Secondly, you should be mentally prepared to leave empty-handed.
Zhang Cheng lowered his eyes, adjusted his breathing, minimized the strain on his body, and began to conserve his energy.
Time passed slowly in silence.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, the wind howled, and there was no other sound.
I don't know how much time passed.
Zhang Cheng suddenly lifted his eyelids.
The frost on his eyelashes somewhat obstructed his vision, but he still clearly caught the movements in the distance.
A grayish-brown roe deer cautiously emerged from the woods and slowly moved toward the patch of weeds.
Its ears were perked up, turning alertly, catching any unusual sound in the wind and snow.
Zhang Cheng's eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's, coldly watching the approaching prey.
He didn't rush to fire.
He is waiting.
When the roe deer reached the edge of the weeds, it relaxed its guard and lowered its head to begin munching on the withered grass that it depended on for survival.
Now!
Zhang Cheng suddenly raised his arm and picked up the old hunting rifle he had traded for at the trouser sewing shop.
The gun was cold, but his hand was as steady as a rock.
The gap, the crosshair, the target.
A straight line between three points.
He cleared his mind of all distractions, leaving only a chilling killing intent in his heart.
Pull the trigger!
"Bang!"
A muffled, loud gunshot ripped through the howling wind and snow.
A plume of choking black smoke billowed from the muzzle.
The roe deer in the distance suddenly stiffened, then fell heavily to the ground, its head already a bloody mess.
"You're lucky."
Zhang Cheng smiled, stood up, and brushed the snow off his clothes.
He strode toward his prey lying in the snow.
This roe deer isn't small; I'd estimate it weighs around 50 or 60 pounds.
It's enough for him and Shi Yangyang to eat for several days.
Oh, right, we also have to count Er Ya, who comes over from time to time to freeload.
Zhang Cheng didn't pay much attention to Er Ya's behavior.
It's better for Shi Yangyang to have someone to talk to than to be alone and bored.
He walked to the roe deer carcass, grabbed its neck, and shoved its nearly smashed head into the snowdrift next to it.
This is to quickly cool and stop the bleeding, and also to freeze the wound for easier treatment.
After waiting a few minutes, when he felt it was about time, he pulled the roe deer's head out of the snow.
He tossed the roe deer onto his shoulder, slung the old hunting rifle over his other shoulder, and carried the double-barreled hunting rifle that Tie Zhengzi had given him in his hand.
Zhang Cheng determined the direction and began to walk silently out of the mountain.
at the same time.
It was in a mountain valley about half a mile away from Zhang Cheng.
A dozen or so young men, dressed in tattered cotton-padded coats and carrying various weapons, were gathered together, shivering from the cold.
"That gunshot just now, it sounded like it came from this side?" asked a young man with frostbite on his face.
"It's in the direction of Zhangjia Village!" another young man carrying a homemade hunting rifle affirmed.
"There was a gunshot, they must have hit their prey! Let's go check it out!" said a tall, burly young man with a domineering air about him.
"Yes! Let's go take a look!"
"Damn it, last time Li Junyi from Zhangjia Village, taking advantage of his numbers, stole a nest of wild honey that we finally found! If we run into them this time, we'll get our revenge no matter what!" someone shouted indignantly.
"Let's go! Hurry up!"
The group immediately sprang into action, carrying hunting rifles and longbows, or gripping sharpened sticks and pitchforks, braving the wind and snow, and quickly heading towards the direction from which the gunshots had just been heard.
Zhang Cheng had no idea that his gunshot had attracted a group of young people from the neighboring Wangjia Village who were also struggling to survive.
He was carrying a heavy roe deer, slowly trudging through snow that was above his knees.
In this environment, running is the worst thing you can do, as it not only consumes a lot of energy but also makes it easy to slip and get injured.
He must conserve his energy and return to the village safely.
We walked for another ten minutes or so.
"Bang!"
A gunshot suddenly rang out from behind!
The sound wasn't far away!
Zhang Cheng's expression changed drastically. Almost instinctively, relying on his past life as a special forces soldier, he suddenly rolled forward!
He casually tossed the heavy roe deer carcass in front of him, using it as a makeshift cover.
He quickly dropped to the ground, lowered his body, and raised the double-barreled shotgun in his hand, the safety already off.
Through the wind and snow, he could see that more than a hundred meters away, the thirteen young men from Wangjia Village were running towards him, panting heavily.
The one leading the group was the tall, strong young man, Wang Jian.
The muzzle of the old hunting rifle in his hand was still emitting a faint wisp of smoke.
He fired that shot into the air just now, intending to intimidate and announce their arrival.
Zhang Cheng squinted, his cold gaze fixed on Wang Jian and the others who were rapidly approaching.
He lay prone behind the roe deer carcass and roared, "Wang Jian! What are you trying to do, Wangjia Village? Are you trying to break our rules that have been passed down for so many years?!"
The two villages are adjacent, and people see each other all the time; most of the villagers know each other.
Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's shout, Wang Jian grinned, but instead of stopping, he quickened his pace.
He shouted back through the wind and snow, "What bullshit rules! Can rules feed you? Can they fill your stomach?"
"Besides, it was Li Junyi from your Zhangjia Village who broke the rules first! A while ago, he led a group of people to steal the beehive we found first! We haven't settled that score yet!"
As the thirteen men drew closer, each carrying a weapon and with hostile eyes, the situation became increasingly dire.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes.
Should we fire?
Once a shot is fired, even if it only wounds the opponent and doesn't hit a vital organ, it will still be effective.
But in this freezing cold, an injury means limited mobility and continuous bleeding, and the ultimate result could very well be death from freezing or starvation.
This is no different from simply killing the other person.
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