(For reference only: Since no suitable image could be found, an AI-generated one was created, which looks roughly like this.)
Dark red blood-red ice shards fell, scattering a patch of red across the snow.
Black stood in the wind.
The cigarette had burned down to the filter.
He didn't help, coldly watching Su Wei finish doing all of this.
"Teacher, what's next?"
Su Wei took off his blood-stained gloves, wiped them on his trouser leg, and looked at the spruce forest.
The place the poacher fled.
"That bastard is on the other side of the ridge; if we go around him now, we can intercept him..."
"Get on the bus."
Black opened the car door without even glancing at the woods.
Su Wei stood there, stunned.
The barrel of the M70 rifle in his hand was still warm; adrenaline made his veins throb, and he felt a surge of anger rising within him.
The poachers were on foot, and although the blizzard had stopped, the snow cover in the mountains was still thick.
He can't have gone far; if we chase after him, there's a very good chance we'll find him.
This is a good opportunity.
I said, "Get in the car."
The car window was rolled down halfway.
Black's profile was sharply defined, his gaze fixed solely on the fuel gauge on the dashboard.
Su Wei snapped out of his daze, looked into the distance, and exhaled.
He eventually opened the passenger door and got in.
As soon as the car door closed, the bone-chilling wind was instantly shut out.
Black didn't start the car.
He pulled out a Motorola high-power car radio microphone from a hidden compartment under the dashboard, connecting it to the extended gain antenna on the roof.
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The crackling sound of electricity filled the cramped carriage.
Black's fingers were rough, and his fingertips rubbed against the anti-slip texture of the knob.
"Calling Kodiak Dispatch Center, transferring to the Fish and Game Department. This is Registered Hunter, Black Anderson."
Su Wei's body stiffened.
Watching Black's deliberate actions, he suddenly realized how foolish his earlier thought of rushing into the woods had been.
This is neither a movie nor a TV series.
When faced with an armed poacher who is already alert, [the situation unfolds].
A rash pursuit would only lead to your own death.
Su Wei suddenly realized that she had been too naive and had been watching too many TV dramas.
He closed his eyes, stretched out his hands, and gently patted his cheeks, trying to clear his head.
Black noticed Su Wei's movements out of the corner of his eye. He leaned back in his chair and didn't say anything.
A few seconds later, a sleepy male voice came from the loudspeaker.
"Received, Black. You're working in this weather? I heard the blizzard closed a lot of roads last night."
"Enough talk, Charlie. I have work to do."
Black's voice was steady.
Armed poachers spotted in the birch forest area, at 57 degrees north latitude and 153 degrees west longitude.
As soon as he said that, the voice on the other end of the radio immediately perked up.
"Armed? What type of weapons are they carrying?"
"Confirm."
Black glanced at Su Wei.
" .338 Lapua Magnum caliber, high-precision rifle. The suspect has strong counter-surveillance capabilities; we were just in a standoff within 200 meters. He is now fleeing towards the northern ridge."
Su Wei heard a sharp sound of a chair scraping against the floor on the other end of the radio, followed by the frantic clatter of a keyboard.
.338 caliber.
On this island, this means the suspects have more firepower than most patrol officers who only issue tickets.
"Roger that! Is it the same poacher from before? That's a serious offense! We'll notify the Fish and Game Department's enforcement team immediately. Wait... is he heading north?"
The voice on the other end paused for two seconds.
"That's a dead end. The ice in the valley to the north isn't thick enough for vehicles to pass."
"That's right."
Black tossed the blood-stained piece of shrapnel onto the dashboard with a sharp clang.
"He doesn't have a car. He can't go fast hiking in the snow. All you need to do is block the Highway 11 exit to the north and send a team to guard the logging camp to the east."
Black's lips twitched slightly—a cold laugh.
"That bastard's right here in my pocket, he can't escape."
"Understood! Weather permitting, the helicopter will take off in half an hour. What about you? Continue the pursuit?"
Black reached for the cigarette pack; it was empty.
He crushed the empty box and casually tossed it into the trash bag at his feet.
"I'm not going to pursue him anymore. That's your job. My apprentice is still a rookie, and I don't want him to become a sieve."
Click.
Communication cut off.
The microphone was put back on its bracket, and only the hum of the engine idling remained in the car.
Looking at the black radio, Su Wei's pent-up anger dissipated instantly.
Instead, he got goosebumps all over.
This is what a professional hunter is like.
This is reality.
No need to risk your life, no need to exchange fire with madmen in that damned forest.
One phone call, and an invisible net is cast.
The poacher thought he had escaped into the vast wilderness, unaware that in the face of modern communication networks, he was walking into a sealed metal can.
He's crazy, but the people who're chasing him aren't.
"Did you understand?"
Black shifted gears and accelerated.
The tracked vehicle let out a deep roar, and the vehicle shook violently.
"In the wilderness, sometimes you have to bite like a wolf. But more often, you have to learn to weave a web like a spider."
Also, watch fewer movies.
With the steering wheel turned all the way, the tracks dug two deep trenches in the snow.
The car turned around, its back to the forest that harbored danger, and headed straight down the mountain.
"I know this terrain better than he does. Heading north, even if he were made of iron, he couldn't travel more than twenty kilometers a day in this snow condition. Once the enforcement team seals off the road, the helicopter takes off, and the infrared scanner is activated..."
Black stepped on the gas.
"He was like a giant, glowing light bulb in the snow."
"The blizzard stopping is his opportunity, but it's also ours. All we need to do is find out where he is."
"Luckily and unfortunately, you didn't get to use your abilities. But he came to you of his own accord."
Su Wei hugged the heavy M70 and fastened the straps.
The crisp sound of the buttons snapping shut him up.
"Understood, teacher."
"Good to know."
Black snorted and said no more.