Chapter 6: Retire After This Job

Chapter 6: Retire After This Job

It took less than half a day for Jiang Ren to return to Kaoshan Village from school.

At the very edge of the village, separated from the nearest neighbor by at least a hundred meters, stood the small farmhouse where he had lived since childhood.

The grass and trees in the courtyard were neatly arranged, and the rooms were clean and tidy, with hardly a speck of dust in sight. This was not due to any miraculous property of the house, but rather because the elderly villagers who had watched Jiang Ren grow up would stop by from time to time to help him trim the greenery and tidy up.

Jiang Ren never refused their kindness. In return, he would bring back gifts whenever he returned during holidays. The gifts were not expensive, but they helped maintain good relations with his neighbors. For instance, the several large bags of gifts he brought back this time had all been distributed, leaving him with only a suitcase filled with clothes.

After entering the house and putting down his luggage, Jiang Ren signaled for Xiaobai to guard the gate. He then walked into the side bedroom and opened a deeply concealed basement. Due to historical reasons, almost every household in Kaoshan Village had a basement, and the farmhouse he inherited possessed two.

The one that was better hidden—the one he had just opened—was primarily used for storing hunting gear.

He descended into the basement and flicked on the lights. Beyond the entrance, the items on the three remaining walls were revealed. One wall was hung with over a dozen hunting rifles of various styles, lengths, and calibers; another was covered in an assortment of bows and crossbows; and the final wall displayed various types of hunting attire.

It was no exaggeration to say that the value of these walls alone could buy half of Kaoshan Village. Since the Great Zhou Dynasty had strict gun control, most of the items in this room had been purchased by Jiang Ren through special channels, consuming over half of his earnings from the past few years.

While the Great Zhou government prohibited firearms, the vast, sparsely populated territory meant that wild beasts and criminals frequently infiltrated the borders. To ensure that people in remote areas possessed the ability to defend themselves, the authorities often chose to turn a blind eye. This leniency, however, was strictly limited to hunting rifles, which was why Jiang Ren dared to acquire this equipment.

"Without accounting for ammunition consumption and firearm wear, my marksmanship has improved significantly. Even if I were to encounter those three, I wouldn't be without the power to resist."

Jiang Ren smiled. He changed into his specialized hunting gear, grabbed a rifle and some spare ammunition, and took Xiaobai out. To prepare for the "main course" coming in a few days, he needed to practice his shooting. After all, marksmanship was a skill that regressed significantly if left unpracticed for too long.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, outside the national border:

Twelve men clad in white camouflage lay in the woods, nervously watching a stone marker engraved with the border line and a Great Zhou soldier walking away in the distance.

"The signal is poor around here, so I can't track the locator's exact position, but every so often, the device sends out a strong signal. The little darling definitely won't be able to escape our grasp," said a white man with a long, curled beard.

"Little darling" was their nickname for a rare Snow King Tiger. The others nodded in agreement; although their plan to capture the tiger alive had failed, they had successfully embedded a tracker in it during its escape. No matter how far it ran, it couldn't leave the signal range.

"Boss!" one of them pointed at the thick tablet in his hand and said, "The little darling has run into the Great Zhou Dynasty. What do we do?"

Many of them cursed their luck; the Great Zhou Dynasty was not friendly to poachers like them.

The bearded man paused, then said firmly, "Pursue! We can't let that money slip away. Besides, given the value of a Snow King Tiger, we’ll all have enough to retire on after this job."

"I have no objections."
"Me neither."
"We'll follow the boss."

Greed flickered in the eyes of the other eleven men. This came as no surprise to the leader; none of the members of his team were good people before they became poachers. Even knowing that infiltrating the Great Zhou was dangerous, the thirst for money was irresistible.

"To avoid trouble, if we run into anyone on the way, we must..." The bearded man raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture. The others nodded with cruel smiles.

After several days of tracking, the Snow King Tiger was getting closer.

"Hurry! Chase! We must catch it today!"

Having received another signal—this time from less than a kilometer away—the bearded man and his crew began their pursuit with excitement. Having failed for several days, most had lost their patience. This time, they decided they would take it, dead or alive.

"Snow King Tiger?"

A voice filled with curiosity echoed from a tall tree on a highland nearby. Jiang Ren was completely hidden among the leaves, secured to the tree by a safety rope, looking through binoculars at the direction of the bearded man's group.

"Twelve people? Are they hunting the Snow King Tiger?"

Jiang Ren quickly assessed the situation, his mind racing. "So, you’re a group of poachers, then?"

He hadn't expected such a harvest so soon; it was worth all the time he had spent preparing.

A smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "Since you’ve come, don't think about leaving."

Jiang Ren pulled out his high-priced satellite phone and dialed... the police!

While he wanted revenge, he wasn't arrogant enough to think that, with his fifteen-year-old body and a hunting rifle, he could take down twelve well-equipped and vicious poachers. In truth, if there were only three of them, he would have been prepared to handle it himself. But now? Why not call the police? As a citizen of the Great Zhou, wasn't it perfectly normal to call the police when discovering such a dangerous group of poachers?

Although the weather wasn't great, the call went through. He was using a satellite phone, and he had even installed a signal relay station nearby.

After a few rings, the call was answered.

"Hello, this is the Chenning City emergency dispatch. How can I help you?"

"I've discovered a group of poachers. I was wondering if you could send someone to deal with them."

"You said poachers?"

"That's right. They are carrying rifles, shotguns, and I even saw a sniper rifle."

"Sir, are you sure they are poachers?"

"My surname is Jiang."

"I see, Mr. Jiang. May I ask..."

"I am very sure. They are currently chasing a white tiger. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a Snow King Tiger."

"Sir, a poaching group carrying illegal weapons is not a matter for jokes. Are you certain of this?"

"I am very certain!"

"Very well. Please ensure your own safety, and provide us with the detailed location and any information you have gathered about the group."

Hearing the tone on the other end turn serious, Jiang Ren smiled and recited the coordinates and address. Then, as if hosting a live broadcast, he watched the poachers through his binoculars and began detailing every weapon they were carrying.