilized after landing, Gao Yang, who had been scared during the descent, immediately jumped out of the plane and said to the pilot, “Wait here for me, I’ll be back shortly.
We might need to continue searching.”
The pilot shook his head and replied, “That won’t work.
We only have enough fuel to fly back.
I can wait here for your return, and then we can fly back together, but if you need to start looking again, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
However, I have other things to do tomorrow, so you’ll either have to find another plane or wait at least four days.”
After hesitating for a moment, Gao Yang replied firmly, “If that’s the case, then you can leave now.
Whether the tribe has been abandoned or not, I need to stay here for a few days.
Perhaps I can find the direction they have migrated to.
If I need your plane, I’ll call you in four days.”
Having made an arrangement with the pilot, Gao Yang watched the plane take off and depart, then he checked his GPS, determined the direction of the grass huts, and immediately started jogging towards them.
When constructing grass huts, the Akuri tribe had its own customs.
Gao Yang was sure that with careful observation, he would know whether those huts were left by the Akuri tribe.
Even if the Akuri tribe had relocated, he was confident that he could find some traces and, at the very least, know which direction to search next.
Running on the savanna after a long absence, Gao Yang’s emotions were a mix of excitement and nervousness.
His pace kept increasing, as he couldn’t wait to see those familiar grass huts.
The distance of over ten kilometers was merely a warm-up for Gao Yang.
When he finally saw the several grass huts, he slowed down to a jog, and then, being still a couple hundred meters away, he broke into a full sprint.
Near the grass huts, the newly sprouted grass was sparse, with blades barely tall enough to reach above the ankles.
It was evident that people were here not long ago, definitely not more than three days ago.
After entering the rainy season, if there was no human trampling, the rapidly growing grass wouldn’t take more than a week to cover the clearing and look no different from other parts of the savanna.
Gao Yang slowed his pace and walked up to one of the grass huts.
What’s called a grass hut is really just a circular enclosure of branches with a thatched roof.
The temperature on the savanna is warm year-round, so the walls, made of branches, have gaps all over for ventilation.
These grass huts provided shelter mainly from rain and wild animals.
The grass huts had doors, which were also just woven lattices of branches.
At night, people would place the lattice at the hut’s entrance and prop it with a wooden stick to keep it closed.
At the moment, the lattice was thrown to one side of the hut.
Gao Yang was sure the place was devoid of people.
Before entering the hut, he took his hunting shotgun down just in case it had been occupied by some wild animal.
As he walked into the grass hut, the scene before him made his eyes widen.
His limbs felt cold, and he stiffened, unable to move.
Inside the grass hut wasn’t as empty as Gao Yang had anticipated but was instead covered with a few animal hides on the ground.
Though it was just a few hides, they signified much.
For the Akuri people, all resources were precious.
If their migration was normal, they would not have left anything behind the grass hut, especially since none of the possessions the Akuri tribe owned would have been inconvenient to carry.
After standing for a long while, Gao Yang stepped back a few steps, then ran to check another nearby grass hut.
As he entered, he found it difficult to breathe, for that small hut too had animal hides on the floor and, in the corner, two bows and several poison arrows.
Gao Yang immediately realized that something had happened to the people of this tribe.
For the Akuri, bows and poison arrows were their most important tools for survival.
They could lose anything, but not the bows and arrows.
Seeing the bows and arrows, Gao Yang took a deep breath and then, with an indescribable emotion, left that grass hut.
He now had to figure out whether this tribe was indeed the Akuri.
The Akuri tribe had similar groups, which seldom met up, and the construction of grass huts was largely the same.
Gao had to discern whether these huts were built by the Akuri tribe.
Gao Yang examined the grass huts, but he couldn’t confirm his suspicion.
He decided to look at the largest grass hut, which usually housed the chieftain and had the most distinct features.
Gao Yang moved towards the largest hut while not forgetting to observe the ground around him.
He had not walked far when he made a discovery.
He rushed forward a few steps and picked up a cartridge case from the ground.
(To be continued.
If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com).
Your support is my greatest motivation.
Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)