Chapter 187 The Leopard Enters the Forest
Sheng Xiping didn't bother arguing with Lao Hu and the others, and went straight to the pigsty and sheepfold.
Inside the pen, besides the hoof prints of pigs and sheep, there were only the footprints of the farm's staff. The scene was too chaotic to tell what had happened.
Left with no other choice, Sheng Xiping had to leave the pen and wander around the breeding farm.
It snowed lightly last night, leaving a thin layer of fresh snow on the ground.
This is perfect for hunters, who can search for clues in the snow.
Sheng Xiping wandered around for half a circle and suddenly noticed some unusual marks outside the hoe behind the sheepfold.
Those were several footprints resembling cat paws, shaped like plum blossoms, but many times larger than cat paws.
"It was a leopard. The one that went into the farm and took the sheep last night was a leopard."
Upon seeing the footprints in the snow, Sheng Xiping immediately identified the animal as a wild beast.
A leopard has five toes on its forefeet and four toes on its hind feet, and its claws, like a cat's, can be retracted.
Felines have thick pads on their paws, so they can land silently.
However, a tiger's claws are larger than a leopard's, and the footprints on the ground clearly belong to a leopard.
Sheng Xiping gasped. For some reason, he had a premonition that the leopard that attacked the pigs and sheep at the farm last night was the same one he had encountered yesterday.
Leopards are known for their strong sense of revenge.
Liu Yujiang once told Sheng Xiping a true story.
Twenty years ago, a hunter from Dajianchang discovered a cave where a leopard was hiding while hunting in the mountains.
The old leopard was gone, but there was a leopard cub in the cave. The greedy hunter took the cub away.
Unexpectedly, the adult leopard followed the scent of the cubs and tracked them all the way to Dajianchang Village.
The leopard went berserk and nearly killed all the livestock in the village.
The hunters in the village tried to hunt the leopard several times but failed, which only provoked the leopard to take even greater revenge.
Later, Liu Changde realized something was wrong and searched the whole village. Finally, he found a leopard cub at the hunter's house.
At Liu Changde's insistence, the hunter had no choice but to release the leopard cub.
The leopard cubs found their mother by scent. When the mother leopard saw that her cubs had returned safely, she stopped her revenge, took her cubs away, and never returned to that cave.
This shows how vengeful leopards are, no less so than wolves and jackals.
"What the hell? A leopard has entered the village?"
"Xiping, don't scare people like that. If it really is a leopard that's entered our forest farm, we have to report it. It could easily cause trouble."
When Lao Hu heard this, he was startled. A leopard is not a jackal; it is a large ferocious beast second only to the Siberian tiger.
If a leopard were to enter the village, not only would the livestock on the farm be at risk, but the people could also be attacked at any time.
“Uncle, look at these footprints on the ground. They’re definitely not from a jackal. Based on my hunting experience, they’re from a leopard.”
Sheng Xiping pointed to the footprints on the ground and explained them to Lao Hu.
"Uncle, report it to the forest farm and have them announce it over the loudspeaker. Everyone should try to stay home as much as possible these next few days."
I'll walk around the area again and see if I can find any more clues.
Sheng Xiping sighed. If a leopard enters the village, people will be in danger. We should keep everyone vigilant to avoid any further incidents.
Upon hearing this, Lao Hu immediately ran to find Wang Jiachuan.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xiping wandered around the breeding farm again, hoping to find any more clues.
Surprisingly, Sheng Xiping discovered jackal footprints not far from the farm.
This discovery puzzled Sheng Xiping greatly. Could it be that not only leopards came last night, but also jackals?
Upon closer inspection of the footprints on the ground, Sheng Xiping discovered that they belonged to two jackals, and that the female jackal was the one that had been found.
Female jackals are smaller in size and have smaller claws; their stride is also different from that of male jackals.
In other words, the two female jackals that escaped yesterday did not hide deep in the mountains and forests; they also entered the village last night.
This discovery greatly surprised Sheng Xiping.
The two jackals and the leopard arrived at the farm at the same time, but they didn't fight, which is unlikely.
Just as Sheng Xiping was completely baffled, the forest farm's loudspeaker began to broadcast.
The message was simply a reminder to everyone in the forest farm: try not to go out alone, especially at night; keep your doors locked; and be extremely careful to avoid leopard attacks.
Once the loudspeaker announced it, every household knew about it, and for a time, everyone in the forest farm was in a state of panic.
With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, this sudden turn of events has left everyone feeling uneasy.
"Xiping, I knew you were here. How did you spot the leopard? Was it the one that bit General Black yesterday?"
Upon hearing the broadcast, Wang Jianshe, Chen Weiguo, and a few others immediately thought of the incident yesterday where a leopard bit a dog.
General Black was able to escape from the leopard's jaws thanks to two factors: Erlang Shen's fierce determination to protect his companions and Sheng Xiping's timely intervention, which scared the leopard away with a shot.
Unfortunately, the shot didn't kill the leopard; instead, it escaped and became a problem.
"I bet it's that one; it might be the one secretly watching us."
Yesterday afternoon, we were skinning jackals at the farm, and that leopard saw us, so last night it came and preyed on the livestock.
Sheng Xiping sighed. Who could have imagined this? The dog was bitten by the leopard; how could he not save it?
This rescue offended the leopard, which then provoked the leopard's revenge. What kind of mess is this?
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
