Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 110 Accidental Injury

"Don't spout nonsense! Don't be fooled by how thin these trees are; trees in the mountains grow slowly. A tree the size of a bowl might have taken over a hundred years to grow!"

Chen Tuo wanted to start a fire on the mountain, but Wu Laowai couldn't directly mention the forestry bureau's regulations.

If I really tell you, how will I cut down trees and make a campfire later?

This thing is about the principle that if the people don't complain, the officials won't investigate; everyone knows what's going on.

If we act openly and brazenly, we'll definitely offend that blind man Chu, who will surely cause us trouble later.

Wu Laowai mumbled a few words, then urged several militiamen to cut down trees and start a bonfire, only then did he feel at ease.

In normal times, you can't just cut down trees to start a campfire. You have to go into the mountains to collect fallen logs and dead trees so you won't be held accountable.

This is the forest ranger's duty...

If you get caught red-handed, just like Wu Laowai said, a tree the size of a bowl could easily land you in jail for several years.

The campfire had just been lit when a sudden gust of mountain wind blew in.

The howling wind and the flickering campfire immediately made Wu Laowai's face turn extremely ugly.

"The weeds are amazing! Even the weather forecast from the Bitmon Forestry Bureau is accurate!"

Wiping the smudges off his face, Wu Laowai knew that tonight would be a repeat of that night in Beishan.

Before the wolf pack attacked the medical team, they had clearly predicted a strong wind in the mountains.

For the past two weeks, although it hasn't snowed down the mountain, no one knows that it hasn't snowed up the mountain either.

Even without snow, strong winds can still create white blizzards, and they'll be blowing ice crystals, making them even more dangerous!

"First cut down the trees, then put out the fire. Tie the horses and trees to the sleds, and we'll head back in a bit..."

When Wu Laowai said to go back, he didn't mean going down the mountain, but rather going up the mountain to meet up with Sun Changkui and his group.

When the white wind blows, the wolf pack will definitely come to ambush them. With the horses holding them back, they won't be able to get down the mountain at all.

The only way is to go back and meet up with the two cars led by Sun Changkui.

Only with vehicles and sleds in formation could they possibly launch a surprise attack on the wolf pack despite the blizzard.

Upon hearing that another blizzard was about to strike, Chen Tuo, who had two real-life experiences of fighting snowstorms on snowy nights, was not afraid but rather excited.

In the past two weeks, he has practiced bolt pulling and gun holding quite a bit.

The single-barreled shotgun had used up about half of its four hundred slugs and fifty buckshot rounds.

As darkness falls, I reckon we can have another all-night battle tonight.

With Wu Laowai, an experienced mountain runner, directing the operation, a dozen or so people quickly felled more than twenty trees and loaded them onto sleds.

If the horse is tied to a tree and then to a sled, even if the horse gets startled, it won't be able to drag the sled away.

With the sleds loaded and the horses tied up, the sixteen men, each with a torch, slowly moved toward Sun Changkui's location.

"Listen up, everyone! No one is allowed to run around. No matter what's in the white-haired wind, you can't run. If you get lost, no one will come looking for you!"

As they walked, Wu Laowai shouted commands, fearing that the wolves might charge down the hillside and startle the horse.

The mountain wind grew stronger as we walked. Although the white blizzard hadn't fully formed yet, the snow crystals hitting our faces felt like tiny knives tearing at our flesh.

Before they reached that sharp bend, a series of muffled gunshots rang out from the mountain road.

"Stop! Form groups of three, back to back, behind the sleds, and make sure to hold onto the horses!"

After instructing the militiamen, Wu Laowai said to Chen Tuo:

"Kid, you go up there and shout first! If there's no response, fire a couple of shots into the air. But don't just go straight in, you'll easily get hit by friendly fire!"

The continuous muffled gunshots came from the four light machine guns that Sun Changkui had mounted on the front of the vehicle.

Unlike Chen Tuo and Wu Laowai's group, who only encountered two male deer and a herd of wild boars.

Sun Changkui's main force has already scattered four waves of wild boars and a group of deer.

Chu Maolin and his group of young men were just about to gain experience when a white blizzard suddenly swept through the mountains.

The wind, carrying snowflakes, completely blurred our vision.

Just then, a pack of wolves from the mountain, accompanied by a group of wild boars, charged down.

The snow dust kicked up by the wild boar mingled with the white blizzard, making it almost impossible for everyone to see.

A series of fierce wolf howls rang out, and the other three guards operating light machine guns immediately raised their guns and sprayed bullets wildly at the snow in front of them.

Sun Changkui only had time to stop the machine gunner next to him.

In another vehicle engulfed by the white blizzard, a panicked Chu Maolin, accompanied by a bodyguard, emptied the entire magazine.

With no view, dozens of light machine gun bullets were fired, some towards the distance, but most hitting the trees and rocks nearby.

On the mountain where the temperature drops to minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius, the tree trunks are frozen as hard as rocks.

Bullets that hit a tree trunk will ricochet, but light machine gun bullets are more powerful and will mostly become embedded in the tree.

However, the mountains of the Xingan Mountains are mostly composed of volcanic rocks of moderate hardness.

When a bullet hits a rock, it not only ricochets but also sends up more fragments of rock.

Each of the two men fired a burst of bullets, which bounced off the rocks, effectively covering the two six-wheeled trucks, which were connected at the rear, with the bullets.

Although the fragments of stone that the bullets ricocheted were not very powerful, they still contained dozens of bullets that had been bounced back.

A small mistake caused a chorus of groans from both cars.

Sun Changkui, who was shouting warnings, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg and ended up sitting in the truck bed.

"Cease fire! Everyone cease fire! Fix bayonets..."

The excruciating pain in his leg made Sun Changkui's vision go black for a moment. He only managed to shout "Fix bayonets!" before the pain drained him of his strength.

He regretted it deeply, recalling the reminders he had received not long ago from Wu Laowai, Chen Tuo, and his own wife.

If I had known, I would have let Chu Maolin and his group be the first team...

Just then, Chen Tuo, who had just rounded the bend in the mountain road, saw several beams of red light shoot out and bounce back, and heard a wail in his ears.

Along with the wailing, there were also bursts of wolf howls.

Sensing something was wrong, Chen Tuo didn't hesitate and immediately lit a fire in the direction from which the wolf howls were coming.

Just like the previous two snowy night battles, he quickly bent down to reload his gun and advanced step by step, except this time the gun was loaded with buckshot.

As soon as he crashed into the front of the car, the wolf howls from the hillside quickly receded to the top.

"Brother-in-law, is something the matter?"

Not hearing a response from Sun Changkui, Chen Tuo roared again:

"Brother-in-law Sun! Sun Changkui..."

After he finished yelling, all he got in response was a series of wails.

Remembering what Wu Laowai had said about fighting among their own people during their initial battle against the wolf pack in the Hetao region, Chen Tuo quickly hid on the side closest to the drainage ditch and shouted:

"Sun Changkui! Chu Maolin!"

He called out several times but received no response, so he could only try to climb onto the train carriage.

Under the hazy, snow-covered headlights, the people in the truck bed were huddled together, some still convulsing.

"Xiao Chen... Xiao Chen, I'm here. Quickly go over to them one by one, remind them to turn off the safety locks, and then find the medical team to treat their injuries."

Sun Changkui heard Chen Tuo's shout, but the excruciating pain he felt just now far exceeded that of when he broke his leg years ago.

After a while, once Chen Tuo climbed into the car, he regained some strength and managed to make some arrangements.

"Brother-in-law, shall I go and fetch Uncle Wu and the others first? In case they get attacked by the wolves. You handle the insurance matters..."