Chapter 103: Poachers

"Boss, there's someone here."

The man on the left operating the drone spotted a heat signature in the corner of the screen—clearly visible, only two hundred meters away.

All four men wore camouflage gear; the leader was short but heavily built, his cropped hair revealing a cold, menacing gaze—he was clearly a ruthless type.

The two men to his right were likely brothers, both nearly one meter ninety tall; though their faces were hidden, they looked nearly identical—one had yellow hair, the other black.

The leader said nothing; the yellow-haired man glanced at the young drone operator and sneered: "Could it be that old man Dong Elè?"

Dong Elè was the forest ranger of this woodland area.

"That old bastard's nearly eighty—how the hell is he still alive?" The black-haired man spat on the ground, his tone brimming with disgust.

The leader stared at the screen and shook his head, his voice hoarse like a dull blade: "Not Dong Elè. The build suggests a middle-aged man—possibly a mountain police officer."

After a brief pause, he gestured to the two brothers: "Karitubao, Karieodan, flank from both sides. Ren Zengcuo, we press forward."

"Yes, Boss."

The men responded and moved at once.

After the Karis left, Ren Zengcuo's disdain flickered briefly, his eyes still locked on the thermal image: "Boss, what do we do? Kill him?"

The leader, Zha Hongliang, shook his head: "First, check his caliber. If he's mountain police, kill him outright—we're after musk deer, especially that pure white one. The employer insisted it must be taken alive."

Hearing this, Ren Zengcuo's eyes gleamed with greed: "Three million for a pure white musk deer? If we pull this off, we won't need to work for years."

"Exactly." Zha Hongliang was equally excited. "Who knows what these Han people are thinking? But they pay, we capture—the money's all that matters."

Far away, Qin Yun watched the other two vanish from sight on either side. He immediately grew alert, then saw the remaining two advancing toward his position.

He looked up at the drone and felt certain—he'd been spotted.

He tucked away the system interface, ignoring the system's check-in task for now, and retreated backward.

Facing four fully armed poachers, caution was wise. Who knew if any of them carried Truths? If they did, confronting them directly meant handing over his life.

"Boss, he's retreating."

Ren Zengcuo raised the drone's altitude and quickly spotted the figure in the thermal image moving fast—within moments, it vanished beyond the drone's range.

"Hmph. Lucky bastard." Zha Hongliang sneered, arriving moments later at Qin Yun's former location.

Soon after, the Karis emerged from both flanks.

"Ren Zengcuo, keep searching."

"Yes, Boss."

Qin Yun quickly retreated far from the group. He glanced at where the musk deer were located—given the distance, it was only a matter of time before the drone found them.

But to let these poachers steal freely? As a communist successor, he wouldn't allow it.

After a brief thought, he quickly devised a plan.

Around fifteen minutes later, Ren Zengcuo's thermal imaging finally detected the target—he cried out excitedly.

"Boss! Found them! Eight total—two females, six males."

Zha Hongliang and the Karis immediately gathered around.

"Switch to normal mode."

Ren Zengcuo snapped to attention and switched from thermal to normal view—immediately, a pure white figure appeared on the screen.

The four men's faces lit up at the sight of the pure white musk deer on the screen, as if they were staring not at an animal, but at three million RMB.

Poachers were all desperadoes—judging from their earlier conversation, they cared nothing for human life; only those who'd killed before could look so cold.

If they treated people this way, how much less would they care for musk deer? They didn't want meat or hide—only the tiny gland beneath the male's belly.

For that small bit, they'd slit open living bodies—cruel beyond measure.

"Karitubao, Karieodan, take the far side, circle wide—these beasts have sharp ears. Move carefully. Wait for my signal."

"Yes, Boss. Don't worry."

The two picked up their compound bows and swiftly departed from another direction, circling far around to reach the musk deer from behind.

Once they were in position, Zha Hongliang ordered through the radio: "Advance slowly. I'll say stop—then stop."

He and Ren Zengcuo crouched low, inching forward with careful, deliberate steps.

Musk deer were extremely sensitive, especially to sound—any rustle or whisper made them alert. If these beasts sensed danger in the mountains, it'd be a nightmare.

As they drew closer, they entered the effective range of the compound bows—and finally saw the animals hidden in the thickets.

Ren Zengcuo set down the controller, drew his compound bow from his waist, and aimed at one of them.

Zha Hongliang: "I'll take the white one. Don't miss—let the others run, but that white one must not escape."

"Don't worry, Boss. Won't miss."

Zha Hongliang nodded, no longer hesitating.

"Move!"

A low command—fingers tightened on the bowstrings.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly leapt from the stream—massive noise startled the musk deer in the thickets; they bolted instantly, fleeing wildly.

In the blink of an eye, the musk deer vanished from the poachers' sight.

"Who?!"

Zha Hongliang and the others spun around, eyes turning murderous as demons. Ruining their livelihood was cutting off their path to survival.

When they saw the drenched figure in the stream, their killing intent was no longer hidden.

"Kid, you're asking for death."

"Disable him. In this wilderness, no one'll ever know he's dead."

The four instantly turned their compound bows toward Qin Yun and fired.

'Shhh—!'

Arrows streaked like meteors through the air. Qin Yun's scalp prickled—he flipped sideways without hesitation, his speed leaving only afterimages, then raised his hand and flung two pebbles—precisely striking the shafts of two arrows.

Immediately, Qin Yun didn't pause—he swiftly vanished into the forest, leaping and bounding until he disappeared like the marmots.

"Fuck, chase him! I'm killing him today."

Zha Hongliang was livid, his killing intent surging. The Karis brothers and Ren Zengcuo were no different—they'd finally tracked the marmots' trail, only to have some bastard from nowhere ruin it. How could they not rage?

They were all outlaws, each ruthless and cruel; now, they were determined to cut Qin Yun down.

The four of them sprinted after Qin Yun's escape route.

Qin Yun fled ahead; the four chased behind.

Feeling the roars and commotion behind him, Qin Yun remained utterly calm. Though four enemies pursued him, all armed, he felt no fear.

His only concern was whether they carried firearms.

Flesh and bone against firearms—if struck head-on, death or grave injury was certain. So first, he had to determine if any of them had firearms.

If they didn't… he wouldn't hold back.

Throughout this escape, Qin Yun deliberately controlled his speed; otherwise, with his skills, he could've shaken them off easily.

He repeatedly exposed openings in the forest, luring Zha Hongliang and the others into firing volley after volley of arrows.

As time passed, their arrows ran out. The men grew even angrier, grabbing their hunting knives, eyes blazing with naked malice.

Seeing their actions, Qin Yun relaxed inwardly, stumbled as if about to fall.

Karitubo's face lit up with triumph—he surged forward, unleashing a killing strike, blade aimed straight at Qin Yun's throat.

The other three immediately cut off all of Qin Yun's escape routes.

Killing intent instantly engulfed the entire forest.

But—

Qin Yun's stumble was deliberate. He didn't retreat—he advanced. Calmness vanished, replaced by icy, frost-like killing aura.

Karitubo swung his knife at his throat; Qin Yun sidestepped, fingers snapping precisely onto the man's wrist, twisting and dislocating it—bone cracked sharply, the hunting knife clattered to the ground.

Before the second man could react or rush to help, Qin Yun drove his knee into Karitubo's chest, sending him flying backward to crash against a tree, unconscious.

"Brother!" Karieidan saw his brother unconscious, his ferocity exploding—he swung his long knife in a howling slash.

Qin Yun ducked, reversed with an elbow strike to Karieidan's temple—the giant collapsed instantly.

It sounded long, but it took only moments—both Karis brothers were down. Zha Hongliang and Ren Zengcuo turned pale.

"Brother, we've never crossed paths, never had a grudge—why ruin our business? Let's just part ways—"

The word "part" hadn't finished when suddenly, a crude gun appeared in his right hand, spewing flame toward Qin Yun.

"Bang—!"

Qin Yun's face changed, scalp prickling. In the critical moment, he instinctively leaned back—something like a cloud of sand shot past his body, slamming into the bark of a nearby tree with a violent explosion.

Fury surged.

Qin Yun no longer held back—he shattered his stance, launching himself forward like a tiger, closing the distance in an instant.

【Form-Intent: Beng Quan (Collapsing Fist)】

"Puff—!"

Qin Yun's fist struck Zha Hongliang's Shanzhong point. The force pierced through—Zha Hongliang had no time to react; he was lifted clean off his feet and hurled backward.

Bones cracked. Zha Hongliang spat blood instantly, collapsing unconscious.

Ren Zengcuo saw even the boss's crude gun failed, and this terrifying man had sent Zha Hongliang spitting blood—he was terrified, soul nearly fleeing his body.

He gritted his teeth, loaded a green-tipped arrow onto the short crossbow strapped to his left arm, locking it onto Qin Yun's heart.

"Die!"

The arrow shot like lightning!

Qin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly—he spun suddenly, like a leaf caught in the wind, barely evading the arrow's tip.

The next instant, he closed in, slapping his palm onto the man's head, knocking him flat, motionless.

Thus, all four poachers were toppled by Qin Yun—not even his breathing stirred.

In less than a minute, Qin Yun's combat skills had been displayed in full.

He glanced at the four men, then looked at his own palm, exhilarated.

Every Chinese person dreams of being a martial arts master—but dreams and reality are always two different things.

Yet now, Qin Yun had truly become a martial arts master.

How could he not be exhilarated, not thrilled?

He bound the four men with vines, pulled out his phone, and dialed the forest police emergency number.

"Four poachers, armed with crossbows, crude guns, and a drone, attempting to poach marmots—now under control…"

After hanging up, Qin Yun gathered all the scattered gear into one pile and waited quietly for the police.

A full hour and a half later, five figures finally appeared before Qin Yun, following the trail.

Seeing the four figures lying on the ground and the tall man standing nearby, the officers remained highly alert—even their guns stayed drawn.

But—

"Master Qin!"

When one of the younger officers called out Qin Yun's title, everything became simple.

The others quickly learned Qin Yun's identity from the officer and holstered their pistols.

After introductions, they took a group photo; Qin Yun had no more interest in lingering—he left the forest with them.