Chapter 331 The Sharpshooter is in Charge
Captain Bai Ling grabbed the loudspeaker and shouted, "Everyone in the camp, alert! Everyone, remain quiet and don't move!"
However, after days of running around and being frightened, many people were already exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.
Most people were suddenly awakened at this time, and were still in a daze:
"What... wild boar? Where is it? Why don't I see anything?"
"Stop shouting, stop shouting... I finally fell asleep..."
Some people sat up in panic and looked around, while others were still sleepy and had no idea what was happening.
The camp instantly fell into chaos and unrest.
Just as all the team members held their breath and stared intently at the southwest direction, Xia Lili had silently raised the hunting rifle in his hand.
Her figure was as straight as a pine or cypress, her right arm firmly supporting the gun, her cheek lightly resting on the butt, her eyes piercing the dark night like a blade.
Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger—
"Bang!"
Gunshots ripped through the silence.
The recoil caused her shoulders to tremble slightly, but she still stood very steady, her movements smooth as if she had practiced them a thousand times.
A shrill howl of a wild boar was heard in the distance, but the sound quickly weakened and eventually disappeared completely.
The entire rest area returned to silence again, with only the sound of the night wind blowing through the treetops.
The rescue team members stood there in a daze for a moment, almost unable to react.
After a moment, the crowd could no longer suppress their exclamations:
"Commander Xia, how did you find out? We didn't even see a shadow!"
"In the pitch darkness...how could you have managed to hit the target with one shot?!"
Soon, several team members went to check cautiously with guns.
The report coming back over the intercom was simple but encouraging: "The wild boar has been incapacitated. The threat has been resolved."
Amidst low cheers, Xia Lili slowly put down the still warm hunting rifle.
The rescue team members couldn't help but murmur in admiration:
"This shooting skill... is so accurate!"
"Hitting the target with one shot in the dark, that's so cool!"
The crowd, who were originally frightened by the approaching wild boar, also witnessed the whole process. They were shocked and amazed at the same time, and whispered:
"My God, this girl is so amazing..."
Several children opened their eyes wide and looked at Xia Lili's back, their eyes full of admiration:
"Sister, you're so cool! You're a sharpshooter!"
"Sister, are you a police officer? Or a special forces soldier?"
"I want to be as awesome as you when I grow up!"
Xia Lili turned around with a gentle yet resolute smile on her face. She squatted down, looked the children straight in the eye, and said softly:
"I'm a special operations consultant. I need good eyesight, I need to learn to fight, and I need to be very accurate with a gun."
She pointed to the distance and said, "The monster has been subdued now. Don't be afraid, everyone. You can go back to sleep. I will be here to watch over you all."
Xia Lili gently patted a child's shoulder and continued:
"You must sleep well and grow up well, so that you can have a strong body to participate in the selection and take up arms in the future. Just like me now."
The children nodded, not quite understanding what was going on. The fear in their eyes had long been replaced by longing.
With Xia Lili's gentle comfort, the children obediently returned to their tents and went to sleep, and the originally restless camp gradually returned to peace.
Many people looked at her still upright figure on duty, whispering to each other, their voices full of admiration and reassurance:
"With Consultant Xia here, I can finally sleep soundly tonight."
"There were landslides and wild boars, but she managed to calm them all down... This girl is truly remarkable!"
"It's amazing that he's so talented at such a young age!"
At this moment, Xia Lili approached the rescue team leader, Bai Ling, and asked curiously, "Captain Bai, when you're on missions in the wild, if you encounter a wild boar attack like tonight, how do you usually deal with it?"
Bai Ling didn't answer immediately, but nodded slightly to her, indicating that she should follow. As he walked forward, he said in a deep voice:
"In the wild, wild animals won't suddenly charge into people for no reason. I'm more concerned about why it appeared from this direction and what startled it."
He lit his flashlight, the beam piercing the dark woods as he carefully searched the direction the wild boar was coming from. He then called over two team members and said decisively:
"You two come with me. We'll follow this trail a little deeper. Consultant Xia, you should come too. An extra pair of eyes means more discoveries."
Everyone pushed aside the half-man-high grass and walked cautiously along the gentle slope.
Bai Ling suddenly stopped and motioned Xia Lili to come forward: "Commander Xia, your night vision is good, look carefully around here—"
Xia Lili leaned over to take a closer look, and noticed with the help of the flashlight that the vegetation on the ground had indeed shown signs of being slightly washed by water, and the soil was moist but not muddy.
The night wind blew smoothly through the low-lying area, bringing with it the faint sound of flowing water. She looked towards the direction where the slope gradually descended and said:
"This area is low-lying, secluded, and has running water, so it does tend to attract animals."
Xia Lili paused. "I've heard from animal science experts before that wild boars often live along streams, where they have both drinking water and abundant plant roots and insects for food."
Bai Ling nodded approvingly, a smile flashing in his eyes.
He signaled the team to continue moving in the direction of the sound of water while analyzing:
"That's right. I guess it's because the previous landslide changed the course of the stream and destroyed its familiar habitat that the wild boar panicked and headed straight for our camp."
Bai Ling looked sharply in the direction the wild boar had come from, his tone calm but with a hint of certainty:
"I infer that behind the path the wild boar rushed out, there is probably a mountain stream or gully that has not been completely blocked by the mudslide."
"These gullies are low-lying, and even if they are eroded by water, they often retain some channels due to the buffering of vegetation."
He paused for a moment and continued:
"Although it's not as flat and wide as the mountain roads we take every day, in an emergency, this may be another shortcut to get down the mountain."
When Xia Lili heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up: "So that's how it is!"
She suddenly perked up, feeling both surprised and delighted.
It turns out that by observing how animals move, you can even guess the way down the mountain! Now you might even be able to find a path down the mountain.
Xia Lili felt like she had "learned something" again. After this rescue, she had to brush up on her knowledge of wilderness rescue and survival!
"Lao Zhang, map." Bai Ling said in a deep voice.
Team member Lao Zhang quickly handed over the electronic map device.
Bai Ling compared the direction and drew a line on the map. "We're here now. Returning the same way would require us to go around the entire landslide, which would be too time-consuming. We're also not sure if the remaining slope is stable."
"But according to the map, there should be a seasonal stream under this gully..."
He looked up at the "Wild Boar Road" again: "Wild boars are smart and often follow streams to find food and water. Although this stream is small, it flows directly down the mountain."
"The crack it created might be an animal trail along the edge of the stream."
"Captain Bai, do you mean... we should go down from here?" Lao Zhang hesitated. "Is this road navigable? It looks difficult."
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