It was no wonder Zhao Jun was angry. A hunting dog that led its prey toward its master was very likely to put its master in a dangerous situation.
It was just like that one battle in Yongli Village, when Zhao Jun and Yang Mantang had gone to avenge Hu Guangmin. Yang Mantang had been endangered because his dog, Hua Gou, had led a Black Bear straight to him.
Then, Yang Mantang missed with two shots, and by the time he tried to reload, it was too late.
But Yang Mantang’s Hua Gou had done it unintentionally that day. This Black Tiger, however, seemed to be doing it on purpose.
And that morning, when Zhao Jun had taken Zhang Yuanmin to hunt the Black Bear that had eaten the aluminum potassium cyanide, Black Tiger had done the same thing.
In the eyes of Hunters, a dog like this was one that endangered its master. If you encountered one, the normal course of action was to raise your gun and shoot it on the spot.
But Black Tiger had never actually put Zhao Jun in danger because it was simply too fast. The Black Bear couldn’t catch it at all. Even now, it had been standing in front of Zhao Jun for a while, yet the Black Bear was still three or four hundred meters away.
Moreover, when Black Tiger reached Zhao Jun, it spun around and stood before him. Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon did the same, the three dogs forming a line.
At that moment, both Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were kneeling on one knee on the hillside, aiming their guns at the approaching Black Bear.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanmin and Jie Chen stood to their left and right, each holding their guns at the ready.
Unlike Black Tiger, Little Bear and the other hunting dogs had been chasing the Black Bear the whole way, relentlessly tearing at it. They became even fiercer when they saw Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, latching onto the Black Bear and refusing to let go.
The eight dogs weighed a combined upwards of six hundred and fifty pounds. Biting down on the Black Bear together, they braced their legs and pinned it firmly to the hillside!
Seeing it couldn’t move forward, the Black Bear suddenly came to its senses and reared up to swipe at the dogs on its flanks.
The Black Bear was now about a hundred and seventy or eighty meters from Zhao Jun. Fearing the dogs would be injured, Zhao Jun fired immediately!
"BANG!"
Just one shot. The bullet grazed the Black Bear’s left shoulder. Although it wasn’t a direct hit, the force of the bullet passing over its shoulder tore open the flesh.
"ROAR!" The Black Bear bellowed, ignoring the dogs beside it and charging with all its might toward Zhao Jun.
As the gunshot rang out, the Dog Gang went into a frenzy. They all latched onto the Black Bear, refusing to let go.
With both bear and dogs fighting for their lives, neither side could advance or retreat. Seeing it couldn’t reach Zhao Jun, the Black Bear tried to rear up again to hurt the dogs.
"BANG!"
Zhao Jun’s second shot. The bullet grazed the Black Bear’s scalp.
He was far away, and with dogs swarming all around it, Zhao Jun was afraid of hitting them and didn’t dare to aim too low.
After firing the second shot, Zhao Jun got to his feet and ran down the slope toward the Black Bear, gun raised.
’If the bear can’t come up, I’ll go down and get it!’
Another gunshot rang out. The frenzied Black Bear saw Zhao Jun running toward it and, pumping its four legs, actually started dragging the eight dogs up the slope.
"BANG! BANG!"
"BANG!"
Two shots from Zhao Jun, one from Li Baoyu.
After the three shots, the Black Bear toppled backward and lay on the hillside, its neck twitching.
The eight dogs immediately pounced on the Black Bear’s body, tearing at it with all their strength.
"AWOOO..." Black Tiger let out a strange cry and led Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon toward the dead Black Bear.
But when it got near the bear, Black Tiger spun around and came running back to Zhao Jun, howling again.
"Get lost!" Zhao Jun lifted his foot as if to kick it, scaring Black Tiger into tucking its tail between its legs and whimpering as it ran to the side.
Cyan Dragon and Black Dragon weren’t afraid of Zhao Jun. They flanked him and ran toward the Black Bear.
The Black Bear was clearly dead through and through; Zhao Jun didn’t even need a finishing shot when he got close. Zhang Yuanmin came forward with Jie Chen, shooed the Dog Gang away, and then rolled the Black Bear over.
Zhang Yuanmin drew his Invasion Blade, cut the Black Bear open, and removed the Bear Gall. He handed it to Jie Chen to bring to Zhao Jun.
Then, Zhang Yuanmin pulled out the Black Bear’s entrails and flung them over a tree branch. Immediately after, he began to cut meat from the bear’s belly to feed the dogs.
Zhao Jun had just put the Black Bear Gall into a small cloth pouch when he heard Zhang Yuanmin shout, "Brother, is that little female the lead dog?"
Zhang Yuanmin had hunted and shared meals with Zhao Jun before, so he understood some of the Hunters’ rules.
"Right!" Zhao Jun stuffed the pouch with the Bear Gall into his pocket and replied, "Feed her first. After that, feed that big fatty."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanmin scanned the area, and his gaze finally landed on the stout and hefty Big Fatty.
Zhang Yuanmin nodded subconsciously, but a sudden bark from behind made him jump.
"ARF! ARF!" Black Tiger came around from behind Zhang Yuanmin to stand in front of him, wagging its head and tail.
The other dogs, however, were all lying obediently nearby, waiting to be fed.
Zhang Yuanmin didn’t understand what was up with Black Tiger, so he turned and asked Zhao Jun, "Brother, what’s with this dog?"
Zhao Jun raised a hand to point, but he was out of breath and couldn’t get the first words out. After a moment, he managed to say, "Him... you feed him last!"
"AWOOO..." Seeing Zhang Yuanmin give the meat to Little Bear, Black Tiger stretched its neck out and wouldn’t stop crying.
The noise was getting on Zhao Jun’s nerves. He grimaced in frustration and turned his head away, refusing to look at Black Tiger.
Just then, Jie Chen, who was standing nearby, laughed. He said to Zhao Jun, "Brother Jun, your dog is quite a character."
At his words, Zhao Jun also smiled. He motioned for Jie Chen to sit down and said, "’A character’? If that had been a Big Cannon Egg just now, I might’ve been done for, thanks to him."
"Brother," Li Baoyu interjected. "Black Tiger is fast. There was no danger."
Then Li Baoyu added, "If we hadn’t followed him up here after this Black Bear today, we would’ve had to run another half-mile or so."
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback. He suddenly realized that what Li Baoyu said seemed to make some sense.