Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

Chapter 156 A False Alarm

"It's a pity it's too far."

Zhang Wenshan stared at the route in the second intelligence report and shook his head slightly.

The scope of the intelligence refreshed by the system follows his location.

Previously, he had been active in Chishongtun and the town, and the intelligence was concentrated in that area. Occasionally, there would be information outside the area, but it wouldn't be too far away.

As he entered the mountains, the map's area expanded again.

Similar to opening a map in a game.

The new route is much longer; it would probably take most of the day just to walk there, and a whole day wouldn't be enough to make a round trip.

"Forget it, let's focus on studying the area in front of us. The income will be enough. It's not worth taking that risk."

Zhang Wenshan quickly put his mind at ease and stopped thinking about it.

He was content with the harvest from a single saline-alkali land; there was no need to risk venturing into the deep mountains for unknown prey.

As for the Eurasian red squirrel mentioned in the third intelligence report, he was very familiar with it.

They are what people commonly call gray squirrels or greyhounds, which love to stay in forests where red pines and larch trees are clustered together. They spend most of their lives in the trees and rarely come down to the ground.

Gray squirrels dislike heat and only come out to move around when it's cool in the morning or evening.

Their staple foods are wild fruits such as pine nuts, hazelnuts, and acorns. Most importantly, their fur is sold by the supply and marketing cooperative. Although the price is not as high as in winter, it is still a considerable source of income.

"How can we capture them in large numbers and quickly?"

Zhang Wenshan pondered this for a moment, and soon arrived at the forest where the dead deer had been found.

He pointed down into the ravine: "It's in the ravine up ahead—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Unable to contain their curiosity, Xiao Wang and Xiao Li rushed over quickly.

"They've never seen a whole deer before, so please excuse their poor appearance, Comrade Zhang," Cao Zhigang said, rubbing his forehead with an embarrassed smile.

"No, no."

Zhang Wenshan naturally wouldn't agree, waving his hand with a smile and speaking sincerely.

"The first time I went to town, I was curious about everything—the candy at the supply and marketing cooperative, the bicycles—"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a gasp.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Wenshan immediately tensed up, gripped the axe handle tightly, and nimbly jumped down into the ravine. Cao Zhigang followed closely behind, his hand already on the weapon at his waist, his expression stern.

As soon as I reached the bottom of the ditch, a strong stench of blood hit me.

Xiao Li and Xiao Wang both collapsed to the ground, their faces pale, staring intently at the saline-alkali water source not far away.

Several animal carcasses lay scattered there.

One of the roe deer stood out the most, its light yellowish-brown fur stained with dark red blood, the skin on its neck turned outwards, and its two eyes wide open, staring intently ahead, giving it a somewhat eerie appearance.

Beside the roe deer, two wild rabbits were curled up stiffly in a crevice between the rocks.

There was also a pheasant not far away, its wing broken and feathers scattered all over the ground.

Holy crap!

Upon seeing the scene before him, Cao Zhigang couldn't help but swear, and slowly lowered his hand from his waist.

He had grown up in the mountains and had seen wild animals and hunted, but the scene before him was completely unheard of. He had only ever seen snakes die from the sun when it was hot.

Why did all these animals die here at once?

Zhang Wenshan quickly walked to Xiao Li and Xiao Wang's side, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were unharmed.

If something happens to the police officers who are with him, then there will be big trouble.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Comrade Zhang."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Cao Zhigang's face. He quickly walked up to the two men and reprimanded them in a low voice.

"What's going on with you two?"

"You're screaming and yelling over a few animal carcasses? If you really encounter criminals, can we count on you?"

"Each of them is not even as good as Comrade Zhang."

Li and Wang, still shaken, scrambled to their feet, heads bowed, cheeks flushed red.

"Master Cao, we were wrong—"

The two were filled with guilt.

They rushed over excitedly to see the dead deer, but their eyes fell on a ground littered with animal carcasses, especially the roe deer with its eyes wide open, which looked like it was about to pounce. They were so frightened that their legs went weak and they sat down on the ground.

"It's good that everyone is alright; I was quite shocked by what I saw."

Seeing this, Zhang Wenshan quickly changed the subject, afraid that the two would become too awkward.

"Speaking of which, we're actually quite lucky."

He took the lead and walked to the roe deer, squatted down, and gently pressed the skin and flesh of the roe deer's hind leg with his fingertips. The skin and flesh immediately bounced back after he let go.

It is not sticky and does not smell bad.

I pried open the roe deer's mouth and smelled it; there was only the pure smell of blood, not a trace of putridity, and the blood on its neck had only been congealed for a short time.

Can eat!

Zhang Wenshan quickly calculated in his mind.

It is about one meter long and weighs about 20 kilograms. After cleaning, it can yield more than 10 kilograms of meat.

"Just died?" Upon hearing this, Cao Zhigang immediately came closer. After seeing the wound, he said with some envy, "Comrade Zhang, you're really lucky."

Yesterday I found a deer, and today I found a roe deer. They're all really good stuff!

The origin of that venison is beyond doubt.

This scene clearly indicates a severe drought; animals are fighting for water and dying or being injured, and anyone could come and collect the water.

Chun Chun was just lucky.

"We were lucky to catch it," Zhang Wenshan said generously. "Everyone who sees it gets a share. We'll take this roe deer back and divide it among ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li and Xiao Wang's eyes lit up instantly.

"Brother Wenshan, you're such a good friend!"

"Brother Zhang, you're so generous!"

The two immediately changed how they addressed each other, their tone filled with joy and gratitude.

They weren't ignorant of the five grains; they were well aware of the current situation. Every household had just been allocated land, and being able to eat their fill was already a blessing. There was simply no extra money to buy meat.

If an ordinary person were to get their hands on a roe deer, they would certainly try every means to keep it for themselves.

How could someone like Zhang Wenshan, who said he wanted to share the food without even thinking about it?

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Cao Zhigang's face darkened, and he sternly interrupted the two men. His tone was serious. "Have you two forgotten yourselves? Forgotten the rules? We're here to verify the source of the prey, not to take advantage of them!"

Xiao Li and Xiao Wang were jolted awake.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Comrade Zhang, but we cannot accept it; we have rules to follow!"

"Yes, yes, it's against the rules, we can't take it!"

The two men quickly waved their hands in refusal, but their eyes remained fixed on the roe deer.

No more.

Eating a couple of bites of meat is good too.

These days, even police officers aren't wealthy.

"Officer Cao, this won't do."

Zhang Wenshan deliberately put on a stern face and spoke in a serious tone.

"Since we're going into the mountains together, whatever we encounter should naturally be shared."

"There are rules in the mountains. Anyone who dares to monopolize something will definitely get into trouble when they go into the mountains in the future."

"If I break this rule, I'm afraid I'll be punished if I try to go into the mountains to make some money in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li and Xiao Wang's eyes lit up again, and they secretly glanced at Cao Zhigang, their eyes full of anticipation.

Seeing the two men's greedy expressions and then at Zhang Wenshan's serious face, Cao Zhigang simply turned around, his back to them.

People simply pretend they didn't hear anything.

Look at how skillfully they give gifts; you can't refuse them.