Chapter 103: Poachers

“Boss, there’s someone here.”

The man on the left, operating the drone, glanced at a corner of the screen—a thermal signature was sharply visible, just two hundred meters away.

All four men wore camouflage gear; the leader was short but powerfully built, his cropped hair revealing a cold, ruthless gaze—he looked like a man who’d killed before.

The two men to his right were likely brothers, both nearly two meters tall; though their faces were hidden, they bore striking resemblance—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 Eluo?”

Dong Eluo was the forest ranger for this area.

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

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

After a brief pause, he gestured to the two brothers: “Karitubao, Karieodan, flank left and right. Ren Zengcuo, we press forward.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The men responded and moved at once.

After the Karis departed, Ren Zengcuo’s disdain flickered briefly—he kept his eyes locked on the thermal image: “Boss, what do we do? Kill him?”

The leader, named Zha Hongliang, shook his head: “First, assess. If he’s a patrol officer, kill him outright. Our target is the musk deer—especially the 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 said, thrilled. “Who knows what these Han people are thinking? But they pay, we deliver—money’s all that matters.”

Far away, Qin Yun watched the other two vanish from sight on either side. He instantly tensed—then saw the remaining two advancing toward him.

He looked up at the drone and felt a certainty: he’d been spotted.

He closed the system panel, ignoring the system’s check-in task, and retreated.

Facing four armed poachers, caution was wise. Who knew if any of them carried firearms? 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 thermal figure 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 position.

Soon after, the Karis emerged from both flanks.

“Ren Zengcuo, keep searching.”

“Yes, Boss.”

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

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

After a brief thought, he devised a plan.

Around fifteen minutes later, Ren Zengcuo’s thermal scanner finally detected the target—he shouted excitedly.

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

Zha Hongliang and the Karis rushed over.

“Switch to normal mode.”

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

The four men’s faces lit up at the sight of the white musk deer, as if they were staring not at an animal, but at three million yuan.

Poachers were all desperados—evident from their earlier conversation. They valued human life little; 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 small gland beneath the male’s belly.

For that tiny bit, they’d slit open living bodies—cruel beyond measure.

“Karitubao, Karieodan, take the far flanks. These beasts have sharp ears—move carefully. Wait for my signal.”

“Understood, Boss. Don’t worry.”

The two picked up their compound bows and swiftly departed in another direction, circling far around to approach 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, bent steps.

Musk deer were highly perceptive, especially to sound—any rustle made them alert. If these beasts sensed danger in the forest, 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 underbrush.

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. The others can run—but that white one must not escape.”

“Don’t worry, Boss. We 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—its sudden splash startled the musk deer, who bolted instantly in panic.

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

“Who?!”

Zha Hongliang and the others whirled 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.”

“Take him out. No one’ll ever know he died out here.”

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

*Shhh—!*

Arrows streaked like meteors. Qin Yun’s scalp prickled—he didn’t hesitate, rolling sideways with blinding speed, leaving only afterimages. He flicked his wrist—two pebbles shot out, striking the arrows with perfect precision.

Without pause, Qin Yun vanished into the forest, leaping and darting—gone as swiftly as the musk deer.

“Fuck! Chase him! I’m killing him today!”

Zha Hongliang was livid, seething with rage. The Karis and Ren Zengcuo were no less furious—they’d finally found the deer, only to have some unknown bastard ruin it. How could they not burn with fury?

They were already killers—now, they were determined to kill Qin Yun.

The four sprinted after him in pursuit.

Qin Yun fled ahead; the four chased behind.

Hearing their roars and footsteps, Qin Yun remained calm. Though outnumbered four-to-one and facing armed men, he felt no fear.

His only concern: whether they carried firearms.

Flesh against firearms—if struck head-on, he’d be dead or crippled. First, he had to determine if they had guns.

If not… he wouldn’t hold back.

Throughout the chase, Qin Yun deliberately held his speed—he could’ve shaken them off easily with his skills.

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

As time passed, their quivers emptied. The poachers grew angrier, drawing their hunting knives, eyes blazing with naked murder.

Seeing their actions, Qin Yun relaxed inwardly—he stumbled, feigning near-fall.

Karitubao’s face lit up with triumph—he surged forward, lunging with a killing strike, blade aimed straight for Qin Yun’s throat.

The others closed off every escape route.

Killing intent flooded the entire forest.

But—

Qin Yun’s stumble was deliberate. He didn’t retreat—he advanced. Calmness vanished; only icy, frost-like killing aura remained.

Karitubao swung his blade at his neck. Qin Yun sidestepped, fingers snapping onto the man’s wrist—twisting, dislocating. A crisp crack echoed—the hunting knife clattered to the ground.

Before the second man could react, Qin Yun drove his knee into Karitubao’s chest—sending him flying backward, crashing into a tree, unconscious.

“Brother!” Karieodan screamed, his fury exploding—he swung his long knife in a furious arc.

Qin Yun ducked, reversed his elbow—cracking it into Karieodan’s temple. The giant collapsed instantly.

It seemed long—but it took mere moments. The Karis were down. Zha Hongliang and Ren Zengcuo paled.

“Brother, we’ve never met, never clashed—why ruin our job? Let’s just part ways—”

The word “part” hadn’t finished—suddenly, Zha Hongliang’s right hand produced a crude shotgun, firing a burst of flame at Qin Yun.

*Bang—!*

Qin Yun’s face darkened, scalp prickling. In the crisis, he instinctively arched backward—a spray of pellets whistled past his body, slamming into a nearby tree with a violent explosion.

Rage surged.

Qin Yun no longer held back—he exploded forward, like a tiger unleashed, closing the distance in an instant.

[Form-Intent: Crashing Fist]

*Puh—!*

Qin Yun’s fist struck Zha Hongliang’s shanzhong point. The force pierced through—Zha Hongliang had no time to react before being launched into the air.

Bones cracked. He spat blood, collapsing unconscious.

Ren Zengcuo saw even Zha Hongliang’s shotgun failed—and that terrifying man had sent him flying, spitting blood. He was terrified beyond words.

He gritted his teeth, loaded a green-tipped arrow into 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 like a falling leaf, barely avoiding the arrow’s tip.

The next instant, he closed in, slapping his palm onto Ren Zengcuo’s skull—knocking him flat, motionless.

Thus, all four poachers were toppled by Qin Yun, not even stirring his breath.

In less than a minute, Qin Yun’s martial skills were displayed in full for the first time.

Glancing at the four men, Qin Yun extended his hand to examine his palm, exhilarated.

Every Chinese person dreams of becoming 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 be stirred?

Binding the four men with vines, Qin Yun pulled out his phone and dialed the forest police emergency number.

“Four poachers, armed with crossbows, homemade rifles, and a drone, attempting to hunt musk deer, now under control...”

After hanging up, Qin Yun gathered all the items on the ground and waited quietly for the police.

After a full hour and a half, 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, their guns still drawn.

But...

“Master Qin!”

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

The others quickly learned Qin Yun’s identity through the officer’s introduction and holstered their pistols.

After a brief introduction, they took a group photo; Qin Yun had no desire to linger, and left the forest with them.