12dz Chapter 270 Wild Boar Rampage
Chapter 270 Wild Boar Rampage
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
"Who is it?" Li Xiangyang got out of bed and dressed.
Li Xiaoyun was also startled awake, and asked groggily, "Who's here so early?"
Li Xiangyang opened the door and found production team leader Zheng Dehou standing there, looking anxious.
"Xiangyang, something terrible has happened!" Zheng Dehou said breathlessly, "Wild boars have destroyed more than ten acres of land on the east side of our village, and all the crops are ruined!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang immediately sobered up: "When did this happen?"
"Grandpa Liao found them when he got up to patrol the fields early this morning. Xiangyang, you have to help. Kill them quickly, partly to appease the villagers, and partly to prevent them from harming the crops again."
"I'll go take a look right now." Li Xiangyang nodded, turned around and went back into the house to get his gun.
Li Xiaoyun was already up and busy in the kitchen: "I'll boil some eggs for you to take on the road."
"Don't bother, I'll take some leftovers from yesterday to eat on the way. Let's go check on the situation first."
"Be careful," Li Xiaoyun said worriedly.
Li Xiangyang reassured him, "Don't worry, I have experience."
Before leaving, Li Xiangyang went to Wang Ergou's house to call him to come with him.
Upon arriving at the scene, Li Xiangyang gasped in shock.
The once neat rice seedlings were now scattered and broken, and the soil was turned upside down. At a glance, almost all of the dozen or so acres of land were destroyed.
"Damn it, this is outrageous!" Wang Ergou said through gritted teeth. "Think of how much this will cost!"
"Getting angry won't help. The key is to take down these wild boars quickly!"
As he spoke, Li Xiangyang squatted down and carefully examined the footprints on the ground.
Judging from the size and depth of the footprints, this group of wild boars included both large and small specimens, and there were quite a few of them.
“There are at least fifteen or sixteen,” Li Xiangyang judged. “Judging from the footprints, the leader is a large boar, probably weighing over 300 jin.”
"Shall we chase after them now?" Wang Ergou asked eagerly.
"Go home and prepare first. Pack enough ammunition and rations. If we go into the mountains without dogs, we'll all be stranded there. I'll go home and take Xiaohu and Xuanmao. You take your eagle. Get ready; this trip might take us deep into the mountains."
The two hurried home to prepare.
When Li Xiangyang returned home, Li Xiaoyun had already packed a bag of dry food and water, and also given him a thick coat.
"The weather is unpredictable; it might rain in the mountains. Bring a spare," Li Xiaoyun carefully advised.
Li Xiangyang nodded gratefully, packed his things into his backpack, checked the guns and ammunition, and after making sure everything was ready, he said goodbye to Li Xiaoyun before turning and leaving with Xuanmao and Xiaohu.
At the village entrance, after meeting up with Wang Ergou, the two followed the tracks left by the wild boar and chased after it into the mountains.
In early summer, the mountains and forests are lush and green, full of life, with grass growing wildly, many of which are as tall as a person.
The dense grass makes tracking wild boars significantly more difficult.
The once clear wild boar tracks were soon obscured by layers of grass and became difficult to identify.
Fortunately, with the help of Xuanmao and Xiaohu, as well as Wang Ergou's eagle, the two of them did not lose track of them.
Although I didn't lose them, I suffered a lot.
The complex terrain in the grass made the journey more difficult; the potholes and tree roots hidden there could easily cause someone to stumble or even fall if they weren't careful.
The tall grass also severely obstructed their view, making it impossible for them to see what was happening in the distance.
Even with help, they still have to be constantly on guard against wild boars suddenly jumping out from some unexpected corner and catching them off guard.
They struggled through the maze-like grass, their clothes soaked with sweat, their legs feeling like lead, each step incredibly heavy.
In order not to miss any clues, the two had to separate and search alternately.
As Wang Ergou struggled to clear away the bushes in front of him with a wooden stick, he shouted, "Xiangyang, how's it going over there?"
Li Xiangyang replied, panting heavily, "Still searching, don't let your guard down!"
Time passed slowly, and as the sun gradually set in the west, the light in the mountains and forests grew increasingly dim.
Just as Wang Ergou was feeling a bit discouraged, he suddenly noticed that the swaying of a patch of grass in front of him was unusual, not like it was being blown by the wind.
At the same time, Little Tiger suddenly let out a low growl, and all the fur on his body stood on end.
Li Xiangyang immediately became alert. He gently patted the little tiger's back to soothe it, and whispered, "Quiet."
Obeying its master's command, Little Tiger stopped making a sound, but kept its eyes fixed on the bushes ahead, its body tense, ready to pounce at any moment.
The black cat that had been perched on Li Xiangyang's shoulder jumped off and silently walked toward the source of the commotion.
"Looks like we've found it." Li Xiangyang gestured to Wang Ergou, signaling him to approach cautiously.
Wang Ergou understood, gave Li Xiangyang a thumbs up, and gently stroked the little golden eagle perched on his shoulder.
The two of them slowly moved closer as well.
Through the gaps in the dense grass, they finally spotted the herd of wild boars.
A dozen or so wild boars were gathered together, some munching on grass roots, others lying on the ground resting. The leading boar was huge, its two tusks gleaming coldly in the dim light.
"Found it!" Wang Ergou said excitedly in a low voice, his hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the gun.
Li Xiangyang made a shushing gesture. He knew he couldn't act rashly at this moment; he had to observe the wild boar's movements and find the best time to shoot.
If they were to be careless and anger the group of wild boars, the two of them would be in great danger in this complex terrain.
Li Xiangyang scanned the wild boar herd, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Let's go around to the side of the wild boar herd. There are some big rocks over there that can be used as cover. I'll fire from the left to attract their attention, and you can wait for the right moment to shoot the lead boar from the right. Once we take care of it, the other wild boars will be easier to deal with."
The two moved their feet carefully, trying not to make a sound, and slowly approached the designated location.
With each step, they had to be careful not to break branches or make noise by hitting stones, and they also had to keep their eyes on the wild boar herd at all times, lest they notice something amiss.
Finally, they reached the designated location, each hiding behind a large rock, catching their breath, and gripping their guns tightly.
Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, gave Wang Ergou a wink, then suddenly stood up and fired a shot toward the right side of the wild boar herd.
A loud bang echoed through the mountains and forests.
The wild boar herd instantly panicked, turning the once quiet scene into chaos as the boars scattered in all directions, squealing loudly.
Wang Ergou seized the opportunity, quickly peeking out from behind the large rock and aiming at the big boar.
The large boar was leading a group of wild boars charging towards Li Xiangyang. Wang Ergou took a deep breath, aimed at its eyes, and pulled the trigger.
With a "bang," the boar's massive body swayed before crashing heavily to the ground.