My 1995 Small Farm.

As the moon climbed higher, its cool light bathed the valley, casting long, thin shadows of the trees.

The bears in the ditch fell completely silent, leaving only the whooshing sound of the wind whistling through the bare branches and the gentle tinkling of an unknown stream in the distance.

After a short rest, Chen Ling and his group continued to follow the directions given by Er Tu Zi, venturing deeper into the mountain valley.

The path underfoot was getting harder and harder to walk on. The thick layer of fallen leaves from last year was soft and spongy underfoot, with pebbles and broken branches hidden underneath. You could easily twist your ankle if you weren't careful.

"Watch your step, this place looks flat, but there are many pits underneath."

Chen Ling whispered a reminder, casually slicing through the vines blocking the way with his machete.

The further you go, the denser the forest becomes, and the moonlight is fragmented by the layers of tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The layer of decaying leaves underfoot was so thick it reached above my ankles; it felt soft and spongy underfoot, making a soft "plop plop" sound.

The sounds, mixed with the slightly heavy breathing of the group, became the main noise in this quiet mountain forest.

Heiwa and Xiaojin continued to lead the way, seemingly unaffected by the darkness, their massive bodies moving nimbly through the trees.

Occasionally, it would stop, lower its head to sniff the ground a few times, or listen for a moment before continuing on its way.

His calm demeanor was even more reassuring than that of the most experienced hunter.

"Coo coo—coo—"

A few short bird calls came from a dense oak forest to the side, followed by a series of flapping wings. Several dark figures darted up in alarm and disappeared into the night sky.

"It's a night owl, startled by something."

Chen Ling glanced at it, his tone indifferent.

Yang Jian immediately gave a hand signal, and two soldiers alertly raised their guns, pointing them at the woods.

The flashlight beam swept cautiously across the area, flickering deep within the dense forest, revealing nothing but swaying branches and leaves.

"Stop taking pictures, it's not a big one."

Chen Ling waved his hand: "It's probably a fox or a weasel. It would have run away long ago if it smelled us."

Before he finished speaking, Heiwa, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, letting out a very low "woo" sound. He lowered his body slightly and stared sharply at a dark pine forest to his right.

Little Gold also stopped almost simultaneously, its ears perked up, its tail taut, and its eyes coldly fixed in the same direction.

"Shh-"

Chen Ling suddenly stopped and raised his hand in greeting.

Everyone immediately held their breath, crouched down, and looked around warily.

In the clearing not far ahead, several eerie green lights were slowly moving.

"It's a pack of wolves."

Chen Ling lowered his voice, almost whispering, "About seven or eight of them are hunting."

Yang Jian and the others squinted and looked closely. Sure enough, they saw several gray wolves spreading out in a fan shape, crouching low, slowly approaching a young, strong stag that was alone with the herd.

The stag was clearly startled, pawing anxiously, exhaling heavy white breaths from its nostrils, and lowering its antlers in an attempt to intimidate the approaching predator.

"Ouch——"

A large, muscular alpha wolf let out a low howl, and the pack instantly tightened their encirclement.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Heiwa suddenly let out an extremely low, almost silent "ooh" sound.

The alpha wolf, which was about to launch an attack, suddenly froze. Its eerie green eyes turned sharply toward the direction where Chen Ling and the others were hiding. Its nostrils flared violently, and it made an uneasy "woofing" sound from its throat.

The other wolves also became visibly agitated, constantly turning their heads to look at the alpha wolf and then into the depths of darkness, causing the hunting formation to instantly break apart.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the trapped stag suddenly kicked off with its hind legs, "whoosh," knocking aside a hesitant she-wolf, and fled in panic into the depths of the dense forest.

The wolves did not immediately give chase, but instead paced anxiously in circles. Finally, after the wolf let out a short howl, they all turned around and quickly disappeared into the darkness on the other side of the forest, abandoning their prey.

"This...this scared them away?" a young soldier muttered incredulously.

"The wolves know Heiwa and the others' scent best, and they are also most afraid of it."

Chen Ling explained casually, reaching out to rub Heiwa's large head.

"Those who live in the mountains all know who they can mess with and who they can't."

"These wolves are cunning; they know it's not worth fighting to the death with Heiwa and Xiaojin over a meager meal."

Yang Jian and the others exchanged bewildered glances, gaining a completely new understanding of the intimidating power of these two dogs. These weren't just dogs; they were clearly the uncrowned kings of the mountains and forests.

The group continued on their way and encountered several more groups of "residents" of the mountains.

At the foot of a sheltered hillside, I saw a family of wild boars using their snouts to push aside the snow and fallen leaves, searching for newly sprouted roots and acorns, munching away happily.

The boar had menacing tusks, but after the flashlight swept across it and it sensed the presence of Heiwa and the others, it merely raised its mane warily and grunted threateningly, but did not rush over recklessly as usual.

In a small, sparse oak grove, several mountain lemurs that were dozing in the trees were startled. They let out a frightened "meow" and darted up to the higher treetops, huddled in the branches and leaves, trembling and not daring to make a loud sound.

They even caught a glimpse of a tall, lithe, golden figure silently gliding over the top of a giant rock in the distance.

It was a rare, mutated earth leopard. It merely glanced indifferently at the group before gracefully disappearing behind the rocks as if it had never been there.

"Good heavens, what's going on tonight? Are the animals having a meeting?"

One soldier couldn't help but make a joke, but his nerves remained on edge.

Chen Ling frowned slightly: "Something's not right. It's too quiet, too peaceful. These guys... seem a bit restless, but they don't dare to make a sound, as if they're hiding from something."

His gaze fell once again on the bald man circling in the air.

At this moment, Er Tuzi's flight path became somewhat peculiar. Instead of pointing in a clear direction, he kept circling and hovering over a dark and more complex area of ​​rocky cliffs ahead, emitting a sharper and more urgent cry than before!
"It's right in front!"

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his voice: "That thing is definitely down there! Baldy's reluctance to go down is a warning to us to be careful!"

Everyone gripped their guns tightly in an instant, loaded the bullets, and gently released the safety.

Yang Jian made a hand gesture, and the team immediately dispersed, carefully approaching the rocky cliff area under the cover of trees and rocks.

Even from a hundred meters away, a strong smell of fresh blood drifted over on the mountain breeze, mixed with a faint, extremely unpleasant fishy odor.

For the first time, Heiwa and Xiaojin stopped, lowered their bodies, pressed their ears tightly to the back of their heads, tucked their tails between their legs, and made an unprecedented, extremely tense and warning "woofing" sound from their throats.

Every muscle in his body was tense as he stared intently at a huge rock formation shrouded in shadow in front of him.

The entire group froze instantly, everyone's heart tightened, and they held their breath.

Chen Ling squinted and looked over, listening intently.

Deep in the pine forest, a sickeningly loud "crunch" sound could be faintly heard, as if something was gnawing on a bone.

There were also faint "whimpering" moans and suppressed roars.

"Eating."

Chen Ling lowered his voice and made a shushing gesture, indicating that everyone should slowly move closer.

Yang Jian gave a hand signal, and the soldiers dispersed, using the trees for cover, and silently advanced.

The flashlight beams all went out, and we relied entirely on the moonlight and our eyes, which were gradually adapting to the darkness, to see.

The closer you get, the clearer the sound becomes.

The crunching sound of bones being chewed, the ripping sound of fur being torn, and the satisfied grunts of wild animals...

A strong smell of blood filled the air.

Pushing aside the last clump of bushes blocking their view, the sight before them sent chills down everyone's spine. In the moonlight, in a clearing in the woods, lay a large wild boar, its throat ripped open and its belly ripped open, its entrails spilling out onto the ground, steaming hot.

Three gray wolves were surrounding the wild boar, frantically tearing at and swallowing its flesh, their mouths stained crimson.

But what's even more chilling is that, not far from the wolf pack, in the shadow of a crooked old pine tree, a huge figure was crouching quietly!

The creature was as big as an adult leopard, or even larger, with its yellowish-brown fur gleaming coldly in the moonlight, covered with irregular dark spots.

Its crouching posture resembles an enlarged version of a giant cat, but its muscles are bulging, exuding an explosive sense of power.

What's most terrifying is its head, which is wider than that of an ordinary leopard, with a short, thick snout, and a striking tuft of long, black hair standing out on the tips of its ears like tiny antennas!

At this moment, its cold, amber eyes were indifferently watching the wolf pack feasting, as if they were watching a group of busy worker ants.

It even had half a bloody wild boar leg dangling from its mouth, and the wild boar leg was still twitching slightly.

"Over-the-mountain yellow!"

Yang Jian practically spat out those three words through clenched teeth, his knuckles turning white from gripping the gun so tightly.

The soldiers dared not utter a sound, their guns fixed on the enormous figure.

Chen Ling's pupils contracted slightly, but there was no fear on his face. Instead, he showed a look of "I knew it" and muttered to himself, "It really is this thing... He hasn't changed his habit of hoarding things."

The enormous lynx seemed to sense something, and suddenly raised its head, its icy gaze sweeping across the bushes where Chen Ling and the others were hiding!

"Ugh——!"

It let out a low, rumbling warning from its throat, and slowly stood up, still holding the wild boar leg in its mouth.

That massive body was fully stretched out, its muscles flowing and full of power, and the sense of oppression instantly came over you!

The three wolves, who were eating, shuddered at the low growl, stopped tearing at each other, looked up warily, bared their bloody fangs, and let out a fierce but cowardly "woof".

They seemed extremely afraid of the giant lynx and did not dare to actually pounce. Instead, they retreated slightly, lowered their bodies, and tucked their tails between their legs.

The giant lynx completely ignored the wolves' reaction, its gaze fixed on Heiwa and Xiaojin behind the bushes.

Its wild instincts made it sense a great threat.

Its forelimbs were slightly bent, and its thick tail swept slowly behind it like a steel whip, scratching the dead leaves on the ground and making a soft "rustling" sound.

That's a sign that a feline is about to launch an attack!
The atmosphere instantly became tense!

"Wealth!"

Yang Jian shouted urgently in a low voice, meaning whether or not to fight.

Chen Ling suddenly waved his hand, his eyes fixed on the giant beast, and said in a very low voice: "Don't move. You can't hit it at this distance. You'll see how fast it is in a moment. Even if you can't dodge all the bullets, you can hide behind a big tree or a rock, or jump up into a tree and it'll be over in a flash!"

"Moreover, it's not provoking us, it's warning us not to steal its food!"

As if to prove his point, the giant lynx did not pounce. Instead, it snatched the half-boar leg in its mouth, and with its massive body, it leaped backward with remarkable agility, silently disappearing into the deeper darkness.

The speed is amazing!

Almost the instant it disappeared, the three-headed wolf seemed to have received a pardon. Without hesitation, it abandoned the half-eaten wild boar carcass, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled in a panic in another direction, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

On the open ground, only a mangled wild boar carcass remained, its stench of blood overwhelming.

Everything happened too fast; from discovery to disappearance, it only took a dozen seconds.

The soldiers looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

"They...ran away?"

A young soldier asked instinctively, his voice filled with disbelief.

"if not?"

Chen Ling breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.

"It's cunning. It knows we outnumber each other, smell of gunpowder, and have two tough guys like Heiwa and Xiaojin. It doesn't want to fight to the death."

"It was protecting its food, telling us that the wild boar was itss and telling us to get lost."

Yang Jian put away his gun, walked to the wild boar carcass, squatted down to examine it, and frowned: "These teeth... these claws... good heavens, did it really kill it? The wild boar's neck was almost bitten off!"

The wild boar had a huge laceration on its neck, almost severing its entire neck. The edges of the wound were jagged, with clear claw marks.

"That's it."

Chen Ling poked at the wound with the tip of his knife and said with certainty, "That's just how lynxes are. They like to bite necks and they're incredibly ruthless when they're about to kill."

“Look at these claw marks, they are much deeper and larger than those of an ordinary leopard.”

He stood up, looked around at the mess and scattered wolf fur, and snorted: "These wolf cubs are destined to scavenge for scraps. The main dog will be full before it's their turn."

"The Yellow Croaker is a very domineering creature. Once it has its eye on its prey, the wolf pack doesn't dare to approach until it has finished eating it. They can only watch and drool from the sidelines."

One soldier couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "Wow, even wolves are afraid of it? Just how powerful is this thing?"

Chen Ling kicked the wolf fur at his feet: "An ordinary lynx can chase a wolf, let alone a creature this big and intelligent."

"This thing, though called a lynx, is more ferocious than a leopard. It's fast, has sharp claws, and can easily tear a wolf's back with a single swipe of its claws, or even put it in a throat lock. The wolf pack has no way to deal with it."

"What's that old saying from the mountains? 'Better to encounter a tiger than a pack of wolves; better to provoke a pack of wolves than to invite a treacherous mountain bandit.'"

"This thing holds grudges and is incredibly cunning; it's impossible to guard against it."

The crowd felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this, and looking at the gruesome carcass of the wild boar on the ground, they felt even more apprehensive about the giant beast that had quietly departed.

Yang Jian stood up, his face grave: "It seems the situation is more complicated than we thought. This thing... is too destructive, too fast, and very intelligent, knowing how to avoid danger."

Chen Ling nodded: "Yes, so we need to think of a way as soon as possible... But it seems we can't catch up tonight. It was frightened and must have gone far away."

He looked up at the sky; the moon was already setting in the west.

"Clean this up and deal with this wild boar. The smell of blood is too strong; it'll attract other creatures soon."

"Let's find a sheltered spot to rest for a bit; it's almost dawn."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers sprang into action, skillfully dragging the wild boar carcass aside and covering the bloodstains with mud and fallen leaves.

Heiwa and Xiaojin patrolled the area vigilantly, making sure no other dangers approached.

Chen Ling walked to the side, took out a small notebook from his pocket, and quickly sketched the features of the giant lynx by the moonlight, especially the black fur on the tips of its ears and its cold amber eyes.

"Now that we've seen it, it's time to make a plan."

"Bringing the tiger here can subdue it, but if we can catch it, it would be better to capture it and bring it to the cave..."

Yang Jian and the others were even more worried. Before they met Shan Huang, they thought that shooting him would be enough. They didn't shoot him casually because they were afraid that he would hold a grudge and retaliate against the villagers.

But after seeing them, they realized that they didn't have the initiative.

This lynx is like a spirit, intelligent, fast, and ghostly. Without heavy weapons and a large force, no one can guarantee that they can take it down.

"There's no other way, there's really no other way."

"How about this, Brother Fugui, we'll take a day off tomorrow and take you straight back to the city to bring the tiger back for you as soon as possible."

"This can't go on."

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this, nodded, and said "okay."

Although he wanted to enjoy himself in the mountains, he wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible. The lynxes were too slippery, and this couldn't go on forever. (End of Chapter)