Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Hunting

The helicopter slowly lowered the rover. "How high is it?" Taburi asked into the intercom. "About 10 meters." Walkerfield replied below.He was standing about 100 meters away from the seashore, south of the Sea of ​​Columns.Above him, on the steel cables below the helicopter, the rover was descending unsteadily toward the ground. "Be careful and touch the ground lightly. There are some very delicate electronics under the chassis." Hiroshi Yamanaka turned the helicopter's automatic altitude control switch to its tightest setting; Gallos carefully controlled the cable lift switch, lowering it only a few centimeters at a time.

"Land!" Walker yelled loudly. "The rear wheel is on the ground, and the front wheel is still one meter away from the ground." Alongside, Frances trotted around the rover to capture the historic shot.Fifty meters away from the cliff, next to a tent, there is a temporary command post, and other team members are preparing to start hunting.Elena Tugyeva inspects the nets on the second helicopter.Next to the tent, Dr. Brown was talking on the intercom with Admiral Hellman of Camp Beta, and they were reviewing the details of the hunting plan.Wilson, Tallshore, and Nicole watched the rover descend to the ground.

"Now, we know who is the owner of these equipment." Reggie Wilson pointed to Dr. Brown and said to his companions, "This fucking hunt is more like a military operation, although our chief scientific officer It's the person in charge, but the boss is directing the operation through the radio." He stomped, "God, don't we have enough equipment here? Two helicopters, a rover, three cages, ... several large boxes of electronics and Mechanical crap is enough for these poor big crabs." Dr. Takagi raised the binocular laser binoculars and quickly found the crab-shaped creatures.They are 500 meters to the east, approaching the sea cliffs again.Their movements have not changed at all.

"We need all the equipment, because there are too many uncertainties, no one knows what will happen." Takagishi said quietly. "I wish the lights went out suddenly." Wilson laughed. "We are already prepared for this." David Brown stepped forward and interjected, "The fluorescent substances have been sprayed on the backs of these crab-shaped creatures, and we have also prepared enough lights. Just when you're complaining about the meeting being too long, we've got a contingency plan." He stared defiantly at his fellow American, "You know, you can try..."

"Attention, attention," interrupted Ott Hellmann's voice in the headset, "News, big news. I just received a message from O'Toole. INN will broadcast our hunting process live. Counting from now, it will start in 20 minutes." "Great," Brown replied, "We have to get ready right away. I see Walkerfield driving the rover towards us." He glanced at his watch, "The crab-shaped creature is about to start again. Turn around. By the way, Otter, do you still disagree with my hunt for the leader?" "Yes, David, I don't agree. I don't think it's necessary to take that risk. We know that the leader is probably the strongest of the pack. Why take the risk? No matter which one it is, it will be impossible to bring it back to Earth." Invaluable, especially if it's not disabled. We should catch one now and think about the leader crab later."

"So, I don't have enough votes this time. Dr. Takagishi and Tabry both agree with you, as well as General O'Toole. We will implement plan B, targeting the fourth crab-shaped creature, which is the right The last one, we approached it from behind." The rover with Walkerfield and Sabatini arrived near the command post almost at the same time as the helicopter. "Good job, guys," Dr. Brown said to Taburi and Hiroshi Yamanaka as they jumped out of the helicopter. "Take a breath, Gallows, and go over and see if Elena's netting is all set." .In five minutes, I want you to conduct air operations."

"Okay," Brown said, turning to the others, "so, Wilson, Takashi, and Dejardin in Walkerfield's rover; Frances, you and I in Yamanaka's second helicopter." Nicole was walking towards the rover when Frances stopped her and said, "Have you ever used this?" The Italian journalist handed her a video camera the size of a laptop. "I used it once." Nicole looked at the book-sized video camera in Frances' hands, "Eleven or twelve years ago, I filmed Dr. Deron's brain surgery. I guess..." "Look," interrupted Frances, "I need help, sorry I didn't talk to you sooner because I didn't know... I need another camera from the ground, especially now that the INN is going live. You're the only one ..."

"Why didn't Reggie take pictures?" Nicole wondered, "He's also a reporter." "Reggie won't help," Frances said quickly, as Dr. Brown was telling her to get into the helicopter. "Are you filming? Nicole, please, or I'll have to hire someone else." why not?Nicole thought, "I don't have any set tasks, unless there's an emergency." "Fine," she said yes. "Thank you so much." Frances gleefully shoved the camera into her hand and hurried to the helicopter. "Okay, okay!" When Nicole boarded the rover with the camera in his hand, Reggie mocked, "I see our doctor has been recruited by the top reporter, I hope you can get paid."

"Go ahead, Reggie," Nicole said, "I'm fine anyway, why can't I help." Walkerfield started the car and drove towards the crab-shaped creature to the east.The command post was intentionally set up in a place where the crab-shaped creature had been "cleaned", and the land here had also been compacted, so the rover ran smoothly. In less than three minutes, they had come to a place less than 100 meters away from the crab-shaped creature.Two helicopters flew over the crab-shaped creature's head, and Wilson thought it was like a vulture hovering over a dying animal.

"How do you want me to shoot?" Nicole asked Frances over the intercom. "Moving parallel to the crab-shaped creature," Frances replied. "You can walk along the sideline for a while. The most important thing is when Gallows lowers his net." "We are ready," Taburi said after a few seconds, "give me your order!" "Has the transmission started?" Brown asked Frances, and she nodded. "Okay," he said to Gallos, "Go!" A very long and thick cable hangs from a helicopter, and its lower end is a net like an upside-down basket. "Garos will aim the net at the crab-shaped creature," Walkerfield explained to Nicol, "hook the corners of its rectangular back shell, tighten the cable, hoist it up, and then it will be Transported to Camp Beta and put in cages."

"Let's see the close up shot from below." Nicole heard Frances's voice.Now, the rover and the crab-shaped creature are walking almost close together, in close proximity.Nicole got out of the car and trotted side by side.She was amazed, she had never realized how large and strange these creatures were.Their shells had a metallic sheen that reminded her of the cold surfaces of some new Parisian buildings.She ran on the ground, and the crab-shaped creature was two meters away from her.The fully automatic tracking lens of the camera made Nicole's shooting not difficult at all, and the image was very good. "Don't go in front of them!" Gao An warned her.He needn't have worried, Nicole hadn't forgotten what they were doing with that pile of metal trash. "Your image is very good." Frances's voice buzzed over the rover's horn, "Nicole, try to catch the lead one, then step back a little bit and let the camera slowly sweep over each Crab row." Nicole followed her lead, "Whoa! That's great. Now I know why we brought an Olympic champion." In the first two attempts, Gallows failed to catch the target; in the third attempt, the net firmly caught the four corners of the crab-shaped creature's back shell.Nicole was starting to sweat, and she had been running for four minutes. "Now," Frances told her from the helicopter, "get the camera on the target, get as close as you can." Nicole approached the crab-shaped creature, only a meter away.Her foot slipped, she fell, and she suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. "If I fall on their way," she thought, "I'll be a meal for them." As Gallows began to tighten the cable, she aimed from the rear right and locked on to the camera. "Get up!" Gallos yelled, lifting the prey off the ground. Things happened very quickly, and suddenly, the prey lifted its pliers-like front claws, and cut an extremely tough steel cable with a "click".The other five crab-shaped creatures stopped advancing, stood still for a moment, maybe only a second, and then suddenly all gathered around.Only a few "clicks, clicks" were heard, and the net cover was cut into pieces.In just 5 seconds, the prey has been liberated. The scene in front of her surprised Nicole, her heart was beating wildly, but she still didn't stop filming. The leading creature was now sitting on the ground, and the other five surrounded it, forming a tight circle. Each creature stretched out a forelimb to rest on the leading crab in the middle, and stretched out the other pincer toward the crab. Companion on the right.In less than 5 seconds, the formation was lined up, and the crab-shaped creatures remained motionless as if locked. Frances spoke first. "It's unbelievable!" she exclaimed. "Just now, we must have made the hair of every audience member on earth stand on end." Nicole felt Richard coming to her. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. "I'm fine," she replied.Her body was still shaking.The two of them looked at the grouped crab-shaped creatures, still standing there. "They're using crowd tactics," Reggie Wilson said from the rover. "This round, the crabs get 7 points, and the humans get 0 points." "Before this, you've been convinced there's no danger, and I agree to try, however, I admit I'm nervous about trying to capture again. These guys obviously talk to each other. I don't think they'd be willing to let it go .” "Otter, Outer," said Dr. Brown, "it's a simple and ingenious solution. Just replace the netting with a thin wire, and let it be attached to the target's dorsal shell, and their big clamps will have nowhere to go. gone." "Admiral Hellman, this is Dr. Takagishi," his voice sounded serious and dignified, "I must protest in the strongest possible terms against this haphazard hunting. We have seen it, and our knowledge of this creature How little, as Walkerfield puts it, the first try has triggered a protective response in them, and we have no idea what they'll do next." "Everyone understands this," Dr. Brown interjected before Hellman could answer, "but it can be reassured by considering the following factors: First, as Frances said, the whole earth is Watch our next move. 20 minutes ago, you heard Jean-Claude Reval say that we are doing space exploration since the Russians and Americans went into space in the 20th century. , the greatest and unprecedented feat. Second, we have now made all preparations for the hunt. If we give up and transport all the equipment back to the Beta camp, then we will waste a lot of time and effort. The last point, after all, there is no obvious danger here, so why make these alarmist predictions? All the facts we have seen are just some kind of self-protection actions by these creatures.” "Professor Brown..." the eminent Japanese scholar made his final plea of ​​reason, "look around you and imagine the immense capabilities of the Rama people, after all they built such an astonishing spaceship. It should be possible Imagine, perhaps, the possibility that what we do would be seen by them as an act of hostility, and transmit information to intelligent beings we do not yet know - those that control the spaceship. As representatives of humanity, If it leads to serious consequences, not only will we blame ourselves, but at the same time, from a larger perspective, all wisdom..." "Nonsense!" laughed David Brown. "Who ever accused me of absurd reasoning . . . ?" He laughed. Is the Rama spaceship still maintaining the purpose and function it was given by its creators in the first place? Is there any evidence that it is aware of our presence? In fact, the threat posed by this small group of bio-cyborgs is not What a big deal." He glanced at the people around him, "I think we've said too much. Otter, unless you object, we'll start hunting again." On the other side of the Sea of ​​Columns, there was a brief moment of hesitation and silence.Then the astronauts heard Admiral Hellman reply: "Go ahead, David. But don't take unnecessary risks." "Do you think we're really in danger?" Yamanaka asked Dr. Takagishi as Brown, Taburi, and Walkerfield checked out the new operating procedures.The Japanese aviator pondered as he gazed at the massive spire-like structure at the southern tip of Rama.Perhaps for the first time, he felt their vulnerability and their isolation. "Probably not," replied his countryman, "but it's crazy that..." "'Crazy' is too polite a word," interjected Reggie Wilson. "Only you and I have been against this folly, and it's been seen as ridiculous or even cowardly. Personally, I'd rather these crabs A duel with the venerable Dr. Brown, or better yet, a sudden bolt of lightning from those steeples and kill him." He pointed to the pinnacles that Hiroshi Yamanaka had looked at just now.Suddenly, his voice changed, and he felt an inexplicable terror: "Someone is going to die here, and I can already smell the danger in the air. The sirens are sounding, but we cannot hear or understand them. We ignore these warnings. " Nicole turned around and glanced at the lively planning meeting 15 meters away.Walkerfield and Engineer Tabry are gearing up to compete wits and bravery with the crab-shaped creature.Nicole was suddenly confused: Maybe Rama was really warning them. "Nonsense!" she said to herself, in the words of Dr. Brown.She couldn't help thinking of how she'd trembled when the creatures snapped the cables. "I, like Wilson, overreacted and had no reason to be afraid," she encouraged herself. However, when she raised the binoculars again to study the crab-shaped creatures 500 meters away, fear struck her again.Two hours passed, and the six creatures were still the same, locked and connected to each other motionless. "What are you going to do, Rama?" Nicole asked again and again in her mind.Suddenly, a thought popped up that hadn't occurred to me before: "How many of us will be left to return to Earth and tell the stories of these adventures?" This time, Frances wanted to shoot from the ground next to the crab-shaped creature.As before, Tugeyeva and Taburi took the first helicopter with their most important hunting tools; Brown, Yamanaka Hiroshi and Walkerfield were in the second helicopter.Dr. Brown asked Walkerfield to be by his side, to be his assistant, and to provide on-site technical consultation.Naturally, Frances asked Richard to supplement her footage with aerial footage from a helicopter. The other team members all approached the crab-shaped creature from the ground in the rover driven by Wilson. "Now, I've finally found a satisfying job as a driver," he said as they drove toward the aliens.He stared up at the lofty dome of Rama and said, "Did you hear that? You bastard. I'm a man of many talents." He looked at Frances, who was sitting next to him, "Also, Ms. Sabatini , how do you plan to thank Nicole for her special contribution? In your last broadcast, her shooting on the ground was a feast for the audience!" Frances, too busy checking her camera equipment, ignored him.When he teased her again, she pushed back without raising her eyelids: "I remind Mr. Wilson that I don't need other people's boring nagging to teach me how to deal with my own affairs." "I don't think so at the beginning." He sighed, glanced at Frances with a heavy thought, and said loudly again, "At that time, I still believed in love, but later I only saw betrayal, ambition and selfishness. " He turned the steering wheel sharply and parked the rover about forty meters west of the alien creature.Without saying a word, Frances jumped out of the car and immediately talked with Brown and Richard about the news report on the intercom.Dr. Takagishi politely thanked Wilson for driving the rover for them. "We're getting into position," Taburi said loudly from above, tidying up the hanging new nets. In the center of the new net was a heavy sphere filled with a dozen small holes, with jagged notches on the surface. Tabry slowly placed it on the back of a crab-shaped creature outside, then quickly entered a series of commands from the hovering helicopter to the central processing unit of the net.Countless thin metal wires protruded from the sphere, netting the target's back shell. The crab-shaped creatures remained silent. "What do you think, Mr. Inspector?" Gallos called out to Richard in the other helicopter. Richard examined the odd contraption carefully.Thick cables are attached to ring posts at the rear of the helicopter. At a height of 15 meters, the metal ball landed on the back of the prey, and the thin metal wire protruding from the ball completely wrapped it. "Looks good," Richard replied. "The question now is, can the helicopter lift these guys up as a whole, they're all connected!" David Brown ordered Elena Tugyeva to start lifting.Slowly she revved up the rotors, the cables stretched, but the crab-like creatures barely moved. "They're either too heavy or they're clinging to the ground," Richard said. "Jump up, yank." The helicopter suddenly moved upwards, and in an instant, the crab-shaped creatures were completely lifted off the ground.When it was more than two meters above the ground, two crabs let go first and fell to the ground. After a few seconds, they piled together and did not move; down.All the people shouted and cheered in unison.The helicopter hoisted the prey and rushed straight into the sky. Frances captures it all on camera from ten meters away.The leading crab was also among the three creatures that fell from behind. When they landed on the ground, they only heard a "flutter" and hit the soft soil of Rama.At this time, Frances turned her back to them and followed the helicopter; the helicopter flew towards the Sea of ​​Cylindrical Sea with the prey hanging on it.It took a good two or three seconds for her to understand why everyone was yelling at her. The lead crab and its two mates landed only slightly damaged and still able to move, and they sprang into action immediately.The lead crab sensed Frances' presence and walked towards her, followed by the other two. When Frances finally realized that she had become the prey, they were only 4 meters away from her.She immediately turned around and ran away. "Run sideways!" Richard yelled over the radio. "They only go in a straight line!" Frances kept zigzagging, but the crabs were still hot on her heels.At first, she was able to maintain a distance from the crab-shaped creature, but after a short distance, she began to tire, and the crabs chased relentlessly, getting closer and closer to her.Suddenly, she slipped and almost fell, and when she regained her balance and took a step, the lead crab was less than 3 meters away from her. The moment he realized that these big crabs were starting to chase Frances, Reggie Wilson immediately ran towards the rover, ignited and drove towards Frances at full speed.He initially wanted her to get in the car and avoid the attack, but the crab got too close to her, so Reggie decided to run the car over the crab-shaped creature.It was a head-to-head collision.The rover was light, but Reggie's method worked.The crab-shaped creatures and Reggie's car slid several meters sideways.Frances escaped danger. However, although one of the crab-shaped creatures had a broken leg and the claws of the leader crab were damaged, they did not lose their mobility, and within a few seconds, they were working again with injuries.They used pincers to break the rover into eight pieces, and then used those horrible chisels and files to break the big pieces into smaller pieces. Reggie was dizzy from the impact of the rover and the crab-shaped creature just now.The aliens were much heavier than he estimated, and his rover was badly damaged.When he realized that the creatures were still alive, he tried to jump out of the car.But he couldn't jump off, his leg stuck in the crushed dashboard. He screamed in horror, but no one could help him.Horrific screams echoed in Rama. Ten seconds later, the screaming stopped abruptly, and everything was over. Wilson's body was dismembered by the crab-shaped creatures as a part of the rover.All this happened in an instant, and the movements of the crab-shaped creatures were skilled and quick, cold and methodical. Both automatic cameras on the helicopter and Frances captured the horrific scenes of Wilson's final moments.Images were transmitted to Earth at the same time.