bookrandom Chapter 286 We can't work on an empty stomach, can we?
Chapter 286 We can't work on an empty stomach, can we?
"Haha, good haul, can sell for a good price. Just wondering if the forest farm will allow us to take it away."
Wang Ergou reached out and touched the big black bear's glossy fur, saying excitedly.
"Never mind that for now. Judging from the commotion over there, the other teams are probably in trouble. Anyway, we can't transport these two on our own, so we might as well go with them. It'll be a good way to give the forest farm an explanation."
As Li Xiangyang said, the gunshots and voices in the distance were getting louder and louder, and the situation was clearly not optimistic.
The three quickly put away their guns and ran in the direction from which the sound came.
After passing through a dense forest, they came to an open area where a dozen people were gathered in a circle, their guns pointed at a target in the center, and the scene was chaotic.
"Old Zhang, what's going on?" Old Zheng recognized the leader and quickly stepped forward to ask what was happening.
At this moment, Zhang Changlin was covered in sweat, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the newcomer: "It's Old Zheng! That's great! We were attacked by a large black bear and injured it, but it hid in that thicket. Two of my brothers were injured, but fortunately, their injuries weren't serious."
Following the direction of his finger, Li Xiangyang saw a huge black shadow moving vaguely in the bushes, occasionally letting out a low roar.
Li Xiangyang keenly observed the dark figure in the bushes, his eyes slightly narrowed.
This black bear was much larger than the two they had killed before, but it was surprisingly agile, moving freely through the bushes and occasionally letting out a low roar to intimidate the hunters around it.
"Judging from its movements, it seems to have injured its forelimbs, possibly its right forectomy paw," Li Xiangyang calmly analyzed.
Old Zheng nodded: "That's right, this black bear has lived a long time and is clearly more intelligent. It knows we outnumber it and doesn't dare to fight head-on. But it's unwilling to retreat and has obviously been looking for an opportunity."
"How do we plan to fight?" Wang Ergou asked, his eyes fixed on the movement in the bushes.
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, then whispered to Old Zheng, "Uncle Zheng, in my opinion, this bear is the one that injured the man. An ordinary bear would have run away long ago if it encountered so many people. Moreover, it must have been hunted before; look at its behavior pattern—it clearly knows the danger of guns and is consciously avoiding them."
Old Zheng observed intently, then nodded: "That makes sense. You have a good eye, kid; this black bear is indeed unusual."
Zhang Changlin walked over and asked anxiously, "Old Zheng, Brother Li, do you have any good ideas? If this keeps going on, it'll get dark."
Li Xiangyang glanced at the sky, then looked around and quickly formed a plan in his mind.
“I have an idea,” he said in a low voice, “but it requires a few people to work with.”
"Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?" Zhang Changlin asked.
Li Xiangyang pointed to several locations nearby: "We need a few people to ambush them in these positions, forming an encirclement. But not too tight; leave them a clear escape route."
"Then what?"
"Then a few of us will fire from this side. Don't worry about wasting bullets; it doesn't matter if we miss. Just force it to escape. I believe it will definitely choose the obvious escape route."
"Won't it run away then?" a hunter asked doubtfully.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "No. Its chosen escape route will pass through that open area. We've positioned our best shooters there. The perfect time to fire will be when it crosses the open area."
After listening, Old Zheng nodded approvingly: "Good idea! Even if the black bear is cunning, it will instinctively choose to flee when surrounded by many hunters."
Zhang Changlin made a decisive decision: "Then let's do it this way! Old Zheng, you, Brother Li, and Wang Ergou will be responsible for lying in ambush in the open area. The rest of you will disperse around the perimeter and form an encirclement according to Brother Li's plan."
Everyone immediately took their positions according to the plan.
Li Xiangyang, Lao Zheng, and Wang Ergou quietly circled around to the open area and found three secluded spots with good visibility to ambush each other.
A moment later, the pre-arranged signal sounded in the distance, followed by three short whistles.
Immediately afterwards, several hunters began firing at the bushes, and some even threw stones, trying to lure the black bear out.
The commotion in the bushes grew louder, and the black bear's roars became increasingly furious.
Finally, after narrowly escaping injury several times, the black bear, as Li Xiangyang had predicted, chose the obvious "escape route".
Despite its injured forelimb, the black bear was still incredibly fast, its massive body speeding through the forest and about to cross the open ground in the blink of an eye.
Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, raised his hunting rifle, and aimed at the black bear's head.
He knew that this shot was crucial and could not be missed.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Li Xiangyang could clearly see the black bear's every step, the rise and fall of its chest with each breath, and even the fierce glint in its eyes.
"boom!"
Li Xiangyang pulled the trigger, and the gunshot rang out in the silent forest.
Almost simultaneously, shots rang out from Lao Zheng and Wang Ergou.
Three bullets struck the black bear in vital areas. It staggered a few steps, fell heavily to the ground, kicking up dust, and its limbs twitched a few times before it lay still.
"Dead!" Wang Ergou cheered, jumping out from behind the cover.
"Don't rush, wait a little longer," Li Xiangyang said cautiously, continuing to hold his gun and aim at the fallen black bear.
Several minutes passed, and the black bear remained motionless.
Other hunters gradually gathered around to watch the enormous creature.
"Goodness, we finally dealt with this troublesome fellow!"
"Brother Li, we owe you a lot for your idea this time, otherwise we would be in big trouble today."
"Wow, this bear is huge! How much would its gallbladder be worth?"
……
Wang Ergou wasn't interested in anything else, but his eyes lit up instantly at the mention of money: "That's right! How much is this bear bile worth? To be honest, I deserve some credit for taking it down so easily. I think we should..."
"Pah! What are you thinking, kid?" Old Zheng glared at Wang Ergou. "This is official business; you can't just do whatever you want!"
Although Lao Zheng was scolding Wang Ergou, everyone else immediately lost their spirits upon hearing it.
If they don't even let Wang Ergou have any ideas, then no one else has any hope.
Li Xiangyang glanced at the sky, then at the dejected looks on everyone's faces, and said with a smile to Zhang Changlin, "Brother Zhang, everyone has worked hard today and is hungry. It would be a bit much to refuse us the meat that's right there, wouldn't you say?"
Zhang Changlin hesitated for a moment and looked at Lao Zheng.
Old Zheng stroked his beard and said, "How about this, we won't touch the valuable parts. With so many people, we can't all work on empty stomachs, can we?"
"Alright!" Zhang Changlin made the final decision. "Divide it on the spot and use the proceeds to reward everyone! Don't touch anything valuable."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up and their enthusiasm soared. Together, they carried the black bear to a flat, high ground.
Then several hunters who knew how to skin immediately got to work and carefully skinned the animal.
The remaining hunters split up; some went to find water, some gathered firewood, and some set up makeshift tents.