With a loud "bang," the wild boar jerked its body to a halt, its right hind hoof stomping as if on fire, tearing a ditch in the ground. It hissed in pain and turned to flee.
"Don't let it go back into the ditch on the left. There's a thorny slope on the left, and it'll be troublesome if it goes in." Du Jianshan jumped down halfway down the slope, his feet slippery in the mud. He grabbed the spear and thrust it forward. "Xiao Shuan, go behind that bluestone and block its way. Don't show your head. When it rushes past, throw the rope around its neck!"
"I heard it." Xiao Shuan peeked out from behind the elm stump, clutching a half-inch thick hemp rope in his hand, his voice trembling. "Brother, its eyes are red."
Old Zhou pulled the gun back, shook out a powder cartridge, and shoved it into the chamber, muttering, "Hard leather, the first shot only grazed the flesh." He looked up and asked, "Closer?"
"Take three more steps, then stop." Du Jianshan stared at the wild boar, his eyes like two hooks. "If it turns around in a moment, we'll give it a ramp and let it roll on its own."
A damp, cold wind rushed down from above. The wild boar panted like a bellows, its right leg bent outwards, blood dripping down its bristles. Suddenly, it snorted, as if it had seen Du Jianshan, and its body collapsed, charging down the slope like a lump of black iron.
"Here it comes." Du Jianshan shouted in a low voice, shifting his heels and thrusting the tip of his dart out at an angle. He wasn't going to take it by force, but rather to let the dart graz the outside of the wild boar's neck. The blow landed in the fur and flesh like a line of fire, and the wild boar swerved to the side in pain, stepping onto the mossy stone at an angle.
"Now." Old Zhou lunged forward, firing the second shot almost right up to the base of the right hind leg. The iron shot pierced the flesh, the wild boar's leg went limp, and all its strength seemed to suddenly snap, causing it to crash heavily against the stone embankment with a loud thud.
Xiao Shuan threw out a white line of hemp rope, which lassoed half of the wild boar's neck. The rope tightened, pulling him forward, his knees hitting a rock. He gasped in pain, "I got it! I got it!"
"Don't give it a rest, give it some energy, circle around the tree." Du Jianshan darted forward, holding the spear upside down, pressing it down along the wild boar's shoulder blade, looking for a gap that would make it gasp for breath. He grabbed the rope with his other hand, "Watch out for its tusks."
The wild boar shook its head wildly, its tusks scraping and creating two shallow furrows in the ground. It struggled to get up, its right leg dragging on the ground, its hissing filled with blood and froth.
Old Zhou tossed the empty gun beside his basket and took out a short knife from his waist: "Jianshan, I'm going to the back to cut tendons."
"You go first. If it rolls over, I'll hold it off." Du Jianshan gritted his teeth, his arm muscles bulging. The spearhead was like a nail driven into the wild boar's shoulder, pressing down on its point of leverage. Xiao Shuan did as he was told, circling around a nearby elm tree. The rope tightened more and more, and the wild boar's breathing sounded like a broken bellows.
Old Zhou squatted down, the veins on the back of his hand standing out. He aimed the knife at the Achilles tendon of the right hind leg and made a quick slit, spurting warm blood all over his hand. He didn't bother to wipe it, muttering, "Such a thick tendon." With a second slit, half of the tendon was severed, and the wild boar's entire body slumped downwards.
"Beautiful." Du Jianshan lowered his wrist, and the tip of the spear plunged two inches further down. He glanced to the east. "Xiao Shuan, don't panic. Don't loosen the rope. We'll move when it starts panting."
Xiao Shuan nodded repeatedly: "I'm holding it tight, it's got marks on its neck."
The wild boar was still struggling, its front hooves scrambling and splashing mud everywhere. After a couple of grunts, its strength clearly waned. Its eyes remained menacing, fixed intently on the person, as if trying to etch them into its very being.
"Zhou, hold on for two seconds." Du Jianshan suddenly loosened his grip slightly, allowing the wild boar's head to rise half an inch. With a flick of his wrist, he brought the dart handle horizontally, grabbing the upper jaw from under the neck and pressing down with the force. Old Zhou understood immediately and delivered a follow-up stab from the side and behind, stabbing straight down to the Adam's apple. The wild boar convulsed, then collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from its mouth.
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