Chapter 159: Brushing Past (Please Follow for More)

"Gunfire?"

Qin Yun's eyes flickered; he wondered if he'd misheard—where in this desolate place could there be gunfire? Perhaps it was just natural sound.

He didn't dwell on it, crossed Songxi Daban, and kept walking forward.

"After crossing Songxi Daban, we're only 25 kilometers from Songxi Village—another three or four hours of walking and we'll be there."

Qin Yun spoke, then suddenly noticed the once brilliant blue sky had subtly lost its purity, and the wind around him had grown stronger.

He put his goggles and mask back on and slightly increased his pace.

"Guys, the wind's picking up—I wonder if it'll snow? Honestly, I'm kinda looking forward to it. Snow means ice and packed drifts—I can finally use my snowboard again."

But if it actually snowed, the danger would be far greater than now.

At this moment, his two drones—the auxiliary one—remained far behind, while the main drone hovered to one side, directly facing him. The livestream's AI editor occasionally switched to wide aerial shots.

Walking while chatting, interacting with the comment section, he felt no loneliness at all—today was a leisurely, almost carefree hike compared to yesterday's danger and urgency.

"Moo-oo—Moo-oo—"

Qin Yun's ears twitched; he thought he'd heard something—the sound seemed carried by the wind.

He stopped to listen, but the noise vanished again.

"Did Qin Ye hear something?"

"Could it be wolves again? I'd love to see Qin Ye fight a wolf!"

"Nah, skip it—wolves are just a meal to Qin Ye. I want something more dangerous."

"You guys just wish Qin Ye well—what other dangerous animals even exist on this plateau?"

Qin Yun shook his head: "I thought I heard something, but when I listened closely, it was gone. Maybe I imagined it."

Saying that, he continued forward.

But after walking a few hundred meters, the sound came again, carried by the wind.

"Moo-oo—Moo-oo—"

This time, he was certain—he hadn't misheard. It was definitely an animal's cry, and it was a Tibetan antelope. "Guys, there's definitely a sound—and it sounds pained. It might be injured."

After speaking, Qin Yun listened carefully, identified the direction, then left the national highway and headed toward the wilderness.

This area was full of rocks, mostly irregularly shaped—some as small as millstones, others as tall as a man. Their surfaces were roughened by freezing winds, covered in uneven grooves.

"Moo-oo—Moo-oo—"

This time, not only Qin Yun, but everyone in the livestream heard it.

"There really is a sound! Qin Ye's ears are incredible—but what is it?"

"How did Qin Ye tell it sounded pained? Man, I couldn't hear a thing."

"Haha, if you could hear that, you could survive in the wild too."

Qin Yun quickened his pace, soon moving dozens of meters ahead, and spotted a rock goat collapsed on its side, convulsing violently behind a rock.

It was an adult Tibetan antelope, well-fed and robust—but a clear wound gaped beneath its left hip, a large chunk of flesh missing, blood still seeping out.

No wonder the cries were so agonizing.

The Tibetan antelope suddenly saw a massive creature appear before it and screamed even louder, as if terrified Qin Yun would harm it.

It kept wailing "Moo-oo" incessantly.

As an animal science expert, Qin Yun had his own methods for interacting with animals.

He slowed his steps and breathing, emitting a few unique sounds—and the livestream viewers noticed the antelope fell silent, no longer resisting his approach.

"Holy shit, Qin Ye knows how to do this too?"

"666, damn, Qin Ye really knows everything."

"Yeah, he's good at everything."

Qin Yun approached the antelope, examined its wound—it was severe, completely impairing mobility. Blood still oozed, and prolonged blood loss had left the animal extremely weak.

"Tibetan antelopes are a Class One protected species in China. If I do nothing, it'll almost certainly be tracked down by Tibetan wolves drawn by the blood—and die."

Qin Yun spoke, thinking about how to handle this.

But after considering all options, none seemed viable.

Facing the camera, he sighed helplessly: "This wound needs proper treatment to heal, but there's nothing here—I can't do anything. Even though Songxi Village is only twenty kilometers away, by the time villagers arrive, this antelope will already be dragged off by wolves."

"So what should Qin Ye do?"

"Yeah, you're not gonna carry it, are you?"

"This antelope looks so hefty—probably weighs over a hundred jin."

"A hundred jin? That's nothing to Qin Ye."

Qin Yun naturally saw the comments—he smiled bitterly: "This antelope does weigh around a hundred jin, but that's not the issue for me. The problem is, walking to Songxi Village takes too long, and it's not human—it'll struggle violently if I carry it too long."

He shook his head: "Forget it—I'll stop the bleeding first, then see if it can walk on its own. If it can, I won't mind leading it to Songxi Village so the villagers can save it..."

Before he finished speaking, a sudden chill shot up his spine—he didn't hesitate, instantly sidestepping and diving behind a rock.

"Bang—!"

A deafening crack echoed; rocks shattered, a bullet grazing his body. This terrifying moment was broadcast live by the drone's camera, leaving livestream viewers utterly stunned.

After the shock came a flood of comments.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Gunfire? Someone attacked Qin Ye?"

"Damn, how bold—using a gun in broad daylight?"

"Wait, why is there a gun? Gun control in China is super strict."

Qin Yun quickly retracted his drone, refusing to expose it outside—he couldn't afford to lose it to a bullet; he'd have no way to cry.

"Moo-oo—Moo-oo—"

The gunshot terrified the antelope; its convulsions intensified.

Qin Yun's gaze turned icy—no doubt, he'd encountered poachers. But these poachers dared to shoot at him? Were they insane? Poaching meant life imprisonment—but murder meant immediate execution.

The swift, decisive shot revealed this hidden gunman was no novice.

Behind a distant rock, Scar fired—and missed. He cursed loudly.

"Fucking hell, he dodged fast."

He hadn't expected to see a tourist in this weather. The New Tibetan Route in winter was a dead zone—no one came here. Was this guy crazy?

He hadn't planned to act—but now the antelope had been spotted. Since it was found, he might as well finish it—this wasn't his first time.

Maybe this tourist carried cash—tourists always carried large amounts of cash.

He fired—and the target reacted impossibly fast. Before he could even fully squeeze the trigger, the man vanished behind cover.

"Static... Scar... Scar, what's up? Find another prey?"

Scar picked up the radio and chuckled: "Old Ghost, guess what I found?"

"Cut the crap, spit it out."

"A tourist. Hahaha—on this freezing hell of a day, a tourist actually showed up."

Old Ghost: "…………"

"You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure—I saw him clearly. Just missed the shot. Don't come yet—I'll deal with him first, then tell you."

"Alright, be careful."

Scar peered through his scope, the rifle's crosshairs locked on the rock. If the man dared show his head, Scar was certain he'd kill him in one shot.

Imagining the man's head exploding, Scar's blood boiled.

Hunting animals was nothing compared to hunting humans.

Qin Yun pressed his back against the rock, eyes cold. Just a fraction of a second ago—if his sixth sense hadn't been sharp, if he hadn't reacted instantly in that life-or-death moment, the outcome would've been catastrophic.

But he didn't move rashly; instead, he watched the monitor: "Brother Meng, Brother Meng, are you watching the livestream?"

The livestream didn't respond—Meng Hai wasn't in front of it.

The signal at Quanshui Lake was spotty—it wasn't ideal for livestreaming.

He thought for a moment, then spoke to the livestream: "Su Huan, immediately call the police—contact Ritu County Public Security Bureau. Have them reach out to the Quanshui Lake checkpoint—they should have a line to connect."

Su Huan was terrified; the scene had shocked her, and her face was still pale.

She quickly replied: "Okay, I'm calling right now."

Qin Yun nodded, hesitated, then said: "This isn't sustainable. Though I'm skilled in hand-to-hand combat, the enemy has firearms—and they're powerful. If I'm hit, I'll instantly lose all ability to resist."

He touched his auxiliary drone: "I'll have to sacrifice this auxiliary drone—just enough to scout the situation. Otherwise, my position is too disadvantageous."

"What's Qin Ye planning? Don't do anything reckless!"

"Yeah, Qin Ye, don't move! If you show your head, you're dead."

"Stay calm—this is Qin Ye. We trust him."

"Damn, that's a gun! Qin Ye's flesh and blood—he'll die if hit."

Qin Yun took a deep breath, then sharply waved his hand—the auxiliary drone instantly shot upward. His eyes locked onto the monitor.

The drone's camera view rose higher—within three or four seconds, it reached over thirty meters, revealing a Tibetan man crouched a hundred meters away.

Then—

"Bang—!"

Before the lens could zoom in, a bullet struck the drone's body directly.

"Crack!"—the drone instantly disintegrated midair, the signal snapping back to the main drone.

"Holy shit, you scared the hell out of me."

I was scared to death.

Fuck, this bastard—get him at all costs.

At Quanshuihu Checkpoint, the operator who received the call immediately contacted Meng Hai.

Meng Hai first froze, then sprinted toward Jiang Ping's office.

"Chief, Chief, something's happened."

Jiang Ping looked at Meng Hai's panicked expression and raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong?"

"Poachers attacked Qin Yun," Meng Hai said, pulling out his phone and opening Qin Yun's livestream. Though the signal was weak, luck favored them—they connected immediately.

Then…

A gunshot rang out—"bang!"—and the camera switched to Qin Yun's face.

"This guy's a good shot. But I've roughly pinned his position. I hope he doesn't fall into my hands."

Jiang Ping and Meng Hai exchanged a glance.

"Fuck, dispatch immediately! Ask Brother Qin for his location—hurry! These are definitely desperate men, probably the poachers we've been chasing."

"I'll post a comment right now."

Meng Hai's expression turned grim. He immediately replied in the comment section: "Brother Qin, this is Meng Hai. Don't move recklessly—we're already en route. Absolutely do not act impulsively. Report your current location."

"Great! Quanshuihu finally picked it up."

"With police on the way, Brother Qin is safe."

"Brother Qin, hold tight. Don't be reckless."

Qin Yun was not an impulsive man, nor one to hold grudges—but he had nearly been shot dead.

In the past, he might have gritted his teeth and swallowed it. But now, with all his combat skills, how could he let this slide?

He nodded toward the camera: "Understood, Brother Meng. I'm 3 kilometers down from Songxi Daban."

After speaking, he flipped the drone over on the ground, grabbed a nearby rock, and calmly said before throwing it: "Their firearms are modified—while powerful, they can't fire rapidly, so..."

Before the words finished, he flung the rock.

"Bang—!"

Qin Yun rolled aside and darted swiftly away from the rock.

Watching this, the livestream fell utterly silent.