Chapter 860: Entering the Mountains to Find Someone

As for Li Biao, Wang An had thoroughly learned his lesson.

In Wang An's view, he and Li Biao were fundamentally incompatible; to be more precise, this reckless idiot was his jinx.

Therefore, Wang An felt that only by keeping his distance could he avoid bad luck and trouble.

But in a small village where everyone was related, how could one completely avoid contact?

Often, people find themselves in helpless situations, forced to deal with certain people and certain things.

Seeing Wang An smile at him, Li Biao actually had the nerve to shamelessly approach, saying with a hint of flattery

"Big Brother, are you guys heading into the mountains to look for Niu Qi too?"

It's hard to strike a smiling face; since Li Biao had approached so obsequiously, Wang An couldn't exactly curse him away. He spoke plainly, but internally, he felt an immense sense of disgust.

Mainly because there were so many people present; if Wang An started cursing directly, it would instead make him look like a poor person lacking tolerance.

Thus, Wang An merely glanced at Li Biao and nodded, without answering the nonsense Li Biao had asked.

Unfortunately, those lacking self-awareness cannot read "the look in someone's eyes." Seeing Wang An nod, Li Biao asked again

"Big Brother, why aren't you bringing a dog? Bringing a dog makes finding people so much easier. Besides, doesn't your family have a whole bunch of dogs?"

Hearing this, Wang An seriously wanted to give Li Biao a shot, and then let the Buddha explain to him exactly what "talking too much" meant.

Wang An now seriously suspected just how mentally deficient he must have been in his previous life to have been "brothers" with someone like Li Biao.

To be fair, Li Biao wasn't wrong; bringing a dog was indeed the best choice when searching for someone in the mountains.

With a dog's help, finding a person in the woods would certainly be much easier.

That being said, among the crowd present—mostly hunters—not a single person had brought a dog.

Did everyone not know this logic?

Obviously, they did, but for some reason, none of them brought one. What was the deal?

The reason was actually very simple: when there are many people and many guns, no one trusts that others won't accidentally fire a shot and hit their dog.

The vegetation in the mountains was so lush that if someone mistook a dog for a wolf and fired a shot, the situation would turn ugly.

To a hunter, a dog isn't just a dog; it's more like a good brother or a comrade-in-arms. Who could stand it if their dog was shot dead for no reason?

But who would be to blame in such a case? Or rather, on whom would the responsibility fall?

Blame the shooter? Or blame the dog for lacking situational awareness?

If you blamed the shooter, was it wrong for them to hunt wolves? What if they actually encountered a wolf?

If you blamed the dog, the dog is just an animal; what fault could it have?

In short, the problem was essentially unsolvable.

Beyond that, there was a very practical issue: what would the dogs eat?

Everyone's carried rations were limited to a few pounds. It wasn't that they didn't want to carry more, but they simply couldn't carry any more weight.

Walking through the mountains with nothing was already grueling enough; carrying dozens of pounds of dog food would be pure nonsense.

Moreover, grain was so precious; wouldn't it be a waste to use it to feed dogs?

In normal times, many households fed their dogs a mixture of cornmeal and bran.

So, while Wang An didn't shoot Li Biao to the Buddha's side, he dropped his friendly facade and said in a very harsh tone

"Who the hell do you think you are? Why do you care if I bring a dog? Is it any of your damn business?"

After Wang An spoke, Wang Li also said with some impatience

"You act like you're the only one who knows everything and everyone else is stupid. Look at all these people here—is anyone bringing a dog?"

Wang An had previously told Mu Xueli and Wang Li about the time he and Li Biao went into the mountains, so Wang Li knew exactly how unreliable Li Biao was.

Of course, when Wang An recounted the story, he hadn't added emotional coloring or judged Li Biao's character.

Wang An's primary goal had been to tell Mu Xueli and Wang Li that they must listen to him once they entered the mountains; otherwise, they should each do their own thing and not get mixed up together.

But no one was a fool; after hearing the story, who wouldn't understand what was going on?

Furthermore, the time Li Biao screwed over Sun Dabala, including the fact that Li Biao now only had one testicle left, had long been a topic of gossip.

Consequently, Li Biao's current reputation was truly abysmal.

Being cursed and mocked by both Wang An and Wang Li in succession, the smile vanished from Li Biao's face, and his large face turned red at a visible speed.

But before Li Biao could say anything, Sun Dafu shouted from the front

"Is everyone here? Listen up: keep your eyes sharp. Let's strive to find him alive, or at least find the body if he's dead. We are all from the same village, so we must unite and help each other. Who can guarantee they'll never have an accident in these mountains? Right? If you aren't considerate, when it's your turn to get into trouble, no one will care about you!"

By the end, Sun Dafu had raised his voice, practically roaring.

It had to be admitted that Sun Dafu was a very good village chief; he was not only fair in his dealings but also very responsible toward the villagers.

After scanning the crowd, Sun Dafu continued

"Alright, I won't say more. We'll stick to the old rules: pairs of two. Try not to let the distance between pairs get too far. If something happens, use gunshots as a signal. Those who don't hear a shot must leave the mountain at dusk. Alright, enter the mountains and find him now."

Following Sun Dafu's order, the crowd began heading into the mountains.

Unexpectedly, the village chief, the middle-aged Sun Dafu, actually went in with them.

This showed just how anxious Sun Dafu was.

As soon as they entered the mountains, the group scattered, moving inward in a fan-like formation.

In truth, this method of searching was essentially "doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate," because trying to find one person in these mountains was not much different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

If it were all just woods, the situation would be slightly better, but in many parts of these mountains, small trees grew under large trees, shrubs grew beside the small trees, and wild grass half a person deep grew in the gaps between the shrubs.

And among these thickets, there were always holes dug out by mountain animals.

Many of these holes were large enough for a person to crawl into if they lay flat.

In a place like that, if someone were hiding, they would absolutely not be found.

Once the group dispersed, they began shouting. Cries of "Niu Qi!" and "Niu Qi!" echoed through the forest.