Chapter 584: Wang Meilan, Gored and Hospitalized

Chapter 584: Chapter 444: Wang Meilan, Gored and Hospitalized

Two vehicles drove into the mountains, one following the other, until they reached a certain spot and both pulled over. Liu Jinyong, Hong Yuntao, and Lin Xiangshun got out of the cars to help Zhao Youcai and Wang Qiang with the dogs.

The five men led the eight dogs toward Old Crow Cliff, the sound of cawing crows echoing along the way.

After reaching the upper part of 43 Forest Class, Liu Jinyong traversed the mountainside, only stopping when he reached a specific spot.

Lin Xiangshun, who was leading Little Bear and White Dragon, walked at the front. When he saw Liu Jinyong stop, he went forward for a look. Right in front of Liu Jinyong’s feet was a line of wild boar tracks, descending the slope and extending diagonally to the northwest.

The tracks had been made four days prior, when a wild boar had passed through during an afternoon rain. Now, they were dry and almost completely hidden by the wild grass on either side.

Lin Xiangshun crouched and parted the grass with his hands, discovering a continuous line of neatly snapped grass blades between the tracks.

These marks had been left by the length of Steel Wire Rope snagged on the boar’s body.

“Uncle Zhao! Uncle Qiang! Over here!” Lin Xiangshun turned and called out to Zhao Youcai and Wang Qiang.

Zhao Youcai and Wang Qiang were each leading two dogs; Zhao Youcai had Da Huang and Big Fatty, and Wang Qiang had Flower Cat and Hua Lang. The four dogs were sniffing all around, reluctant to press forward.

Hearing Lin Xiangshun shout from twenty meters away about the boar tracks, Zhao Youcai remained unconvinced.

‘He knew that Little Bear, the dog Lin Xiangshun was leading, was the lead dog. And right now, Little Bear was right in front of the boar tracks and showing no reaction at all. That must mean there was no boar scent left in the area. In other words, that Big Cannon Egg was long gone.’

Zhao Youcai gave a couple of shouts and led Da Huang and Big Fatty over to Lin Xiangshun. He then reached out and stroked Little Bear’s neck.

As if recognizing a family member, Little Bear seemed quite friendly with Zhao Youcai. It lifted its head to let him scratch its chin, then began looking around.

It wasn’t just Little Bear; Big Fatty was acting the same way.

Seeing Zhao Youcai’s silence, Liu Jinyong, who had caught up from behind, quickly asked, “Master Zhao, which way do we go now?”

Zhao Youcai didn’t answer. Instead, seeing the boar tracks lead diagonally down the slope, he said to Lin Xiangshun, “Let’s follow the tracks down.”

Only after Lin Xiangshun nodded did Zhao Youcai point down the slope. The five men and the Dog Gang descended, following the boar’s tracks.

For the next stretch, Zhao Youcai took Little Bear and walked at the very front. He was followed by Lin Xiangshun, leading White Dragon and Big Fatty. Behind them was Wang Qiang with Da Huang. Bringing up the rear were Liu Jinyong and Hong Yuntao, handling Xiaohua, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang between them.

This was their strategic formation. Little Bear was a Big-headed Dog, a lead dog, so naturally it went first. Besides, it knew Zhao Youcai well; perhaps it would give him some extra help for old times’ sake.

Next came Lin Xiangshun, an expert at coordinating pack hunts. Of the two dogs he led, Big Fatty was the secondary lead.

As for White Dragon, it was, to be precise, a support dog—and a top-tier one at that. It was what Hunters called a “hard-support.”

But when prey came within about three hundred meters of White Dragon, it would proactively attack, just like a lead dog.

Hunters had a special name for a dog like this: a “roaming hard-support.”

As for the other five hounds, they were pure support dogs, waiting for the lead dog to give cry before they would act.

And so, the five men and eight dogs descended to the gully floor and followed the boar tracks up the opposite slope. The terrain here was steep and overgrown, dense with pine scrub and thickets that made passage difficult for man and beast.

It wasn’t until they reached a red pine tree that Little Bear started pulling on its leash, trying to get to the base of the tree. Delighted, Zhao Youcai gave the leash a sharp tug, unsnapping the clasp on Little Bear’s collar. The dog immediately trotted to the foot of the red pine and began sniffing the ground.

Seeing this, Lin Xiangshun released Big Fatty and White Dragon as well. Just like Little Bear, the two dogs went to the red pine and sniffed intently at its base.

Just then, Wang Qiang brought Da Huang over to Zhao Youcai and Lin Xiangshun. Unlike the other three dogs, Da Huang showed no desire at all to be let loose.

With one hand on the leash, Wang Qiang subconsciously touched the grip of the gun at his hip with the other. He glanced up the slope and said to Zhao Youcai and Lin Xiangshun, “That Big Cannon Egg must have bedded down here for the night.”

It was so obvious that even Wang Qiang could tell. Beneath the tree, a patch of green grass was matted down, a clear sign that a boar had nested there.

“Yeah.” ‘It’s more than that,’ Lin Xiangshun thought. ‘The boar must have also pissed under the tree after getting up in the morning. Otherwise, the three dogs wouldn’t be sniffing so relentlessly.’

But after sniffing around for a while, none of the three dogs showed any further reaction.

‘Which means the boar is still a long way from here.’

Zhao Youcai whistled, and the three dogs continued up the slope with him. With no more tracks to follow, they had to rely on the lead dog to find the trail.

But both Little Bear and Big Fatty kept stopping and starting, running only thirty to fifty meters before pausing to wait for Zhao Youcai.

They might have looked obedient, but even Wang Qiang, who had experience with scouting hunts, knew this was a sign that the hounds didn’t want to work.

After searching in a wide circle, they arrived near noon at the spot where the Cannon Egg had gored a man to death the day before: beside the new Wood Transport Route of the Yong’an Forest Farm.

The ground, once flat, now showed signs of being torn up. Little Bear went over to sniff it, then looked up toward the other side of the route, but didn’t move.

Lin Xiangshun, who had been watching Little Bear intently, took in the entire scene. He called out to Zhao Youcai and pointed across the route.