Chapter 221: He Actually Dared to Use a Gun
However, in the mountains, riding a horse was about the same speed as driving a sled, and wherever a horse could go, the narrow sleds used for mountain hunting generally had no problem.
Therefore, catching up to those three people was essentially a non-issue.
Since the hoofprints were fresh, Wang An and the other two caught up without much effort.
It was just that these three, perhaps out of panic, were circling around like crazy. They kept looping around the mountain but refused to head toward the exit, likely fearing the owner of the sable trap would chase them back to their home.
Finally, two hours later, Wang An's trio caught up with the three men who were taking a break and smoking.
One of them carried a Type 38 Arisaka, while the other two carried "Water-Pearls" (Mosin-Nagants). They were all old rifles, but their firepower was still formidable.
Furthermore, these three weren't all riding horses; there was one green horse and two grey mules common to the local area.
None of them looked old, appearing to be in their twenties or barely thirty. They weren't from the villages near Kaoshan Village; if they were, they would have to be drifters.
In any case, Mu Xueli and Wang Li didn't recognize them, and it went without saying for Wang An, as there were still many people in Kaoshan Village whose names he couldn't even recall.
Driving the sled close, Wang An shouted angrily and rudely, "Why'd you stop running? What did you take just now? Hand it over."
Wang An didn't intend to take everything. This was just how mountain hunting went; such situations were actually quite normal.
Because prey caught by snares, traps, or pits could be partially taken by passersby—though this usually applied to animals primarily hunted for meat, like wild boar or roe deer.
Even if someone took a leg, the person who set the trap wouldn't say a word, because if a passerby didn't take it, the prey might be eaten by other carnivores anyway.
However, for animals with valuable pelts like sables, foxes, or wolves, it was one thing if the owner of the trap didn't find out; but if they did, the person who took the prey didn't have to return it all—giving back half would suffice.
But if the owner found out and the thief still wanted to keep it all for themselves, that wouldn't fly. It would be strange if the owner of the trap didn't risk their life to fight back!
In reality, whether a person or a horse walks through the snow, it is an exhausting endeavor. It wasn't that the three men didn't want to keep running, but rather that the mules and horse were spent.
Now, it wasn't just the three men's mules that were exhausted; Mu Xueli's big green horse and Wang Li's big white horse were equally spent, their breathing sounding like a bellows in a stove pit—*huff, puff, huff, puff*.
Only Wang An's big foal's breathing, while slightly more rapid than usual, hadn't changed much. Someone unfamiliar wouldn't even notice.
Seeing Wang An's group, the three men became very flustered. Wang An noticed that the hands holding their cigarettes were shaking incessantly.
Hearing Wang An's blunt tone, the short one and the small-eyed one put on innocent faces, while the tall one said with a smile
"Brother, what are you talking about? There are plenty of beasts in these mountains, and they don't belong to anyone. Whoever catches them owns them, right?"
After the man spoke, Wang An could tell these three were likely drifters or outsiders, as their accent wasn't Northeastern.
A thief's confidence is thin; these words revealed their weakness. This wasn't a tone of denial, but one of excuse and playing the rogue.
Thus, Wang An was certain these three had absolutely stolen the sable. But playing the rogue only works depending on who you're dealing with.
"The only mule and horse prints on this entire mountain are yours. You passed right by where we set the trap. If it wasn't you three, who else could it be?" Mu Xueli said angrily.
Although Mu Xueli spoke with indignation, it was similarly just an argument and lacked any real power.
The short one replied, "Who knows where traps are scattered across the mountains? Isn't it normal to pass through a certain patch of land?"
Mu Xueli said furiously, "You're just playing dumb! You steal someone's things and still act like you're in the right?"
Mu Xueli was getting a bit blinded by rage and continued to argue.
Wang An kept signaling Mu Xueli with his eyes, meaning *stop talking*, but Mu Xueli was too angry to notice.
Seeing Wang An's signals, Wang Li pulled on Mu Xueli's sleeve.
Actually, Mu Xueli shouldn't have stepped forward to speak. Mu Xueli's words lacked force, lacked logic, and were based entirely on conjecture, which instead caused the opponents to stop panicking and become completely calm.
Because anyone encountering someone like Mu Xueli would become very calm; based on this performance, Mu Xueli was clearly not an opponent.
The small-eyed one spoke as well, his tone very composed: "Hey, brother, you can't just say whatever you want. We don't even know what you're talking about, yet you accuse us of stealing. Are you looking for a fight?"
The reason Wang An had only signaled with his eyes instead of speaking up to stop her was that he didn't want to crush Mu Xueli's fighting spirit. Although that spirit was being displayed miserably, at least the intention was there.
Mu Xueli was getting in the way of Wang An's performance. Once Wang Li held her back, Wang An immediately barked
"Fuck your mothers! You think you're man enough to fight? Hurry up and hand over the stuff."
As Wang An spoke, he walked toward the three men with his left hand shoved in his overcoat pocket. With Wang An leading the way, Mu Xueli and Wang Li naturally found the courage to get into a scrap.
Seeing the three of them approach, the three men lost their composure. The small-eyed one actually started working the bolt of his rifle.
*Holy shit!* Seeing the small-eyed one's movement, Wang An was instantly shocked!
His left hand whipped out a Type 54 pistol, his right hand racked the slide to chamber a round, and then—*BANG!*—the gun fired!
The small-eyed one's left wrist, which had been pulling the bolt, looked as if a stone had been thrown into water, instantly exploding into a blossom of blood.
Immediately after, the "Water-Pearl" in the small-eyed one's hand also fired. However, because he hadn't had time to level the rifle after racking the bolt, the muzzle was pointed diagonally downward, and the bullet struck the ground about one meter in front of Wang An's group.
Although the bullet didn't hit them, it gave the three of them a genuine fright!
This was a "Water-Pearl." If a bullet from that gun hit an arm or a leg, it would definitely leave them crippled! If it hit the torso, it was certain death!
Wang An's group were merely startled, but the most miserable person was still the small-eyed one.
Because of Wang An's shot, the small-eyed one's left hand was ruined, but his own gun hadn't even been leveled yet.
Most importantly, before the stock could even press against his shoulder, his right hand had unconsciously or instinctively pulled the trigger.
The "Water-Pearl" could be called a sniper rifle, meaning its power was immense, and high-power guns have significant recoil. Thus, coinciding with the gunshot was a "crack" from the small-eyed one's right arm.
Then, while his left hand had been ruined by Wang An, his right arm was, without a doubt, also in fucking bad shape!
Immediately following this, the small-eyed one's rifle dropped to the ground. Before the gun even hit the earth, a heart-wrenching scream erupted from him.
The sound was truly loud; hearing it, one could immediately associate it with the squealing of a pig being slaughtered.
Actually, Wang An had originally only intended to get into a brawl. When mountain hunters had disputes over prey, they consciously avoided using guns. Normally, they would split it fifty-fifty, or at the very least, divide it by shares.
If they fought, both sides would forgo weapons and brawl with bare fists. Moreover, the purpose of fighting wasn't to get a larger share of the prey, but simply to vent their anger!
But these three clearly wanted to swallow it all, so Wang An's goal in fighting was to beat them into submission and then discuss the division of the prey.
He just never expected that this piece of shit didn't know the rules at all and actually dared to use a gun!
Startled and furious, Wang An pointed the Type 54 at the tall and short ones, cursing loudly: "Fuck your mothers! I gave you too much face. Are you all fucking tired of living?"