Chapter 441: Chapter 228: Xiaojiu, Teach Brother Leopard a Lesson

As someone from the Forestry Department, Yu Bo was more inclined to protect animals. He breathed a sigh of relief at the suggestion. "If Advisor Yang can communicate with it, that would be for the best. We’ll do our best not to harm it."

Just as he spoke, the sound of car engines and voices came from the direction of the village entrance.

Soon, Luo Kaifeng arrived, walking quickly. He was accompanied by three fully armed team members in Forest Police uniforms, an official and two staff members from the county’s Forestry Bureau, and a villager who was guiding them.

"Captain Luo."

"Advisor Yang!"

"..."

After a few pleasantries, they immediately got down to business.

Yu Bo quickly summarized the situation again, including Yang Qi’s suggestion to "talk to the leopard at night."

Luo Kaifeng crouched down to carefully examine the tracks. After hearing Yu Bo’s summary, he stood up with a solemn expression and nodded to Yang Qi. "Advisor Yang, I trust your judgment. I also agree with your suggestion. If you can communicate with it and find out why it came down from the mountain and whether it has any tendency to harm people, that would be ideal."

"But if communication fails, or if it shows strong aggression, we must have a contingency plan."

The official from the county Forestry Bureau also stated his position. "What Captain Luo and Advisor Yang said makes sense. Let’s do this: we’ll hurry and organize a small team this afternoon to conduct a brief search of the nearby mountain forest. We need to see if there are more tracks and assess its range of activity. Tonight, we’ll proceed as Advisor Yang suggested and attempt to communicate."

"I have no objections," Yang Qi nodded.

There was no time to lose. The afternoon sun was already beginning to slant westward.

Luo Kaifeng and Yu Bo immediately began organizing a temporary search party.

The final search party was composed of: Luo Kaifeng with two experienced Forest Police officers; Yu Bo and a staff member from the forestry station; the official from the county Forestry Bureau and another staff member; plus Yang Qi with Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard. A villager who frequently went into the mountains and knew the terrain would act as their guide.

The team entered the mountain forest from Dazhu’s backyard, following the direction where the leopard’s tracks had disappeared.

In the autumn and winter forest, the vegetation had withered. The view was relatively open, but it also felt more desolate.

A thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, rustling underfoot.

They hadn’t gone far into the mountains, maybe a hundred meters or so, when Yang Qi once again spotted fresh leopard tracks on a patch of soft humus, leading deeper into the forest.

"This way!"

The guide also pointed to a crushed bush.

After walking for about another half a kilometer, they found leopard droppings under a large pine tree. They were still fresh, and undigested fragments of sheep bones and fur were visible inside.

"This is it!"

Yu Bo confirmed after examining them.

Continuing to track, the group even found a sheep leg bone, gnawed clean, by a dry creek bed. It bore the clear teeth marks of a large feline.

"Looks like it dragged the sheep here to eat after the hunt."

Yang Qi stared at the bone, lost in thought.

’This leopard not only entered the village, but it also has a regular ’dining hall’ in the forest. It’s clearly treating this area as its own territory.’

As evening approached, the light in the mountain forest grew dimmer and dimmer.

In autumn and winter, night falls especially quickly.

"We can’t go any deeper. It won’t be safe to come out at night if we keep going."

Luo Kaifeng checked his watch and gave a decisive order. "We’ll stop here for today. The tracks, droppings, and bones all indicate the leopard is indeed active in this area. Let’s pull back for now and prepare for tonight’s operation."

The group returned the way they came.

By the time they walked out of the forest, the sky had grown completely dark, and the scattered lights of the village had begun to twinkle on.

Upon returning to the village, they were warmly pulled into the old village chief’s house.

A large round table was already set up in the courtyard, laden with more than a dozen dishes. Although it wasn’t a feast of rare delicacies, there was salted fish, cured meat, stewed chicken, and home-grown vegetables, all steaming hot and fragrant. It was clearly a heartfelt contribution from various families.

"Leaders, experts, you’ve been busy all afternoon, you must be hungry. It’s just some home-cooked food, but please, eat up and fill your stomachs."

The old village chief said, wringing his hands with a simple, honest smile on his face.

Unable to refuse, and genuinely hungry besides, the group sat down around the table.

Chen Shuangquan was the first to pick up his chopsticks, encouraging everyone else.

"Come on, don’t be polite. Eat first. We need strength to work."

Yang Qi took a few quick bites to tide himself over, then put down his chopsticks and spoke. "Captain Luo, Chief Chen, I think there’s a good chance the leopard will come back tonight."

The chatter at the table instantly fell silent.

Yang Qi continued, "The leopard succeeded once three nights ago, so it’s had a taste of easy prey. Plus, our search in the mountains this afternoon might have disturbed it. But that could also make it feel its ’dining hall’ is no longer safe, prompting it to hunt again as soon as possible."

"Moreover, it probably chose Dazhu’s sheep pen because it’s the most remote and a relatively easy target. Tonight is the best opportunity to both observe and communicate with it."

He paused before adding, "However, we don’t need too many people on watch. A large group means more varied scents, which could easily scare it off or make it overly hostile."

"Captain Luo, Station Chief Yu, and I can go with one or two other people. That should be enough. The rest can provide support from the perimeter. If it shows up, I’ll try to communicate with it."

"If it doesn’t come, then tomorrow during the day, we’ll organize a larger team to go into the mountains, find its lair, and attempt to capture it with tranquilizers."

"That’s the only way for now," the official from the county Forestry Bureau said, putting down his bowl in agreement. "Capturing it with tranquilizers is risky. Resolving this peacefully through communication is the best course of action. We’ll be counting on you tonight, Advisor Yang and Captain Luo."

Luo Kaifeng picked up his teacup, using tea in place of wine, and raised it to Yang Qi. "Advisor Yang, it seems everything tonight will mainly depend on you! On behalf of the county’s Forest Police brigade, thank you in advance."

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