Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 707 The Wolf King's Desperate Struggle Almost Made Me Shiver
The night was dark and windy, with an oval moon hanging high in the sky. Moonlight spilled onto the snow-covered mountains, casting long, dark shadows of trees.

A biting wind howled past, making his face stiff and sting. On the slope behind Qingcaotang, Xu Ning was struggling to take big strides, wading forward through the thick snow. He gripped the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle in both hands, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Just now, due to poor visibility while in the tree, the wolf king and a female wolf escaped, which should not have happened. However, when hunting livestock in the mountains, all sorts of unexpected things can happen. It can be said that man proposes, God disposes, and plans cannot keep up with changes. Xu Ning did not feel regret or remorse.

Just as Sun Weimin said, what's the big deal? Since the wolf king has run away, let's keep chasing him. As long as we kill him, the outcome won't change, and those minor accidents won't be considered accidents!

Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu had already switched guns. He broke open the triangular bayonet under the barrel of the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle to prevent the thugs from suddenly getting close and attacking. Wang Hu and Guan Lei followed behind them, keeping a close watch on everything around them, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

With the help of the moonlight, Xu Ning could spot wolf tracks in the snow. There were no other livestock in the area, so the wolf tracks seemed quite conspicuous.

While I was perched in the tree, I didn't feel the moonlight was bright, but after leaving the area illuminated by the fire, I found that everything was very clear.

"Tiger, shine the flashlight. There are only grassy patches ahead. Brother, let's be careful. This sly weasel might be hiding behind the grass."

"Yeah... don't worry, bro."

Xu Ning didn't offer many explanations or instructions. The four of them often went hiking in the mountains and had developed a tacit understanding. They knew exactly what each of them was supposed to do.

Wang Hu took out two flashlights, handed one to Guan Lei, and then the two of them hung them on their heads and secured them with face towels.

Li Fuqiang asked suspiciously, "Is this Qingcaotang a large meadow? Why do I feel like my feet are sinking into nothingness?"

"It's a meadow, which should be filled with water all year round, forming a shallow pool."

Guan Lei asked, "Why would a green-skinned rascal like me want to stay in this burrow? I don't see anything to eat here."

“Where can you look in the dark? This area is sure to have plenty of pheasants and jackals. Red-skinned weasels, yellow-skinned weasels, and greyhounds all love to nest in places like this. Besides, the mine isn’t far from here. Where does Sun Weimin usually hunt small animals? His first choice is definitely Qingcaotang.”

“No problem. The reason he’s in such a hurry to kill the green weasel is because he’s afraid the green weasel will eat all the small animals, and then he’ll have nothing left to kill.”

At this moment, Xu Ning raised his hand and waved, and the other three remained still, scanning their surroundings and gripping their guns tightly.

"There's movement on the left, let's move slowly... Behind us! Tiger, lie down!"

Xu Ning heard the sound of footsteps in the snow behind him and immediately turned around with his gun. Wang Hu lay down in the same direction. When Guan Lei turned around, his flashlight shone on the gray-skinned animal. The animal had a long tail that drooped under its crotch and it lunged at Wang Hu with its mouth wide open.

Xu Ning raised his gun and immediately pulled the trigger. After only two shots, the shrew lay motionless in the snow, but its abdomen was still rising and falling, so it was clear that it wasn't quite dead yet!
Seeing this, Guan Lei hurriedly took the axe hanging on his chest and smashed it twice on the green-skinned man's head.

"You scared me!" Guan Lei said, glaring as he smashed the object. Wang Hu patted his chest and stood up.

"This isn't the wolf king; there's another one inside."

Li Fuqiang, holding the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, said, "Then how about we take turns, one in front and one behind? I think the green-skinned guy prefers to pounce on people from behind."

"Okay, fine! We don't need to worry about the stone. You and Tiger can walk in the middle."

As soon as he finished speaking, a chilling roar came from behind Xu Ning. When Xu Ning turned around, a small green swarm pounced on him.

The wolf was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it was right next to Xu Ning. Wang Hu quickly turned his head around and shone his flashlight on the wolf king, revealing its sinister green eyes.

"elder brother!"

Guan Lei hurriedly took half a step forward, and Li Fuqiang was terrified because he was the furthest away from Xu Ning, about two or three meters away. He certainly couldn't help from that distance, not to mention that Guan Lei and Wang Hu were blocking his view so he couldn't raise his gun.

As Xu Ning turned around, he thrust out the muzzle of his gun. The moment the bayonet of the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle touched the Wolf King's head, Xu Ning pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!
After a gunshot, the wolf king fell to the ground with a thud into the snow.

After firing his gun, Xu Ning sat down on the snow. Wang Hu and Guan Lei approached with their guns and asked, "Brother, how are you? Did you get hurt?"

"Nothing's wrong, but it suddenly jumped out and gave me a fright. Damn, I almost peed my pants!"

Upon hearing that his brother was alright, Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "That green-skinned wolf gave me quite a fright just now. Was it the wolf king? It didn't look as big as the one we fought at Wangxing earlier."

"Hmm, this wolf king must have only been in power for a short time..."

Wang Hu asked, "Second Brother, there shouldn't be any this time, right?"

"That's all. Let's gut these two shrews first, then build a fire here and cook some food."

"Okay, then I'll go to the top of the mountain to get the food."

Xu Ning instructed, "Shitou, go with your brother. Go quickly and come back quickly. If anything happens, fire a shot."

"know."

After Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei left, Xu Ning cleared a space nearby, started a fire with dry grass, and added a few pieces of wood to the fire.

Wang Hu gutted the two shrews and asked, "Second Brother, want to roast some wolf meat?"

"If you want to eat it, cut off some of that she-wolf's flesh. I'm not eating it."

"okay."

Wang Hu cut off two pieces of meat, skewered them with a tree branch, and roasted them by the fire. He said, "These wolf pelts are smoother than the ones Wang Xing made. Wang Xing's wolf pelts are a bit dry."

“Wangxing’s group is old, and these wolf pelts are perfect for making mattresses.”

At this moment, Li Fuqiang and Guan Lei returned, handed the lunchboxes to Wang Hu, and said, "Go and drag those thugs over now?"

"Let's go together. Tiger, throw your lunchbox here first. Leave everything except the gun. We'll need to get bedding when we get back."

"Okay."

The four men unloaded all their belongings, carrying only their guns, and returned to the woods behind Qingcaotang. Before they chased after the wolf king, Wang Hu threw down the ropes.

Upon reaching the woods, Guan Lei climbed a tree to retrieve bedding, while Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang gutted the shriveled man...

These green-skinned animals were scattered under two trees. It didn't take much effort to tie them all up and then drag them back to the grassy pond.

The fire was almost out, so Xu Ning threw two bundles of dry grass into it, and the flames reignited.

The four men sat around the fire, and Li Fuqiang asked, "What time is it, brothers?"

"At 10:20, let's eat and drink our fill before heading back. Let's try to get to the mine after 12 o'clock."

"Hahaha, perfect!"

Wang Hu laughed and said, "These thirteen green shrews in total, Uncle Min will be so happy if he sees them!"

Guan Lei said, "Oh dear, he probably wants two pieces of meat to taste and see if it's salty enough."

"Just give him two pieces, wolf meat doesn't taste good."

"The most important thing is that he wants us to stay a few more days and accompany him up the mountain to hunt livestock." Li Fuqiang tilted his head and asked, "With his big build, can he even walk? We can normally walk 10 li without getting out of breath, but I think he'd have trouble even walking 2 li!"

"There's nothing we can do about it; they've already spent the money."

Xu Ning said, "Let's talk about it when the time comes. Maybe we won't run into anything for two or three days, and then he'll back out."

Guan Lei exclaimed, "Brother, didn't he say there are An Dahans in this mountain?"

"We haven't even caught a glimpse of him, so where are we supposed to find him? Besides, this place is too close to the mine; there's no way he would have come here. He probably just heard it from someone else."

They had a quick bite at Qingcaotang, then a couple of sips of Wujia Bai liquor. Xu Ning glanced at his watch and realized it was already past 11:30, so he got up and started making arrangements to return to the mine.

After extinguishing the fire, they each carried a cloth bag on their backs and slowly walked towards the mountain pass, holding the ropes binding the barbs.

The cold wind continued to howl, its biting chill seeping into their collars and making them shiver. But they didn't feel bitter; this was the job they were supposed to earn. How could they earn money if they couldn't endure hardship?

We reached the mountain pass at exactly 12:40.

It's easy to imagine how much effort they put into dragging the thirteen green-skinned animals. When they encountered a slope, it usually took two people working together to pull four or five of them, because the mountains of Dongyao were all valleys, with a very complex terrain of seven horizontal and eight vertical lines.

After throwing all the green sardines into the back of the truck, Xu Ning and the others crawled inside to warm their hands, which were still frozen even though they were wearing gloves.

"What kind of weather is this? It looked fine during the day, but it turns into this awful mess as soon as it gets dark..."

"Yesterday was the Minor Cold, and today is the sixteenth, so it's normal for it to be a bit cold."

"Oh my god, she's sixteen today already?"

"It's almost 1 a.m., it must be November 1th, which is January 6th in the Gregorian calendar, right, Second Brother?"

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "I've had a more confused day than any of you, what's the point of asking me..."

"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner! This year it's sure to be even more lively."

"Absolutely! It's better to have a lively atmosphere. What kind of New Year is it if it's not lively?"

Xu Ning shifted gears and stepped on the gas to drive the car forward. When he arrived at the mine, he honked the horn twice, but did not get out of the car to shout.

The loudspeaker was louder than the shouts, waking up Sun Weimin, Master Li, and others who were sleeping inside.

Sun Weimin hurriedly put on his clothes. As he got out of bed to put on his shoes, Master Li had already rushed to the door. Seeing that the light was on in his room, he shouted, "Er Ning and the others may be back. I'll go check!"

"Hey, be careful!"

"Okay, I'm getting my tools."

Master Li, holding a double-barreled shotgun, arrived at the gate. Seeing the car lights, he didn't open the gate immediately but asked, "Is that Er Ning?"

"it's me!"

"Oh, I knew it was you guys coming back. Wait a minute, this front door is a bit difficult to fix."

Master Li first placed the double-barreled shotgun on the wooden rack, then removed the bolt and pulled out the iron pipe. After he opened the gate, Xu Ning stepped on the gas and entered the yard.

At this moment, Sun Weimin put on his cotton-padded coat, pushed open the door and came out. When he saw Xu Ning entering the yard, he ran to the car with a smile, turned off the engine and said with a smile, "You must have had good news when you came back the other day, right?"

"Yes! Uncle Min, all thirteen green shrews are in the carriage."

"Oh my god, thirteen heads? How come there are so many? Are you all alright?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "We're fine, it's just that the bedding you brought is all dirty."

"So what if they get dirty? As long as you're all okay. Let me see what these bastards look like..."

Wang Hu shone a flashlight on him, and when Sun Weimin saw the pile of green shriveles, he immediately clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Great! This stuff looks delicious, haha..."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "If you want to taste what it's like, then cut off a few pieces of meat, but this stuff doesn't taste very good; it's both sour and tough."

"Ah, I have to try it too, mainly because I've never eaten it before. How about this, you sell me two! The hides can be used to make clothes."

"Come on, Uncle Min, the only thing worth anything about this thing is the hide. There's basically nothing else of value. Why are you selling it? I'll just give you two for free."

Sun Weimin felt quite relieved and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "How can that be? We'll do what we need to do. Old Li, how much are those wolf pelts outside?"

Mr. Li replied, "It seems to be less than 300 yuan."

“Then let’s go with 300, Erning. I’ll take 600 for both, plus the 800, that’s 1400 in total! Don’t be so polite, okay? We’re all family here. I was thinking of having you take me into the mountains to hunt livestock, so I could have some fun too!”

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Uncle Min, this wolf pelt isn't worth that much money, just give me a little less."

"You might not think it's worth that much, but I do! Alright, hurry up and come inside. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Old Li is calling your wife..."

"No need, Uncle Min, we've already eaten in the mountains, don't bother."

Seeing that they were sincere, Sun Weimin nodded: "Alright, we'll get everything ready tomorrow morning, you can rest too..."

"Okay, you guys go back to your rooms and get some more sleep. I didn't expect the fight to go so smoothly."

Guan Lei said, "Brother, this went smoothly? That wolf king almost pounced on you..."

Upon hearing this, Sun Weimin perked up and immediately asked, "Oh my god, what's going on?"

Everyone went inside, and Xu Ning sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and briefly recounted the hunting experience with the green-skinned man.

Upon hearing this, Sun Weimin was startled, as if the person in question were right in front of him, completely absorbed and unable to extricate himself.

"If it were me, I would definitely be tackled to death. With my build, I'm half a beat slower than a normal person when I turn around. Ugh, don't even mention it!"

After saying this with a self-deprecating smile, Sun Weimin quickly added, "Er Ning, you two stay home and rest for a day tomorrow. I'll have them prepare some good food, and then we can go into the mountains to hunt livestock the day after tomorrow."

Xu Ning advised tactfully, "Uncle Min, the wind in the mountains is unpredictable, and we haven't seen any trace of you in the mountains these past two days, so things are a bit difficult."

Sun Weimin waved his hand: "It's not hard to arrange. I asked Lao Li to inquire. There are wild boars, roe deer, and deer in Xishan. There is a large area of ​​low shrubs and red pine trees there. It is a mixed old forest. People from the villages closest to our mine all go to Xishan to hunt livestock."

"That works... I can drive there for a spin tomorrow morning, I need to get familiar with the mountain roads."

"Alright! I'll do whatever you say. I feel much better now that all those bastards are dead. Old Li, tell them to get back to work tomorrow. Let them make money!"

They chatted with Sun Weimin inside the house until 2:30 a.m. before everyone crawled into their blankets to sleep.

(End of this chapter)