Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 706 Standing in a Tree to Hunt Black Weasels and Casually Drain Their Blood
At this moment, Sun Weimin's concern was completely heartfelt; he was genuinely afraid that Xu Ning and the other three would have an accident in the mountains near the Dongyao Mine!

Putting aside how things went with Xu Ning these past two days and what kind of relationship they developed, Guan Lei alone is enough to give him a hard time. Guan Lei is the only son-in-law of the Sun family, and if he gets hurt under Sun Weimin's nose, it's not something that can be resolved by just giving him some money.

Sun Weimin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the four people were unharmed. He warmly invited them into the house and told the two girls to quickly bring out the food.

He and Master Li and the others had already eaten. After all, it was already past 7 o'clock, and it was impossible to wait for Xu Ning and the others to come back before eating. So they put the food in the big pot to keep it warm. The two girls picked up the bowls and served the dishes, while Master Li's wife fetched two basins of warm water. Xu Ning and the others washed themselves before going into the house.

Xu Ning noticed that there were only four pairs of bowls and chopsticks on the table, so he asked, "Uncle Min, have you all finished eating?"

"Yeah, I was so hungry that I ate something while waiting for you guys to come back."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "What if we come back in the middle of the night before things are going well? Uncle Min, don't worry too much about us going back into the mountains. We came here to hunt black sheep, and we won't be able to sleep well if we don't find any."

"Oh dear, you all better be careful, you scared me half to death today! Start eating, hurry up and dig in!"

Xu Ning picked up some duck meat with his chopsticks and said, "It's nothing. We've made some progress after wandering around the mountains for a couple of days. We should have found the hideout of the barbarian. Prepare more food for us tomorrow, and bring two more sets of bedding. We'll spend the night in the mountains tomorrow."

Sun Weimin quickly advised, "Spending the night in the mountains? That won't do! Erning, listen to what Uncle Min said. It's fine for you to go hunting for bandits during the day, but we can't see anything at night. It's too dangerous!"

Xu Ning, holding his wine glass, waved his hand confidently and said, "Uncle Min, just listen to me. These scoundrels don't want to come out during the day, so we'll have to fight them in the dark. Don't worry, I have a plan!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Weimin didn't continue to persuade him. He sighed and said, "You're a professional mountain runner, so I can't say anything. But I only have one request: you must be careful. If you can kill the scoundrel, do so. If you can't, come back as soon as possible."

"I know." Xu Ning nodded, then asked, "Uncle Min, do you have any nails as long as a finger?"

"Yes, of course there are nails in the mine. What do you need them for?"

"Nail a few into the tree..." Xu Ning had no patience to explain.

Sun Weimin turned his head and looked up at Master Li, who then got up and walked out of the house.

A moment later, he returned with two handfuls of nails about the length of a finger. He placed them on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Er Ning, look how long these are, is it okay?"

"Okay, that's enough!"

After saying that, Xu Ning focused on eating his food, while Sun Weimin and Master Li's wife discussed what to eat for breakfast the next day and what kind of food to prepare for the four of them.

After clearing the table, Sun Weimin drank tea with Xu Ning and the other three for a while before they all went back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day, when Xu Ning woke up, the aroma of pancakes was already wafting from the outer room. Li Fuqiang was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), smoking and chatting quietly with Guan Lei next to him.

"Go check how much fuel is left in the tank, and prepare a few more ropes."

Wang Hu said, "Master Li filled the fuel tank and prepared the rope as well."

Xu Ning got up and put on his clothes. While he went to the outhouse, Sun Weimin took out two bottles of Wujia Bai from the back room and handed them to Guan Lei, saying, "Leizi, fill the pot with this liquor. If you feel cold in the mountains, take a few sips."

"okay."

Breakfast consisted of potato shreds rolls, two kinds of porridge, salted duck eggs, pickled vegetables, and so on. However, Sun Weimin packed chicken stew with dried potatoes, mushrooms, and vermicelli in their lunchboxes. Although it was only one dish, it was packed into eight boxes. He also gave them a bag of steamed buns and six boxes of rice. The food alone almost bent Wang Hu's back. It was really too heavy!

This also reveals Sun Weimin's thoughts. He prepared so much food for two reasons: first, he was worried that Xu Ning and the others wouldn't eat well in the mountains; second, he was hoping that they could kill these bastards so that the mine could resume operations. You know, the loss from a day's shutdown at the mine is not a small amount of money!
Xu Ning understood Sun Weimin's good intentions. After they got into the car, Sun Weimin specifically instructed, "Er Ning, safety is our priority. Fight if you can, and come back as soon as you can't. Be extra careful!"

"Don't worry, Uncle Min, we're here today specifically to get rid of those bastards. We have to kill them all, otherwise what am I doing here?"

Sun Weimin waved with a smile, and as the car drove away from the mine gate, he added, "Be careful!"

Wang Hu, sitting in the passenger seat, rubbed his shoulders and said, "Second Brother, what are we going to do with so much grain? Carrying this whole load is making my shoulders ache..."

"When we get off the bus later, the three of us will split the food," Li Fuqiang said.

Guan Lei nodded: "Give me the rope."

"The rope is fine."

Xu Ning gripped the steering wheel with both hands and said, "After we get into the mountains, we'll hang the grain on the trees. We can't cook over a fire in Qingcao Pond; we need to find a sheltered place..."

"Okay, here are two more sets of bedding. Shall we take them together?"

"Take them all, just in case."

Upon reaching the mountain pass, everyone jumped off the vehicle, carrying food, bedding, guns, ropes, and other supplies, and began their ascent towards the summit.

They easily reached the top of the mountain outside Qingcaotang. Xu Ning pointed to a large poplar tree and asked Wang Hu to climb up and hang the lunchbox and other items on the tree.

Then I found the rope ladder and log that I had thrown away yesterday, and with them in my arms I went around the back of the grass pond and went straight to the woods where I found the dog leg yesterday.

"How's this tree, bro?"

"Okay! Great, let's go up and hang the rope ladder first, then build a platform."

Immediately, Wang Hu, Li Fuqiang, and Guan Lei climbed up two trees, first hanging the rope ladder on the thick trunk, then Li Fuqiang handed the two men a piece of wood, while Xu Ning stood under the tree with his gun, scanning the surroundings.

Although it's already past 9 o'clock, and the green-skinned rascal shouldn't be out wandering around at this time, nothing is absolute, so it's still best to be careful.

Wang Hu and Guan Lei worked quickly, and in just six or seven minutes they had finished setting up the platforms on the two trees.

Xu Ning squatted down, grabbed a handful of snow, and let the wind blow the snow away. He said, "I'm standing where the wind is blowing. Follow me, and I'll cover the rear and smooth out the tracks."

"OK."

They walked towards the hilltop where the lunchboxes were placed, and Guan Lei asked, "Second Brother, what are we going to play with tonight?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Leave a few pieces of chicken, skewer them with tree branches, and roast them over a fire. The aroma will drift all the way to Qingcaotang on the wind."

Li Fuqiang said, "When the time comes, we'll stand in the tree, and as soon as the thugs come over, I'll shoot them twice!"

"When I was fighting the bastards in Wangxing before, my marksmanship was terrible and I didn't even manage to hit them properly. This time, I'm determined to kill both of them!"

Guan Lei said, "At least you've seen a green-skinned man, but I don't even know what a green-skinned man looks like."

"It's only slightly bigger than a jackal. Haven't you seen wolf fangs? Their teeth are about the same size as a blue wolf's..."

They returned to the mountaintop, lit a fire in a sheltered spot, and enjoyed a delicious lunch without rushing to wander around the Qingcaotang area.

At this moment, they have made all the necessary preparations and are just waiting for the right opportunity to catch the sly.

"Thank goodness my brother asked Uncle Min for bedding, otherwise this wind could have killed us." Guan Lei rubbed his eyes and got up. Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "Didn't you ask Lianfang to get you a couple more clothes?"

"I'm wearing thick clothes, but my face hurts a little."

Time flies by, and before we knew it, it was getting dark.

After they extinguished the fire, Wang Hu skewered five pieces of chicken on a tree branch. Xu Ning said, "Put down the lunchbox and anything else that's not useful, and stuff two steamed buns into your pocket. We can eat them when we get hungry later."

Li Fuqiang stuffed the steamed bun into his inner pocket, glared at him, and said, "Brother, look at what kind of look I have now!"

"Haha, Sister-in-law Li..."

Xu Ning said in a cheeky tone, "Sister-in-law, give me two bites of fruit."

"Come, come, come..." Li Fuqiang didn't stand on ceremony at all and came over straight.

"Damn it, come on, this whole thing almost made me nauseous."

"Ha ha……"

Immediately, the four of them stopped smiling and headed towards the woods behind Qingcaotang.

Upon reaching the woods, they divided the work and began to work. The first task was to build a fire between two trees 20 meters apart, where they would be setting up the platform.

Then lay a quilt on the platform and hang the quilt on the tree branches. This will block the wind and keep you warm to some extent.

As they were preparing, there was movement in the grassy area not far away. Two slender green-skinned wolves crawled out of their den. They stood on a high place and twitched their noses, as if they had smelled a strange odor. They quickly turned around and crawled back into their den. Then, five or six more green-skinned wolves crawled out of their den and gathered in the grassy area, waiting for the wolf king's command.

This wolf king wasn't very big, but its eyes were fierce. When it bared its teeth, the stag next to it was so frightened that it lowered its head and shrank its neck. Its majesty was beyond doubt.

The wolf king let out a long howl towards the sky, and a group of scavengers scattered and ran towards the vicinity of the grassy pond, while the wolf king and wolf queen rubbed their heads together.

Five or six minutes later, the green-skinned wolves returned from all directions, and howls of wolves echoed one after another. Then, the wolf king looked up at the back of the grassy pond, and after a long howl, a group of green-skinned wolves rushed straight towards the back of the grassy pond.

The wolf king and queen followed behind. As the sun had completely set, their green eyes looked particularly sinister in the pitch-black night.

Just as they were about to dart to the back of the grassy pond, they suddenly stopped, then lowered their heads and moved forward with small, quick steps.

At this moment, Xu Ning and Guan Lei were standing on the tree on the left, with a platform under their feet and blankets in front of them for cover. Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu were on the tree on the right, both of them staring at the fire below.

Upon hearing the wolf howls, Xu Ning instructed them to pull the bolts and reminded them to retract the rope ladder. As for the skewer of chicken beside the campfire? It was no longer important at that moment.

"Brother, they seem to be coming."

"I can hear the noise. The visibility here is good, but it's too dark to see anything. That fire is a bit far away. Next time, we'll have to move it five meters further in."

Wang Hu blew the roe deer whistle twice, telling Xu Ning that he and Li Fuqiang had spotted the roe deer.

Xu Ning didn't reply, but simply rested the muzzle of his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle on a tree branch and patiently waited for the green-skinned man to approach.

The group of shrews were very cautious. Because they were afraid of firelight, they circled around the fire and circled behind it. Xu Ning frowned when he saw this. Whatever they did, these shrews were indeed quite clever. They even knew about the encirclement tactic.

Xu Ning didn't fire his gun because he was observing the wolf king's position. How can you find the wolf king among a pack of wolves? Let's put it this way: the wolf king won't act as the vanguard. It will find a suitable angle to overlook the entire situation in order to command and issue orders.

So, unable to find the wolf king right in front of him, Xu Ning turned his gaze to the distance, but still couldn't find it...

“Stone, stand a little to the side and shout a couple of times at the green-skinned bastards below.”

Guan Lei stepped onto a tree branch as thick as his arm, looked down, and spat at a green-haired man, shouting, "Hey! Where are you looking?"

When Qingpizi looked up and saw Guan Lei, he immediately jumped forward and pounced, making a grinding sound.

Immediately, one after another, the green-skinned swarms gathered under the tree where Xu Ning and Guan Lei were. Due to the limited visibility, they couldn't see how many green-skinned swarms were under the tree, so Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang on the other side became crucial.

"Brother! You have five below you!"

The green-skinned cats kept lunging forward under the tree, but they couldn't climb trees at all; they could only stand in place, sharpening their claws and practicing their vocalizations.

At that moment, Xu Ning heard a long howl. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a wolf standing on a hill about 50 meters away.

Xu Ning noticed that its eyes were glowing green, so he raised the muzzle of his gun slightly and then pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!
After a gunshot, the wolf king 50 meters away was startled. It wasn't that Xu Ning's marksmanship was bad, but that the bullet was blocked by a tree branch in the middle, which changed the trajectory and caused it to go astray.

"Go!" Xu Ning shouted. Although he hadn't killed the wolf king, he couldn't stop now.

Li Fuqiang, holding an old hoe handle, sat on the edge of the platform, firing the gun with the muzzle pointing downwards.

Wang Hu sat on a tree branch, lowered his head and pulled the trigger. At such close range, there was no need to aim; he could just shoot by feel. In just five or six seconds, eight thugs fell to the ground below the tree.

Upon hearing the gunshot, the remaining three savages hurriedly fled for their lives in the distance. Xu Ning moved the muzzle of his gun and pulled the trigger four times in succession. The three savages fell into the snow, and their bodies were instantly stained red with blood.

When the gunfire stopped, Wang Hu shouted, "Second Brother! All eleven shrews are dead!"

Xu Ning raised his hand and said, "Something's not right! It's not 11. There are two more green-skinned wolves behind us. I just saw the wolf king run into the grassy pond."

Li Fuqiang asked in surprise, "Why are there two more?"

"The wolf king and queen were having their babies in the den, I didn't think much of it at the time... Hey, quickly put down the rope ladder, big brother, come with me to the grass pond, Tiger and Stone are bleeding out here!"

"okay."

Guan Lei put the rope ladder down and said, "Brother, why don't Hu Zi and I go with you too?"

Xu Ning climbed down the rope ladder from the tree and nodded, saying, "That works too."

Standing among the swarms of shriveled animals, Li Fuqiang spotted one still breathing and casually stabbed it in the neck, grinning as he said, "I'll bleed it out first."

Looking at the group of savage corpses, Wang Hu felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He had just shot four savages with a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, and every shot was a precise headshot.

"Brother, which way did that wolf king run off to?"

"Qingcaotang... Let's head that way first and follow the trail."

(End of this chapter)