When I heard what the middle-aged policeman said, I thought that the story of the zombie had been proven to be a rumor, but I still said casually, "We've been out collecting mountain products all year round. We've even encountered bears and Siberian tigers. What's there to be afraid of about bats?"
"These are no ordinary bats. Several sheep went missing in the village today, and the two that were found had their blood drained."
The policeman looked at me and said, "This place is a real forest area, unlike the small woods you usually go into in the city. There are all kinds of animals here. I heard from the old police chief in our team that there is a kind of pig-faced bat in this forest. They are bigger than owls, and they appear in groups. Even a bear would lose its life if it encountered them!"
When we get back, we'll report to our superiors. We expect an expert team and an order to close the mountain to the public soon. I've already told the old team leader to stop the villagers from going up the mountain. You all need to be extra careful too!
Song Laosan chuckled and took over the conversation: "Officer, don't worry. I came here this time to talk to Lao Xiong about increasing the amount of goods we can collect. Since there are dangers in the mountains, we won't go in, hehe."
The police officers confirmed that our identities were correct and then went down the mountain.
When we reached the center of the village, Old Xiong picked us up with a flashlight.
Old Bear lived up to his name; he was as strong as a bear.
He is over fifty years old this year, with naturally curly hair that grows to shoulder length, and a big beard, giving him a slovenly yet fiercely wild look.
The most striking feature of this person is the three shocking scratch marks on his left forehead, running down to the bridge of his nose. It's unclear what kind of ferocious beast left them, but this has caused half of his left eyelid to collapse, revealing only the white of his eye, making him look particularly terrifying.
Upon seeing Old Xiong, Xu Le greeted him, "Uncle Xiong, we are Meng Donglin..."
“I know who you are. This is not the place to talk. Come with me.”
Before Xu Le could finish speaking, Lao Xiong turned around and led us to a large courtyard not far away.
Chanan Village is located in a remote area without access to water and electricity. Old Xiong's yard was piled with firewood and overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that it was not well maintained.
Old Xiong led us into the room and brought out all the bowls and basins from his house: "I usually live here alone, and I don't have any tea sets or anything like that, so please make do with what you have."
Thank you.
I spend most of the year living deep in the mountains and forests, so I don't mind these things. I took the water glass and asked, "Uncle Xiong, we just met the forest police when we were going up the mountain. They said that the goats that went missing today were attacked by pig-faced bats. Is that confirmed?"
"uncertain."
Old Xiong shook his head: "I grew up in the forest area since I was a child. When I was a teenager, I would go hunting in the mountains with my elders, carrying a cannon. In all these years, I have only seen pig-faced bats once. Those things are particularly big. The time I saw pig-faced bats, they were sucking the blood of a Siberian tiger. I remember that the bellies of those bats were swollen like water balloons, and they had sucked the tiger dry."
I heard about the incident in the village today, and I went to see the two sheep that were found. They really do look like the tiger that was sucked blood years ago; their skin is all dented. However, I haven't seen a pig-faced bat in this forest for over thirty years, so I can't say for sure whether it was the bat's doing.
Xu Le put down his water glass and asked, "Uncle Xiong, could you take us over to see the two sheep carcasses too?"
Old Xiong looked at us and said, "You can go, but not in large groups. Few outsiders come to our village. If there are too many of you, you'll be too conspicuous."
Xu Le pointed to me and Uncle Kang: "There will only be three of us going."
"Let's go with four."
I pointed to Song Laosan and said to Xu Le, "My friend is quick-witted and has experienced a lot. Going with him might be helpful."
"Four people...that's fine too. You guys come with me."
Old Xiong thought for a moment, then led Song Laosan and us along the village road to the courtyard two hundred meters away.
Before I even got close to the courtyard, I could see a group of people guarding the gate from afar. The courtyard was brightly lit, and there was the sound of a diesel generator.
Old Xiong saw a group of people gathered at the entrance of the courtyard and asked a young man with bald patches on his head, "Er Laizi, what are you all doing here? There are only two dead sheep, why are so many people gathered around looking at them?"
Erlaizi grinned and pointed into the yard, saying, "Uncle Xiong, we didn't watch the sheep. Widow Zhao is fighting with the team leader."
Old Bear raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"
"Of the five lost sheep, four belonged to Widow Zhao. The two that were found also had her family's numbers. Because the cause of death of these sheep is uncertain, the forestry department's compensation cannot be approved for the time being. The insurance company will only compensate five hundred yuan per sheep. The team leader wanted to burn the sheep, but Widow Zhao wouldn't allow it."
Erlaizi followed Lao Xiong into the yard and explained, "Widow Zhao wanted to sell those two sheep, but the team leader said they didn't meet the slaughtering procedures and were afraid of infectious diseases, so he insisted on destroying them. Widow Zhao said she wanted to keep them for herself, but she had already found a buyer and was preparing to sell them."
"Nonsense, the cause of death of those two sheep is unknown. Whether they were sold or eaten by themselves, it's not safe."
Old Xiong still held some prestige in the village, and when the villagers saw him arrive, they all made way for him.
I followed Old Bear and glanced at the scene in the yard.
At that moment, a woman in her forties was clinging to the dead sheep and wouldn't let go, while several men nearby were also helpless.
Every time the woman cried out, it triggered a burst of laughter, indicating that these villagers living in this forest area really didn't have any entertainment options.
Old Xiong saw the woman on the ground and growled, "Widow Zhao, get up! So many men, young and old, are watching. Aren't you ashamed?"
Widow Zhao clutched the sheep tightly in her arms and cried out, "Old Xiong, you be the judge! My husband fell to his death while chopping wood three years ago, leaving us, a widow and her children, all alone. I rely on these sheep to support my children's schooling. Today, two of my sheep died, and all I get in compensation is a thousand yuan. They even want to burn the sheep! This is going to kill me!"
In forest areas like this, the village secretary is usually concurrently held by the logging team leader. When the village team leader saw Zhao the widow's appearance, he was speechless: "Didn't I tell you? The forestry department is verifying the cause of death of these sheep. Once there is a conclusion, there will be state compensation."
Widow Zhao continued her tantrum: "I don't want any compensation, I just want my sheep! Now that my sheep is dead, what right do you have to take it from me?"
Seeing the chaotic scene, I stepped out from behind Old Bear and said, "Stop arguing. I have a compromise: sell me these two sheep, okay?"
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