Chapter 54 No Other Choice

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One hand holding a gun and the other a spear, a young man who looked lean and wiry stood there. His face was long and thin, with small eyes that surprisingly conveyed an honest simplicity. He wore a pair of camouflaged rubber shoes and was dressed in desert camouflage, clearly with a bulky item like a down jacket worn underneath.

In winter, the effectiveness of desert camouflage clothing was much better than in summer, so Jia Weidong's camouflage was quite convincing.

His best friend's abdomen was spurting blood, and beside him stood the culprit who had inflicted the wound.

Should he shoot him to death, or should he shoot him to death, or should he shoot him to death?

Fundamentally speaking, Yu Shunzhou was not wrong, but the person who had injured him seemed to be not at fault either...

Gao Yuan couldn't help but reach for his pistol, and then with a ferocious expression, he exclaimed, "I'll kill you!"

Gao Yuan had chosen loyalty over reason, and naturally, Luo Xingyu would side with Gao Yuan without any argument.

"Nobody move!"

Xiang Weiguo spoke up just in time. He approached Gao Yuan, pressed a hand on his shoulder, and leaned down to take away Gao Yuan's pistol.

"Don't be rash, take care of Xiaoyu first; Xiaoyu, don't shoot."

After speaking, Xiang Weiguo walked in front of the gunman, took the rifle from him, and said, "Throw away the spear. What's your name?"

"Jia Weidong."

"Hmm? The 'Wei' as in 'great'?"

"Yes."

"What do you do?"

"A farmer."

"Hmm?"

"A hunter, I usually hunt wild boars or the like."

"With hunting dogs?"

"Hmm."

"How many dogs do you have?"

"Seven dogs, but now only three are left. One was eaten by them."

Jia Weidong glared at Yu Shunzhou with a resentful gaze. Lying on the ground, Yu Shunzhou weakly said, "I'm damned if I did, I didn't eat your dog. I'm also a dog keeper and I simply don't eat dog meat."

"You're with them."

"I'm still with these three right now, and they've killed all the people who ate your dog, so tell me what you make of that!"

Yu Shunzhou was very angry, and he had every reason to be, for he was the one who had been shot.

Jia Weidong blinked but said nothing more.

Xiang Weiguo sighed and asked, "How do you hunt?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking how you hunt, answer me honestly."

After hesitating for a moment, Jia Weidong said, "I hunt with dogs. When the dogs catch the scent of a wild boar, they chase it. Once they've caught up and have the pig, I go in with a spear and kill it."

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Xiang Weiguo took a breath and said, "Hunting usually requires a companion. Where's yours?"

Jia Weidong was silent for a moment before responding softly, "Dead."

"Then why did you ambush those people? Just because they killed your dog?"

Jia Weidong, who had been hanging his head, lifted it and said, "Isn't that enough?"

"Regardless, the life of a dog ultimately isn't the same as the life of a human. Killing a dog won't get you a sentence, but killing a person is different."

Jia Weidong's face darkened as he said, "They killed my dog, so I will take their life."

Xiang Weiguo's brows furrowed because Jia Weidong's response was not satisfying to him. According to his principles, even if those people deserved to die, Xiang Weiguo could not accept it if Jia Weidong started killing because his dog was killed.

"I shouted from afar, asking them not to harm my dog, but they shot my dog dead and then fired at me. I don't care about others. Since they killed my dog, they have to pay with their lives for my dog."

That was acceptable. Xiang Weiguo's brows relaxed because those people had intentionally fired at Jia Weidong, indicating that they also wanted to kill him. Thus, Jia Weidong's retaliation was justifiable.

Many people definitely wouldn't risk their lives for a dog to seek vengeance, especially when armed only with a spear against someone with a gun.

Xiang Weiguo approved of Jia Weidong's retaliatory actions and then asked in a deep voice, "Is there a shelter here? A large shelter."

"Yes, there is."

"Then why didn't you go?"

Jia Weidong sighed and said, "They won't let me keep a dog. To enter the shelter, I would have had to abandon my dog. Why would I go to a shelter then?"

Gao Yuan couldn't help but say, "Uncle Xiang, why ask so many questions!"

Yu Shunzhou muttered, "Aren't you going to try and save me? I think I might still be saved. Why don't you try?"

Xiang Weiguo waved his hand and said, "Don't rush; you're not going to die anytime soon, at least not within twelve hours."

After speaking, Xiang Weiguo looked at Yu Shunzhou and said pleasantly, "In my experience, your type of injury is the most torturous. If you don't undergo surgery, you will definitely die, but you will have to wait a long time for death. Have you seen those wounded soldiers who wail for dozens of hours before they finally die?"

Yu Shunzhou couldn't bear it anymore and angrily said, "Where the hell would I have seen wounded soldiers?"

Xiang Weiguo waved his hand and continued, "You are one now. What's happened is that the bullet changed direction after passing through the radio; it entered your belly sideways and tumbled around inside. It hurts! But you're not bleeding much. Your intestines are torn, and feces are leaking everywhere. In the end, you either die of pain or of infection, but it's really hard for you to die quickly."

Yu Shunzhou couldn't stand it and shouted, "Are you sick in the head, old man? Is this the time for you to show off? Can't you say something nice? Full of feces... If I could get up, I really would slap you to death!"

Gao Yuan didn't know what to say.

"Uncle Xiang, if you have a way, then hurry up and save him! Can you or can't you?"

Seeing Gao Yuan's anxious expression, Xiang Weiguo shook his head and said, "It's not that I refuse to save him. I definitely know basic medical care, and we do have some medicines, including antibiotics. But the problem is, I don't know how to clean intestines filled with feces. Even if I took out the bullet and stopped the bleeding, he would eventually die from infection or intestinal obstruction. So, there's no other way; only a real doctor at the shelter can save him. Look, he's not bleeding much—it's no big deal. I can't guarantee much if we wait too long, but within twelve hours, he definitely won't die."

Gao Yuan looked at Yu Shunzhou, who said with a bitter face, "Sir! Then please think of a solution quickly, will you?"

Yu Shunzhou realized that Gao Yuan couldn't save him, and that nobody present could. So if he wanted to survive, he had to beg Xiang Weiguo.

At least for temporary pain relief, Xiang Weiguo had to do it.

"So I am looking for a way to save you, but you keep interrupting me."

After saying this, Xiang Weiguo turned to Jia Weidong and asked, "How far is the nearest shelter? Where is your county shelter?"

Without hesitation, Jia Weidong said, "We can only go to Stonegate Shelter. Our county shelter is to the north, ten kilometers from the county seat, and considering the detour around the county town, it's more than thirty kilometers. It's also over thirty kilometers to Stonegate Shelter, but the route is easier to navigate, and there are no large towns in between."

Xiang Weiguo clapped his hands and said, "Then let's not dawdle. Do we have any other choice? Let's hurry up and make a stretcher and leave!"