mtl008 Chapter 389 Successful Deer Hunt
Chapter 389 Successful Deer Hunt
Li Xiangyang knew that when wolves hunt, they often start by targeting the weakest person.
"Everyone, be careful! Stay close! Stand back to back!" To prevent any accidents, Li Xiangyang immediately shouted, "Wave your torches, don't let them get close!"
The group quickly formed a circle back to back, the torches drawing arcs in the air.
The wolves were forced back a few steps by the firelight, but soon cautiously approached again.
Seeing this, Little Tiger stepped forward, his fur standing on end, and let out a threatening growl at the wolf pack.
This action enraged a larger wolf, which bared its teeth and pounced on the tiger cub.
The two beasts rolled and tore at each other on the snow again.
Although the tiger cub was smaller than the wolf, it was just as fierce, biting its opponent's hind leg tightly and refusing to let go.
At the same time, the black cat crouched low and darted out from the side like lightning, aiming straight for the other wolf's eye.
The wolf, in pain, shook its head and tail and darted around, disrupting the pack's formation.
Seeing this opportunity, Wang Ergou, while securing the deer in the net, took a moment to raise his hand and fire a shot at a wolf closest to the net.
"Bang!" The wolf fell to the ground, but the other wolves were not deterred. Instead, they pounced on him even more frantically.
"Damn it, these beasts are starving!" Li Daqiang cursed, waving the torch in his hand even more forcefully.
Li Xiangyang remained calm and searched for the leader among the wolves.
Wolves usually follow the leader. If the leader is defeated, the rest of the wolves will be much easier to deal with.
He quickly identified the largest wolf with darker fur. That wolf wasn't directly involved in the attack; instead, it was directing the other wolves from the rear.
"It's you," Li Xiangyang said with a slight smile, raising his gun. "Bang!"
The alpha wolf was shot in the hind leg and let out a shrill howl, but it did not fall down. Instead, it stared at Li Xiangyang with even greater rage.
At this moment, Little Gold descended from the sky, its sharp claws aimed straight for the wolf leader's eyes.
The wolf leader was forced to retreat a few steps to avoid the sudden aerial threat.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Xiangyang fired two more shots. One shot hit the belly of another wolf, while the other shot went wide, only grazing the ear of the wolf leader.
“We’re running low on bullets,” Li Xiangyang said in a deep voice. “We need to think of a way.”
Inside the net, five sika deer struggled in terror, but were unable to break free under the control of Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang.
"Xiangyang, it's almost done here!" Wang Ergou shouted.
Li Xiangyang nodded, then suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Ergou, release one of the deer and let it run that way!"
Wang Ergou was taken aback, but then he understood Li Xiangyang's intention.
He quickly untied the rope of a smaller fawn and patted its rump.
The deer was terrified and ran into the depths of the forest as soon as it was freed.
Sure enough, most of the wolves were drawn to the fleeing deer and immediately changed direction to give chase, including the injured leader who dragged his hind legs along as well.
Seeing their companion leave, the remaining wolves hesitated and became less aggressive.
"Now's the time to reinforce the ropes and prepare to retreat!" Li Xiangyang decisively ordered.
The group quickly sprang into action, securing the remaining four deer firmly while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings to prevent the wolves from returning.
Just then, a burst of rapid gunfire and wolf howls came from afar, indicating that Chen Chen's side had also encountered trouble.
"Ergou, you guys take these deer and retreat first. I'm going to support Chen Chen!" After Li Xiangyang finished speaking, he ran quickly towards the salt water area without waiting for a response, with Xuanmao and Xiaohu following closely behind.
As dawn broke, Li Xiangyang used the dim light to orient himself and soon heard the sounds of fighting coming from ahead.
When he arrived at the saltwater area, he saw Chen Chen and two other members of the hunting team leaning against a big tree, using torches to drive away three fierce gray wolves.
One of the wolves on the ground was motionless, presumably shot.
Chen Chen's face was bruised, and blood was streaming down his cheeks, but he still gripped the torch tightly and did not back down.
"Bang!" Li Xiangyang fired a shot as soon as he arrived, hitting a wolf that was about to pounce on Chen Chen.
When the remaining two wolves saw that reinforcements had arrived, they finally became frightened and retreated into the dense forest with whimpers.
"Are you alright?" Li Xiangyang quickly stepped forward.
"It's nothing serious," Chen Chen wiped the blood from his face. "I got a scratch from a branch, but the wolf didn't touch me. We caught four deer in our net, but one of them was killed by the wolf."
Li Xiangyang nodded, quite satisfied with the results.
The group quickly tied the deer with sturdy ropes, and then walked together toward the water source.
On the way, Li Xiangyang kept an eye on his surroundings, wary of the wolf pack reappearing.
When they returned to the water source, Wang Ergou and the others were already waiting there, with the four sika deer tied up tightly.
"Xiangyang, are you alright?" Wang Ergou asked with concern.
"It's nothing," Li Xiangyang replied briefly, then asked, "How's the situation on your end?"
“We’re not hurt, and the deer are all safe,” Li Daqiang replied.
Li Xiangyang looked around, calculating the results in his mind: they had captured a total of seven live deer, losing one, but it wasn't taken by the wolf pack, so bringing it back was still a good haul.
Seven deer, fewer than expected, but for a newly established deer farm, it's still a good start.
"Let's go, it's getting light, let's get back to the village as soon as possible," Li Xiangyang said.
The group linked the deer together, with two people taking turns leading them, while the others kept watch over their surroundings, and slowly and cautiously moved towards the village.
On the way back, they didn't encounter any more wolves, but everyone remained on edge until they saw the outline of the village, at which point they relaxed slightly.
A large crowd had already gathered at the village entrance, clearly having come out to greet them after hearing the news.
"They're back! They're back!" someone shouted, followed by cheers.
As the hunting party approached the village entrance, the cheers of the villagers grew louder and louder. Looking at the beaming smiles on everyone's faces, Li Xiangyang felt a surge of accomplishment.
"Great! Excellent!" shouted Zheng Dehou, the production team leader, pacing excitedly back and forth in the snow. "Seven live deer and one dead one have been brought back so quickly! I think our village's deer farm has a bright future!"
Li Daqiang, holding the rope, deliberately teased one of the fawns: "Look at this little guy, hopping and skipping all the way, he's got quite the energy."
The villagers gathered around, marveling at the sika deer. Some children even tried to touch them, but the adults stopped them in time.
"Don't rush, everyone, don't push," Li Xiangyang gestured for everyone to quiet down. "These deer were just captured and are still very frightened. Let's move them to the deer farm and give them a quiet environment."
Surrounded by the crowd, the hunting team carried the seven live deer into the deer enclosure that had just been set up a few days earlier.
Although the deer farm was simple, it was quite well-organized. One side was fenced off to enclose the breeding area, and several straw sheds were built to provide shelter from the wind and rain. On the other side, an area was set up as a feed storage area.
When the deer entered the enclosure, they were initially restless and scurried around, but they quickly discovered the prepared fodder in the corner and gradually calmed down, beginning to forage for food.