Chapter 42 - 38: Mapmaking
Qin Ziwen had carefully considered his decision to reveal the Beaked Eagle’s existence to Deng Guang’s family.
After all, with an eagle that large flying in and out of the window every day, the risk of discovery was high. Sooner or later, someone was bound to notice.
He figured it was better to reveal its existence on his own terms rather than wait for it to be discovered.
It was also a good opportunity to gauge the Deng Family’s reaction.
Besides, when sewing something so form-fitting, hand gestures alone wouldn’t cut it. The result would be too loose. To make a small pack that fit snugly enough to keep the phone from falling out, he needed to make adjustments up close and take measurements on the eagle itself.
Qin Ziwu said excitedly, "Brother! The Beaked Eagle is our scout now! With this camera on its chest, it can see farther than we ever could."
"Yeah, we can strap the phone to its chest to record video," Qin Ziwen mused. "It can film remotely in places that are difficult for us to reach. The only problem is my phone’s battery is low and needs to be charged." He quickly thought of a clever solution.
There were plenty of cars in the garage, all potential charging stations. Many of their infotainment systems had USB ports. The charging wouldn’t be fast, but it would be steady.
For now, he used a power bank he had at home. He pulled one with 23% charge remaining from a drawer and topped up his phone to 57%.
He secured the phone to the Beaked Eagle’s chest, carried it to the rooftop, and switched on the recording mode.
"After you take off, circle the Gated Community once. Don’t fly too high. If you run into any other birds, don’t fight them. Retreat immediately. Got it?"
"SCREE~" the Beaked Eagle cried out.
Qin Ziwen let go, watching as the Beaked Eagle soared into the sky, its figure growing smaller and smaller.
He felt a pang of worry. The Beaked Eagle could easily run into danger in this perilous wilderness, but he knew he couldn’t let fear stop him from taking necessary risks.
The Beaked Eagle circled the sky, and Qin Ziwen’s gaze followed its every move.
Suddenly, a black dot appeared in the distance, heading straight for the Beaked Eagle.
The Beaked Eagle began to flee, but the black dot gave chase, and the two birds circled in the sky.
The Beaked Eagle accelerated, diving steeply and pulling away from the black dot behind it.
FLAP FLAP FLAP.
With a few powerful flaps of its wings, the Beaked Eagle dove and landed on the rooftop.
The black dot overhead ceased its pursuit after a certain point. It circled once, then flew away.
After landing, the Beaked Eagle began rubbing its head against Qin Ziwen’s shoulder.
Qin Ziwen stroked its head reassuringly. "It’s okay, it’s okay. I know you got a scare."
Unexpectedly, the eagle became agitated at his words. "SCREE! SCREE! SCREE!"
It even swiped its talons at the air, looking thoroughly indignant.
After calming it down, Qin Ziwen removed the now-hot phone, stopped the recording, and took the Beaked Eagle back downstairs to his apartment.
He checked the footage.
The video was shaky during takeoff, only becoming clear and stable once the eagle began to glide.
From the bird’s-eye view, the Gated Community below looked like a square, with tiny, ant-like people milling in and out.
It was surrounded by dense forest. A river flowed from east to west just south of the Gated Community. From this high up, the blue-green water looked like a jade belt set against the woods.
To the north lay a vast, unbroken mountain range. Another range rose up south of the river. The Gated Community was situated perfectly in the buffer zone between them.
To the west, the terrain flattened out into a large, verdant meadow, which was surrounded on all sides by darker-green woods.
Downstream from the Gated Community, the two mountain ranges gradually diverged, ending in a wide, open plain.
Overall, the Gated Community was situated in a river valley between two mountain ranges—a complex terrain type, enclosed by mountains with a flat central area and an open plain downstream.
’Add to that the crocodiles and pythons, plus this hot, humid air... so, is it tropical? Subtropical?’
Qin Ziwen shook his head. ’It’s been so many years... I’ve long since forgotten everything I learned in geography class. Besides, this isn’t Earth. Knowledge from back home can only be a reference here.’
"Hm?" he murmured in surprise.
In the second half of the video, the Beaked Eagle suddenly accelerated, letting out a ferocious cry.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
During a sharp turn, the camera caught a fleeting glimpse of a grayish-black bird in pursuit of the Beaked Eagle.
Judging from the footage, this wasn’t the giant bird that had attacked their Gated Community, but a different species altogether. It wasn’t nearly as big, either.
Ultimately, the Beaked Eagle shook off its pursuer with a dive, landing on the rooftop of Building Eight.
Taking out a pen and paper, Qin Ziwen paused the video periodically to sketch. Soon, he had a detailed map drawn on the page.
Qin Ziwu stroked his chin, eyeing the map dubiously. "Brother, what did you draw? It’s a bit... abstract."
"A map."
"What’s this?"
"The mountains."
"And this?"
"The grassland."
"What are these triangles?"
"Elevation markers."
Qin Ziwu nodded slowly. "I see. This map must be encrypted. An ordinary person would never be able to read it."
Qin Ziwen’s face fell. He tossed the pen and paper to his brother. "You do it, then."
Qin Ziwu just chuckled and waved his hands in dismissal. He was only kidding. If he tried to draw it, the result would be nothing but illegible chicken scratch that even he couldn’t decipher.
With a soft snort, Qin Ziwen picked up his pen. "I’ve finished the overview map. Now I need to add more detail. We know there’s a wolf pack in the western grasslands, so that’s out. We can’t cross the river to the south for now, either. That leaves north or east." He picked up his phone again, pausing and zooming in on the video.
"Look here. Doesn’t this look like a cave?"
Qin Ziwen pointed to a spot on the northern mountainside.
"I think so, but it’s a bit of a trek from our Gated Community. Would it take half a day to walk there?"
"Longer than that, probably. This forest is completely undeveloped, so the going will be tough. Plus, it’s all uphill."
"The river forks downstream here, creating a tributary," Qin Ziwen said, pointing to the video.
Judging by the looks of it, the tributary was at least two to three miles away. The plain farther downstream was even more distant—at least six or seven miles, if not more.
"Get your gear on. We’re heading east. More people have explored that direction, and so far, there have been no reports of any large predators. We should be able to handle any small or medium-sized animals we run into."
Qin Ziwen began to pack and sent his brother upstairs to get Deng Guang. The main goal of this expedition was to scout the eastern terrain in more detail. To stay mobile, the three men, plus the Beaked Eagle, would proceed downstream along the riverbank. They would also be looking for a more suitable location to set their Earth Cages.
The two families gathered downstairs shortly after.
Xiao Xuemei was there, thoughtfully helping Deng Guang adjust his clothes and gear.
Deng Wen whispered, "Be careful, Dad."
Deng Guang’s expression softened. "Don’t worry. I’m with Brother Qin and the others. We’ll be safe."
After waving their goodbyes, the three men cut across the Gated Community and headed for the east gate.
"Qin Ziwen?" A voice, both familiar and strange, called out from his right.
Qin Ziwen turned to see it was his former supervisor, Wang Juan.
Compared to how she’d looked on the first day, however, she was in terrible shape. Her eyes were full of exhaustion, and her previous arrogance was completely gone.
Wang Juan spoke in a low voice, "Can you spare some food?"
Qin Ziwen found her request baffling. "Do I know you that well?"
Qin Ziwu, who was holding a long staff, shot back, "We don’t have any! And even if we did, we wouldn’t give it to you. You’ve got hands and feet, can’t you go find your own food? Have you no shame? Everyone’s short on food, and you think you can just ask people for handouts?"
Wang Juan’s face went pale. A bitter smile touched her lips. "My husband... he was bitten by a poisonous snake. He’s gone. I haven’t eaten in a day. Please, I’m begging you."
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