stjorthotic Chapter 12 Rescue? Night Owl?!
Chapter 12 Rescue? Night Owl?!
The mushrooms were all displayed on the map, but Xu Ran still only picked the expensive ones.
In addition to mushrooms, other crops will also be marked on the map.
For example, the first-class protected plant, the yew tree, and the Chinese medicinal herbs that grow together, such as Schisandra chinensis, Datura stramonium, and Agrimonia pilosa.
The Chinese medicinal herbs were all inexpensive and not worth much money. Xu Ran only carried one bamboo basket and couldn't possibly pick them all.
Right now, we can only pick the more expensive mushrooms.
Although one person's strength is limited, there's no other way; only he knows about the map, so he has to collect it all by himself.
The mountain road was not easy to walk on, and some parts were a little muddy.
However, Xu Ran really enjoyed the feeling of going into the mountains.
The surroundings are completely natural, with only various kinds of trees and wild grass. To be honest, if an ordinary person were here, any slight movement would probably stimulate the constant secretion of adrenaline.
After all, being alone in the wild, with wild animals possibly appearing at any time, is quite frightening.
But Xu Ran was happy to be free.
The only thing to watch out for is snakes.
So every time he passed a patch of tall grass, he would tap it with a stick to prevent any poisonous snakes from jumping out.
Boletus, Termitomyces, Milk cap mushroom, Morel mushroom...
Today was another fruitful day.
But he went deeper and deeper.
Just then, the system panel suddenly popped up, followed by a broadcast:
[Mission Triggered: Save the Night Owl!]
[Mission Description: The nights of this post-apocalyptic world are fraught with danger, with mutated beasts roaming freely. Please rescue a wounded Night Owl!]
[Mission Reward: Increased favorability and affinity between the host and the Night Owl; the Night Owl will protect the host's post-apocalyptic farm!]
Xu Ran looked at the system panel, a question mark appearing above his head.
?
Night Owl?
What is this thing again?
bat?
If it really is that thing, Xu Ran has no desire to be friendly with it. After all, bats carry too many viruses, and living on a farm would be terrible.
A mission marker appeared on the map.
Xu Ran figured that since she was already on a mission, she might as well go and take a look.
He carried half a basket of mushrooms on his back, walking along the mountain path, climbing up the steep slope until he reached the location marked on the mission map.
He couldn't find the mission objective at first.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a head hidden in the pile of dry grass under the tree, its dark eyes fixed intently on Xu Ran.
It's an owl.
"So it's an owl. I was wondering what the Night Owl really was."
"The names this system uses are always a bit strange."
As Xu Ran spoke, he approached the owl.
Logically speaking, if you find an injured wild animal, you should call the police immediately; this is the most correct course of action.
Because ordinary people do not have the ability to provide assistance.
Xu Ran crouched down to take a look and realized that the owl was probably a young adult and had injured its wing during flight, so it could not fly and could only hide in the grass.
"The wing is injured, but it's not a big problem. It should heal with some rest."
"I remember the system shop had items for rescuing birds."
Xu Ran opened the system store.
I earned a lot of system coins from selling watermelons last time, and I also earned some from selling mushrooms yesterday.
The products in the store are currently quite simple, consisting only of crop seeds, fertilizers, and some basic farm tools and equipment.
Among them is the [Poultry Rescue Bandage].
"One watermelon costs 100 system coins, which is equivalent to 10 watermelons."
"Little one, I'm going to save you now, but don't peck me."
Xu Ran looked at the owl hiding in the grass and reached out his hands to grab it.
When the owl saw people approaching, it immediately tried to run to the side, but when it spread its wings, it found that it couldn't move at all.
Owls are the kings of the night, champions of silent flight, and have almost no ability to run on land.
So Xu Ran easily grasped it with both hands and picked it up.
It looks like holding a large terracotta figurine.
"Don't be afraid, I mean you no harm. You'll have a hard time surviving if you're not helped. I'll take you to a good place."
Xu Ran reassured the owl.
The owl's eyes were fixed on Xu Ran. As if sensing no danger, it made no struggle.
Owls have this kind of personality. There are many real-life examples of rescuing owls. Once an owl is caught, it almost never resists.
If it were a hawk or falcon, it wouldn't be a bird of prey unless it made a few sharp cries and pecks.
Moreover, owls are very easy to tame. After the rescuer fed it a few times, the owl refused to leave.
They even fly back after being released.
It can distinguish between being full at one meal and being full at every meal.
Who would willingly endure hardship and uncertainty when they have a permanent position?
Owls are quite intelligent.
"To be honest, I used to prefer falcons because I thought they were so majestic, but now that I see them up close, owls are quite good-looking too."
Xu Ran clicked his tongue in amazement.
Perhaps because owls are mostly active at night, they always give people a ghostly feeling. In fact, if it can be associated with "cat", it must be good-looking.
Xu Ran redeemed a bandage from the system shop, and after simply cleaning the bloodstains off his wings with the water he carried with him, he wrapped the bandage around his wings.
The bandage has a built-in disinfecting and sterilizing function, and the effect is quite amazing.
Throughout the process, the owl was well-behaved and very cooperative, keeping its eyes fixed on Xu Ran, giving off a somewhat adorable and innocent vibe.
Xu Ran touched it, and then continued to hold it while picking mushrooms.
We still need to make money.
Opportunities to earn 2,000 a day are rare; it's practically like picking up money off the street.
The sounds of birdsong and insect chirping filled the woods.
Xu Ran held the owl in his hand. Every time they arrived at a new place, he would put it on the ground, pick up all the mushrooms, and then continue holding it.
The owl didn't move at all except for occasionally blinking, like a fluffy figurine.
Of course, this guy is mild-mannered, but he doesn't hold back when he needs to be fierce, and he holds grudges.
There's a video where a gyrfalcon scratched an owl's head during the day, and the owl remembered it. That night, it went straight to the gyrfalcon's nest and wiped out the entire family.
Other birds of prey are practically blind at night, but owls are true nocturnal killers.
And so, Xu Ran occasionally glanced at the system map, occasionally bent down to look for mushrooms, busily gathering another large basketful.
It must weigh at least ten kilograms.
"Let's go back to the farm. I'll show you where you'll be living from now on."
Xu Ran looked at the owl and said to it with a smile.
It is illegal to keep protected animals without permission.
But if the protected animals refuse to leave, that's none of my business.
As long as you've reported it to the police station, it's fine.
Today was another fruitful day.
Besides picking a whole basket full of mushrooms, I also picked up an owl.
When Xu Ran returned to the farm, Li Wu saw him holding an owl from afar and immediately came over to take a look.
"Bro, what did you catch? An owl? Can you keep one as a pet?"
Xu Ran replied, "I found it in the woods. I saw it was injured, so I rescued it."
"Go get a cardboard box and line it with some towels."
"Okay," Li Wu agreed and hurried off to prepare.
At this moment, the three Border Collies ran over and surrounded Xu Ran, showing their curiosity about the new member.
The owl remained motionless, like a figurine, only occasionally moving its head.
Xu Ran went to the kitchen, found some thawed raw meat in the refrigerator, cut it into strips, and fed it to the dog little by little.
The owl took a bite of meat, and in an instant, its eyes became much clearer.
It learned for the first time that meat could be brought into its mouth on its own.
It stared at Xu Ran with a somewhat dazed look, as if asking:
Is this paradise?