Chapter 61: Beast Tide Arrives

About the time it takes to finish a bag of tobacco, there was still no movement on Liu Fugui's side.

Lu Qingshan was puzzled, while Liu Fugui, accompanied by two kids, first inspected all the small traps and animal snares he had set at several nearby mountain passes yesterday.

"Brother Qing Shan! Brother Qing Shan! Got goods! Got goods!"

Liu Fugui lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his excitement as he burst out of the forest, pulling a string of items in his hand.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all leaned forward to look.

They saw Liu Fugui and the two kids he brought, with all kinds of small game hanging from their hands and waists.

Two plump snow rabbits, their gray‑furred rabbit ears drooping, already frozen stiff;

Four brightly colored wild chickens, with long tail feathers;

Also a sly‑looking weasel, presumably trying to steal chickens but got caught instead;

Even more delightful, there were actually two purple minks with sleek, glossy fur!

These are rare goods; the pelts are valuable!

There were also three plump hazel grouses, commonly called "Flying Dragon", which make the most delicious stew.

"Hey! A lucky start!" Zhao Tiezhu grinned widely.

"Fugui, you kid's got luck, what a hand!" someone teased.

Liu Fugui laughed smugly, chuckling.

"All thanks to Brother Qing Shan's teaching, letting us set these things early; otherwise we couldn't have this haul!"

"I'm going to chase the game now. Just now I saw goods on the west side. Wait a bit! Hehe."

Liu Fugui placed the game under a concealed tree at the ditch entrance, then turned and led the two men back to the outer perimeter to look for more game.

This modest haul instantly eased the previously tense atmosphere.

Lu Qingshan looked at the small game and also showed a faint smile; this seemed a good omen.

Not a quarter hour later, deep in the eastern forest, a sharp whistle sounded, followed by a second, a third! Rapid and forceful!

"They're coming!"

Lu Qingshan's gaze hardened, and he let out a low shout.

Everyone's hearts rose to their throats in an instant.

Zhao Dazhi and the others lying in ambush at the ditch entrance immediately gripped their weapons, nerves taut.

Lu Qingshan and the archers who rushed back up the slope also took their positions, raising Hunting Rifles and Hunting Bows, eyes like lightning, fixed on the eastern forest edge.

Boom—

A faint tremor came from the east, like a muffled thunder rolling over the snow.

Then came the crack of branches snapping, along with heavy beastly panting and chaotic hoofbeats, getting closer!

"It's a herd of Wild Boars!"

Zhao Tiezhu, experienced, identified it just from the sound, and whispered to those beside him.

A moment later, on the snow at the edge of the eastern forest, several dark silhouettes burst out first!

They were seven Wild Boars of varying sizes!

The lead one had exposed tusks, probably weighing over three hundred jin, its mane bristling, aura fierce.

Behind it followed several sows and half‑grown piglets, panicking and charging forward.

Immediately after came four frightened Roe Deer, running light and swift like forest spirits.

At the rear were five Spotted Deer, their beautiful coats standing out in the snow, but now they cared only about fleeing.

"Hold steady! Wait until they get closer!"

Zhao Dazhi shouted softly, sweat already beading on his forehead.

That herd of Wild Boars, Roe Deer, and Deer were clearly driven by Liu Fugui's eastern cavalry, panicking and rushing toward the Dead Ditch.

The leading big Wild Boar was less than fifty meters from the ditch entrance!

"Now! Charge!"

Zhao Dazhi bellowed, leapt first from the concealment, his polished Hunting Fork glinting as it pointed forward.

"Roar!"

Zhao Tiezhu and the others, like tigers descending a mountain, shouted in unison and flanked from both sides.

The beasts, already rattled, were suddenly struck head‑on again, throwing them into chaos.

The leading Wild Boar tried to turn, but Zhao Tiezhu smashed it hard on its side with a staff, causing it to howl in pain, yet it kept charging forward.

The remaining Wild Boars, Roe Deer and Deer, driven by the crowd's shouts, as if struck by an invisible whip, surged into the narrow Dead Ditch entrance!

The two Roe Deer that had fled ahead were already tripped by the outermost snare and knocked to the ground.

"Seal it!"

Lu Qingshan shouted orders from the hillside.

Zhao Dazhi, Zhao Tiezhu and the others immediately sprang into action, inserting the pre‑prepared Wooden Stakes into the snow‑filled pits, then raising several Thorn‑laced Rope Nets, quickly sealing more than half of the several‑meter‑wide ditch entrance.

At that moment, in the western forest, Liu Fugui and the outer‑ring people also sent a signal—a sharp "Bang" firecracker sound!

"It's broken! There's a big one on the west side too!"

Production team leader Zhao Dazhi shouted from the slope below; he hadn't expected the two batches of game to come so close.

Sure enough, the western forest also stirred, hoofbeats shaking the heavens.

Before the first wave of game in the ditch could be fully controlled, the second wave surged in like a tide!

Another four Wild Boars appeared, slightly smaller than the first wave but still numerous.

Even more troublesome, at least eight Roe Deer and Deer followed, plus several rabbits, scared into a frenzy, running everywhere.

The scene suddenly became somewhat out of control!

"Damned Liu Fugui, will you drive the livestock!"

Zhao Tiezhu, flustered, used a prong stick to smash a half‑grown Wild Boar that was trying to squeeze out through a gap in the blockade back, and couldn't help cursing.

Those rabbits hopped and jumped, impossible to block; with a few whooshes they slipped through the human gaps and under the net, vanishing.

Fortunately, Zhao Dazhi, experienced and steady, remained calm under pressure and shouted commands.

"Ignore the small ones! Block the big ones first! Drive the Wild Boar, Roe Deer, and Spotted Deer into the ditch for me!"

The men at the ditch entrance also gave their all; shouts, the clatter of sticks, and beasts' roars blended into one cacophony.

All the hunters on the outer ring also emptied their bags and returned to the ditch entrance.

Although a bit chaotic, thanks to their numbers and the terrain advantage, all the large prey were successfully driven into the Dead Ditch.

"Tiezhu! Second Strong! Take people to guard the gap! Don't let them break out!"

Lu Qingshan calmly commanded from the hillside, while already aiming his gun into the ditch.

"Brother Qing Shan! Open fire!"

Zhao Fei shouted urgently; he had already drawn his bow, the arrow aimed at a massive stag that was charging through the ditch with its antlers.

"Don't rush! Let them run in a bit more! Save ammunition!" Lu Qingshan said gravely.

"Alright!" Liu Fugui, who had hurried back to the big stone by the ditch, raised his gun and echoed.

Inside the Dead Ditch, it had become a chaotic mess, like a pot of porridge.

Over a dozen Wild Boar, more than ten Roe Deer and Spotted Deer, collided within the narrow ditch, emitting desperate howls.

"Release the arrows!"

Lu Qingshan, timing it right, gave the decisive order.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Zhao Fei, Zhao Qiang, and Zhao Lei had long been poised; upon hearing the command, the three feathered arrows left the bow almost simultaneously.

With a sharp whistling sound, they precisely struck vital spots on the necks or under the ribs of three large Roe Deer and Spotted Deer that were running ahead.

The wounded prey let out a mournful cry, staggered a few steps, then collapsed onto the snow, its blood quickly staining the pure white snow.

"Bang!"

Lu Qingshan also pulled the trigger almost at the same moment; the old single‑barrel Hunting Rifle emitted a deafening boom, its sound echoing through the valley.

A scorching iron‑sand shot struck precisely on the side of a Wild Boar that was trying to scramble up the steep ditch wall to escape!

The Wild Boar didn't even have time to scream; its massive body, as if struck by a giant hammer, rolled down, crashing heavily onto the snow, twitched a few times, then ceased moving.

Zhao Dazhi and Liu Fugui's Hunting Rifles fired in succession.

The prey inside the ditch fell into utter panic and chaos, buzzing headlessly in the cramped space, trampling each other.

Meanwhile, the ditch entrance had been tightly sealed by Zhao Tiezhu and others using the last few wooden stakes, netting, and their bodies, sticks, knives, and forks.

Four Hunting Dogs also surged in from the side at the right moment, barking wildly and tearing, further intensifying the prey's chaos.

It was a slaughter with no suspense.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn down, the gunfire and arrow whistles inside the ditch gradually subsided.

A strong scent of blood filled the air, stimulating everyone's nerves.

"Done! Done! Hahaha!"

"We made a fortune! Now we won't worry about meat for the New Year!"

Seeing the pile of fallen prey scattered across the ditch, all the Shanwan Village men who had taken part in the encirclement, after a brief silence, erupted in earth‑shaking cheers!

They tossed their weapons aside, embraced each other, slapping each other's shoulders, their faces flushed with excitement, and their eyes slightly moist.

Zhao Tiezhu and a few young lads were so excited that they tossed their dog‑skin hats high into the air, hopping and jumping like children.

Zhao Dazhi wiped the sweat from his face and the few drops of warm beast blood that had splashed, let out a long sigh, and his usually stern face was filled with an uncontrollable smile.

"Good lads! Well done! All of you are truly great! Quickly, go down and clear the battlefield! Gather all our prey!"

The crowd cheered, streaming from the hillside and hidden spots toward the Dead Ditch.

Lu Qingshan also came down from the hillside, a hint of relieved smile on his face.

This harvest far exceeded his expectations.

Over a dozen Wild Boar, some weighing two to three hundred jin, plus more than a dozen Roe Deer and Spotted Deer.

This batch of game could give every Shanwan Village resident an unprecedentedly prosperous year.

His agreement with Director Zhang of the state‑run hotel could also be fulfilled beyond the quota.

However, just as everyone was immersed in the joy of the bounty, preparing to descend and divide the prey, Lu Qingshan's smile suddenly froze.

His Mountain Wild Heart suddenly felt a strong throb!

An extremely dense, barbaric and violent Biomagnetic Field was rapidly approaching from the forest south of the Dead Ditch!

That aura was far more powerful than the Wild Boar just now, brimming with oppression!

"Everyone stay still!"

Lu Qingshan's complexion changed sharply, and he shouted sternly.

The voice was not loud, but like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts, instantly suppressing all cheers and clamor.