When he had the time, he planned to go to a firearm shop to purchase some high-powered guns, just in case.
Luke didn't rush over directly but used his binoculars to scout ahead, even though he had bear spray, he didn't want to confront a black bear face-to-face.
Because of the dense fir trees in the forest, the view could easily be blocked, and the binoculars couldn't see far distances, so Luke had to walk a bit and then take another look with his binoculars.
After walking for nearly a mile, Luke saw a clearing with a white sedan parked and a tent set up not too far away, which had already been ravaged. A black bear was digging through the contents of the tent.
Luke didn't see Walker, and he also wondered why the bear refused to leave his campsite.
Luke picked up his binoculars again to check—was this camp not Walker's?
Were there other people camping here?
Soon, Luke's speculation was confirmed as a woman's voice came from afar, "Hey, you damn filthy bear, get the hell away from my campsite.
I am not afraid of you."
"Roar..." A bear's roar echoed.
A man and a bear faced off, dozens of meters apart.
Both were somewhat wary.
Men scare bears, but also fear them.
The bear stood up, trying to make itself appear larger, similarly trying to intimidate the human.
"Hey, get out of my campsite, this is my territory!" The woman, holding bear spray, yelled loudly.
The black bear looked at the tent, then at the woman, and ran off into the depths of the woods with a bag in its mouth.
"Fuck! That's my food, you thief!"
The woman's voice was angry but also tinged with relief. Clearly, the black bear had also put a lot of pressure and threat on her.
After the bear left, the woman approached the messy campsite. The tent had been torn apart, and belongings were scattered everywhere, including the damaged food storage container.
"Tap tap..." The woman faintly heard footsteps and looked up, "Who's there?"
Luke waved, "I heard a bear roar and was worried someone might be hurt, so I came to see if you needed any help."
The woman sighed, "No one can help me; my tent and supplies have been destroyed. I can't continue... staying here."
"Did you have food with strong odors in the tent?" Luke sized up the woman. She was a white woman in her forties, dressed in gray and with her hair tied back, looking quite competent.
The woman shook her head, "All the food was packaged; I don't know why it would attract a bear."
Luke glanced at the tent and thought of Walker's encounter the previous night. Both their tents had been attacked by a black bear. Were the bears around here that savvy, knowing that the tents had good food inside?
Luke probed, "Are you here for treasure hunting as well?"
The woman looked wary, "How did you know that?"
"Just guessed," Luke said dismissively. Both Walker's and this woman's campsites had been attacked, and both were treasure hunters, so it was possible that these bear attacks were no accident.
The woman countered, "Who are you? Are you here for treasure hunting too?"
"No, I came for camping, but I had a poor fellow chased by a bear into my campsite last night; he had a similar encounter to yours."
"Do you mean someone is targeting 'Treasure Hunter'?"
Luke spread his hands, "I don't know."
The woman frowned and pondered, "It must be so. My tent and supplies were destroyed, I can't stay here to continue the treasure hunting, I am as good as eliminated.
Such a sneaky bastard, I'll catch him."
"Good luck then," Luke said as he bid the woman farewell and left.
He didn't go out of his way to examine the scene of the bear's destruction. He had come to have fun, not to investigate cases, and there was no need to take responsibility for everything himself.
However, as a colleague, he still sent a text to Walker, reminding him to be safe.