The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 285 All the Labor Force Fights Wild Boars

Logging in the mountains during the twelfth lunar month is a tough job.

The snow in the mountains was heavy, and the dense forest blocked the sunlight, so the snow had not melted and the snow was knee-deep throughout the mountains.

The strong laborers trudged through the crunching ice toward a place called Laofenwa.

Zhou Tiezhen explained to Qian Jin, "That side is far away from the foot of the mountain, but there is a landslide section on it."

"The road must be covered in snow now. We'll cut down the trees and trim them so we can push them down the mountain. Otherwise, how can we carry all this wood out on our shoulders?"

The newly acquired chainsaw roared, belching pale blue smoke, as it forcefully cut into the wood of trees hardened by the bitter cold.

Rows of larch trees, as thick as bowls, crashed down amidst flying sawdust, revealing their stark white stubble.

Zhou Tiezhen wore an old felt hat with exposed cotton wadding, his face was blackened by the mountain wind, but his eyes were filled with excitement.

He pointed out the cleared path and planned how to stack these rare hardwoods.

Qian Jin's military cotton-padded coat was covered in sawdust. Despite the biting cold, he felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment looking at the bustling scene.

This chainsaw was a great gift!
Chainsaws are used in rotation.

When it was Zhu Zi's turn to pick up the chainsaw, he bent down and was about to press the blade against a twisted old oak tree when his gaze inadvertently swept over a small depression not far away, and then froze.

The thick snow covered most of the original appearance of the mountains and forests, but next to a clump of fallen bushes, some unusual marks were clearly imprinted on the snow.

He had excellent eyesight; he immediately stopped what he was doing and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Tiezhen, who was chopping tree branches nearby, asked casually.

Zhu Zi said, "I've noticed something's wrong. Don't make a sound, everyone."

Seeing his solemn expression, Zhou Tiezhen whistled loudly and waved his arms crossed.

Upon seeing this, the command to remain silent spread in all directions.

Soon the whirring of the machines and the laughter of people disappeared, leaving only the sound of the wind and the rustling of the swaying branches.

Zhu Zi went to the depression to take a look, then headed east, and finally waved vigorously: "Captain, come quickly!"

Zhou Tiezhen, Qian Jin, Erniu, Biaozi and his group immediately surrounded them.

The snow in the depression was trampled and mottled by animals, but a few clear hoof prints were embedded in the soil beneath the snow, standing out particularly.

The pillars had been cleared of snow, revealing the large, segmented hoof prints.

They are deeply sunken, with their edges violently turned outwards, bringing out the frozen black mud and withered branches and leaves underneath.

In the gaps between some of the hoof prints, dark red ice crystals could be faintly seen—those were congealed blood foam!

"Wild boar! Wild boar hoof prints!" Zhou Tiezhen exclaimed, his voice quickly turning serious. "Damn it, what I said came true! I told Director Qian earlier that there were wild boars here, and now we've found traces of them."

"Captain, look at how those hoof prints are spread out! This wild boar must be quite big," Zhu Zi said excitedly.

Zhou Tiezhen squatted down, using his rough fingers to measure the size of the hoof print, and then rubbed the dark red ice shards.

He clicked his tongue and said in a low voice, "This isn't the path we just passed. The blood ice shards are frozen solid; it's an old mark..."

"No, Captain, look over there." Zhu Zi pointed to the side and front.

The group trudged through the deep snow to get a look.

A trail of hoofprints, varying in depth, crookedly led towards the depths of a thorny ditch in the distance:
"It's definitely fresh, probably only been sitting overnight!"

Qian Jin stroked the snow on the hoofprints.

The snow was loose.

Zhou Tiezhen cautiously said, "Call everyone over, in pairs, and search for other things. It would be best if you could find some pig manure."

Soon, dozens of strong laborers gathered around.

Chen Shoujiang also came.

After examining the pig hoof prints, he lay down and smelled them, saying confidently, "The animal is nearby, and the hoof prints are fresh."

Qian Jin asked, "Brother-in-law, you know about this?"

Chen Shoujiang grinned: "Have you forgotten what I told you? Every year when the first snow falls in winter, our forest farm has to organize teams to go into the mountains to hunt wild boars, at least to clear out the wild boars around the forest farm."

"Otherwise, when the snow falls heavily, these wild boars won't be able to find food. If they get really hungry and see a lone adult or a child, they might just rush up and take a few bites!"

Qian Jin chuckled awkwardly: "I haven't forgotten, but I mainly thought you were just bragging before..."

"You little brat!" Chen Shoujiang said disapprovingly, "We never talk nonsense in our area."

His judgment was like a stone thrown into the water.

Erniu excitedly rubbed his frostbitten ears: "Hey! A New Year's treat delivered right to my door?"

Biaozi couldn't contain himself any longer; his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked, and he was already discussing with the burly men around him how to catch the wild boar.

But Chen Shoujiang was alarmed. He had witnessed the ferocity of wild boars in winter, so he quickly warned, "Captain Zhou, I've heard that these things are deadly when they go crazy from hunger in winter; their tusks can pierce a person's stomach!"

“Driver Chen is right.” Zhou Tiezhen stood up, his eyes remaining calm beneath his felt hat. “In this heavy snow, we can’t deal with starving wild boars with just our axes and machetes; we need real weapons!”

He immediately gave the order: "Zhuzi and Erniu, the teams you two lead, stay here and spread out around to look around and try to find some new clues."

"Goose, you're fast on your feet! Hurry up and run back to the brigade headquarters, take the gun key from the wall in my main room, then go to the warehouse and get those two iron steel forks for hunting wolves. Call my second uncle and tell him to bring all the wild dogs in the house!"

"It needs to be fast, but it needs to be as quiet as possible."

Gou Sheng nodded, then turned and left.

He ran fast and fiercely, completely unafraid of the snow in the mountains, rushing down towards the brigade headquarters, leaving only a string of deep and shallow footprints on the thick snow slope.

A biting, cold wind blew by.

Zhou Tiezhen nodded to Qian Jin again: "Director Qian, Driver Chen, and Biaozi, you take your team and we'll follow the tracks and slowly make our way forward."

"Everyone, be on your guard! Watch out, this thing doesn't make a sound, but if it comes out, it's going to kill us!"

Zhu Zi, Er Niu, and their group who remained in place quickly crouched down and scattered in all directions like sesame seeds.

Zhou Tiezhen made a hand gesture to Biaozi and Qian Jin.

He took the lead, closely following the intermittent footprints left by the wild boar, carefully parting the thorny vines and branches, and tentatively moving towards the depths of the ditch.

The snow underfoot was thick and cold, and every step made a crunching sound, which was amplified infinitely in the dead silence of the winter forest.

Icicles hung on the dry branches, sharp as knives, and could easily tear a cotton-padded coat if one wasn't careful.

Chen Shoujiang helped Qian Jin tighten his military coat: "Fourth brother, be careful and stick close to me."

The strong smell of pine resin mixed with the stench of decaying branches and leaves under the snow, along with a faint, almost imperceptible, fishy odor, deeply penetrated the nasal cavity.

The air was so cold it was almost frozen. Qian Jin became tense because of the atmosphere. He felt like he was swallowing ice shards with every breath, and his lungs ached slightly.

Biaozi stood guard on the flank, his hands gripping a chainsaw tightly.

At this moment, the chainsaw was not running; the heavy steel body and the cold guide saw chain in front of him were his greatest support.

With this thing in hand, he wasn't afraid of wild boars.

If he encounters a wild boar, he immediately starts the chainsaw. The boar might be able to knock him away, but as long as the chainsaw touches the boar, the boar will either be dead or maimed!
Zhou Tiezhen held a machete in his hand, his eyes fixed on the increasingly dense and deep hoof prints on the snow.

The terrain at the bottom of the ravine ahead became increasingly complex and grotesque.

The dead bushes intertwined to form an insurmountable barrier, covered with a thick layer of snow.

The massive, broken tree trunk lay sprawled and haphazardly, half buried in the snow, the other half menacingly protruding towards the gray-white sky.

Chen Shoujiang whispered, "We've found the right place; this tree was hit by a wild boar."

"Did he break it?" a man asked, somewhat shocked.

Because the broken tree trunk was as thick as he could wrap his arms around it!
Chen Shoujiang laughed: "This guy is a wild boar, not Marshal Tianpeng. How could it cut down such a thick old locust tree without a nine-toothed rake?"

"It came here to bump into the tree trunk and scratch an itch. Look, here..."

As he spoke, he searched the tree trunk and found some pig bristles in the crevices.

Everyone's spirits lifted.

All right.

Clearer traces have emerged.

Upon arriving at this place, the pig hoof prints became chaotic, appearing in all directions.

Chen Shoujiang said, "This is its activity area; it's looking for food here."

Zhou Tiezhen signaled to everyone to be careful, and then split up in pairs to continue searching for further traces of wild boars.

Finally, in this chaotic southeast direction, the hoofprints came to an abrupt end, disappearing into a stone cave that was about one and a half meters high.

Zhou Tiezhen stopped when he saw it. He grabbed the man who was about to approach and look, and whispered, "It's right here, Lao Liu, don't go looking for death."

"I'll keep watch here. Go and call the person over."

A rustling sound arose, and the men silently gathered around, locking the dark cave in front of them.

The soft snow in front of the cave pit was trampled into a mess, with scattered dirt mixed with bits of black, foul-smelling frozen feces.

A strong, mixed odor was carried by the wind and into their noses.

The smell of rotting wood, the stench of pig manure, and some muttony and foul odors definitely came from wild boars.

The mountain winds may have carried their scent into the cave.

From the depths of darkness, several low snoring sounds suddenly rang out.

The voice wasn't loud, but it struck the hearts of a group of burly men like a thunderclap.

"Damn! It's inside!" Biaozi gasped, his throat tightened, and the veins on the back of his hand gripping the chainsaw handle bulged.

"Don't move, retreat quickly, hide behind the tree." Zhou Tiezhen's voice was even lower.

His eyes never left the cave entrance, and he grabbed Qian Jin's hand, leading him behind the trunk of an old locust tree.
"It can climb trees, right? If that thing comes out later, hurry up and scramble up; it can't climb trees."

Biaozi retorted, "Damn it, Captain, we have this iron weapon, what are we afraid of?"

As he spoke, he patted the chainsaw in his hand.

Zhou Tiezhen sneered: "Don't fucking cause me trouble. You've seen how powerful wild boars are. They're like cars. If one charges at you, its tusks can go right through you!"

Chen Shoujiang said, "Yes, Captain Zhou is right. In our forest farm, people say that the wild boar is the most difficult to deal with, followed by the bear and then the tiger."

“I’ve heard that this thing rolls around in the mud all day and scratches itself on pine trees. Its whole body is covered in dried mud and rosin, mixed with sand, making it look like it’s wearing a suit of armor,” Qian Jin said.

Chen Shoujiang was taken aback: "Really? Is it that mysterious? The wild boars in my area aren't like that."

Qian Jin asked, "Otherwise, how could it be more frightening than a black bear or a tiger?"

Chen Shoujiang said, "Because it's stupid. Tigers are very cunning. When they see a lot of people, they run away."

"Wild boars are complete idiots. They're actually scared when they see people. You know what they do when they're scared? They charge at people like crazy when they're scared!"

“Yes, the wild boars may have charged.” Zhou Tiezhen and the others nodded repeatedly.

As everyone whispered among themselves, time slowly passed.

Finally, a whistle sounded in the distance.

Reinforcements have arrived.

Zhou Tiezhen waved his hand, and several men carrying knives and crowbars returned the way they came, calling over the reinforcements and the main force.

Gou Sheng was the first to emerge from the snow and mist in the forest. He was panting heavily, and white breaths were coming out of his nose and mouth.

He carried two three-pronged barbed steel forks made of cast iron on his shoulders, the tips of which gleamed with a chilling light.

Upon arrival, he immediately handed it over to Zhou Tiezhen.

Zhou Tiezhen handed the machete to Qian Jin, and after receiving the pitchfork, he felt a surge of confidence: "Damn it, today we deserve to enjoy a meal of wild boar meat, let's go!"

Two burly young men followed closely behind, each carrying a gun.

Qian Jin took a quick look.

Awesome.

Type 56 semi-automatic rifle! Then there were several middle-aged and elderly people in their fifties and sixties, panting as they chased after them, each with a dog on a leash.

These dogs were enormous, resembling wolfhounds, with bulging muscles, bristling manes, and fierce-looking eyes.

The old men tied ropes around their mouths, so they couldn't make a sound and could only suppress their fighting spirit and anger.

One of the hounds, with a missing ear, was particularly ferocious. Its mouth twitched violently, and the rope cut into its skin, drawing blood.

These dogs didn't need any instructions at all; they caught the scent of a wild beast from afar that made their blood boil.

Zhou Tiezhen nodded, and the old men untied the ropes from their mouths. Immediately, they let out terrifying growls from their throats.

The hound with the missing ear was the alpha dog; its neck hair stood on end like steel needles, and its four paws frantically dug at the frozen ground and snow beneath its feet, its eyes fixed on the cave from early morning.

Qian Jin felt his blood surging.

He asked, "How do we deal with wild boars? Drive them out and shoot them straight in the head?"

Zhou Tiezhen shook his head: "Wild boars killed by shooting don't taste good; the blood is all trapped in the meat."

"Wild boar meat is already bad, it's fishy and gamey. If you kill it with a bullet, it's inedible." Chen Shoujiang took a Type 56 pistol.

He chambered the bullet with a clatter, the crisp sound of cold metal scraping against metal ringing out.

Qian Jin asked, "Brother-in-law, you can handle guns?"

Chen Shoujiang laughed: "Your second sister can do it, let alone me?"

“Our logging workers are also militia members. In the past, we had to patrol twice a day, morning and evening, carrying guns.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiezhen said, "Then, Driver Chen, you take the gun and provide cover for us."

"Biaozi, you and I will hold the front with the pitchforks! The rest of you, grab your weapons and surround us! Gou, go first, force it out!"

Deployment complete.

Biaozi spat heavily into his palm, rubbed it vigorously, pulled out the chilling steel fork, and walked forward.

The fork teeth were three barbs forged from high-quality steel, dark and heavy, with a deathly luster flowing in the dim light.

An old man waved his hand and shouted, "Huo'er, Hei Hu! Go up!"

This sound was like a battle cry.

The two hunting dogs in front immediately tucked their ears and tails between their legs, barking wildly as they pounced on the cave.

Roars echoed from inside the cave.

This was the first time Qian Jin had ever heard a wild boar roar. It was loud and wild, and the sound echoed through the cave, like the malevolent energy buried underground bursting forth.

Accompanied by the roar of wild boars, a massive, frighteningly thick black wild boar then charged out from within.

Qian Jin took a closer look.

This creature was covered in thick, coarse, dark brown bristles, and had large, yellowish-brown pig teeth on its mouth. Every part of it exuded a ferocious aura.

Zhou Tiezhen, who was in front, immediately shouted: "Be careful, be careful! It's a male wild boar!"

Yes.

They encountered a male wild boar.

It was an extremely large and ferocious adult male wild boar.

Their initial assessment was correct; the wild boar was enormous, its shoulders reaching above an adult's waist, and it exuded a menacing aura.

Especially its disproportionately large head, which looks menacing.

Its jawbone turned outward, revealing two pairs of huge fangs. The upper fangs resembled two curved, yellowish-brown short spears, which Qian Jin estimated to be at least a foot long.

The lower fangs are a pale white, like a gleaming boning knife, much sharper than the upper fangs.

Despite its menacing appearance, the hunting dogs showed no fear and surrounded it from all sides.

This wild boar was even more ferocious, especially since it was probably starving and freezing at the moment. Faced with several hunting dogs and dozens of people surrounding it, it charged ahead first.

Its large nostrils flared and expanded in fury, spewing out hot white gas like a train whistle.

"on!"

The old man's roar exploded amidst the barking of dogs and the squealing of pigs.

Huo Er and Hei Hu immediately pounced on them without fear of death.

The black tiger was extremely fast; it tried to tear at the wild boar's vulnerable flanks or hind legs.

But the wild boar's bristles, like steel brushes mixed with thick pigskin, are impossible for hunting dogs to bite through with their sharp teeth; they can only pull off a few dirty strands of hair.

The hawk-eared one was even more ferocious; it pounced forward and opened its mouth to tear at the wild boar's wrinkled snout.

Upon seeing this, Qian Jin exclaimed, "Holy crap!"
Is this dog about to collide with a wild boar?!

The encounter between Huo'er and the wild boar was fleeting. Qian Jin's eyes blurred and he didn't see it clearly, but Huo'er dodged to the side of the wild boar and was not hit.

It is estimated that it bit the wild boar's nose when it passed by earlier, because the wild boar's nose was bleeding and it let out a terrible scream.

When it opened its mouth to howl, it suddenly shook its head, and the enormous force knocked off its side ear.

The snow on the ground was thick. Huo Er rolled twice on the ground, got up, shook his head, and roared again.

The excruciating pain ignited the wild boar's savage killing intent.

Its eyes were bloodshot, and it completely ignored the other threats, focusing its attention on Biaozi, who was closest to it.

With a terrifying roar, it pawed the snow with all four hooves, sending mud and ice flying everywhere, like a runaway steel tank, charging towards Biaozi with the momentum to crush and destroy everything in its path.

Its pair of pale white fangs, like a death warrant, pierced straight into Biaozi's chest and abdomen.

"Biaozi!" Qian Jin's exclamation changed tone.

Biaozi didn't panic. Although he pushed forward, he didn't wander aimlessly. Instead, he followed the old tree.

As the wild boar charged at him, he quickly retrieved his pitchfork and turned to run around the old tree.

The wild boar crashed into the old tree with a loud thud, causing the tree to shake and the snow on its branches to fall in a cascading rush.

At this moment, the hunting dogs began to harass the wild boar from the side. The wild boar became agitated and retreated. Biaozi seized the opportunity, let out a loud howl, and thrust his steel fork at the wild boar!
His feet were firmly planted in the ground, his agile body like a spring, and with all his might, he pushed the heavy steel fork forward—

"Clang—Pfft—!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing against bone and the dull thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh exploded together.

In the blink of an eye, Biaozi's arms were subjected to a terrifying impact, and the long wooden handle of the steel fork was bent into a breathtaking arc.

The sharp forked tip of the steel fork narrowly got stuck in the wild boar's neck and shoulder, deeply piercing the area in front of the boar's shoulder blade!

The non-fatal wound caused excruciating, tearing pain, and the wild boar let out another agonizing howl.

Biaozi couldn't pull the steel fork out, so he didn't linger and threw it away, then ran wildly behind the nearest big tree.

The wild boar jumped around twice on the spot. This time, it was probably a little scared or confused by anger. It did not chase after the dog that had stabbed it. Instead, it shook its head and pounced on the nearest hunting dog.

The hound was very agile; it immediately tucked its tail between its legs and jumped onto a rock.

Other hunting dogs came up from the side to harass them.

The wild boar turned around and charged at them, causing them to flee immediately. The boar with the large ears seized the opportunity to attack the boar's raised rear end, baring its teeth and taking a bite.

This is a special skill of their distant African relatives, the hyena.

Anal cleaning!

The wild boar let out a miserable scream after being gouged out, and charged around wildly with its head down.

This time it seemed scared, tucking its tail between its legs and trying to crawl into the cave, but it couldn't find the cave for a while, so it randomly rushed in a direction and turned its rear end towards the rock behind it to prevent being ripped out of its anus again.

Biaozi is really fierce.

Seeing that the wild boar was surrounded, the guy mustered his courage and went around to the rocks behind the boar. Suddenly, he jumped down and grabbed the wooden handle of the steel fork that he had just stabbed into the ground.

Zhou Tiezhen and the other old men turned pale upon seeing this: "Damn it!"

"Biaozi!"

"You bastard!"

Startled, the wild boar lowered its head and ran towards Biaozi.

Biaozi gripped the wooden handle, bent over, and roared, trying to withstand the wild boar's charge.

This is a dream!

The wild boar pawed at the ground with its short, sturdy hooves, and Biaozi felt an unparalleled brute force coming through the wooden handle, which lifted him up!
The force of the impact tore his hands apart instantly, the steel fork flew out of his hands, and he was then violently thrown backward by the force of the swing, crashing heavily into the thick snowdrift beside him.

In an instant, the accumulated snow began to fly.

The enormous pig's head hurtled towards the spot where Biaozi had fallen with a whooshing sound, its sharp upper tusks aimed directly at Biaozi's chest.

"You beast!" At this critical moment of life and death, Zhou Tiezhen's furious roar exploded.

Taking advantage of the fact that the wild boar's attention was entirely on Biaozi, he pounced on it from the side without hesitation.

He gripped another steel fork tightly with both hands and, with all his might, thrust it into the exposed carotid artery on the side of the wild boar's neck, which had been exposed by the boar's head-shaking impact.

"puff--!"

This time, the sharp tip of the steel fork successfully tore through the relatively soft skin and flesh of the wild boar's neck.

The entire fork head is submerged extremely deep!

The wild boar violently shook its head, exposing the wound completely!
Immediately, warm pig's blood gushed out from the huge wound!

Like a small, scarlet fountain!

Hot blood splattered all over Zhou Tiezhen's head and face, who was unable to retreat in time. Several hunting dogs pounced on him at the same time. They went berserk at the sight of blood and rushed to the wild boar's neck, tearing at the wound and expanding their gains.

At the same time, they also swallowed large mouthfuls of pig's blood.

The wild boar let out its most piercing and tragic howl since the start of the war.

The intense pain and the weakness caused by the sudden loss of a large amount of blood caused its massive body to stiffen slightly.

Zhou Tiezhen grabbed the steel fork and stabbed him again.

Chen Shoujiang also saw this opportunity and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up!"

Several men from the vicinity brandished crowbars and machetes and rushed forward, quickly striking the wild boar a few times.

The wild boar went berserk and charged.

The hunting dog was thrown into the air by the impact.

Several men nearby, disregarding their weapons, threw them away and ran away.

The wild boar had neither the time nor the courage to pursue them; at this moment, it was most terrified, retreating with a machete stuck in its neck.

As a result, the more it moved, the stronger its heart pumped blood, and the more blood it pumped from the wounds on its neck and back.

It wants to rest.

The experienced old men urged their hunting dogs forward to provoke it, forcing it to dart left and right.

The blood flowed slower and slower until the wild boar finally collapsed, grunting and panting.

Zhou Tiezhen, standing on the periphery, remained as calm as a mountain, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, fixed intently on the wild boar's movements.

After the wild boar lay down on the ground, he rushed up again and stabbed it in the neck with his fork!

Another strike, and another success!

The ferocious, enormous boar's frenzied movements came to a halt.

Its eyes slowly became dull, and finally became unfocused and lifeless.

Its thick, pillar-like hind legs swayed, made a groaning sound like a broken bellows, and then lay down on the ground.

It tried to raise its head, but could only poke its tusks into the ground, kicking up large patches of snow mixed with fresh blood.

Everyone knows it's no longer viable.

(End of this chapter)