GBP Chapter 162 Survival is far more important than ideals
Chapter 162 Survival is far more important than ideals
After walking for about half an hour, the forest gradually became denser.
Fewer and fewer people were on the ground, and the snow was even higher than boots.
"Let's take a break." Li Xiangyang stopped in his tracks.
Anna, however, seemed quite energetic: "I'm not tired yet."
“It’s not a matter of being tired,” Li Xiangyang pointed ahead, “there are mountains ahead, we need to familiarize ourselves with the terrain first.”
Wang Ergou added at the opportune moment, "Yes, this mountain area is not like flat land; you can easily get lost if you're not careful."
Anna then stopped, took out her water bottle from her backpack, and took a sip of water.
Nightshade suddenly pricked up its ears and sniffed hard at something. Little Tiger also became alert.
"What's wrong?" Anna asked curiously.
Li Xiangyang made a shushing gesture, listened carefully, and then pointed to a large tree not far away: "There's a snow rabbit over there."
Sure enough, in the direction he pointed, a snow-white hare was alertly pricking up its ears.
Its fur blends almost seamlessly with the snow, making it difficult to spot unless you are very experienced.
"That's amazing!" Anna exclaimed in a low voice. "How did you discover that?"
Li Xiangyang did not answer, because Ye Ying was already tense, ready to rush out at any moment.
He gently patted Nightshade's head: "No rush, we're not here to hunt today."
Just then, fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
Looking up at the gloomy sky, Li Xiangyang felt that the snow was falling at just the right time.
It would be even better if you could put in a larger amount.
"Looks like we need to speed things up. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable; it could snow heavily any minute now."
That's what he thought, but Li Xiangyang didn't show it. Instead, he said with concern.
Hearing this, Anna exclaimed excitedly, "Great! I've been wanting to experience a blizzard in Northeast China!"
Wang Ergou shook his head, "Ms. Anna, please don't say that. A blizzard in the mountains is no joke."
"Yes, but we didn't go deep into the mountains, did we?"
Anna's retort left Wang Ergou speechless.
Li Xiangyang surveyed the surrounding terrain and led his team toward a mountain hollow.
The snowflakes gradually became denser, and the sky turned completely overcast.
"The weather in the mountains changes in an instant," he said as he walked. "At times like this, you need to find a sheltered place quickly."
Anna trudged through the snow with difficulty, constantly looking around: "Will we see any wild animals? Where would they go in a blizzard?"
“They usually hide,” Wang Ergou explained, “but there are exceptions. A couple of years ago I heard that someone encountered…”
"Ergou!"
Li Xiangyang interrupted him, giving him a look that signaled him to stop talking.
This foreign girl is clearly looking for a thrill. Is she saying this because she thinks things aren't troublesome enough?
And the key point is that they are from an animal protection association, while he and Wang Ergou are hunters.
Naturally opposing camps.
In the event of danger, infighting might break out among our own people first.
Although Wang Ergou hadn't thought that much about it, since Li Xiangyang told him not to talk about it, he awkwardly kept quiet.
Anna clearly sensed something: "What did you encounter? Why aren't you saying anything? A tiger?"
"Of course not, it's a black bear. The black bear pretends to be a person in distress, luring the hunter to rescue him. Imagine that scenario: someone goes out of kindness to rescue their own kind, only to be confronted with a brutal black bear after getting close..."
Despite his limited Chinese, Wang Ergou still managed to understand Anna.
This time, unusually, she didn't show excitement, but rather lingering fear.
Li Xiangyang was surprised that Wang Ergou's words could frighten the other party, and secretly gave him a thumbs up.
As Wang Ergou recounted his story vividly, the group continued their journey into the mountain valley.
Just then, Nightshade suddenly let out a low growl and looked ahead warily.
Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound came from the woods in the distance, like some large animal moving through the snow.
Anna immediately pulled out her camera, wanting to capture the moment.
"Never use the flash."
Li Xiangyang whispered these words to her.
Before the words were even finished, a huge wild boar burst out of the woods.
Its fangs gleamed coldly in the gloomy sky, making it look particularly frightening.
"This guy weighs at least 400 jin (200 kg), he's worth a lot of money," Wang Ergou muttered. "Xiangyang, should we fight him or not?"
"Screw you!"
Li Xiangyang glared at him and pointed at Anna.
The meaning is self-evident.
They're from a wildlife conservation organization. You're just asking for trouble by hitting them in front of her.
Wang Ergou glanced at Anna and suppressed his restless desire.
Anna was focused on observing the wild boar and paid no attention to the two of them.
"Fantastic! The wild boar's activity patterns are very helpful for studying the Siberian tiger's hunting habits. We can track it, and there's a high chance we'll find the tiger."
After taking a few photos, Anna whispered excitedly.
“Your judgment is correct,” Li Xiangyang said thoughtfully, “but in this weather, tracking wild boars is too dangerous.”
“But this could be a rare opportunity!” Anna argued in a low voice.
Li Xiangyang shook his head and pointed to the increasingly heavy snow around them: "I won't even talk about the danger of wild boars; look at this weather. When we're tracking them, we could easily lose our way if we're not careful, and that would be dangerous. So, our most urgent task is to find a place to stay..."
Anna was about to say something, but the wild boar suddenly stopped its burrowing in the snow and looked around warily.
Li Xiangyang immediately made a shushing gesture.
He could tell that the wild boar was quite old; it was all fleshy and its tusks were at least twenty centimeters long.
It's worth noting that the lifespan of a wild boar is often directly proportional to its intelligence.
The longer you live, the more experience you gain, and the more acute your perception of danger becomes.
Especially in places like the Xingan Mountains, there are many hunters and hunting is frequent.
To survive in such an environment to reach such a size and evade countless hunts, this wild boar's intelligence should not be underestimated.
Moreover, their perception of danger far surpasses that of their peers.
Sure enough, the wild boar seemed to sense something and suddenly turned towards them, its deep little eyes gleaming.
"Don't move," Li Xiangyang whispered. "It's determining our location."
His hand was already on the gun: "I know you're committed to wildlife conservation, but let's be clear first, if it shows any signs of aggression, I must shoot. In that situation, our lives come first."
His words carried an undeniable firmness.
This is experience gained over many years of dealing with wild animals in the mountains and forests; it is also the hunter's survival rule.
Anna's expression changed, clearly showing her strong resistance to this approach.
As a member of a wildlife conservation organization, she firmly believes that humans and wild animals can coexist peacefully.
But now, facing that enormous wild boar, she had to admit that in this primeval forest, sometimes survival was far more important than ideals.