"Everything has its natural state of existence in accordance with the environment. Once this state is disrupted, it signifies the traces left by outsiders. Through these traces, you can know what has happened here to result in the current state, and guess where the outsiders might have gone!"
Dean seemed to grasp the concept, though not fully.
Massa laughed heartily. "Just remember it for now; I’ll teach you the mindset of wilderness tracking."
"First, think about where the prey might be now."
"Near a water source?"
Massa nodded. "Not necessarily near a water source, but if they want to survive, they will definitely leave traces near one."
He pointed towards the outskirts of the empty mountains. "This area is part of the southwestern plateau and basin terrain. Water sources here are concentrated in small mountain streams, lakes, and mountaintop areas. For safety at night and a broad view, the Skinners are likely hiding at those elevations."
"So, shall we search those mountaintops first?"
"Yes," Massa nodded. "First, we pinpoint where the prey has been and determine when they left. That way, we can safely proceed with the next steps."
After that, the two began their trek.
Dean noticed that as Massa walked, he scanned with his eyes in a systematic Z-pattern—from near to far, left to right, and then right to left—resembling a scanning machine.
He tried to emulate this technique and was amazed to find that the previously chaotic scenery became clear under this observation method. By mentally superimposing the area between two parallel lines, he could encompass every minute detail of the landscape, from near to far, within his vision.
It wasn’t the kind of glance where you had no idea where to start.
Although Dean was not yet accustomed to this observation method, he forced himself to adapt.
Gradually, Dean noticed that a quick glance over the seemingly normal scenery gave him a sense of layering. If he closed his eyes, he could easily reconstruct it in his mind.
While this had a lot to do with his high Spirit and physical condition, it also showed how skilled Massa was.
Time passed, and they reached a depression.
Suddenly, Dean’s gaze was drawn to a slope more than ten meters away. There was an inconspicuous indentation that looked like a footprint from someone sliding down!
Dean wanted to call out to Massa but saw that Massa merely glanced at it before moving on, instructing, "Look at the reflection in the footprints; it’s water pooled due to the terrain. The water is shallow, but the reflection is still quite bright, which means the person who left the mark passed by no more than ten hours ago. Now, look at the grass roots around here—they’re noticeably lower. That kind of grass, once pressed by something heavy, will spring back up in about eight hours. So, I deduce that around five in the morning, a ’Wild Hunter’ sneaked into the mountains to hunt. Hopefully, that unlucky fellow won’t run into the Skinners."
Dean briefly considered Massa’s words and realized, "So, Trace Tracking also requires a good understanding of the environment, as well as the aging process of various objects and plants?"
"Right. That’s the second most important aspect of Trace Tracking: understanding the environment and the aging process of different objects!"
As Massa continued forward, he pointed to a spiderweb on the side of the road. "Little spiders typically spin their webs at dusk. By examining the damage to the web and noting when you find it, you can roughly determine when your prey passed through. Look at that plastic bottle ahead; it’s probably been there for half a month. Also, notice that rock—dry on the left side and moist with dirt on the right. Due to the terrain, the mountain breeze here generally blows from east to west. This means someone kicked it no more than five hours ago; otherwise, the moist side of the rock would be half-dry."
Dean was completely convinced.
This wasn’t just Trace Tracking—it was like having a human radar and an encyclopedia all in one!
And he had finally figured out what Massa meant by the words he’d asked him to remember.
Only precise observation, coupled with understanding the local environment and topography, and knowing how various objects change form under different environmental conditions over time, will yield effective information!
It’s just like how a surgeon diagnoses a patient. A skilled doctor, just by looking at your scar, can roughly tell what kind of injury you suffered, how severe it was, and how long it has been healing... Massa was the same.
He could easily identify the forms of various traces and, from that, deduce the time, state, and even the number of prey that passed by.
In such cases, unless you could fly, as long as you left traces, you would inevitably be caught up with!
No wonder Massa was so confident!
I must learn this Skill! Dean resolved in his heart.
Others needed years of accumulated knowledge, talent, and experience to reach Massa’s level. But he only had to get started; with added points, he could immediately become a top expert in this field.
They climbed one hill after another. Thanks to the terrain, each time they surmounted a hill, Massa could quickly determine if anyone had recently passed by in the vicinity, so their progress was very fast.
Unfortunately, most of the traces were left by that clueless ’Wild Hunter’ who had entered the mountains today. The man must have fired at least seven or eight shots along the way, but Dean and Massa found no signs of any kills. This meant the ’Wild Hunter’ was just a rookie.
Glancing at the sky, Massa took a sip of water and said with schadenfreude, "I haven’t found any traces of that Wild Hunter leaving. Looks like he’s not getting out today."
Mid-December was not a good time to enter the mountains. At this time of year, carnivorous animals were highly aggressive as they tried to store enough fat for winter.
Dean was indifferent to the fate of strangers. He frowned. "Let’s hurry while it’s still light. I’ve noticed many more wild deer tracks around here. There might be a water source nearby, and we could find something there."
Massa looked at Dean in surprise, amazed he was picking it up so quickly.
He nodded, stood on high ground, and lifted the bulky thermal imager in his hand to look west. A look of pleasure crossed his face. "Buddy, you’re right. Besides a dozen deer out there, there are several humanoid shadows. That must be a Wild Hunting Group. Let’s go ask around; we might find something!"
"Hopefully," Dean said.
The two had a quick bite to eat to replenish their strength, then proceeded towards the next peak, following the back of the mountain they were on.
Upon getting closer, they realized there was a Pine Needle Forest ahead. In a gap in the forest lay a fairly large, elliptical lake. A group of small wild deer was cautiously drinking at the lake’s edge.
His gaze extended further. Beyond several tents, where stakes stood tall, four blood-smeared ’scarecrows’ swayed in the wind, as if welcoming Dean and Massa.