Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

After finishing his biscuit, Zhou Rui said to the dog feeder, "Uncle, is it possible that the leopard waded across the stream in that backwater on the way here?"

Wang Shouye raised his head and looked at Zhou Rui: "What's the basis for your claim?"

"I remember when we came here, Spotted Leopard circled the water a few times before leading us this way. Do you think it's because the leopard waded through the water and lost its scent? And since the leopard had been here before, there was still some scent left, which is why Spotted Leopard led us here."

The spotted incense is ultimately a low-hanging incense, which has its limitations; it can only smell the scent left on the ground. If it's a high-hanging incense, it can capture the scent in the air, and even if it can't accurately wade across the water, it will still react to the scent on the other side of the stream.

Wang Shouye's eyes lit up as he recalled Hua Ban's behavior upon arrival. He then raised his right hand and slapped Gu Shaofeng on the shoulder.

"Ruiwa, you're right. That's very likely where the leopard crossed the river."

"Ouch, Master, why are you hitting me? Junior Brother is right, why are you hitting him?" Gu Shaofeng cried out, clutching his shoulder.

"Hehe...Isn't this just a convenient thing to do?" Wang Shouye said awkwardly, "Besides, can't you be a little smarter? You've been with me for so many years, and Ruiwa has only been with me for a short time. How come you didn't think of that?"

Wang Shouye took the opportunity to give Gu Shaofeng a warning.

Gu Shaofeng was speechless, thinking to himself, "I just didn't think of that for a moment, does that deserve a slap?"

The three of them, along with the dog, returned to the backwater. The spotted dog kept circling the water's edge. Zhou Rui stood on the bank, opening his mind, and truly received the information emanating from the opposite shore—a cold yet intense sensation. Zhou Rui wanted to slap himself; why hadn't he opened his senses earlier that morning? Otherwise, he wouldn't have walked so far and wasted so much time.

It's right on the other side, and not far away, within a kilometer, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sense it.

"Master, what should we do next?"

"Tie up all the dogs and load the bullets. We need to walk slowly and try to avoid making any noise." Wang Shouye began to plan what to do next.

"Next, I'll lead the spotted dog ahead, getting as close as possible to the leopard's den. You guys follow about ten meters behind me, and try not to let the dogs bark."

The group found a rocky spot to cross the river, and everything changed. Guns were no longer slung over their shoulders, but held ropes to which hunting dogs were tied. They proceeded with increasing caution, stopping to carefully observe even the slightest disturbance.

They continued until they crossed a ridge. Zhou Rui and his two companions stood on the ridge, looking at a gentle slope ahead, covered with shrubs that made it difficult to walk.

Zhou Rui's mind was already racing; it was right in front of him.

Wang Shouye pulled the two men back to this side of the ridge, leaving only their heads exposed, and whispered, "It should be this bush in front of us; the leopard's den is here."

The old hunter's judgment corresponded to Zhou Rui's intuition, proving that experienced hunters should not be underestimated.

"Master, these bushes are too dense; we can't see the leopard's den at all. Besides, if we go down to look for it, we'll have to use a knife to clear a path, which will be too noisy and might scare the leopard away." Gu Shaofeng may not seem very quick-witted, but he has been living in the mountains for many years and has some experience.

Wang Shouye was also deep in thought; Gu Shaofeng's concerns were his concerns as well. If they went forward to search, they would inevitably make a lot of noise, and if they startled the sleeping leopard, it might silently slip away from the bushes. Should they wait until evening when the leopard was up hunting to attack? But if they missed by then, it would be dark. In the mountains at night, they wouldn't know whether they would be hunting the leopard or the leopard would ambush them—it was too dangerous.

"Uncle Wang, could my senior brother and I find a spot to set up our guns, scare the leopard out, and then quickly aim and fire?" Zhou Rui suggested. "But this opportunity is rather short, maybe only enough time for one or two bullets."

Wang Shouye turned his head to look at Zhou Rui: "How do we alert them? With the dogs?"

"No. Why take such a risk?" Zhou Rui chuckled, putting down his backpack and pulling out a bundle of things in front of the two of them. "Use this?"

"You brat, you actually brought firecrackers?" Gu Shaofeng asked in a low, trembling voice, his voice filled with surprise.

Wang Shouye went through Zhou Rui's instructions in his mind, then looked at Gu Shaofeng.

"Can you handle this, kid? Your junior brother is right. You might only get one shot, and then you might not get another chance." Wang Shouye stared at Gu Shaofeng. It was because he wasn't very composed; even Zhou Rui was more level-headed.

Gu Shaofeng patted Wu Liuban. "No problem, Master, just you wait and see."

Zhou Rui was even less concerned. Although he couldn't see any trace of the leopard, his intuition was correct; he had narrowed down the search area to a very small location. As long as his sense of the anchor point was accurate, he should be able to react faster than Gu Shaofeng.

"Uncle Wang, I'm fine. The weather's nice today, not too windy, so we should have a good harvest."

Wang Shouye nodded, appreciating their confidence. If a hunter lacks confidence and is timid and hesitant, what's the point of coming up the mountain?

Zhou Rui and Gu Shaofeng spread out along the ridge, about 60 or 70 meters apart, and their crossfire could basically cover the bushes.

Zhou Rui lay on the ground, carefully tidying up the area in front of him, grabbing handfuls of mud and tamping it down to level the spot where he would set up his gun. Once everything was ready, Zhou Rui gave Wang Shouye, who was standing between the two of them, a thumbs-up.

Wang Shouye kept a close eye on the two men, and only lit the firecrackers after they were both ready. The firecrackers were placed diagonally on the hillside, directly facing the bushes in front of them, ensuring that the second explosion would land right above the bushes.

With the fuse lit, Zhou Rui cut off all external distractions and focused all his attention on the spot where the gun was aimed, where the bushes were the most lush.

Bang... Dozens of meters away, the sound shook the ground beneath them. Ahead, the leaves rustled, occasionally revealing golden fur amidst the green waves, but the whole thing remained a mystery.

Bang... Three seconds later, a second explosion rang out. Not far above the leopard, the golden Far Eastern leopard was startled and took flight. Zhou Rui was completely focused; now, in Zhou Rui's eyes, the leopard in the air seemed to pause for a moment.

Bang! The bullet shot straight through Zhou Rui's line of sight, and the leopard fell down and disappeared.

Bang! A second gunshot rang out from the left.

Zhou Rui put away his gun and stood up. Regardless of whether the first shot hit or not, he probably wouldn't have the chance to fire another shot.

The three of them rushed towards the spot where the leopard had fallen, like three straight lines, except that Wang Shouye in the middle was leading seven dogs. Zhou Rui, wielding a cleaver, forcefully hacked at everything in his path, not wanting to take a detour to find a less dense area.

Two or three minutes later, Zhou Rui arrived at the location, where Wang Shouye was already waiting, his dog barking incessantly at the front, its leash taut. A moment later, Gu Shaofeng also arrived, carrying a long wooden stick.

Gu Shaofeng looked ahead at the two men. A leopard lay on the overgrown ground, with a small amount of blood flowing from its body. Gu Shaofeng slowly walked forward, carrying a stick, while Zhou Rui and Wang Shouye raised their guns and aimed them at the leopard on the ground.

Gu Shaofeng poked the leopard's foot hard with the stick, but it didn't move. Then he hit the leopard's foot with the stick, deforming the leopard's foot bones, but it still didn't move.

"Hehe...haha..."

"hey-hey……"

"Ha ha……"