Chapter 62

The stream was about three to four meters wide, with its deepest point only reaching the knees of an adult. However, the water flow was quite swift, and there were many stones both in the water and along the banks. The stream water splashed against these stones, creating white foam.

Anqi held Qin Yi’s hand as they walked by the stream. The water barely covered their feet as they walked against the current. The water splashed over their ankles, tickling them, which made Anqi laugh continuously.

Here, the water flow was swift, rich in oxygen, and abundant in food, so there were many fish, both big and small. Occasionally, a fish would bump into Anqi’s feet, making her both surprised and delighted, and she would let out excited cries.

Susa and Liu Qimeng watched them from a distance through the sparse shrubs. Every time they heard Anqi’s laughter, they couldn’t help but smile.

After finishing her second cup of coffee, Liu Qimeng couldn’t resist the urge to join in. In the past, when she went on trips, she was always just a spectator. There were rarely opportunities to get so close to nature. If she didn’t seize this chance, would she regret it later?

“Susa, let’s go play too!”

“You go ahead, Mengmeng. I’ll stay here and keep watch with this.” Susa waved the Remington in her hand. Although she also wanted to play with Anqi, it was better to have someone on guard in the wild. If a wild animal approached, they would be prepared.

“Come on, Susa, this season, carnivores are active on the mountains. There won’t be any problems!” Without waiting for a response, she pulled Susa towards Qin Yi and Anqi.

Susa had no choice but to follow. Maybe Mengmeng was right; she was being too cautious. This season, the mountains were cool and food was abundant, so carnivores generally wouldn’t come down.

“Ha ha ha, Anqi, I’m coming to catch you! Where are you running to!” Liu Qimeng, upon reaching the stream, took off her shoes, held them in her left hand, and stepped into the water, pretending to scare Anqi.

“Giggle, Uncle Yi, run fast, Auntie Liu is coming to catch me!”

Sure enough, Anqi, hearing Liu Qimeng’s shout, turned back and saw her chasing after her along the stream. She was both nervous and excited, and she called out for Qin Yi to pull her and run faster.

Qin Yi, of course, didn’t refuse. He grabbed Anqi’s small hand and walked quickly, occasionally looking back at Liu Qimeng, who was splashing water as she ran. Seeing her run like a madwoman, he laughed and started running with Anqi. The splashing water drenched Anqi, making her even happier. She laughed and called out, constantly urging Qin Yi to run faster while looking back to see if Liu Qimeng was catching up.

Susa didn’t enter the water. She carried the Remington and followed along the bank. Watching Liu Qimeng play like a child, she found it amusing, but it was good to see everyone so happy. Looking at the three of them having fun, Susa also wanted to join in, but someone had to guard their happiness. If they could stay this happy, Susa didn’t mind being the guardian!

“Splash!”

A loud splash and the subsequent screams from Liu Qimeng and Anqi snapped Susa out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Qin Yi pulling Anqi out of the water, and Liu Qimeng following behind. It seemed Anqi, in her haste to escape, had slipped and fallen into the stream.

Susa quickly walked over. Although American children were taught to be independent and strong from a young age, she couldn’t help but worry if something really happened.

“Anqi, are you hurt anywhere?” Qin Yi, seeing the wet little girl stand up on her own, was relieved but still a bit tense. The water was shallow, but the stones could easily cause injuries.

“No.” Anqi still had a smile on her face, having had so much fun playing in the water.

Seeing that Anqi was really fine, the three adults breathed a sigh of relief, especially Liu Qimeng, who was afraid Anqi might have hit her head on a sharp stone.

Susa, seeing Liu Qimeng’s worried face, smiled and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Mengmeng. This is normal. Accidents can happen in any situation. Should we stop doing things because of unforeseen accidents? Don’t worry, Anqi is having a great time, isn’t she?”

Susa’s sincerity, both in her words and eyes, made Liu Qimeng feel less awkward, and she smiled gratefully at Susa.

At this moment, Anqi remembered that Auntie Liu was trying to catch her. She squirmed in Qin Yi’s arms and pleaded, “Uncle Yi, run fast, Auntie Liu is going to catch me!”

Liu Qimeng laughed and pretended to chase Anqi, scaring her into more screams. Qin Yi lifted her and spun her around, playing along with Liu Qimeng. Each time Anqi “successfully” avoided being caught, she giggled with delight.

After playing for a while, Qin Yi, seeing that Liu Qimeng was tired, led everyone back to the campsite. They rekindled the fire and dried their clothes, as wearing wet clothes was uncomfortable even if they weren’t cold.

Feeling the water bottle was still warm, he made three cups of coffee and poured a glass of juice from the bag for Anqi, who drank it happily.

“Roar! Roar...”

Before finishing his coffee, a distant roar echoed, followed by another, shorter roar.

“Oh, no, we might have encountered North American brown bears. Damn!”

Hearing the roar, Susa became tense, put down her cup, and grabbed the Remington, crouching down to watch the direction of the sound, which was towards the Rocky Mountains!

Qin Yi didn’t know what animal was roaring, but seeing Susa’s tense demeanor and her mention of North American brown bears, he also became nervous and quickly took out another Remington from the motorcycle.

For dealing with large carnivores, small-caliber hunting rifles weren’t very effective. The Remington, with its large caliber, had a significant killing power and an effective range of 100 meters. At a distance of ten to twenty meters, hitting a brown bear’s vital points and bringing it down was no problem!

Qin Yi, seeing Anqi’s curious look, quietly told her not to speak and asked the pale Liu Qimeng to hold her. He then crouched next to Susa, holding the hunting rifle in a defensive position.

“The roars indicate there are two of them. Damn, this season, the mountains are full of food. Why would they come down? Yi, don’t shoot unless the damn bears attack us!” Susa loaded the bullets, just in case.

Qin Yi nodded, loaded his rifle, and carefully watched the end of the forest. Running now would be useless; being spotted while moving would make them more likely to be attacked by the bears. They could only stay alert and wait for the bears to retreat. Fortunately, North American brown bears and mountain lions generally don’t attack humans, especially when food is abundant.

“Roar...”

Another roar, closer this time, and the sound of branches and bushes being broken could be heard.

Soon, behind a few large trees, a bush suddenly parted, and a small bear stumbled out, falling and letting out a young, pained cry.

The small bear was chubby, with wrinkled black fur and a white circle on its neck, which had some bloodstains. It quickly got up, looked back, and let out another cry, then ran towards the right rear of where Qin Yi and the others were, clearly afraid.

Qin Yi looked at Susa in confusion. They were told there were two adult bears, so why was there a cub? This was troublesome, as mother bears with cubs are very aggressive!

Susa also looked at Qin Yi. Perhaps they were too far away to hear the cub’s cries earlier. But now, the cub’s panicked and disheveled state clearly indicated it was fleeing, and there were two adult bears nearby. Could it be that...

Susa had a thought. If this was the case, the adult bears might not have the time to attack them!

Sure enough, as if to confirm Susa’s guess, the sound of branches and bushes being broken came from behind the cub. Then, a robust gray bear, standing about 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, ran out, chasing the cub. Behind it, a smaller adult gray bear ran, constantly biting and trying to stop the larger bear from pursuing the cub.

Susa, seeing this, felt slightly relieved. It was clear that a male bear was trying to kill the cub, while the female bear was desperately trying to stop him. This meant they wouldn’t have the time to attack them.

Qin Yi also understood. He had heard that male bears kill cubs during the mating season to make the female bear enter estrus, allowing them to leave their own offspring. Of course, this would result in the female bear’s desperate attacks.