By the time Li Long saw that the yellow shape was a lynx, he had already raised his rifle, instinctively worked the bolt to chamber a round, and taken aim-
Then he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
But the lynx was faster than he had imagined, and its reactions were sharper.
As Li Long pulled the trigger, the creature did the unexpected and lunged straight toward him. The bullet struck where it had been an instant before.
By the time Li Long adjusted his muzzle slightly for a follow-up shot, the lynx twisted aside, swinging its hindquarters around like a soldier turning to fire behind him. Its entire body turned a hundred and eighty degrees, throwing up a cloud of snow as it shot off into the distance!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The lynx was incredibly fast. Li Long fired several shots in succession, but every one struck the snow it kicked up without hurting it at all.
The lynx was light and did not seem to sink into the snow in the slightest. Almost floating over it, it quickly darted into the woods and disappeared.
Unwilling to give up, Li Long chased after it with his rifle. The morning's hunt had gone so smoothly that his spirits were high.
Hunting a lynx was much more interesting than shooting a few wolves.
Of course, its pelt was worth more, too. That was the main reason.
Though the snow was deep, Li Long did not run much slower than the lynx. When he entered the woods, he spotted it among the trees ahead, standing beside a large spruce and looking back.
Seeing Li Long approach, the lynx quickly ran on again.
Li Long kept chasing. By the time he emerged from that patch of woods, the lynx was nowhere in sight.
Its paw