sbdcsierra Chapter 1673: Crisis Reappears
Chapter 1673: Crisis Reappears
Chapter 1673: Crisis Reappears
The mountain wind carried the bear's roar to Zhao Jun and Xu Changming's ears.
For some reason, the sound was low and muffled, unlike the eerie roar of a bear in the mountains.
Zhao Jun and Xu Changming were both experienced, and they immediately knew that the bear was still in the barn and hadn't come out yet.
"Kid, hurry... wait for me!" Just as Xu Changming was about to urge Zhao Jun, he found that Zhao Jun had already dashed off, so he quickly changed his mind and asked Zhao Jun to come with him.
In the Shitang area, piles of rocks of varying sizes are stacked together, creating spaces and gaps of all sizes between them. If a person is not careful, they could easily break their leg by sticking their foot into one of these gaps.
Holding his gun in both hands, Zhao Jun walked cautiously through the stone embankment, following the sound towards Xiongcangzi.
Xu Changming followed closely behind, and as they walked, the roars of bears kept piercing their ears, as if urging them on.
"Kid, it's just ahead!" Xu Changming suddenly roared, reminding Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun was no fool. He immediately leaned against a rocky cliff and turned to look at Xu Changming behind him.
Despite his advanced age, Xu Changming traversed mountains and valleys almost every day, so the old man never lagged behind Zhao Jun by more than a few steps.
Zhao Jun stood behind the rocky cliff, and Xu Changming came to his side. At this moment, the old man held a gun in one hand and pointed forward with the other, saying, "Kid, look at that rock, it looks like a bull's horn."
"Ah!" Zhao Jun nodded, and then Xu Changming continued, "There's a stone cave down there."
When a bear is leaving its den, if the den entrance is not large, the bear has to slowly push its way out. It's like entering a cave; as long as the entrance is large enough for the bear's head to fit through, the whole bear can get in, it just takes some effort.
If the storage door is large enough, the bear will pause inside for a moment when it comes out, taking the opportunity to observe the situation outside. If it finds no danger outside, it will leap out immediately.
In the second scenario, if Zhao Jun went unprepared, he might very well run into a brown bear that had suddenly appeared out of its den. Therefore, Xu Changming told Zhao Jun the location of the bear's den so that Zhao Jun could be on guard.
Zhao Jun looked in the direction Xu Changming pointed and felt that the place was only about twenty meters away from him.
"Master Xu, just follow me from behind." At this moment, Zhao Jun said to Xu Changming, "Whenever I turn around and run, you can help me. If I don't turn around and run, no matter whether I hit you or not, don't do anything."
"Yes!" Xu Changming nodded heavily upon hearing this and replied, "I understand, kid."
After Xu Changming agreed, Zhao Jun didn't say anything more. He just gestured with his chin toward Xiong Cangzi's direction and then left with his gun.
The distance of over twenty meters was covered quickly. Zhao Jun didn't dare go to the front of the warehouse, but instead stood at an angle, listening to the low roars coming from inside the cave.
When Xu Changming arrived, Zhao Jun freed one hand and gestured to him. After Xu Changming nodded, Zhao Jun moved laterally towards the front of the cave, while Xu Changming remained in place, steadily holding his gun, ready to go.
Zhao Jun arrived directly in front of Xiongcang Gate and stopped about ten meters from the cave entrance. Behind him was a blue stone cliff. Zhao Jun leaned against it, held his gun to his shoulder, and fired a shot at the cave entrance.
"Oh!"
"Agh..." A scream rang out from inside the cave, followed by a "boom" as gray smoke erupted from between the rocks on the top of Xiongcangzi.
Zhao Jun could tell at a glance that the space inside the barn was large enough to not hinder the brown bear's movements.
Combined with the warehouse door he had just clearly seen, Zhao Jun knew that once the bear reached the door, it would leap out immediately.
Saying that bears are clumsy is relative to tigers and leopards; when it comes to dealing with people, they are anything but clumsy.
A loud roar came from the cave, and the stones at the entrance to the warehouse seemed to tremble.
A chill ran down Zhao Jun's spine, and his entire face went numb instantly.
This is a normal physiological reaction; even experienced gunners react the same way. It's just that experienced gunners are prepared, and even if their faces turn ashen, it doesn't affect their firing.
"Bang!" Zhao Jun raised his gun and fired at the bull horn stone.
This is a very dangerous act; if a bullet hits a stone and ricochets, it could very well injure Zhao Jun.
The moment the bullet left the barrel, Zhao Jun felt a darkness before his eyes, and a large brown bear suddenly appeared in front of the cave!
The bullet pierced through his chest, and the big brown bear lurched to the side. Before it could fall to the ground, it turned and pounced straight at Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun leaned to the side, quickly moving towards Xu Changming, while simultaneously holding the gun firmly against his shoulders with both hands and firing again.
"Oh!"
With a loud crash, the 400-pound brown bear slammed sideways into the large rock that Zhao Jun had just been leaning against. The ten men couldn't budge the boulder even with their strength, and were jolted by the bear's impact.
The brown bear, shot again, roared and pushed off the ground with its four paws to get up and run towards Zhao Jun once more.
"Oh!"
Just as the brown bear stood up, a bullet pierced its head.
With a bang, Zhao Jun felt a tremor around him, and when he looked again, the brown bear was lying on the ground, unable to get up.
"Oh!"
Another bullet shattered half of the brown bear's head, and red and white fluids flowed all over the ground—it was disgusting!
At this moment, Xu Changming arrived with his gun without Zhao Jun having to summon him.
"Kid!" Xu Changming gave Zhao Jun a thumbs up and cursed, "Your grip is fucking tough!"
When he arrived, Xu Changming was full of confidence, thinking he could handle it. But after seeing Zhao Jun's shots, Xu Changming knew that if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to control the situation when the brown bear came out of the barn.
He couldn't pass the gun at all, meaning even if he had the chance, he couldn't fire the bullet that seriously wounded the brown bear. In the words of gunners like Xu Changming, this situation was called: "unable to pass the barrel!"
"Hehe." Zhao Jun chuckled, and then Xu Changming pointed at the brown bear lying on the ground and said to him, "Kid, let's quickly turn it over and then take out its gallbladder."
"No, no." Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun quickly stopped Xu Changming and said, "Master Xu, don't worry, I'll call Cangzi again."
"Oh dear!" Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Xu Changming realized what was going on and said, "Is there still some inside?"
Xu Changming has lived in the mountains for over twenty years. He knows that a single barn might house more than one bear. But knowing this is one thing; he can remember who chatted with him or listened to his stories. However, when it comes to actually fighting, he can't remember.
This is the difference between theory and practice.
"Hmm." Zhao Jun nodded, gripping his gun with both hands and staring intently at the warehouse door as he walked past. As he walked, he said to Xu Changming, "Master Xu, I still have five bullets in my gun. I'll call the warehouse a couple more times, and then we'll switch guns right away."
Zhao Jun just fired five shots. If he fires two more, he'll only have three bullets left. If a bear were to suddenly appear, those three bullets might not be enough.
"Alright!" Xu Changming responded, and then he saw Zhao Jun holding a gun, aiming at the hole and firing.
"Bang! Bang!" Zhao Jun fired two shots in quick succession, then handed the gun to the side with one hand. As Xu Changming took the gun, he handed the gun in his hand to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun took the gun, quickly raised it to his face, and feeling no movement in the cell, fired two more shots.
After the gunshots subsided, only the sound of the mountain wind remained.
"Kid, is that all?" Xu Changming meant there shouldn't be any bears left inside, but Zhao Jun still felt uneasy, so he said to Xu Changming, "Master Xu, call him!"
As he spoke, Zhao Jun raised his hand and pointed towards the warehouse door, continuing, "You stay calm and aim for the inside of the warehouse."
"Hey!" Upon hearing this, Xu Changming picked up his gun with a hint of excitement, then smiled at Zhao Jun and said, "It's been so many years since I've fired a semi-automatic rifle."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Changming fired three shots in one go.
The old man is perfectly capable of shooting. He hasn't touched a semi-automatic rifle in many years, but there's a No. 16 rifle in their shack. Every year when he has nothing to do, he'll hunt a roe deer or something to satisfy his craving.
After Xu Changming finished firing, he put his gun away and looked at Zhao Jun. Without saying a word, Zhao Jun took out a fully loaded magazine from his pocket and handed it to Xu Changming, saying, "Master Xu, change it and call again."
"Is it really necessary?" Xu Changming took the magazine and loaded bullets into the chamber as he said, "How many shots have you fired? If there's no sound, then it's over."
"Master Xu, fire!" Zhao Jun didn't explain to Xu Changming, only saying, "Four or five more shots are fine."
Seeing that Zhao Jun was determined to continue, Xu Changming raised his gun and fired again. This time he fired four shots in two separate bursts, and after finishing, he asked Zhao Jun, "Aren't you going to fire this time?"
Although he was asking Zhao Jun for his opinion, Xu Changming's meaning was that there was no need to fight.
"Fire!" Zhao Jun was still not satisfied and said, "Shoot it two more times."
Xu Changming fired again, and after the gunshots stopped, the two men listened carefully but heard no further sounds. Xu Changming then lowered his gun and said to Zhao Jun, "That's enough, kid. How many shots have you taken? That's enough."
This was the third time Xu Changming had said this. People his age had all come from hard times and cherished their possessions quite a bit.
"Alright then." Zhao Jun was persuaded by Xu Changming, and immediately put away his gun and turned off the safety. He said, "Brother Xu, let's go, let's gut that Xiong Ba."
Xu Changming also put away his gun and happily followed Zhao Jun to prepare to overturn the bear.
There's a term called "deadly and heavy." The dead brown bear was lying there, and Zhao Jun and Xu Changming were pulling on one of its legs. They could pull its arms, but when they tried to turn the bear over, they always lacked the strength.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Xu Changming stopped Zhao Jun and said, "Where are we going to find a big stick? I'll pry it open, and you can pull it over."
Zhao Jun agreed to Xu Changming's suggestion. The two of them went to the outskirts of Shitang and found a large pine stick. When they returned, they worked together to turn the brown bear upside down, just as Xu Changming had instructed.
Seeing the old man panting heavily, Zhao Jun took the dagger from Xu Changming and personally gutted the brown bear.
Zhao Jun usually takes two or three men with him when he goes out hunting, and he hasn't done this kind of gutting work in a long time.
However, his skills were still there. Zhao Jun skillfully removed the bear gallbladder, then unbuttoned his outer garment, tore off the front of his tank top, and wrapped the bear gallbladder inside.
"Master Xu," Zhao Jun asked Xu Changming, "what should we do with the bear bile?"
"What do you mean, what do you do?" Xu Changming laughed. "Your family only collects these kinds of things, and you're asking me?"
Zhao Jun was taken aback, and then Xu Changming continued, "I'll put it in your hands first, and you can see how much it costs after it dries. Then, as we agreed, you get three shares and I get two, and that's it."
“Alright, Master Xu.” Hearing Xu Changming say this, Zhao Jun replied, “Then I’ll take this gall.”
"Take it." Xu Changming waved his hand and said, "Kid, do you want that bell-shaped cap? If you do, I'll take it back to make wine."
"Take whatever you want, Mr. Xu." Zhao Jun glanced at the brown bear carcass and said, "Here, take it all. You can carry it back slowly."
"You're talking nonsense." Xu Changming laughed, "How far am I supposed to carry such a big bear? Hey, if you have a car, you can take it back. How much can Song Laowai and I eat? There are twenty pounds of meat, and neither of us can finish it."
“Well… I’ll drive my Jiefang truck over tomorrow to haul it all up,” Zhao Jun said. “Otherwise, this thing is too much of a hassle, and it’ll be difficult to manage a whole truckload.”
That's true. In Northeast China, to describe someone as a coward, you say they're a coward who eats and pulls.
Bears don't eat during hibernation, but they do defecate. Plus, after spending months in that cramped space, a bear that's just emerged from its den smells incredibly foul.
If Zhao Jun were to sit on this bear carcass now, he would be covered in that unpleasant smell, and it would linger for days.
Xu Changming knew this, so he placed the pine stick he had used to pry open the brown bear between two rocks, then sat on the pine stick, smoking and talking to Zhao Jun.
At this moment, Zhao Jun was removing the bear's lantern. He couldn't take the bear home today, so he planned to clean its chest and then drive his Liberation truck over to pick it up tomorrow.
"Kid," Xu Changming said, puffing on his cigarette and leaning forward to ask Zhao Jun, "Tell me, wasn't it unnecessary for you to make me fire those shots later?"
“That’s not superfluous, Master Xu.” Zhao Jun said while removing the intestines, “You know Zhou Chengguo from Yongsheng, right?”
"I know him, but we're not close," Xu Changming said. Zhao Jun added, "The winter before last, he chased Xiong Ba from Tuozi into the Shitang area. He killed one of the bears, and then there was another one inside. When that one came out, he dealt with him."
As Zhao Jun was speaking, a pair of small, dark eyes darted around from inside the warehouse door not far away.
"I heard he was injured, and you saved him, right?" Xu Changming asked. Zhao Jun replied, "Yes, but that's not what I meant. I told you to call for two more shots because I was afraid of running into something like what happened to my brother Zhou."
"Tsk!" Xu Changming clicked his tongue upon hearing this and said, "Cases like his are so rare, how could you possibly run into one?"
"Hehe..." Zhao Jun laughed when he heard Xu Changming say that, and said, "It was him that day. He is experienced. If it were someone else, they would have been killed on the spot."
"That's true." Xu Changming echoed. At this moment, he and Zhao Jun were facing away from Xiong Cangzi. Zhao Jun was squatting on the ground, while Xu Changming was sitting slightly higher.
Just then, Xu Changming suddenly stood up, took two steps forward, and said to Zhao Jun, "After you remove the intestines, take off this corrugated cap for me."
"Hey." Zhao Jun looked up and suddenly felt a darkness above him.
"Huff...woo..." At this moment, Zhao Jun heard the sound of heavy breathing mixed with the mountain wind, accompanied by a faint fishy smell.
"Kid." Xu Changming was probably about to say something to Zhao Jun, but when he turned around, he saw Zhao Jun squatting there, and behind him stood a bear!
(End of this chapter)