Li Shi's short hair made her big-eyed face look especially spirited and charming.
Along the way, Luo Jun taught her how to identify animal tracks and the smell of their feces and urine. Although human sense of smell is far inferior to animals, most animals do not hide their feces. They can first find the feces, then track their footprints.
"Uncle, we don't even know where they passed by. Are we supposed to rely on luck to find their poop?" Li Shi asked doubtfully.
"How did you hunt when you went hunting before?" Luo Jun asked back.
"I followed the adults when I went hunting. They had guides who taught the adults how to find prey. I just tagged along for fun and didn't learn much." Li Shi said with chagrin.
Luo Jun naturally knew their hunting methods. He asked this question to find out if she had learned any hunting skills.
"In fact, it's not that difficult. First understand the basic principles, then summarize more experience in practice and it will be easy to find them. Of course, luck also plays a role. Even the most seasoned hunters can come back empty-handed sometimes, so you need to have the right mindset." Luo Jun said.
"Hmm, my mindset is good!" Li Shi spoke in an encouraging tone.
"Animals, like humans, must drink water and replenish salt. On the islands, it’s too easy for animals to get salt. They usually appear on the edges of marshes to lick the salt frost left after the tide recedes. For water, they usually look in mud pools. The water itself contains minerals and salt, and it’s also easier to smell the scent of other animals there. For bears, it's a shortcut to hunting, so large animals like such places a lot."
Luo Jun explained some hunting skills to Li Shi.
"Uncle, can I understand it as putting myself in the animal's perspective will make it easier to find them?" Li Shi asked back insightfully.
"Yes, this method can not only be applied to hunting, but also to sniping. If you can see the problem from the enemy's perspective, many problems will be solved."
Luo Jun highly appreciated this clever girl.
After hearing what Luo Jun said, Li Shi suddenly became interested in Luo Jun's career.
"Uncle, isn't being a killer or special agent a very cool thing?" Li Shi asked curiously.
"Cool?"
Luo Jun smiled wryly and shook his head. After a short pause, he continued, "Some young people just entering the industry do think so because their minds are simple and they are unaware of deeper issues. After killing the first person, they have no way back. To protect themselves mentally, their fear turns into excitement. As long as they keep on killing, they will have no time to think about anything else, nor do they want to think about anything else, because that’s the purest way without being disturbed by other negative emotions that could hamper their professional capabilities..."
Luo Jun patiently explained like a teacher.
"Then how did you get into this industry?"
Li Shi pursed her lips and looked at Luo Jun sympathetically.
"It's a long story..."
Luo Jun told Li Shi about some of his experiences. Although Li Shi had heard some of Luo Jun’s information from Luna, she didn’t know these detailed events told directly by Luo Jun.
Hearing it from him, she understood more deeply.
After listening to Luo Jun, she took the initiative to hold Luo Jun's big hand. Like most sympathetic women, after hearing the experience of such a tough guy like Luo Jun, she showed compassion.
"I used to think my life was miserable, but as I experienced more, I don't feel that way anymore."
In the past, Luo Jun did not like to confide in women about himself. Looking at Li Shi’s innocent eyes, Luo Jun was reminded of Xiaoya. Confiding his feelings to her would provide some release.
"I don't really understand." Li Shi said.
Luo Jun looked at her curious eyes and smiled faintly, "The existence of life itself is already very beautiful, even a miracle. How we live is not something we can choose. Those that seem to be optional are actually not either. Of course, some people can choose, but that’s an extremely small number of people. As Nietzsche said, everyone has their own life circle, including animals. Once you have entered a life circle, your life circle constitutes your current destiny, inseparable from you for a moment, making you unable to escape!"
Luo Jun paused and continued, "Just like you, in your previous life, you seemed free but were actually just active within that life circle until the plane crash. You broke into my world and now we are in another life circle. Your destinies are also affected by my actions. This is something you cannot change."
Hearing what Luo Jun said, Li Shi stared with her big round eyes, unable to say anything.
These life philosophies spoken by a killer living in constant peril were more convincing than if uttered by a philosopher.
"Uncle, after what you said, I suddenly feel that human self-awareness is particularly insignificant. Our vision and influence only exist in a circle. As long as other people and events have no intersection, they can be completely treated as if they don't exist, just like those unexplored foggy worlds in games. It's not that they don't really exist, it's that they don't exist on the level of consciousness. But consciousness is the true part of a person. This makes me feel that everyone is like a blind person..." Li Shi said. Luo Jun was surprised again.
This girl's ability to understand really shocked him. No matter whether her understanding was profound or not, to be able to say such a sentence shows that she is an extremely smart girl.
"We don't need to think too much about philosophical matters, just knowing that this is how things are. In this way, we can maintain a better mindset when encountering things."
Luo Jun did not want to discuss these philosophical matters anymore.
The only reason he was exposed to this philosophy was entirely because of his identity, which subjected him to tremendous psychological pressure. He found a balance in the world of philosophy.
Otherwise, he would spend his retirement like most killers, in endless nightmares and alcohol.
He didn't want that.
Not long after, Luo Jun saw a mud pool ahead with animal hoof prints all around it.
"Uncle, look! It's just like what you said!"
Li Shi was extremely excited and ran over.
Luo Jun also smiled, "Our luck is not bad today. If it rained and washed away these hoof prints and their feces around, it would be troublesome. Did you see that? Those are bear tracks!"
Luo Jun went over to observe and quickly arrived at the bear tracks.
"Awesome!"
Li Shi was so excited that she hugged Luo Jun and kissed him.
Her face blushed after the kiss.
"I'm too excited!"
"Don't rush. This is just the first step. We have to find evidence of the bear's activities in order to really find it. These footprints should have been left last night."
Luo Jun reached out and touched the footprints to analyze the softness on top.