mtl008 Chapter 228... well, it's not impossible...
Chapter 228... well, it's not impossible...
The villagers quickly followed Li Xiangyang's instructions and stood in line, clutching only torches, sticks, and other weapons in their hands.
The jackals were not afraid of this at all; instead, they accelerated their retreat.
"Bang!" Wang Ergou fired another shot, and a jackal that was about to pounce fell to the ground.
The other jackals didn't even glance at their fallen companion, their eyes still fixed on the crowd as they slowly approached.
“This is not right…”
Unable to understand what had gotten into these jackals, and with no time to ponder it, Li Xiangyang was caught off guard when a huge jackal let out a piercing howl, and the pack suddenly pounced on the group.
Li Xiangyang acted decisively, aiming at the group of jackals in the front row and pulling the trigger.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The sound of automatic rifles echoed in the night sky.
Several jackals were hit by bullets, but more jackals pounced from all directions.
For jackals, even their dead companions are food, and not a single bit can be wasted.
So the jackals that pounced on us this time were actually trying to retrieve the body of their companion.
Having achieved their objective, the jackals temporarily retreated a few steps, but did not go far away; instead, they formed a standoff with the crowd.
In the firelight, dozens of eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness, occasionally emitting low growls.
"Bang!" Wang Ergou aimed at a large jackal and fired, but the beast was prepared and rolled away to dodge.
Suddenly, three strong jackals darted out from different directions, poised to pounce on the crowd.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou had to distract themselves and use their guns to drive them away.
But these beasts had clearly recognized the threat of the gun, and always kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far, occasionally firing a feint.
"Watch out behind you!" Li Xiangyang shouted.
A jackal nearly bit the leg of a villager carrying a torch when they weren't looking.
"Those bastards are too cunning!" Wang Ergou gritted his teeth. "They're deliberately trying to distract us!"
Just then, a commotion came from the direction of the livestock shed.
By the light of the fire, Li Xiangyang saw more than a dozen jackals dragging a fallen cow into the darkness.
They worked together seamlessly, some dragging the animals, some standing guard, and others continuing to restrain the villagers who wanted to approach.
"Don't let them get away!" a villager shouted.
But Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou were completely unable to leave at that moment.
The largest jackals continued to launch feint attacks, forcing them to use their guns to drive them back.
Once the cow was dragged into the darkness, the jackals retreated like a tide, disappearing into the night.
"Damn beasts!" a villager shouted angrily, waving a torch. "They're not even afraid of guns anymore! How are we supposed to feed these animals now?"
Li Xiangyang frowned.
The behavior of this pack of jackals was indeed abnormal.
They were not only incredibly audacious, but also tactically sophisticated, clearly not the first time they had dealt with armed people.
Moreover, such a large-scale gathering of jackals clearly indicates that something major has happened; otherwise, it would be impossible.
Li Xiangyang couldn't guess what exactly had happened.
When animals exhibit this behavior, the causes are generally abnormal climate, natural disasters, or large-scale deforestation, grassland reclamation, and other human activities...
As Li Xiangyang pondered the unusual behavior of the pack of jackals, he heard a series of hurried footsteps in the distance.
By the light of the fire, he saw the old Party Secretary hurrying over, leaning on his cane and surrounded by people.
His gaze swept over the blood-stained floor of the livestock shed, and the old Party Secretary sighed, "Alas, what a tragedy! These animals are the lifeblood of the production team. Xiangyang, you have to think of something."
"Don't worry, I will absolutely not stand idly by in this situation," Li Xiangyang said in a deep voice. "Ergou and I will go into the mountains tomorrow and wipe out this pack of jackals."
“Yes,” Wang Ergou assured him, patting his chest, “we hunt in the mountains all the time anyway, so it doesn’t matter what we hunt! What’s done is done, there’s no use worrying. You should go back and rest.”
After the old Party Secretary left, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou went to the fallen jackal, squatted down, and carefully examined it.
"What did you find?" Wang Ergou asked.
“These jackals are larger than average,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing to the jackals’ paws. “Look at these thick pads; it means they often work on rocky ground.”
"What does that mean?"
"This means they came down from the mountains," Li Xiangyang stood up. "We don't have many jackals around here, which means they migrated from afar."
Wang Ergou suddenly realized: "That explains it! But where did they migrate from?"
"It's hard to say. We'll have to go into the mountains tomorrow and investigate properly," Li Xiangyang continued. "In my opinion, something even more powerful has come up the mountain and is crowding out their habitat, forcing them to come into the village."
"Good heavens, what on earth is that? It can drive so many jackals down the mountain!"
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's assessment, Wang Ergou gasped in shock.
"We'll find out when we get into the mountains tomorrow," Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder. "Get a good rest tonight, we'll set off before dawn tomorrow."
"Okay." Wang Ergou nodded. "Then I'll head back now. I'll wait for you at your doorstep tomorrow."
Watching Wang Ergou leave, Li Xiangyang glanced again in the direction of the mountain.
In the darkness of night, the mountains lay prostrate on the earth like giant beasts, with occasional howls of jackals echoing through the air.
When she got home and saw him return, Li Xiaoyun quickly handed him a hot towel: "Quickly wipe your hands, the water's all cold."
Li Xiangyang took the towel and laughed, "Aren't you going to sleep yet?"
"I'll wait for you to come back." Li Xiaoyun watched him pack the equipment he would need for tomorrow, hesitating to speak.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. They're just hunting a pack of jackals in the mountains." Li Xiangyang knew what she was worried about. "Ergou and I are experienced hunters; we'll be alright."
Li Xiaoyun held Li Xiangyang's hand, her eyes filled with worry: "Are they really just a pack of jackals? Why would they do this?"
“Normally, wild animal migrations are caused by several factors: climate change, natural disasters, or habitat destruction due to human activity. But this doesn't seem to be caused by any of those.”
"What could that be?"
"I estimate that the most likely reason is that their living space has been encroached upon by other predators, forcing them to huddle together for warmth."
Hearing this analysis, Li Xiaoyun became even more worried: "Doesn't that mean there's something even more powerful on the mountain?"
“Don’t worry,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile, “Whether it’s a bear, a tiger, or even a pack of black cats, they can all cause small groups of jackals to band together. I’ve even fought leopards, this is nothing.”
Seeing his wife's still worried expression, Li Xiangyang pulled her into his arms: "Alright, don't worry, get some rest. Tomorrow, Er Gou and I will take Xuan Mao and Xiao Hu to check on things. If it's really dangerous, even if we can't fight, we can always run away, right?"
Seeing his wife's still worried expression, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "What do you think? Should we have a baby soon? That way, I'll have even more reason to be careful."
"You..." Li Xiaoyun's cheeks flushed instantly, and she buried her head in his chest in embarrassment. "Well, it's not impossible..."