Chapter 1738
The Tiger Who Disregards Face and Dignity
In the dead of night, deep in these mountains, if a horse gets startled and runs away, it's as good as lost, and there's nowhere to look for it.
If the horse is lost, then Wang An and his companions will have to rely on their own two legs to reach the next old village or to go back home.
The key issue is that without horses to carry their supplies, Wang An and his three companions would find it extremely difficult to move around in these mountains. They would have to follow the example of other ginseng groups, wading through a ginseng grove and then heading back home as soon as possible.
But what about the guns, gold, ginseng buns, and daily necessities? All of these things together would weigh several hundred kilograms; surely four people couldn't carry them down the mountain?
Traveling 150 or 160 li (approximately 75-80 kilometers) with four people carrying several hundred kilograms of goods along mountain paths—that's pure utter nonsense.
Thinking of this, Wang An suddenly stopped and said to the other three:
"We can't keep chasing like this. Have you noticed? This big paw keeps leading us in circles, damn it."
Wang An stopped in his tracks, and Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Huang Zhong naturally stopped as well. After hearing Wang An's words, the three of them stared at him blankly, clearly having no good ideas of their own.
Upon hearing this, Wang An recounted what he had been worried about, and the three men's faces clearly began to show signs of anxiety.
After a long silence, Mu Xueli, the second-in-command of this four-person team, hesitated slightly, but her face was filled with fierceness as she spoke:
"How about we split up? Lao Wu and I will lead Xiao Hei to ambush it, and then you and Xiao Zhong can lead Xiao Bai to continue chasing it. It's leading us in circles, so I'm sure it will come back. When that happens, Lao Wu and I will just shoot it dead."
To be honest, Wang An thought so too. After all, under the current circumstances, the easiest way to kill this tiger was to fight it separately and surround it.
If they keep chasing like this, before they even catch the tiger, Wang An and his three companions, along with the two dogs, will probably run until their legs are thin.
There's no way around it; tigers are animals that have absolutely no weaknesses. Whether it's their explosive power during hunting and fighting or their perseverance during long journeys, they are invincible.
It is said that tigers can travel more than 100 kilometers in just one night when they migrate, and most importantly, they do not rest along the way.
However, although Wang An had thoughts of separating, he did not say it out loud.
Because in the matter of fighting tigers, Wang Li and Mu Xueli had only participated, but had never actually fought tigers to the death with real guns.
As for Huang Zhong, he can only play a supporting role now; he can only be of some use when he is by Wang An's side.
Wang An was genuinely worried about letting Wang Li and Mu Xue leave to face the tiger directly.
Those who have never faced a tiger up close will never know how intense the fear and helplessness they feel when confronting one is.
In such a situation, it would be quite an achievement if one could utilize even half of their own abilities and marksmanship.
If an ordinary person were to face a tiger up close and remain calm and undisturbed, that would be truly impressive.
Of course, when Wang An was learning to hunt from Feng Chengmin, he was so frightened by even just facing a black bear, let alone a tiger, that his scalp tingled and his hair stood on end. It took him a long time to fully recover.
After Mu Xueli finished speaking, Wang An shook his head and said:
“No, I don’t think that big claw will turn around and fight us. It will just lead us in circles. So, Xiao Zhong and I should lie in ambush. Then we’ll fight the tiger, and you and Lao Wu can keep chasing it.”
After circling the surrounding mountains several times, the tiger never stopped, but kept running in circles. Therefore, Wang An felt that this was a very cunning tiger, which might have dealt with hunters before, and even knew very well how powerful the guns in the hands of humans were.
Otherwise, it's really hard to explain why this tiger kept running instead of fighting Wang An and his men.
This tiger's behavior is truly a disgrace to tigers.
But it is precisely this kind of tiger that disregards face and dignity that is the most troublesome.
After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li, quite unconvinced, said:
"Fourth Brother, although my marksmanship is a bit worse than yours, it's not bad either. I'm confident that Brother Mu and I can definitely kill this big claw."
Wang An shook his head and said:
“When it comes to taking down Big Claw, marksmanship is only one aspect. The main problem is that you two have never actually fought Big Claw head-on before. If you can’t find the lead and can’t keep your mind stable, you’ll panic and your hands will shake. You won’t be able to use even half of your marksmanship. No matter how good your marksmanship is, it’s all for nothing.”
After a pause, Wang An contradicted himself, squinting as he said:
"Okay, Xiao Zhong, don't come with me. You three take Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei and chase after it. After that, I'll find a place to hide. As soon as this big paw shows up, I'll kill it. Damn it, we have to kill this big paw today, or we won't have peace and quiet in the mountains."
After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Huang Zhong all subconsciously said:
"That definitely won't work. You can't do it all by yourself, so someone has to lend a hand."
Before the three could finish speaking, Wang An interrupted:
“I’m not showing off. Even if I crouch down, Big Claw might not be able to spot me. I just saw that the view from that rocky hill over there is pretty good. Big Claw always goes by there when it circles around. No matter which of you is with me, Big Claw could spot us. I’m the only one who’s sure of success if I crouch down there myself.”
After Wang An finished speaking, before Wang Li and the other two could reply, he coldly and forcefully gave the order in a commanding tone:
"Alright, stop dawdling. I'm the boss, and what I say goes. You three, take Little White and Little Black and keep chasing them. Don't let that big paw get alert. I'm going to lie low on that rocky mountain right now. Hurry up and get there."
Wang An's sullen face proves that there is no room for change.
Although Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Huang Zhong were worried about Wang An's safety, they had no choice but to obey Wang An's orders. They exchanged glances, sighed, and led their dogs to continue chasing after him, looking back every few steps.
Seeing that the three people had gone far away, Wang An turned around and ran wildly towards the rocky hill.
A dozen minutes later, Wang An climbed to the middle of Shilazi Mountain and squatted down among a few rocks.
And I must say, the view from here is really good. Even in the rather sparse woods below, you can see the space below through the gaps between the trees.
If the tiger passes by below again, Wang An is absolutely certain he can shoot it dead. (End of Chapter)