sbdcsierra Chapter 475 It's better than losing it
Chapter 475 It's better than losing it
After some more work, the two finally settled the wild boar and covered it with a thin layer of snow for camouflage.
Li Xiangyang patted the snow off his hands and gazed at the distant mountains: "Let's go that way. There's a small valley there, steep on all sides, where animals drink water."
“That makes sense,” Wang Ergou nodded in agreement. “In this freezing weather, there must be plenty of prey where there’s water.”
The two picked up their hunting rifles and headed east along the ridge.
The snow was getting thicker and thicker, reaching above the calves in some places, making each step extremely difficult.
"Be careful," Li Xiangyang warned in a low voice, "there might be traps in areas with thick snow."
Wang Ergou nodded in understanding, slowed his pace, and carefully observed the terrain ahead.
Upon reaching an open area, Li Xiangyang suddenly stopped, squatted down, and carefully examined the tracks on the snow.
"What did you find?" Wang Ergou asked curiously as he leaned closer.
Li Xiangyang pointed to a series of crisscrossing footprints on the ground: "Look, these are snow hare footprints, and this one next to it... is a lynx's paw print."
"A lynx?" Wang Ergou immediately perked up. "That's a good prey!"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Lynx pelts are worth a lot of money, and their fur is at its best this season."
The two exchanged a glance and, in unison, followed the footprints.
The tracks in the snow became increasingly fresh, and the two men moved with increasing caution.
Although lynxes are not as fierce as tigers and leopards, they are still dangerous predators and will not hesitate to fight back if pushed to the limit.
As they approached a thicket of bushes, their footprints suddenly became disordered.
Li Xiangyang raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, then carefully observed the ground: "It looks like a fight has taken place."
"Over there!" Wang Ergou said in a low voice, pointing to an open space a few meters away.
On the snow, a large lynx was tearing at a snow hare, completely unaware that someone was approaching.
The lynx has a thick, spotted grayish-white mane, strong and powerful limbs, a short, upturned tail, and a distinctive black tuft of hair on the tips of its ears.
“Aimed,” Li Xiangyang said softly, slowly raising his hunting rifle.
The lynx seemed to sense danger and suddenly looked up, its amber eyes scanning its surroundings warily.
The opportunity was fleeting, and Li Xiangyang pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"boom!"
Gunshots shattered the tranquility of the forest.
The lynx shuddered, but surprisingly, it did not collapse on the spot. Instead, it let out a mournful howl and dragged its wounded body into the depths of the dense forest.
"Chase!" Li Xiangyang blurted out, and the two immediately followed the trail of blood.
Despite being injured, the lynx did not slow down at all, leaving a trail of bright red bloodstains on the snow.
The two men pushed through the bushes, stepped over fallen tree trunks, and gave chase.
The lynx was agile and moved freely among the trees, almost shaking off Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou several times.
"It went that way!" Wang Ergou shouted, pointing to a patch of low bushes to the right.
"Split up and chase them. You go around to that side and don't let it run down the mountain!" Li Xiangyang made a quick decision, signaling Wang Ergou to flank from the left.
The two immediately split up. Li Xiangyang tiptoed and cautiously approached the bushes.
The hunter's intuition told him that the wounded lynx was hiding not far ahead.
Suddenly, a low growl came from the dense forest, followed by a gray-white figure darting out and fleeing towards the valley.
"There!" Li Xiangyang shouted, raising his gun and aiming.
"boom!"
A gunshot rang out, and the bullet grazed the lynx's hind leg before hitting a small tree nearby.
"Damn it, almost!" Li Xiangyang cursed under his breath and quickly chased after them.
Hearing the gunshots from afar, Wang Ergou immediately understood what had happened and quickened his pace.
Although injured, the lynx's will to survive enabled it to unleash astonishing speed. It nimbly darted through the trees, changing direction several times in an attempt to shake off its pursuers.
The bloodstains on the snow were becoming increasingly dense, indicating that the lynx's strength was clearly waning.
Li Xiangyang was secretly delighted and continued his relentless pursuit. He knew that as long as he prevented the lynx from entering the denser forest, he would catch up with it sooner or later.
The lynx seemed to realize this as well, and suddenly changed its strategy. Instead of running forward, it turned around and disappeared into a thick thicket of bushes.
Li Xiangyang immediately stopped and cautiously raised his hunting rifle.
He knew that wounded wild animals were the most dangerous, especially predators like lynxes, which often chose to fight to the death when desperate.
Suddenly, the forest fell silent, with only the rustling of the wind through the treetops.
Li Xiangyang remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the bushes, his breathing extremely soft.
"Come out..." he murmured to himself, his finger lightly resting on the trigger.
At that very moment, the bushes suddenly shook violently, and a gray-white figure shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Li Xiangyang!
Li Xiangyang was prepared, but the lynx was too fast. He only had time to slightly raise the muzzle of his gun before the lynx pounced on him and knocked him to the ground.
"Hiss—" The lynx opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp fangs, and tried to bite Li Xiangyang's throat.
In the nick of time, Li Xiangyang held his hunting rifle horizontally in front of his chest, and the lynx's teeth bit down hard on the gun.
"Roar!" The lynx roared angrily, its front paws scratching fiercely at Li Xiangyang's cotton-padded coat, the sharp claws almost piercing through the thick fabric.
Li Xiangyang gritted his teeth, gripped his hunting rifle tightly with both hands, and used all his strength to hold the lynx back, preventing its fangs from getting close to his throat.
"Brother Xiangyang!" Wang Ergou's anxious shouts came from afar.
"Don't fire!" Li Xiangyang shouted, "They're too close!"
He knew that at such close range, even if Wang Ergou was a good shot, he could still accidentally hurt himself.
The situation was critical, but a glint of calm flashed in Li Xiangyang's eyes. He suddenly released his right hand, swiftly reached for his waist, and drew a sharp hunting knife.
"Drink!" Li Xiangyang shouted, his right hand holding the knife, and stabbed fiercely into the lynx's side.
The sharp blade pierced the lynx's body, and warm blood gushed out, staining the snow red.
The lynx let out a piercing scream, released its fangs from the hunting rifle, and its body trembled violently.
Li Xiangyang seized the opportunity, forcefully pushed the lynx away, quickly rolled over, and created distance.
The lynx stood swaying for a few seconds, the fierce light in its eyes gradually dimming, before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud, never to be heard again.
"Brother Xiangyang!" Wang Ergou ran over breathlessly, his face full of worry. "Are you alright?"
Li Xiangyang shook his head and patted the snow off his clothes: "It's alright, luckily my cotton-padded coat is thick enough."
"That scared me to death," Wang Ergou breathed a sigh of relief. "When I rushed over, I saw you being pounced on by it, and I was almost scared to death."
Li Xiangyang gave a wry smile: "I didn't expect it to have so much strength."
He walked to the lynx carcass, squatted down, and examined it carefully: "This is a fully grown male lynx, weighing at least forty pounds. The fur is very well preserved; it'll fetch a good price."
Wang Ergou also came over to take a look: "It is indeed a large lynx, but..." He pointed to two wounds on the lynx's body, "There are two holes in its skin, so it's probably not a true lynx."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "It's better than losing it. Come on, help me carry it. We should head back. It's getting late; if we don't leave now, we might not make it back to the village before dark."