"We must lure them away from the mountain, first taking them away from the herd of elephants to create an opportunity."
He looked at Xia Zhining and spoke very quickly: "Ningning, go and contact the nearby bee colonies immediately and have them set up an ambush zone in the jungle behind us."
“I’ll act as bait and lure these people over there.”
"Brother!" Xia Zhining's heart tightened, and she instinctively grabbed his arm.
Her heart clenched instantly when her brother went off alone to lure away a group of heavily armed thugs.
But she also knew that this was the only way to possibly turn the situation around. Time was of the essence, so she gritted her teeth and nodded forcefully: "...Okay! Brother, you must be careful! Hold on, wait for me!"
The brother and sister exchanged glances, a thousand words unspoken.
Ji Shuyun patted the back of her hand, then silently scurried to the side like a cheetah.
Meanwhile, the poachers had closed to a dangerous distance.
The elephant herd had clearly sensed the approach of these uninvited guests!
The leading adult female elephants let out a deafening warning cry.
Their huge ears snapped open in anger, their long trunks flared, and they stomped the ground impatiently, trying to intimidate the other side with their imposing presence.
However, instead of retreating, the poachers approached with even greater excitement.
The man at the head, carrying a large-caliber rifle, even grinned maliciously, pointing the muzzle of his gun arrogantly at the roaring elephant. His voice was rough and hoarse: "Scream! Scream louder! In a moment, you'll see whether your skin is thicker or my bullets are harder!"
The young female elephant, who was closest to the perimeter and responsible for guarding the perimeter, was thoroughly enraged by this blatant provocation and also realized the danger of the weapon in their hands!
It let out a mournful cry, broke free of the defensive perimeter, lowered its head, and charged towards the armed poacher like a runaway tank!
The huge elephant hooves pounded the ground, producing a dull, thunderous sound like war drums.
The poacher was clearly taken aback by the elephant's decisive charge, and a flicker of panic crossed his face.
But his long-term hunting experience allowed him to quickly regain his composure.
He cursed, his face contorted with rage, and with practiced ease, he picked up the heavy, large-caliber rifle.
The dark muzzle of the gun was instantly aimed at the charging elephant's head!
With just a pull of the trigger, this bullet, powerful enough to pierce steel, would end the life of this behemoth.
Just as his index finger was about to pull the trigger—
"call out!"
A faint whooshing sound, almost drowned out by the roar of elephants and the sound of footsteps, rang out.
A sniper bullet from the dense forest to the side and rear pierced the poacher's right shoulder blade with perfect accuracy!
The excruciating pain and the sudden impact caused his entire arm to instantly lose control.
The deadly gun flew out of his hand!
"ah--!"
The poacher let out a scream and staggered backward, losing his balance.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the raging mother elephant had already charged right in front of them!
The elephant's hoof, as solid as a stone pillar, slammed into the poacher's chest with tremendous force!
"Bang—Crack!!"
A muffled thud was followed by the clear sound of bones shattering!
The poacher didn't even have time to let out a proper scream before he was sent flying backward at an alarming speed, as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck, and crashed heavily into a tree more than ten meters away.
He slid softly to the ground, motionless, his chest caved in with an eerie curve.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The sudden sniper shot and the gruesome sight of their companion being kicked away by an elephant's hoof threw the remaining poachers into a panic, who stared in horror at the dense forest from which the bullets were coming.
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