"Yeah." A warmth spread through Zhao Jun's chest. He said to Ma Ling, "When I take down that Black Bear, I'll bring you some bear paw to eat."
Ma Ling shook her head, whispering, "You don't have to do that. Just come back safe!"
"Sis! Sis!" Just then, Ma Yang's voice rang out from the courtyard behind them. The boy was shouting, "What are you always running out here for?"
'That little rascal!' Zhao Jun fumed, nearly blurting out the same insult Zhao Youcai always used on him.
But Ma Ling looked like a startled rabbit. "You be careful, okay?" she said to Zhao Jun. "I'm heading back. Wait a bit before you leave so no one sees us." With that, she darted out from behind the tree and headed for home.
'Why's this gotta be like some secret agent meeting?' Zhao Jun grumbled to himself. He ignored Ma Ling's advice and turned to head straight home.
...
After returning home and eating breakfast, Zhao Jun got dressed and ready. He and Li Baoyu slung their Type 56 semi-automatic rifles over their backs, gathered his nine dogs, and marched out of Yong'an Village in a great procession.
Once they reached the hunting grounds and met up with Wang Dalong, the three men, each cradling a semi-automatic rifle, led the Dog Gang toward the spot where Tao Dasheng had been killed the day before.
Following the directions from Qin Qiang, the three men arrived at the riverbank. As soon as they got there, the dogs all fanned out, sniffing and scenting the area.
Zhao Jun, meanwhile, led Li Baoyu and Wang Dalong to the exact spot where Tao Dasheng had lost his life.
A quick look around revealed that all the surrounding grass had been trampled flat, and there were still faint bloodstains on the ground.
"Woof!"
A dog suddenly barked. Zhao Jun turned to look but paid it no mind.
It was Black Tiger that had barked.
But then Little Bear started barking, followed in succession by White Dragon, Xiaohua, Big Fatty, and Wang Dalong's dog, Yellow Dog.
"Ts'k! Ts'k!" At the sound from Zhao Jun, Little Bear started south, following the edge of the riverbank before ducking into the tall grass and continuing south.
"Go!" Zhao Jun swung his arm in the direction Little Bear had disappeared. The other dogs quickly gathered and followed him south.
Zhao Jun raised his rifle, using the muzzle to part the three-foot-high grass in front of him. The foliage was so thick he could no longer see Little Bear.
But White Dragon, Big Fatty, and Black Tiger seemed to know exactly where Little Bear was and quickened their pace to follow.
Suddenly, a patch of reeds ahead swayed violently. In unison, Zhao Jun, Li Baoyu, and Wang Dalong snapped their rifles up.
A dog barked. The three men held their fire but went on high alert.
As more barks erupted, ripples spread through the tall grass as the dogs weaved back and forth at high speed.
Then, with a SPLASH, Zhao Jun, staring intently at the river, saw Little Bear emerge from the reeds and plunge into the water, swimming toward the middle of the river!
Only Little Bear's head remained above the surface as it paddled furiously toward the opposite bank.
SPLASH!
White Dragon, having come through the reeds, also plunged in. Then came Big Fatty, Xiaohua, Da Huang, San Pang, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang.
Seeing that his own dogs hadn't gone in, Wang Dalong made a sharp "Ts'k, ts'k!" sound, urging the four of them hiding in the tall grass to show themselves.
Then came a peculiar bark, followed by a series of splashes.
Li Baoyu shot Zhao Jun a surprised glance. He recognized that howl-like bark—it was Black Tiger's signature sound.
Sure enough, five heads broke the surface of the water. Black Tiger was in the lead, swimming faster and faster until it left Wang Dalong's four dogs far behind.
With all the dogs now in the river, the three men on the bank knew for certain that the bear that had killed two people in as many days was now somewhere on the opposite shore.
The three-foot-tall grass, the reeds swaying in the wind—any of it could be the Black Bear's hiding place!
"Brother!" Li Baoyu came to Zhao Jun's side, rifle at the ready. In his haste, his words came out sounding rather formal. "What should we do now?" he asked.
Zhao Jun glanced at Li Baoyu, then looked over at Wang Dalong.
Wang Dalong took a step forward. "Xiaojun," he said to Zhao Jun, "you're the Leader. It's your call."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun gave a firm nod. He pointed toward the opposite bank and said, "We cross the river!"