novelden Chapter 160: Letting her run into the mountains on her own, that's truly a nightmare.
Chapter 160: Letting her run into the mountains on her own, that's truly a nightmare.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large crowd gathered at the village entrance, all craning their necks to look at the center.
"Isn't that Boss Lin?" Wang Ergou squinted, looking closely, then suddenly his eyes widened. "My goodness! How can that blond woman be so fair-skinned? Look at that, her nose is so high, and her eyes are blue! She must be a foreigner!"
"Yes. As for why you're so fair-skinned, you can ask her later."
Li Xiangyang couldn't help but smile.
"No way! We can't let ourselves be disgraced internationally."
Wang Ergou muttered under his breath.
As the two were talking, Lin Shouye saw them and quickly waved.
Lin Shouye was wearing a thick black woolen overcoat today, and he was smiling obsequiously at the foreign woman.
The woman was wrapped in a thick down jacket, with a red scarf around her neck, binoculars hanging from her chest, and a gun tucked into her waistband. She walked with a brisk pace, exuding a heroic and dashing air.
Behind them followed several bespectacled intellectuals, chatting and laughing; they appeared to be translators and companions.
"Come on, they've already invited us, let's go take a look." Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder.
"Brother Li! Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Anna Wilson, an expert from the International Wildlife Conservation Organization."
"Ms. Anna, these are Mr. Li Xiangyang and Mr. Wang Ergou, the two experienced wilderness survival experts I told you about."
Lin Shouye spoke to the blonde woman in broken English.
Anna smiled and extended her thickly gloved right hand to the two men: "Hello, it's an honor to meet you! I've heard you're the best hunters in the area."
Li Xiangyang extended his hand to shake hers, nodding politely, "You flatter me."
Wang Ergou, standing to the side, was stunned by Anna's tall and beautiful figure. After shaking hands with her, he blushed to the roots of his neck.
“Brother Li, you’re too modest,” Lin Shouye laughed. “Everyone knows how brave you are. Ms. Anna has come to ask for your help to go into the mountains to look for traces of Siberian tigers and to conduct some scientific research and monitoring projects. Please do help.”
Faced with this request, Li Xiangyang did not immediately agree, his brows furrowing slightly.
Although it is early spring, the mountains are still bitterly cold.
Although Siberian tigers are less aggressive after their mating season, this is the most dangerous time of year for them.
Because once the estrus period is over, appetite will increase significantly.
It's dangerous for me and Wang Ergou to go into the mountains, let alone bring a foreigner along.
Anna seemed to sense his concerns.
She said in slightly accented Chinese, "Mr. Li, I know it's dangerous. I've tracked lions and cheetahs in Africa; I'm professionally trained."
“It’s like this,” Lin Shouye said in a low voice, “Ms. Anna has received approval from above. They want to study the survival status of Siberian tigers and conduct scientific research. If you can help, it would be a contribution to international friendship!”
Just then, the black cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere, squatted down at Li Xiangyang's feet, and pricked up its ears to examine Anna.
"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, "What a beautiful black leopard cat!"
She crouched down and carefully extended her hand.
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to speak up to remind her, he saw that the black cat had actually moved closer to Anna's hand and let her stroke it.
“It’s amazing,” Anna said softly. “This cat is special; its eyes…are unlike those of ordinary cats. What’s its name?”
“It…” Li Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, “Its name is Little Princess.”
“A little princess? It seems quite young.” Anna continued stroking the black cat, lost in thought. “But it gives me a very peculiar feeling, like…like a wise sage. Encountering such a wondrous creature, I think I’m destined for good luck on this trip.”
Li Xiangyang never expected that foreigners would do this, and gave an awkward laugh.
Just as he was about to politely decline the other party's request again, Lin Shouye preemptively grabbed him: "Brother Li, let's talk alone for a bit."
Wang Ergou's eyes were still fixed on Anna. Li Xiangyang coughed lightly, "Ergou, why don't you talk to Ms. Anna and the others?"
"Ah? I... um..." Wang Ergou's face turned red again, and he stammered, not knowing what to say.
Lin Shouye pulled Li Xiangyang to a large locust tree nearby, took out a cigarette and handed it to him: "Brother Li, to tell you the truth, this job is lucrative."
"Mr. Lin, it's not about the money." Li Xiangyang took the cigarette but didn't light it immediately. "Bringing foreigners into the mountains, what if something happens..."
“I understand, I understand,” Lin Shouye said in a low voice. “I know you’re worried. I’m even more worried than you. But there’s nothing we can do. Anna isn’t just anyone. Her father owns a mine; he’s incredibly wealthy. She’s his only daughter, and the whole family treats her like royalty. Even her family can’t stop her from coming, let alone us.”
"I'll be honest with you from the bottom of my heart. We really can't go without her. The higher-ups were going to send someone to protect her, but she refused. The key issue is that she's quite capable, and they've already discovered her presence, which will cause a huge problem. Think about it, if something happens to her, it'll be a massive scandal. So I'm begging you, please promise her. Just protect her; I really don't trust anyone else."
"Don't worry, you'll get your share of the benefits. Agreeing will get you a thousand dollars. And that's not even counting what's to come."
Lin Shouye lowered his voice, "If we can get photos of the tiger, that's extra money. Think about it, even if you refuse, you'll have to find someone else. Why bother?"
Li Xiangyang remained silent, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cigarette.
“Besides,” Lin Shouye glanced at Anna, “we’ve already taken the money; it’s not like we necessarily have to run into each other.”
Li Xiangyang lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "You're right, but things in the mountains are never predictable..."
"Brother Li, don't refuse. You can hunt snow leopards, how can you not protect a little girl?"
Seeing that there was a chance, Lin Shouye said with a smile.
Li Xiangyang frowned even more deeply: "Boss Lin, give me the truth. What kind of people are they? Even if the higher-ups wanted to send someone to protect them secretly, it wouldn't be allowed?"
"Hey, I knew you'd ask that." Lin Shouye quickly pulled out a piece of paper. "Look at this, these are the approval documents from the province. Look at this resume, do you think we can protect it discreetly?"
Li Xiangyang took the paper and looked at it, feeling a terrible headache coming on. The other party had actually served in the Marine Corps for four years.
"No, Mr. Lin, aren't you just making things difficult for me? She's from the Marine Corps, you can't just fool her. I'm afraid I won't be able to get her to see a tiger, will I?"
"Smart! We had no other choice. Look, she has a gun on her hip and binoculars; she's clearly prepared. If we didn't do anything and let her wander into the mountains, that would be a real headache!"
Li Xiangyang remained silent for a while before speaking: "How about this? You tell her to go to the foot of the mountain first, stay there for a day, experience the harsh environment, and see if that can scare her away..."