Kapitel 154: Chapter 154: Camping Armadillo and Gunshots
Hannah came over and leaned on Jack's back, happily watching him meticulously complete the final details, occasionally leaving a kiss mark on his face with a smacking sound.
Bonham shook his head and went to find Aunt Molly.
In the afternoon, everyone got ready to leave. Walker drove his F150 loaded with a grill, tents, and other camping gear, Emily drove a Subaru Forester 4WD SUV with the two kids, and lastly, Jack followed in his Firebird.
Waving goodbye to the elderly couple, the three vehicles sped towards the southwestern desert.
Perhaps because Emily's car was trailing behind, Walker slowed his speed slightly, but still maintained nearly 90 miles per hour for almost four hours.
In an open field, the three vehicles finally stopped.
"Let's camp here tonight. Emily's supply point is just ahead. There's no drone patrol here at night; it's a commonly used route for immigrants," Walker said as he got out of the car, pointing to a spot not far away.
They were on a slightly elevated area, which could be called a small hill. The spot Walker pointed to was less than a kilometer from the hilltop, where the terrain descended into a gentle slope.
At the bottom of the slope, a faint trail could be seen, clearly worn down by foot traffic.
"We've set up three supply points on the surrounding hills, each with 20 barrels of drinking water and some food," Emily explained, pointing to three locations.
"We come by every week to collect the empty barrels and replenish the water and food. The funds come from donations," she added.
Illegal immigrants from Mexico were a backbone of the booming economy of the Lone Star State. Ranchers welcomed these cheap laborers.
As long as these illegal immigrants worked diligently on the ranches, they could apply for legal status after a certain period, which was a mutually beneficial arrangement—at least, that's how it was ideally portrayed.
"They start from Mexico and walk almost thirty kilometers to avoid detection. Every year, weak children and women die in this desert. This is all we can do to help," Emily said with a hint of helplessness.
"This place is too dangerous. Do you come alone every time?" Hannah asked, worried.
Emily smiled reassuringly, "Jerry always accompanies me. She should be here soon. Besides, I have an AR-15 in the back of my car. You don't have to worry."
Hannah's expression turned a bit strange, "Is that Jerry who owns the bar? Your rival in love? She's still single?"
Emily laughed and playfully tapped Hannah, "Jerry is a mutual friend. Walker has always been faithful to me. Don't talk nonsense."
Walker, wearing a smug look that said their relationship was unshakable, gave Emily a kiss on the cheek, only to be pushed away as she urged him to get to work.
Jack and Walker unloaded the grill from the truck, while Walker's two children, diligent and capable, quickly set up three tents.
Jack then took a shovel and dug a shallow trench around the campsite, filling it with sulfur powder to ward off snakes and insects. In this desert, rattlesnakes and scorpions were common visitors.
"Jack, come look at this."
Stella, now quite familiar with Jack, called him over. After setting up the tents, she and her brother started exploring the area. She dragged Jack to a nearby rock, where they saw a thick rattlesnake entangled with a strange creature.
The strange creature, about half a meter long, was ugly, resembling a pangolin with its armored body and sparse long hair. It was fearlessly biting the rattlesnake at its vulnerable spot.
Despite its thick body, the rattlesnake couldn't overcome the heavily armored opponent and was tightly coiled but unable to escape.
"Is that an armadillo?" Jack had only seen this American animal on nature shows before. He knew they could roll into a ball when threatened but was surprised to see one taking on a rattlesnake.
In no time, the rattlesnake was torn to shreds, and the armadillo began eating it from the head.
"Can we catch it and play with it?" Stella asked, curious but was stopped by Jack.
"If I remember correctly, armadillos can carry the leprosy virus," Jack said, taking out his phone to capture the scene. It was rare to see this ancient beast, documented in the ancient Chinese texts like the Shan Hai Jing, in person, especially in broad daylight. He wondered how ancient people recorded such a New World creature.
Bats, armadillos, and longhorn cattle were Texas' iconic animals. Jack was surprised to encounter one so soon. While bats weren't much to look at, he was eager to see a longhorn, famous for its enormous horns that could reach over three meters and reputed to taste good.
Returning to the campsite with the curious children, they found another pickup had arrived. A woman, distinct in style from Emily, was chatting with everyone.
This was Jerry, the bar owner Emily had mentioned. She also had long blonde hair, but compared to Emily's gentle demeanor, Jerry had a wilder vibe.
After brief introductions, the men and boys were sent off to start the fire and cook meat, while the women and girls laughed and headed to the supply points with their provisions.
Augie, bored, put on his headphones and went into his tent to listen to music. Jack and Walker lit the grill fire and started chatting.
"Can you tell me about your experience in New Mexico?" Walker asked with a smile.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "What do you know?"
"There aren't many secrets within law enforcement circles. Some rumors have spread. They say an FBI agent encountered cannibals in the woods and discovered a gold mine," Walker said.
Jack laughed, "You guessed it from the natural gold nugget, right? But technically, I'm not an FBI agent yet."
He described his encounter, choosing non-sensitive details.
Walker was a bit disappointed, "It's a pity the whole case is classified. Otherwise, just the story could earn you a month's worth of free whiskey at Jerry's bar."
Jack was about to respond when a gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by a scream, "Walker!"
The two men were startled, exchanged a look, and simultaneously drew their guns, sprinting towards the source of the sound.
Walker shouted to his son, who had emerged from the tent, puzzled by the noise, "Grab the gun from your mom's car!"
Augie nodded quickly, opened the Subaru's trunk, and slung an AR-15 over his shoulder, hurrying to follow.
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