Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 725 A Fierce Battle in the Forest with a Herd of Giant Pigs
The two vehicles were only about 40 meters apart. Xiao Liu, sitting in the Jiefang truck, clearly saw Xu Ning about to turn the steering wheel. He then excitedly waved his hands, grinned, and shouted loudly. However, the engine noise was too loud, and he couldn't hear what Xu Ning was saying. Li Tielin, who was sitting next to him, was holding the steering wheel with both hands. When he saw this, he honked the horn twice.

When Xu Ning spotted Li Tielin and Xiao Liu, he had already put his foot on the brake. Since they had run into each other in the village, he had to stop and chat for a bit; he couldn't just leave.

He slammed on the brakes twice to bring the car to a stop. Li Tielin also parked his car in front of the old Dongfeng, with a two-meter gap between the front of the cars. Xiao Liu quickly pushed open the car door, jumped out, and shouted, "Er Ning!"

Xu Ning put the car in neutral, opened the door, and asked with a smile as he got out, "Brother Liu, what brings you to the village?"

Xiao Liu said, "Did you come here specifically to find you? Did you just come down from the mountain?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Xu Ning landed on his feet and looked at Xiao Liu. At this moment, Li Tielin, Wang Hu in the passenger seat, and Li Fuqiang, Lao Jiang, and others in the carriage came over and surrounded the two of them.

Xiao Liu said bluntly, "Secretary Zheng and Director Guo specifically asked to see you."

Because there were outsiders around, Xiao Liu did not address Zheng Yunlong as his cousin.

"Ah, what happened?" Xu Ning was stunned.

Xiao Liu frowned and said, "I heard from the workers at Lengchang that there seems to be a group of livestock in the mountains. At that time, the worker went to pick wild boar and only heard pigs squealing. He looked down from the tree and saw a dark mass of them. Then he ran back to Lengchang and told Foreman Lu. Foreman Lu ran to the forest farm and told the leaders. Anyway, from what I heard, it seems like there are quite a lot of pigs. The leaders not only told me to call you, but also told me to go to Taiping and Taihe to call people."

The loudspeaker announced, "I'm from Taiping. We haven't seen anything on the mountain today. Where did that worker find the pigs?"

"It seems to be the snail shell south of Xiazigou, or maybe south of the snail shell. I only heard about it, but I didn't understand the specifics."

Xu Ning frowned and asked, "Did he even count how many pigs there were?"

"He probably didn't see clearly. The worker said it was a huge, dark mass, and the screams were terrible, like they'd all gone mad..."

The loudspeaker said, "Holy crap, could it be that they sent Big Cat over?"

There are many reasons why wild boars gather in groups, but under normal circumstances, wild boars do not gather in groups unless they are all from the same bloodline family. Otherwise, it is difficult for unfamiliar groups to integrate. So there are only two reasons: one is that they are driven into groups by wild boar herders, that is, big cats; the other is that the geographical environment is so changeable that wild boars have to huddle together for warmth and food.

When there is no food in the deep forest, wild boars' natural predators, such as bears, have already gone into hiding. The only animals left that are not hibernating are big cats, leopards, and wolf packs. To prevent them from hunting, wild boars gather in groups. There is another reason: when wild boars gather in groups, many of them will die due to various accidents, and the surviving wild boars will then have a food source.

"No way..."

Old Jiang was a little unwilling to believe it. Xu Ning had just killed the big cat, how could there be another big cat?
Xu Ning went over the matter in his mind and felt that he wouldn't get any useful information from Xiao Liu. The best course of action was to go to the forest farm and hear what the person involved had to say.

"Brother Liu, go and call the others, we're going straight to the forest farm."

"Okay, who's hunting livestock in Taiping Village?"

The loudspeaker said, "I'm from Taiping Village. Let me show you the way."

"Alright, Erning, you guys go ahead now."

Xu Ning nodded, turned around, and jumped into the car. He first straightened the front of the car, and after Lao Jiang and the others got in, he drove past the Jiefang truck, skimming along its side.

The loudspeaker then took Xiao Liu and Li Tielin to several villages, including Taiping and Taihe, to call people from house to house. Some people were idle at home, while others couldn't stay still and went out. In total, they called more than 10 people, including Lao Han and Lan Dadan, who had just left and hadn't arrived home yet, as well as Li Mazi, the three Li brothers, and the Lao Duan brothers, who were hibernating at home...

Xu Ning drove to the forest farm and saw Xu Laonian standing under the eaves waving. Everyone quickly got out of the car and went to greet him.

"What's going on, Dad?"

Xu Laonian said, "The foreman of the 18th workshop, Lu, led a worker over and said that there is a group of wild boars in Snail Shell, about a hundred of them!"

"One hundred?"

The crowd looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

If a hundred wild boars were to gather together, it would be a huge disaster for the forest farm. Don't underestimate the destructive power of wild boars. Right now, there's nothing in the mountains but snow. Once they gather together, they'll focus solely on foraging for food and move at a very fast speed. If anyone appears in their sight, they will inevitably be attacked, at best injured, and at worst eaten.

Xu Laonian waved his hand and said, "You guys go in first, there are more people coming from Nanbeitun later."

Li Fuqiang asked, "Uncle, is the forest farm going to organize another large-scale encirclement?"

"We definitely have to fight them. If these pigs run to the edge of the village, it will be a big problem."

Everyone smiled slightly upon hearing this, and their hearts were finally at ease!

These past few days they'd been wondering where all the livestock in the mountains had gone. They'd searched for eight or nine days straight without finding a trace. Turns out they'd all gone to herd!
Entering the forest farm's main conference room, Zheng Yunlong, Guo Xingmin, and two deputy directors were sitting inside, each with a cigarette in their hand and a worried expression on their face.

Beside him stood Lu, the foreman of the 18th workshop, and the workers in his workshop. Xu Ning entered the room and greeted Zheng Yunlong and the others.

Immediately, Guo Xingmin asked, "Er Ning, are you confident you can take down a hundred wild boars?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "It depends on how we handle it. If I go into the mountains to fight by myself, I definitely won't have the confidence. But if all the mountain runners in Qing'an go into the mountains, we'll definitely be able to take it down!"

"That's right! See what I told you? It's only a little over a hundred wild boars. We have plenty of capable people in Qing'an. Are we afraid of a bunch of livestock?"

Guo Xingmin and the two deputy farm managers did not dampen Zheng Yunlong's enthusiasm. Why? Because killing a hundred wild boars is not so easy. First of all, you have to know that wild boars are not inanimate objects; they are lively and energetic animals!

If you fire a shot from the east, they'll run to the west; if you intercept them from the west, they'll dart to the east. If someone surrounds them, they can still find a way to escape. So they're not easy to fight. Unlike a family of six or seven wild boars that can be killed by three or five people or a dozen dogs, the difficulty here increases exponentially, rather than in stages...

Xu Ning asked, "What exactly happened? Are there really over 100 wild boars stuck in snail shells?"

Lu stubbed out his cigarette and said, "My brother saw it with his own eyes. Old Li, tell me what happened back then."

Old Li nodded: "I was picking wild boars on the mountain when I heard wild boars squealing down below. The squeals were terrifying! I was so scared that I almost fell off the tree. Then I looked into the distance and saw a huge black mass of wild boars! I think there were more than 100 of them. They were all burying their heads in the ground and plowing through the snow!"

"Looking out from inside the snail shell?"

"The snail shells are about three miles south, in that ditch at the foot of Little Lonely Mountain. I left mine on the mountain, and they were left in the ditch..."

"Are the pigs coming from our forest farm?" "Yes! They're all walking with their heads down, squealing as they go."

Xu Ning frowned and asked, "Didn't you hear any other noises?"

"Can't you hear it? The whole mountain is filled with the squealing of pigs. Where can you listen for any other noises?"

Li Fuqiang turned his head and said, "Brother, they probably weren't chased away by the big cat; they came here on their own."

Old Jiang nodded: "They came from south to north, could they have come from Baishilazi... Oh dear! Could they have come from Jilin Province?"

Inside the room, everyone was stunned upon hearing this. Zheng Yunlong muttered to himself, "From Jilin Province? The weather there is warmer than here, that can't be..."

Xu Ning said, "It's also possible. If there's heavy snow in Jilin Province, or if the snow in the mountains is heavier than here, then they might come towards us."

This is an animal's survival instinct. When there is no food in the mountains after heavy snow, they will walk to places where the snow is less, and they will join groups along the way, eventually forming a large herd of up to a hundred wild boars!
Guo Xingmin said, "Speaking of which, I just remembered something. It seems there was an avalanche in the Daxueshan area of ​​Jilin Province a few days ago. The snowfall here wasn't that heavy, but it was really heavy in Jilin Province. Two forest farms there were completely blocked off, and cars couldn't even pass..."

Zheng Yunlong nodded and said, "If that's true, it's quite possible. We need to be careful! What if these wild boars were driven here by large livestock? We have to be extra cautious if we want to deal with them..."

"Secretary Zheng is right."

A moment later, Xiao Liu and Xu Laonian's apprentice entered the room and said, "Secretary, people from Nanbeitun and Taiping and Taihe villages have arrived."

"Let them in directly."

Big loudspeaker, Li Mazi and Lao Duan, the three Li brothers, Wang Linhai, the two Zhao brothers... a total of 15 people entered the house. If you include Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang and others, there are more than 20 people.

Xu Ning didn't look at the two Zhao brothers, but Wang Hu couldn't keep a secret. After glaring at the two Zhao brothers, he was pulled by Li Fuqiang to sit on a stool against the wall and whispered, "Don't alert them. Just pretend nothing happened."

Wang Hu gritted his teeth and said, "I get angry just looking at those two, damn it..."

The two Zhao brothers acted as if nothing had happened and sat down next to Xu Ning. Zhao Guofeng turned his head and waved to Xu Ning: "Hey, Xu Pao's here? Why haven't you been running around in the mountains these days?"

Xu Ning smiled and said, "I've been busy taking care of some things. You've been doing well lately."

Zhao Guofeng paused, looked at his younger brother Zhao Guoqing with suspicion, and then nodded blankly: "Ah, that's good! But you've been running around in the mountains for several days and haven't caught anything, unlike you who never comes up empty-handed when you run around in the mountains."

"I often end up empty-handed, so don't listen to what outsiders are saying."

"What nonsense! I heard nothing but the truth. If you ask me, Xu Ning is exactly like that!"

Zhao Guoqing gave a thumbs up and said, "You've only been running this business for a little over a year, right? You've been hunting black bears and deer, or hunting leopards and killing tigers. I have to admire you."

Xu Ning laughed loudly upon hearing this: "Hahaha, this is nothing. There are more things in the future that will make you admire me even more."

"Oh my god, what's going on? Tell me quickly, I have to admire you so much."

Xu Ning said with a smile, "It won't work if you say it out loud, so just wait and see."

Li Mazi, Lan Guodong, and the Li brothers, who were unaware of what was going on, whispered among themselves, thinking to themselves that the Zhao brothers were the worst kind of people, so why was Xu Ning being so polite to them?
Wang Linhai smiled silently, his eyes narrowed. He didn't get along with the two Zhao brothers either. After all, one lived in Nantun and the other in Beitun. Running around in the same mountains, it was inevitable that they would have some clashes. Today you break my trap, tomorrow I'll snatch yours. The three of them basically took turns doing these kinds of mischief. Before, Wang Linhai had his nephew Zhang Guangjun by his side, but now Wang Linhai was all alone. If he were to fight with the two Zhao brothers, he would definitely be at a disadvantage. So he learned to be smart and avoid their sharp edge.

Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu listened to Xu Ning's words from behind, unable to contain their amusement. They exchanged a mischievous glance.

People like Xu Laonian and Zheng Yunlong didn't pay attention because there were too many people in the room, all chatting and making a lot of noise, so they couldn't hear what the people next to them were saying.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zheng Yunlong stood up and said, "I called everyone here today mainly because of one thing! It's not a big deal, but it's not insignificant either, but only you can solve it!"

With just a few simple words, Zheng Yunlong drew everyone's attention to him. He said, "I'm sure you've all been running in the mountains these past few days, maybe even for five or six days straight. What's going on? All the livestock have gone deep into the mountains and aren't wandering around the edges anymore!"

"But today, one of our brothers in the forest farm is in a snail shell..."

He gave a general account of what happened, and then had Lu's brother recount it in detail.

When everyone learned that there were over a hundred wild boars in a group near the snail shell, they all looked at each other in bewilderment, and after a few seconds, they started whispering among themselves, turning the house into a noisy market again.

"So that's where all the animals went! They've been fitting in with the herd!"

"Damn, this is going to be awesome! Lao Duan, how about we team up and go for it?"

"More than a hundred is no small number; it could easily lead to trouble..."

"..."

They made a ruckus inside for about five or six minutes. Zheng Yunlong took a moment to stub out a cigarette, and only after the cigarette butt went out did he slap the table.

"Quiet down! Listen to me, everyone. Our forest farm definitely supports this! Right now, we're mainly researching how to kill these wild boars and prevent them from rushing into the logging area and affecting the workers. Let's brainstorm together. Whoever has a plan, please use it quickly and let's figure out how to deal with them."

Zhao Guoqing said, "Oh my god, with Xu Pao right here, I dare not say what tricks he has up his sleeve."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Xu frowned and glanced at Xu Ning, as if asking what was going on. Why was this kid talking so sarcastically?

Xu Ning just smiled at this, but Wang Erli, who was standing next to him, also sensed the barb in Zhao Guoqing's words and directly raised his hand to slap Zhao Guoqing on the back of the head.

"Why are you even talking? Just shut up."

Zhao Guoqing was hit on the back of the head. He immediately covered his head and turned around. When he saw it was Wang Erli, he opened his mouth to curse, but Zhao Guofeng grabbed him and said, "What are you yelling about? There are so many people here. Do you have the right to speak?"

"Brother, this old bastard hit me!"

Zhao Guofeng froze upon hearing this, because out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark figure rushing towards him. The figure moved swiftly, and a powerful flying kick landed on Zhao Guoqing's face, leaving a clear footprint. Before Zhao Guoqing could react, he was punched twice and then slapped three times in the face...

A crisp sound rang out from inside the room. Li Fuqiang was seen swinging his arm to relieve the soreness in his hand. He was the one who had just slapped him, and the two punches were from Xu Ning, who had aimed at his eyes. Where was Wang Hu? After kicking a big flying kick, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)