Wang Tianxiao aimed his gun at the wood, and a bullet pierced through with a "thud," sending up a few tiny wood chips.
The impact of the rifle bullets propelled the two men carrying the logs a few steps toward the cliff edge, nearly causing them to fall.
"What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?"
"You little thief, what are you doing?!"
As Wang Tianxiao shouted, his two younger brothers followed suit, a method the three of them had agreed upon to create a tense atmosphere with many people present.
The three voices echoed repeatedly in the valley, passing through countless trees, making it seem as if the entire valley was filled with human voices.
The people on the cliff edge were shocked. Two of them suddenly picked up two old homemade guns from the ground, while the other three stood back to back, nervously looking around.
But the mountain peaks were shrouded in mist and darkness at night, and even with your eyes wide open, you couldn't see any figures at all.
"Put down your guns and get down the mountain immediately."
"Put down your gun and get down the mountain quickly."
"You little thieves, didn't you hear me? I told you to get down the mountain quickly."
Wang Tianxin must have read too many comic books; he's even calling himself a petty thief.
Wang Tianxiao wanted to find out what weapons these guys had, and as expected, they had two old-fashioned rifles.
This gun has a pitifully short range; if you stand a little further away, it can only be used to set off fireworks.
However, if fired at close range, gunpowder can still injure people.
It is a defensive counter-attack weapon.
They carry these old things not necessarily to hurt people, but more to intimidate wild animals.
The semi-automatic rifle in Wang Tianxiao's hand was a genuine lethal weapon. Its effective range was several hundred meters, and for a skilled marksman, with a scope, it could be used as a sniper rifle.
The 7.62mm bullets it uses are also very lethal; even a bear can't withstand more than a few shots, let alone a human with delicate skin.
His bullet, once it hit the wood, served as a warning to the guys. They recognized its value and were deterred.
It's best to avoid direct confrontation.
He didn't know the identities or backgrounds of these people, whether they were desperate criminals. If they were just petty thieves, that would be fine, but if they were a gang that lived on the edge, his family might be in danger if a direct confrontation broke out.
He's fine on his own, but if his family gets implicated because of this, then he deserves to die.
Just like when the three Yu brothers caused trouble last time, he had the upper hand but stopped short of causing trouble, only giving them a beating, which is the same principle.
If you don't kill them today, they might turn around and harm your family.
In real life, you should never fight or kill unless absolutely necessary. Killing or even injuring someone can lead to imprisonment or even death.
Keep in mind that this was 1984, a critical time when even stealing something could get you punished, let alone injuring someone.
He's been given a second chance at life, and he doesn't want to be a reckless fool. He wants to proceed cautiously and live a happy life.
.
On the edge of a cliff.
The five Zhao brothers were a bit confused.
They were brothers who lived in Zhao Family Village at the foot of the cliff, and their family made a living by growing fruit trees.
Because this year is a low-yield year for the orchard, the yield is very low. After dividing the fruit among several households, they didn't get much, and it seems that life is not going to be easy for them.
They thought and thought but couldn't come up with a good idea. Then they looked up and saw so many trees on the cliff. They thought that if they just cut down some of them, they could sell them for money.
So the brothers joined hands and went up the mountain to cut down trees every night at midnight, and sneaked down the mountain before dawn.
Tonight happens to be a lucky day, so we're preparing to move the timber we've recently acquired down the mountain. We've already contacted potential buyers; we'll pay them 5,000 yuan for 100 pieces of timber.
It's exactly one thousand per family.
We hope to get through this year's difficulties comfortably.
But to everyone's surprise, the tree-cutting had always gone unchecked, but today, just when they were finally about to move the trees, thieves arrived, armed with guns.
I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do.
"Big brother, what should we do? Tell me quickly, I'm a little scared. I don't want to be shot. My child can't even call me Dad yet."
The youngest of the five, Zhao Tuanjie, was also the most timid.
Seeing this situation, he was so frightened that he almost wet himself on the spot, and his legs were trembling.
“Yeah, brother, should we leave? Look at this hole, it’s definitely a rifle bullet, probably from a forest ranger.” The second brother, Zhao Jianshe, was relatively calm; he was the only other person with a gun besides Zhao Jihua.
The third brother, Zhao Shengchan, and the fourth brother, Zhao Nongchang, were both taciturn, but they were so nervous following the fifth brother that they couldn't utter a single word for a while.
Zhao Jihua himself was also a little panicked. In the darkness, he didn't know where the bullets were coming from, and judging from the sound, there was more than one person. He figured that his five brothers were probably exposed to someone else's sight, under the muzzle of a gun, no different from prey.
But seeing how nervous his brothers were, he didn't want to show any fear himself, lest he disrupt morale.
"Don't be afraid. I think they're just putting on a show. If they really dared to attack us, why would they hide in the shadows and be afraid to show their faces?"
“Didn’t you see the movie, brother?” Zhao Tuanjie said with a mournful face. “That’s how it is in the movies shown in the village. If they don’t show their faces, they usually don’t need to kill people. But if we actually see their faces, they will definitely kill us.”
"Shut your dog mouth and stop spouting nonsense. If this were a war, you would be disrupting morale and should be dragged out and beheaded," Zhao Jihua said impatiently.
"You're blaming me again. I told you before I left that the almanac clearly stated that today is unfavorable for wood and travel. But you two, not only did you go out, you also continued to cut down trees. Now you're getting your comeuppance."
"Idiot, you're looking at the almanac from last night. After midnight, it's today. How can it be considered unlucky?"
"That's true... So what do you suggest we do?"
Zhao Jianshe forced himself to calm down and signaled to his brothers not to panic. He first tested the waters to see what the person who had shouted meant.
"Friends, where are you from? We don't know where we brothers have offended you, please tell us."
Wang Tianxiao finally received a reply, and upon hearing their meaning, he realized that they were reluctant to part with the trees.
They really won't shed a tear until they see the coffin.
He didn't mince words and said directly, "It's meaningless. You're not allowed to touch anything in these mountains. Either you put your things down and leave, or I'll break your legs and let the wild animals eat you."
Zhao Jihua could roughly determine Wang Tianxiao's direction from his voice, but he did not intend to search for him.
He knew that was suicidal.
In these remote mountains, with no idea how many people are on the other side, and given that my own brothers made the mistake first, I really don't dare to say anything about the consequences if something happens.
Zhao Tuanjie is usually slow-witted and can't say much, but he was right this time. The fact that others didn't want to see them was giving them a way out.
Now his own brothers are in the open, while others are hidden in the dark. If he were to leave, they would not be willing to make a fuss.
This is probably the best possible outcome so far.
But.
Zhao was reluctant to part with the wood.
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