After hovering above the crowd for a moment, Little Gold suddenly swooped down, while the other golden eagle circled in the air for a long time without landing.
"Zhuang Rui'an replied, 'These... must be Xiao Jin's parents, right?'"
Timur, aboard Peng Fei's carriage, gazed hopefully at the golden eagle in the sky. Whether he could obtain the baby eagle on this trip depended on the eagle's parents' efforts. If they failed to hatch the baby eagle, Zhuang Rui would be helpless.
Zhuang Rui stared at the sky for a while, then said, "It's bigger, so it should be the golden eagle's father. Hey, Brother Timur, you seem to be quite lucky. Only one golden eagle came to greet us, which means the other one is probably feeding its chicks..."
As the two were talking, Little Gold had already landed on the grass in front of Zhuang Rui, but it staggered slightly when it landed.
"Xiao Jin, why are you only coming now? Are you excited to see your parents?"
When Zhuang Rui habitually reached out to stroke Xiao Jin, his expression suddenly changed.
Beneath Little Gold's outstretched wings, which were not yet fully folded, was a leg stained with blood. The thick blood had stuck the feathers of its lower limb together.
"What happened? Xiao Jin, who hurt you? Peng Fei, bring some water. Dean Laba Ciren, please take a look..."
Zhuang Rui stepped forward, picked up Xiao Jin, and laid its body horizontally on the ground. At the same time, he channeled a stream of spiritual energy into its body. After examining it, he was relieved to find that Xiao Jin only had a leg injury and was not in any danger to its life.
"Brother Zhuang, this...this is a gunshot wound!"
Peng Fei ran over with a water bag and washed the wound on Xiao Jin's leg with clean water. After that, his expression turned rather grim.
On Xiao Jin's strong lower limbs, there was a very obvious bullet hole that went right through its legs. Fortunately, the bullet did not damage the bone; otherwise, Xiao Jin would not have been able to stand on the ground at all.
"Mr. Zhuang, please step aside, let me bandage it first..."
Dean Laba Tsering also ran over with a life-saving kit. In many parts of Tibet, people rely on herding cattle and sheep for a living, so these doctors not only treat people but also take on veterinary work, making them very familiar with treating livestock.
While pressing down on Xiao Jin, who was struggling to get up, and having Laba Ciren apply medicine and bandage it, Zhuang Rui looked up at the sky and quietly released his spiritual energy. He wanted to see if his father, the golden eagle in the sky, was also injured.
The result relieved Zhuang Rui; the golden eagle circling in the air had no injuries. However, when he thought of a possibility, Zhuang Rui's heart started to pound again.
The mother eagle... did not appear. Although it was possible, as Zhuang Rui said, that she was nursing her young, it was also possible that she had been harmed. This made Zhuang Rui's expression even more grim.
Zhuang Rui turned around, looked at Pubu and the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, and questioned, "Director Pubu, Director Basang, what's going on? Haven't you publicized the Animal Protection Law?"
The gunshot wound must have been caused by someone. Thinking of the missing mother eagle and the snow leopard living on the snowy mountain, Zhuang Rui wished he could fly to the snowy mountain immediately to find their traces.
“Mr. Zhuang…you know, work in Tibetan areas is quite difficult, but we’ve been promoting the prohibition of poaching and the protection of wild animals for years…”
Pubu offered a few words of explanation, but looking at the wound on the golden eagle's leg, he couldn't continue. The facts were undeniable; it was indeed their work that hadn't been done properly.
Upon hearing Pubu's words, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but smile wryly. The sheer variety of firearms and ammunition Zhou Rui had easily acquired during his first trip to Tibet was a testament to the rampant gun violence in the region.
The campaign to confiscate firearms in Tibet began in the early days after liberation. However, due to safety concerns for herders grazing their livestock in the wild, many herders still keep firearms in their homes today, which is unavoidable.
Looking at the golden eagle's wound, Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and suddenly said, "This must have been done by an outsider. The villagers of Gama Village all know this golden eagle; they certainly wouldn't shoot it..."
When Zhuang Rui left Gama Village, he left a lot of money for the villagers so that the golden eagles and snow leopards could eat some cattle and sheep from the village when the mountains were blocked by heavy snow and there was no food. He believed that the simple villagers would never do anything to harm the golden eagles and snow leopards again after receiving the money.
"It must be poachers..."
A cold glint appeared in Zhuang Rui's eyes. He had come here hoping to reunite with his old friend, but he never expected to encounter this situation.
Director Basang, who had remained silent until now, nodded after examining the golden eagle's wounds and said, "Some time ago, someone reported that a group of poachers had come to the county. We organized a team to arrest them, but they escaped... Mr. Zhuang, judging from the wounds on this golden eagle, it must have happened not long ago. We will definitely catch the poachers, so please rest assured..."
Chief Basang knew that Zhuang Rui was their most distinguished guest, and in front of Zhuang Rui, he gave the order, "Losang, go back and notify the criminal investigation team to come and block this mountain pass. The rest of you come with me into the mountains. We must catch them..."
Director Basang only brought four people with him this time, but they were all armed. If they hadn't encountered a large-scale poacher, they wouldn't have been afraid of them.
Looking at the gaunt Basang and the few policemen in front of him, Zhuang Rui shook his head almost imperceptibly and said, "Peng Fei, Brother Zhou, you should go with Chief Basang. Chief Basang, they're all former special forces soldiers, they might be able to help..."
Nowadays, whether it's tomb raiding or poaching, criminals are all equipped with high-tech heavy firepower. Zhuang Rui doesn't want to cause a tragedy here comparable to the one in Kekexili, because he would be letting down the families of these police officers.
Chapter 1309 Poachers
Enraged that poachers had attacked their most respected guest's animal in their own territory, Chief Basang made arrangements and then led his officers into the ravine.
Although Zhuang Rui was worried about the snow leopard and the female eagle in the snow mountain, he was accompanied by Qin Xuanbing and several other women, so he couldn't go ahead on his own. He could only ask Peng Fei and Zhou Rui to go with Director Basang to Gama Village first to find out the situation.
Seeing the gunshot wound on the golden eagle's leg and Zhuang Rui's gloomy face, Qin Xuanbing couldn't help but ask with some concern, "Zhuang Rui, that snow leopard you mentioned, will it be alright? Perhaps... you and Director Basang should go over there first..."
Having lived with Zhuang Rui for four or five years, Qin Xuanbing knew little about Zhuang Rui's supernatural abilities, but she did know that her husband seemed to possess some skills beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Therefore, Qin Xuanbing wasn't too worried about Zhuang Rui's repeated adventures, but she did have some complaints about being alone in her room.
"It's alright, Peng Fei can follow along. Let's hurry up..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. The road to Gama Village was extremely difficult to travel, with a section even being a narrow, winding path halfway up the mountain. If anything happened to Qin Xuanbing and Lei Lei, he would be devastated.
Upon entering the mountain valley, this pristine land, untouched by human development, was exceptionally beautiful, but no one was in the mood to appreciate it. They quickened their pace, following in the footsteps of the group ahead.
More than three hours later, Zhuang Rui and his group arrived at the foot of a mountain not far from the mountain village. After crossing the ridge in front of them, they found themselves in a picturesque paradise.
"Bang...bang bang..."
Suddenly, several crisp gunshots rang out from the back of the mountain ridge.
"Gah... Gah gah!"
The two golden eagles that had been circling above Zhuang Rui and his group flapped their wings and flew high over the mountain ridge after hearing the gunshot.
"Little Jin, come back!" Zhuang Rui was startled when he saw this and quickly used his spiritual energy to soothe the two golden eagles in the sky.
Although these two creatures are at the top of the food chain in the snowy mountains, they are like lambs to the slaughter when faced with human firearms, completely powerless to fight back.
"Xiao Jin, go with Xuan Bing and protect them..."
After summoning the golden eagle, Zhuang Rui gave it some instructions, then looked behind him and said, "Brother Timur, Brother Wei, Liu Chuan, you two go with Dean Laba Ciren. I need to go and take a look first..."
The gunshot tugged at Zhuang Rui's heartstrings. He was more than 10 kilometers away from the location of the gunfire, and he didn't know what was going on or if his men were injured. Getting there sooner might be the best way to help them.
With Laba Tsering, an old Tibetan, around, and the road ahead not being too treacherous, the team's safety was assured.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Liu Chuan brandished his Type 56 submachine gun and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, we have guns too. Just be careful..."
For the safety of the team behind, this gun was left behind by Director Basang and carried on Liu Chuan's back. Liu Chuan had been eager to use it all along the way. If Zhuang Rui hadn't stopped him, Liu Chuan would have already used it on the group of gazelles they encountered earlier.
"You guys be careful..."
Zhuang Rui hurriedly gave his instructions and then darted off. A white shadow followed closely behind him. The white lion, despite its massive size, moved with remarkable agility on the mountain path.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the bushes halfway up the mountain. The group behind them quickened their pace and headed towards Gama Village. Gunshots meant someone was injured, and the medical team on this trip might come in handy.
Leaving aside the rest of the group, Zhuang Rui and Bai Shi, running at full speed, crossed the mountain ridge in just over half an hour. They could see the entrance to the mountain village in the distance, and even hear the barking of the Tibetan mastiffs in the village.
Standing on high ground, Zhuang Rui could clearly see the snowmelt flowing down from the snow-capped mountains, forming winding streams. The small lake beside the village, under the afternoon sun, reflected a bright light like a mirror, mirroring the blue sky and white clouds.
However, there are many more wooden houses in the village than a few years ago. Along the lake, there is a ring of newly built houses. Presumably, the birth of the reincarnated child has brought about great changes to this almost isolated village.
Looking at this familiar scene, Zhuang Rui felt a surge of excitement. If it weren't for the arrival of the poachers, he probably would have been completely absorbed in it.
"Awooo... Awooo!" Returning to a familiar place, the white lion was extremely excited and roared. Instantly, the barking of the dogs in the village stopped, and only the majestic and deep roar of the white lion could be heard in the world.
"Alright, stop acting cool, hurry up and go see what happened..."
Zhuang Rui slapped the white lion on the head in annoyance, got up and ran towards the village entrance. When he was still more than ten meters away from entering the village, more than twenty Tibetan mastiffs rushed out of the village.
Behind these Tibetan mastiffs stood the elderly village chief. Several years had passed, and the old man's face had gained many more wrinkles, but his eyes remained bright and full of wisdom.
"Old village chief, I've bothered you again..."
Seeing the old man holding a hada (a ceremonial scarf) and walking towards him, Zhuang Rui quickly stepped forward, bent down, and let the old man put the hada around his neck.
Generally speaking, presenting a hada (a ceremonial scarf) to a guest is something that young people in the village should do. However, Zhuang Rui has a very special meaning to this village, so the elders personally put a hada on Zhuang Rui, which is their most honorable courtesy.
Although they couldn't communicate verbally, Zhuang Rui could feel the villagers' heartfelt welcome and gratitude. After smiling and exchanging a few auspicious blessings with the old man, Zhuang Rui looked at the crowd. He wanted to find someone who understood Chinese to ask Basang and Peng Fei where they had gone.
"Dondrup Tsering..."
Zhuang Rui's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw the tour guide from last time and quickly helped the old man walk towards Dunzhu Ciren.
However, before Zhuang Rui could ask any questions, Director Basang and his entourage appeared at the back of the crowd and came to greet him.
Zhuang Rui, without bothering to greet the enthusiastic villagers, went straight to the point and asked, "Director Basang, what exactly happened with the gunshot just now?"
There were too many people gathered here. Basang glanced around and said, "Mr. Zhuang, let's go into the village and talk about it..."
After hearing Basang's words, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only the old village chief, Dunzhu Ciren, and a few other prominent figures from the village, who followed Zhuang Rui and his group into a house.
After entering the room, before Zhuang Rui could ask any further questions, Director Basang said, "Mr. Zhuang, let me report the situation to you first. It's like this..."
It turned out that after Basang and his group arrived in the village, they went straight to the old village chief and asked him if any suspicious people had come to the village.
Although the old village chief was old, he was not senile. After hearing Basang's question, he actually thought of a few suspicious people.
Six people moved into a newly built wooden house on the edge of the village the day before yesterday. They brought a lot of supplies in large and small bags. According to them, they came here to climb the snow mountain and pay homage to the former residence of the reincarnated Living Buddha.
However, after these people arrived, they did not visit the house where the reincarnated Living Buddha lived. Instead, they went up the snow mountain early the next morning without calling a guide from the village.
This wouldn't have been a big deal. People who come to this village either visit the birthplace of the Living Buddha or climb the snow-capped mountains. However, the observant old village chief noticed that of the six people who went out last night, only five returned.
Moreover, there were obvious traces of blood and bandages on one of the people's right arms. The old village chief had kindly asked if they wanted the village doctor to take a look, but the people hurriedly refused.
The snow-capped mountain is steep, and people often fall and get injured. At the time, the old village chief didn't pay much attention to it, but now that Director Basang asked him, he immediately voiced his suspicions.
Upon hearing the old village chief say that the group had not left since returning yesterday, Director Basang decided to arrest them immediately. With five people on each side, and considering that the group was caught off guard, the chances of a successful arrest were relatively high.
After checking the guns, the group quietly surrounded the cabin. However, when Peng Fei kicked open the door and rushed inside, he found that the cabin was completely empty.
After inspecting the house, Director Basang concluded from the still-warm tea in the teacups on the table that the other party must have left not long ago. At the same time, Zhou Rui also discovered messy footprints behind the house.
Following the footprints, the group chased after them, which led to the Great Snow Mountain. After chasing for about ten minutes, they saw several figures about five hundred meters ahead.
Director Basang immediately fired a warning shot, trying to get the men to come down. However, the other side opened fire with a burst of bullets. If it weren't for a rock in front of him, Director Basang would probably have been killed in the line of duty. This is why Zhuang Rui and the others heard the gunshots.
Seeing that the enemy had automatic weapons, in order to avoid casualties, Basang left two people to guard the entrance to the village from the snow mountain and decided to withdraw the rest of the people first. Just as they returned to the village, they met Zhuang Rui, who had come ahead of them.
Peng Fei seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Director Basang's decision to withdraw the order. After Basang finished speaking, he said, "Brother Zhuang, there are only five of them. If you ask me, if Brother Zhou and I go in, we'll definitely take them all down..."
"Nonsense, what are you trying to prove? There are no trees on this snowy mountain, how many bullets can you possibly dodge?"
Zhuang Rui glared at Peng Fei, annoyed. Did this kid really think that special forces soldiers were invincible?
Chapter 1310 Internal Strife (Part 1)
"If we don't go up, and they won't come down, what should we do?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Peng Fei curled his lip. In his opinion, although a direct assault was somewhat dangerous, he was confident that he could kill the poachers by using the rocks on the mountain as cover.