"Gunshots, why would there be gunshots in the nature reserve?"
As the sound was heard, Yang Lin, in the off-road vehicle, became instantly alert.
"Not necessarily, maybe they were setting off firecrackers for the New Year. People live in the reserve too," added Teacher Xiao Liang, frowning.
"The Tibetan New Year has long passed, why would they be setting off firecrackers now? It seems the completion of the road has brought more than just development to Medog."
Glancing in the direction of the gunshots, Yang Lin said with deep emotion.
"Let's just hope this place doesn't become another Kekexili."
Upon hearing the words "Kekexili," the four people present fell silent.
Kekexili, once a pristine land like Medog, had become a hellscape with the arrival of poachers. Every year, tens of thousands of wild animals fell victim to their guns. It was only after the efforts of several generations and countless sacrifices that this situation was finally brought under control.
"Let's go see what's going on in there. If they are poachers, we must not let them succeed."
As the others were lost in thought, Yang Lin was the first to open the car door. Seeing this, the others quickly grabbed their belongings and followed.
"Director Yang, the poachers have guns. Are you sure we should go looking for them directly? What if we run into them head-on?" Teacher Xiao Liang asked, his face a little anxious as he walked on the soft grass, looking towards the direction of the gunshots.
"Yes, Director Yang. We're unarmed. If we run into poachers, two shots and we're dead. We should notify the reserve staff first," another person chimed in.
Hearing this, Yang Lin's footsteps involuntarily stopped.
"What you're saying has some merit. Those who dare to poach here must be professional poaching gangs, possibly even from abroad. Alright, you guys call the reserve and the forest police first."
"Okay, okay, we'll call now." Nodding, the cameraman took out his phone and dialed the emergency number.
But as he was making the call, Yang Lin took another step forward.
"Director Yang, where are you going?" Teacher Xiao Liang asked, full of confusion.
"I can't wait for them to get here. If Da Mi encounters poachers, it will be in danger."
"It's a cub from Xihong Zoo. I can't just stand by and watch it be in danger, so I have to rush over immediately," Yang Lin said with unusual determination.
"But they have guns!"
"What's there to be afraid of with guns? I have martial arts." After saying this calmly, Yang Lin leaped over a five-meter-wide stream that blocked their path in front of Teacher Xiao Liang and the others. Then, with a running speed that surpassed that of ordinary people, he disappeared into the alpine meadow, leaving Teacher Xiao Liang and the others stunned.
"Director, Director Yang really went alone?"
"Does he really know martial arts?"
"Know martial arts? Rubbish! I could jump this far when I was young."
"But you're only in your early thirties this year!"
"Why so many questions? Hurry up and keep in touch with the forest police. Make sure they can find us as quickly as possible. I don't want to come here every year to pay respects at Director Yang's grave."
...
While everyone was worrying about the little white tiger and the wild animals in the reserve, the protagonist, the little white tiger, was also following the scent into a mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest. The closer it got to this area, the stronger the familiar tiger scent became. It could already determine that at least three tigers lived in this area. Correspondingly, the human scent also became more distinct, accompanied by a faint smell of blood. Upon smelling the blood, the little white tiger could basically confirm the identity of these human poachers.
"There really are poachers here. Are they after the tigers? Are Mom and Dad in danger?"
The little white tiger's reasoning was based on the fact that, generally, an adult tiger's hunting radius was 100 kilometers. If there were tiger scents in this area, no other large animals would dare to linger here long-term. Therefore, the poachers' target could only be tigers.
Just as the little white tiger's expression began to darken, another gunshot rang out nearby. Without time to think, it immediately sprinted towards the direction of the gunshot at its fastest speed. In just over ten minutes, it arrived at the edge of a lake surrounded by birch trees. As soon as it approached, the pungent smell of blood made it stop. With just one glance, the little white tiger's fur stood on end. Following its gaze, it saw a group of people in camouflage, holding hunting rifles, gathered around. Beside them were several downed wild animals: deer, wild donkeys, antelopes, and even a snow leopard. The deer and antelopes were already dead, and the group was using small knives to skin them. Blood flowed onto the ground and into the lake, dyeing the gem-like water crimson.
"This is a good place, isn't it? The animals are so abundant."
"Yeah, not only are there many animals here, but they're also stupid. They don't even know to hide when they see people, they just keep coming closer."
"Of course. The locals here worship these animals like gods, so they deserve to be poor. They have such a treasure trove but don't know how to use it."
"If they hunted all the animals, where would we get our opportunities to get rich? So, this is a gift from heaven for us."
"It's a shame the vehicle couldn't drive in this time, so we can only take this much out."
"Don't underestimate it, this is already worth hundreds of thousands."
"Hundreds of thousands isn't enough. I heard there are many tigers here. Why don't we take a tiger back?"
"Yes, yes, tigers are worth more than these, tiger skins, tiger bones..."
Listening to the conversation of these people, the little white tiger felt a surge of anger mixed with a hint of relief. It was angry that these people considered hunting animals a way to make money, and relieved that they hadn't hunted any tigers yet. However, when it heard the last few sentences, its heart immediately tensed up again. Clearly, these people were not unwilling to hunt tigers, they just hadn't encountered any yet. Moreover, they hadn't come here specifically for tigers, they had just stumbled into tiger territory. So, it could only pray that the tigers in this area would not come out. But its prayers clearly had no effect.
Roar!
With a roar that echoed through the mountains, a magnificent striped tiger emerged from the depths of the forest with an imposing stride.